In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Ellie Caulkins Opera House
1000 14th Street
Denver, Colorado, 80204
United States

Siouxsie Downs + Conrad Farnsworth

Siouxsie Downs and Conrad Farnsworth are passionate about nuclear power. Siouxsie has lived in Colorado for the past eight years and has helped start TinkerMil, created STEM education programs in northern Colorado, developed landmine detection hardware, and also plays roller derby. Conrad was born and raised in Newcastle, Wyoming and has been a tinkerer ever since his hands were capable of grasping the tools for the job. He became interested in nuclear fusion during his sophomore year of high school, and by the time he was in his junior year, he became the first person in the state of Wyoming to build a nuclear fusion reactor. The two have co-founded Farnsworth Downs Technology to bring their work to market.

Abbey McWhirter

Often described as strong and graceful, Abbey McWhirter, 12, has a quiet confidence about her that is evident when she performs. Since taking her first ballet class at three years old she has not stopped dancing. Versatile in jazz, tap, hip-hop and musical theater, she has a primary focus on contemporary dance and ballet. She trains nearly 20 hours a week. As a member of her studio's elite performing company, Abbey attends conventions and competitions throughout the year, often earning top scholarships and recognitions of excellence at these events.

Adam "Smiley" Poswolsky

Adam Smiley Poswolsky is the author of The Quarter-Life Breakthrough, an Amazon bestseller. He has inspired professionals and entrepreneurs to find fulfilling work as director of community engagement for the Hive Global Leaders Program, and previously as director of The Bold Academy. He is a mentor for the StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation and a facilitator for General Assembly and The Passion Co. He previously worked as special assistant to the Director of Global Operations at the U.S. Peace Corps.

Andrew Johnston

Andrew Johnston is a member of the business faculty at Red Rocks Community College and shares a simple, yet powerful approach to helping students stay in school and acquire the life skills to succeed in the business world. His background in business, athletics and academia enable him to bring a unique and personal perspective to the classroom. He has competed in numerous marathons and ultra-marathons, including the Chase the Moon 12-Hour Endurance Run, the Leadville Marathon, the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Run, and a recent attempt at the Leadville 100 Trail Run.

AnneMarie Rossi

AnneMarie Rossi is the founder and director of Be Mindful, a non-profit association of mindfulness instructors dedicated to making the practice accessible to all. They currently teach in Denver Public Schools, St. Vrain Public Schools, Urban Peak Youth Homeless Center, and through the Red Cross. While recently completing her undergraduate work at the University of Colorado Denver, she won the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Grant to complete research on the impacts of mindfulness instruction on 4th grade students in a Denver Public School.

Elise Legendre

Although just beginning to perform her songs publicly, Boulder’s 16-year-old Elise Legendre has been composing songs since middle school. She has also been active in local theater, musical theater and opera productions, having performed with the Colorado Music Festival, the University of Colorado Boulder Opera, Broadway in Boulder, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and select choirs at Fairview, where she is a junior. Her song “Calling” was a winner of the 2014 eTown Handmade Songs Series.

Joe DeMers

Joe DeMers is a champion blues and lindy hop dance instructor from Denver. He has toured the world teaching and performing. In 2008, he was awarded the Spirit of Lindy Hop award and, in 2013 and 2014, awarded the title of International Blues Dance Champion. Also a dance teacher for Denver Public Schools, he earned the title of 2014 Colorado Dance Teacher of the Year, 2015 Midwest Dance Teacher of the Year, and is the 2015 National Dance Teacher of the Year. For more information, check out his website at joeandnelle.com.

Joe Strout

Joe Strout’s programming career began at a young age, writing articles for "Nibble" magazine in high school. Joe obtained a bachelors in psychology from the University of Miami and a masters in neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, but couldn't resist the call of code and became a full-time software developer after graduate school. He now runs a consulting business, crafting unique software solutions to a wide range of problems. Joe and his two sons have been working on High Frontier for almost a year, and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in November.

Jonathon Snedeker

Jonathan Snedeker, a high school senior in Boulder, has been researching novel therapies for acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer with a particularly poor prognosis, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He focused on targeting AML’s key escape pathways, the proteins cancers are reliant on to survive the intrinsic increases in DNA damage, increases in replication rate, and the other hallmarks of cancer. His work was published as an abstract in Blood, and he presented the results at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

Kelsey Randle

Kelsey Randle’s father instilled in her the idea that life should be lived to better the lives of others. From this simple advice, Kelsey went on to hold leadership roles in Girls Giving Grants, an organization centered around young women discovering the power of collective and cooperative giving and best practices in grant making. She is also the first student at Regis University to do both her undergraduate and graduate studies concurrently. Graduating this May with a business management degree and first year nonprofit management student, she hopes to go on to work in fundraising and generational awareness in giving.