EXECUTIVE BOARD
Meet the team behind TEDxUMD
Joshua Land
President
Joshua Land is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing a degree Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. His passion for learning and spreading ideas led him to become involved with TEDxUMD. The core values behind TED match his curiosity and passion for new technologies and autonomous robotics. Outside of TED, Joshua is heavily involved with the Black Engineers Society (BES) – a chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) – dedicated to providing a tight community for minority STEM students on campus. Through BES, Joshua leads events that promote interest in programming and computer science on a regular basis. Furthermore, he volunteers with younger students to mentor them as they complete STEM projects. Outside of school, Joshua enjoys staying active by playing basketball and running.
Helen Liu
Marketing Lead
Helen Liu is a sophomore at the University of Maryland pursuing a degree in International Business and Marketing. During her time at the University, Helen has been involved with a number of activities both on and off campus. In addition to serving as the Marketing Lead for TEDxUMD, she is also the President of Collegiate DECA and a Senator for the Residence Hall Assocation (RHA). She is a proud member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Honors Program, Primmanum Honor Society, and is the recipient of the 2015 OMSE Academy of Academic Excellence Award. Over the summer, Helen also interned for Social Rise, a non-profit consulting organization focused on helping underserved communities realize the transformative power of social media to build networks and break opportunity barriers.
Xinyi Yang
Speakers Lead
Xinyi Yang is a second-year international graduate student studying Supply Chain Management at Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Growing up in a small city in China elevated Xinyi’s empathy of the less fortunate. It was at UMD that she had the chance to advance her ultimate mission of making the world a better place. Taking the initiative of being a global citizen, Xinyi made a community development trip to Haiti and interned as a community consultant in the Dominican Republic. Considering herself as a beneficiary of education motivates Xinyi to explore how to promote education and self-development in a global setting in the foreseeable future. By contributing to TEDxUMD, Xinyi intends to return TED’s favor of always being illuminating and inspiring in her daily life.
Ryan Beveridge
Production Lead
The production chair for TEDx UMD this year is Ryan Beveridge, a Sophomore Civil Engineering major
here at Maryland. He was involved in the first production of TEDx UMD last fall semester in the
production committee and has returned this year on the executive board. He is an avid sailor and
member of the UMD sailing club team. He is also a subgroup leader on the Engineers Without Borders
Peru team.
Sindhu Muppala
Treasurer
Sindhu Muppala is a freshman majoring in Finance at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is very excited to join the Executive Board at TedxUMD and promises to try her best as Treasurer. This year she has joined the Hear the Turtle Toastmasters at UMD, Finance, Banking and Investment Society, and the Pre-Medical Society. In order to fulfill a life-long dream, she has ventured into the martial arts and joined the Judo club. Sindhu is also continuing an internship at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC as a research assistant in a study on patients who smoke and are enrolled in the MICU. In her free time, Sindhu enjoys writing music and playing her red Fender Stratocaster. Sindhu and her family have enjoyed watching various Ted Talks together for a long time, so it is an honor for her to be a part of the Executive Board as Treasurer.
George Lee
Finance Chair
George Lee is a second year student at the University of Maryland pursuing a double degree in Finance and Accounting. Even though he comes from a tech background, he has ventured out to explore the financial services and accounting industries. George is also the founder of Dark Sonar, an information security firm specializing in fraud prevention. In his free time, he enjoys developing software, traveling to exotic places, and reading voraciously.
Fanaye Zewdu
Secretary
Fanaye Zewdu is a senior Biochemistry major at the University of Maryland