This September, Long Beach gets its own TEDx stage for the first time — and the woman behind it has a story that fits the theme she chose perfectly: perseverance.
TEDxShoreline Drive's Mainstage Event arrives at McBride High School on September 26, the product of over a year of work by Dr. Kay Renee, a downtown Long Beach resident who fell for the city over 20 years ago.
Who Is Dr. Kay Renee?
Ask her directly, and she doesn't open with her doctorate or her title. She opens with the city.
"I am someone that fell in love with the city of Long Beach," she says. "It was the first place that I lived where I truly felt welcome and inspired by the close-knit community of people."
The full picture is more layered. Dr. Kay is a former foster youth who has spent more than 25 years as a community advocate working across foster care, adoption, probation and social justice. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Cal State Los Angeles, a master's in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a Ph.D. in public policy and administration, with a concentration in nonprofit leadership, from Walden University.
Today, she's director of development at Harbor Interfaith Services, the county's lead agency coordinating homeless services across Long Beach and the South Bay.
Her path there wasn't a straight line. Dr. Kay originally set out to become an architect and interior designer before the loss of a close friend in her early 20s inspired her pivot toward psychology.
She pursued a career in marriage and family therapy, logging the required 3,000 clinical hours, but struggled with the licensing exam. After multiple close attempts, she decided to give it one final try. When the exam proctor told her she'd missed the mark again, Dr. Kay says she felt a weight lift off her shoulders — a sign to pour her full effort into whatever door opened next.
She went back to work as usual.
About a month later, a new PR team at her organization called for staff to submit stories for what she thought was an internal newsletter. She submitted hers, and two days later was informed it had been picked up by the Los Angeles Times. Overnight, Dr. Kay became a trusted local voice on foster care during the pandemic, with appearances on Fox 11 and CBS LA.
Building on her growing platform, Dr. Kay authored a book in 2021 aptly titled “Persevering Beyond Adversity: THE BLUEPRINT.” She then received what appeared to be a promising opportunity working for a nonprofit in the Bay Area. After enduring two difficult years there, she returned to Long Beach. Despondent from the experience and seeking an outlet, she threw herself a housewarming party with a theme that reads like foreshadowing: "Welcome to My TED Talk."
From a Party Theme to a Citywide Stage
The seedlings of TEDxShoreline Drive were planted during the national reckoning of 2020, when Dr. Kay found herself thinking hard about whose stories get heard and whose get erased. After exposure to another TEDx event in the Los Angeles area, she was inspired to provide a platform that would be open to every voice in Long Beach.
Producing this event has required extraordinary perseverance — even down to the name. Dr. Kay wanted something that reflected the city she loves, pursuing "TEDxLong Beach." TED's licensing board rejected it over a dormant license held elsewhere. After roughly 10 rejected names — including "TEDxAlamitos Beach" and “TEDxShoreline Village” — TEDxShoreline Drive finally got approved.
The Event: One Theme, Seven Speakers
The inaugural show will feature seven speakers chosen from 350 applicants, each building a talk around this year's theme. Among the stories Dr. Kay is most excited to share is a Long Beach speaker who survived a stroke as a young adult after a difficult upbringing. He has since become a hip-hop artist and community advocate — someone she personally talked into taking the stage after he nearly turned it down.
"I want them to know that they can persevere beyond adversity," she says of what she hopes attendees take away — not just inspiration, but real tools they can apply in their own lives. She also wants people to walk away believing they could be on that stage themselves one day.
Event Details
TEDxSHORELINE DRIVE MAINSTAGE EVENT
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026
Time: Doors open at 5 p.m.; event runs from 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Venue: McBride High School Lecture Hall, 7025 Parkcrest Street, Long Beach, CA 90808
TICKETS
General Seating: $60.54 (including a $5.54 service and processing fee)
VIP Seating: $81.88 (includes a $6.88 service and processing fee)
Centered around the theme of perseverance, this independently organized TEDx event will feature seven dynamic speakers who have navigated adversity, embraced growth and turned challenges into purpose. The evening will also include live entertainment, local vendor shopping, a VIP experience and a wrap party.
Tickets are available at eventbrite.com, with an exclusive $5 discount code for Long Beach City Lifestyle readers: TEDX$5LBC. Follow @tedxshorelinedrive for updates.