TEDxBatonRouge reveals 2025 speaker lineup for ‘Unseen Currents’

TEDxBatonRouge today announced the full slate of speakers for its 2025 program while also opening public ticket sales for the Nov. 13 event at Manship Theatre.

As a TED Countdown Anchor Event, TEDxBatonRouge’s “Unseen Currents” aims to elevate Louisiana-born solutions at the intersection of science, design, health and culture—addressing climate pressures we live with every day, like coastal land loss, air quality and heat—while highlighting innovations that protect livelihoods, improve health outcomes and strengthen our economy.

Here’s a full list of 2025 speakers and topics:

• Damien Mitchell, industrial designer: A designer-educator blending time-honored craft and modern innovation to challenge hyperconsumerism—on what it takes to design objects (and futures) that last.
• Rebeca de Jesús Crespo, integrative ecologist: A landscape ecologist tracing the hidden links between land, water and human health—on how community choices ripple back into our lives and how resilience starts with intention.
• Johnnie James II, regenerative ocean farmer: A climate-tech founder reimagining one of the world’s oldest materials to help defend Louisiana’s vulnerable coast—on designing structures that endure while supporting coastal ecosystems.
• Pippin Frisbie-Calder, environmental printmaker: A visual artist transforming scientific data into large-scale prints and immersive installations—on educating the public to see what’s at stake and engage in solutions.
• Naohiro Kato, microalgae innovator: A biologist unlocking the outsized potential of microalgae—on advancing ways to preserve human health and local culture while addressing critical environmental challenges.
• Veronica Gillispie-Bell, maternal health advocate: A physician and public health leader illuminating maternal health as a fault line where climate change intensifies risk—on policy and clinical innovations that can save lives.
• Mary Miller, sponge hunter: A microbiology professor guiding student-driven discovery—on studying overlooked freshwater sponges to assess waterway health and inspiring the next generation of scientists.

The event will feature the curated talks and performances, plus “Activation Stations” that turn ideas into hands-on experiences with partners across science, art, tech and civic life. Doors open early at 4:30 p.m. for exhibits and the main program begins that evening at 6:30 p.m. at Manship Theatre.

Tickets are on sale at tedxbatonrouge.com.

This story was originally published by Daily Report on Sept. 25. To keep up with Baton Rouge business news, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.