Correction: The original article stated that TEDx Elon would start Feb. 21 at 12 p.m. The event will actually start at 1 p.m.

When Elon University junior Johanna Rosen agreed to handle public relations for last year’s TEDx event, “Innovation Into Practice,” she had no idea that she would be organizing another conference just a year later.

Nonetheless, Rosen, with the help of co-director Meredith Berk, a junior, has tied it all together.

A collection of speakers who are “Waiting on the World to Change” will show just how that is possible at Elon University’s second TEDx conference on a variety of social and judicial issues.

The co-directors’ varied interests led to the theme’s development.

“[Berk] is really interested in the education and the anthropology side of things, and I was interested in the justice system,” Rosen said.

Once Rosen and Berk’s license application was accepted by the TEDx program, they began to build a planning committee.

Soon after they announced their need for volunteers, the committee worked with Elon’s “I Am That Girl,” a global organization dedicated to improving self-esteem, self-image and self-awareness in girls and women, to bring the co-founder of the organization, Emily Greener, to speak at the event. Greener agreed to fly from Los Angeles to speak at the conference.

This was both exciting and unexpected for sophomore Alli Lindenberg, president of I Am That Girl.

“I am very fortunate to know Emily,” Lindenberg said. “I’ve met her several times, and she is a wonderful woman. Of course, I wanted the rest of my chapter to have the opportunity to meet her, but this was more an opportunity for Emily to spread her voice and message.”

Lindenberg is excited to see one of her role models on stage.

“Her experiences through fighting for a better world for girls give her a powerful platform,” Lindenberg said. “She is perfect for this TEDx event because Emily works for a positive change in our world every day, and we are waiting on the world to embrace and use that change for the better.”

Five others will join Greener to discuss global change in the fields of criminal justice, education, leadership and economics.

Theresa Newman, co-founder of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, where Duke University students study the cases of wrongful convictions, will speak on the process of exoneration in her talk “Waiting is a Beast.” She works with the Innocence Network, an affiliation of organizations that provides free services to incarcerated individuals trying to prove their innocence.

Former Elon student Jennifer Thompson, who was raped in 1984 at age 22, will present “And Then the World Changed Me,” a talk about judicial reform and the healing power of forgiveness. In 2010, she co-wrote the book “Picking Cotton” with Ronald Cotton, the man she mistakenly identified as her rapist.

Chairman David A. Levy of The Jerome Levy Forecasting Center is an economist, investor and hedge fund manager. The Forecasting Center uses a profit-centered approach to economic forecasting and consulting. Levy will present a talk called “Where Profits Come From: The Critical Question Never Asked.”

Harry Cohen, an executive coach, believes universal and undeniable principles can guide behaviors in positive ways. His talk on “Heliotropic Leadership” will address how the intentional practice of virtues such as gratitude, compassion and forgiveness can inspire anyone who comes into contact with such a leader.

Ian Brady, an application designer from Chicago will present “The Evolving College Industry,” which addresses a new college system for the 21st century. After he was misdiagnosed with ADHD, his struggle with traditional learning became even more difficult. But it led him to discover design as both a passion and an outlet for his creativity.

Rosen, Berk and their team are excited to present this lineup to Elon students. Rosen reflected on the dynamic group of speakers.

“I wanted to find a different speaker that would be able to connect with a different person in the audience because that’s what I feel TED does,” Rosen said.

“Waiting on the World to Change” will start on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. at Yeager Recital Hall. Audience members are encouraged to arrive by 12:45 p.m.