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UVA at the 2026 Tom Tom Festival

  • Apr 1, 2024
  • 4 min read


Bigger Blurb to introduce + headline


With over 300+ Speakers and Artists at this year’s Festival, here is a sampling of major events that feature UVA Students, Faculty, Alumni, and Administration.



Headlining Event - Wed 4/22

The Courage to Confront a Broken System: A Conversation with John Grisham and Deirdre Enright – In this headlining conversation at the Paramount Theater, justice reform advocates discuss wrongful conviction and the moral courage required to advocate for change.




PRESENTED WITH UVA - Wednesday 4.22















  • Toyosi Ogunseye, Presidential Precinct

  • Jim Murray, Board Member, UVIMCO


  • Hamilton Lombard, Demographer, Weldon Cooper Center


  • Fred Missel, UVA Foundation


Students Unite: The Future Starts with Us (Campus Life & Community Engagement) – UVA students reflect on how students are building bridges across backgrounds and perspectives.

  • Kendall Sano, Co-President, Delta Sigma Pi

  • Tanish Gupta, President, Virginia Case Club 

  • Amy Xu, President, Muay Thai Club 

  • Odessa Zhang , President, 180 Degrees Consulting 

  • Arjan Dulai, President, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity 

  • Ryan Shoztic, President, Jefferson Society 

  • Bennett Galper, Executive, Virginia Undergraduate Real Estate Club 

  • Sam Holliday, Student Leader, Wesley Foundation 

  • Genny Freed, Vice Chair for Sanctions, UVA Honor Committee 

  • Keoni Vega, President, 4th Year council

  • Laura Espuna Santana, UVA Student Fellow 

  • Beth Wu, Vice President, Washington Society 

  • Alwyn Dippenaar, President, Washington Society 

  • Mary-Ashleigh Berg, President, Kappa Omega Alpha 

  • Semony Shah, President, University Democrats 

  • Lilie Puck-Karam, Executive Director, Become a Problem Solver


Cville’s Reentry Ecosystem: Strengths & Struggles – Learn how leaders are collaborating to improve support for people returning from incarceration

  • Sam Heath (UVA Alum)

  • Martize Tolbert, The Fountain Fund (UVA Alum)

  • Brittany Nash, Trauma Social Worker/HVIP Team Lead, UVA Health



PRESENTED WITH UVA Innovates & UVA Health

Thursday 4.22 + Friday 4.24



  • The LARABARS founding story with CSC Entrepreneur in Residence Presented with UVA Health & UVA Innovates & UVA Contemplative Sciences Center

    • Lara Merrikin, Founder, LARABars



  • Future of Biotech and Regional Innovation Hubs Presented with UVA Health & UVA Innovates - Learn how the expansion of innovation centers into new regions is opening possibilities for Central Virginia and beyond

    • Paul Cherukuri, UVA Chief Innovation Officer

    • Nikki Hastings, Biotech Track Director, McIntire School of Commerce


  • Spotlight: AI + Entrepreneurship  - Presented with Batten Institute  Explore how founders can harness AI while navigating new risks and a changing startup playbook.

    • Omar Garriott, Executive Director, Batten Institute 

    • Andrew Schoka, Co-founder, Hardshell (Darden / Engineering Alum)



  • What Grindr Can Teach Us About Experiential Marketing - Presented with Batten Institute - Get inspiration plus practical frameworks for designing experiences.

    • Serena Hagerty, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Darden School of Business

    • Psalms Morales, Founder, BUSCO (Darden alumnus)

    • Alex Ahlstrom, Consultant, Bain & Company (Darden alumnus)


  • Galant Challenge - presented by McIntire School of Commerce - Listen in as curated ventures pitch to a panel of experienced investors who could take them to the next levels

    • Abby Weber Fifer is the Director, Galant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

  • Funding Early State Biotech: The VC Perspective with UVA Innovates & UVA Health - Gain insight into how investors evaluate early-stage opportunities 

    • Lauren Foster, Director of Thought Leadership Communications, UVA Darden School of Business


  • AI & Human Flourishing presented with UVA Contemplative Science Center and Commons - Examine how institutions, entrepreneurs, and governments can shape technology that advances human potential rather than merely accelerates efficiency.

    • Michael Sheehy is the Director of Research, Contemplative Sciences Center, UVA

    • Bethany Teachman, Co-Director, UVA Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment

    • David Danks, Professor of Philosophy, AI, & Data Science


  • UVA E-Cup UVA Foundry UVA’s next generation of founders competes for $100K in cash prizes to launch their ventures 

    • Brian Breslin is the Director of Student Entrepreneurship at UVA



Innovation Summit - Startup Showcases

  • AI & Data Showcase

  • Virginia’s Most Innovative

  • Charlottesville’s Most Innovative

  • Enterprise Showcase

  • Life Sciences Showcase




Swipe Right for Real Talk! UVA Thriving Youth in a Digital EnvironmentAn improv show to help parents & teens have honest, hard conversations about social media, screens, mental health & more

  • Bethany Teachman - UVA Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment, Co-Director

  • Stefanie Sequeira, University of Virginia, Assistant Professor


Courageous Careers: Designing from the Heart UVA College of Arts and Sciences - A workshop session grounded in career and life design, with a focus on living from the heart.

  • Julia Lapan, UVA College of Arts & Sciences, Executive Director, Career Design & Discovery


Courage in Community — Building a Dementia-Friendly - A one-day event dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of dementia for those living with the disease, their caregivers, and our entire community.

  • Richard Lindsay, Former Head of Geriatric Medicine, UVA Health Sciences 

  • Liz Boyd, UVA Health Memory and Aging Care Clinic

  • Paula Sherwood, School of Nursing, Professor



Christina Washington - [8:12] Project is an event discovery platform built for the faith community, where young Christians can find and host experiences that align with their values. Inspired by John 8:12, their mission is to project the light of Christ through culture, community, and tech, making faith-centered gathering more accessible, connected, and fun.



Block Party & Porchella


  • Hullabahoos – a cappella group founded at the University of Virginia in 1987 

  • UVA Salsa Club – a vibrant group of dancers who share a passion for Latin dance and building community.

  • Fuego Dance Team – a performance-based dance group in the Latino Student Alliance. 

  • The Virginia Belles – The Virginia Belles are the University of Virginia’s oldest, and most established, all-female identifying acapella group.



Behind the Scenes


Student Fellows – Five UVA students have joined the Tom Tom Festival team, helping produce and promote this major event:

  • Brock Moore, Class of 2026 - Graduate Program: Batten School, Master of Public Policy

  • Hannah Tran, Class of 2028 - Major: BA in Government and English

  • Krish Kaswala, Class of 2028 - B.A. in Economics

  • Laura Espuna Santana, Class of 2026 - B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Data Science

  • Nour Ben Hammouda, Class of 2028 - Major: Undecided

 
 
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