About Us

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Chaya Huber

Chaya Huber is a current graduate student in the Bard MBA program in Sustainability, class of 2027, and has provided logistical and administrative mentoring to the TEDxBard team since 2023. Chaya began her work at Bard in 2022 as a staff member for the Center for Civic Engagement, and now serves as the Program Coordinator of the Language and Thinking Program.

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Emily O'Rourke

Emily O'Rourke graduated from Bard in 2025 with a degree in Anthropology and is now a student in the Master of Arts in Teaching program with a focus on Social Studies. Emily served as a founding organizer of the TEDxBard conference and has worked on the team since 2023. As an Event Organizer, Emily spearheaded communication with individual speakers to build a strong community ahead of each annual event. Now, as a graduate student, Emily oversees the team alongside Chaya Huber as a Graduate Student Mentor.

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Thanasis Kostikas

Thanasis Kostikas is a Senior pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Physics. A co-founder of the project, Thanasis has taken a leading role in the budgeting process, sponsor recruitment, and overall curation of the event. 

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Jay Siegal

Jay Siegal is a Senior studying Sociology with a background in communications, development, and public affairs. In 2023, Jay joined the team as Communications Manager and led digital strategy, coordinated with sponsoring organizations on collaborative marketing events, and created graphic content for the day of the conference. 

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Masoma Shoayb

Masoma Shoayb is a Senior majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Data Science. Masoma transferred to Bard from the American University of Afghanistan. As an Event Organizer, Masoma manages event logistics and co-driects budgeting and finance. 

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Mariia Pankova

Mariia Pankova is a multimedia artist and documentary filmmaker from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and an Assistant Producer of digital content at the Open Society University Network. Mariia edits TEDxBard talks out of a place of personal connection to fellow Bard alumni/ae, and has enjoyed hearing each speaker weave their life philosophy into practical, accessible advice.

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Seamus Heady

Seamus Heady is a documentary filmmaker based in the Hudson Valley, with a background in short-form documentaries focused on the study of human rights. He has produced, directed, and filmed short documentaries on topics including race relations, news media, prison reform, sustainability, and crisis response. At TEDxBard, Seamus served as a video editor of 2025 talks for publication on YouTube.