Theme: Act Today...Change Tomorrow!

TEDxArrowheadRanch is sure to be a day of powerful inspiration and connection! We are proud and thrilled to have a wonderfully diverse set of speakers and performers, and they will be sharing "ideas worth spreading" that are borne of compelling work, thought, and passion! We are excited to share these ideas, and the conversations that are sure to follow, with all of our attendees as well as the extended TEDx community! Join us as we discover ways we can "Act Today...Change Tomorrow!"

The Thunderbird School of Global Management
1 Global Pl
Glendale, Arizona, 85306
United States

ASU TEMPEtations

The ASU TEMPEtations is the award winning co-ed a cappella group on campus! Started in the fall of 2010, TEMPEtations A Cappella began as a humble endeavor to spread the love of music and start the first co-ed group on campus. Since then, they have grown into a well-known organization that performs at various events around ASU and Arizona. All of the music performed by the TEMPEtations is arranged by the members of the group, and the styles range from the Allman Brothers Band, to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to Daft Punk. They hope to share their love of music with all of you!

Phoenix Boys Choir

Founded in 1947, the Phoenix Boys Choir offers programs featuring training in voice, music theory, and performance for boys age 7 to 14. Members of the Phoenix Boys Choir receive a world-class music education and one of the most significant experiences of their lives. Georg Stangelberger, The Harvey K. Smith Artistic Director, formerly served as Deputy Artistic Director for the Vienna Boys Choir in Austria. The boys have the opportunity to travel and perform nationally and internationally. The Choir has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, Phoenix Chorale, Orpheus Chorus, collaborated with Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix Youth Symphony and the Desert Botanical Garden. The Tour Choir has performed across the country and around the world including England, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Eastern Europe and the Balkan States, and to Austria where they sang side-by-side with the Vienna Choir Boys in the famous Court Chapel.

Tetra String Quartet

The Tetra String Quartet is a community-based chamber ensemble that infuses performance with public service. With relevant and versatile programming at the forefront of their mission, Tetra performs with the goal of connecting with all audiences. The quartet has appeared in concert halls, schools, bars, correctional facilities, and has recently developed the Arizona chapter of Azure Family Concerts, an engaging performance series tailored to children and young adults on the autism spectrum. The members of Tetra are faculty associates at Arizona State University and maintain several local residences including Quartet in Residence at Friendship Village, Vi at Silverstone, as well as Marcos De Niza and Tempe High Schools.

The Papago Collective

The Papago Collective is a musical group made up of four roommates from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally bonding over their shared passion for music, they then formed a vocally driven performance group that highlights their mutual creative interests. They cite inspiration from blues, jazz, folk, and popular music, which culminate into one unique, blended style. The Papago Collective is proud to share in the rich history of these genres, and was proud to share their love of music with TEDxArrowheadRanch.

Anne Guerrant

Anne Guerrant knows a little something about facing her fears and taking risks. As a young woman, she traveled the world as a professional tennis player. She defeated players such as Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova and ranked as high as #11 in the world. On a trip to India in 2005, Anne and her husband, Terry, visited a micro-lending program in a small village and it changed their lives. They met women who had taken out loans as little as $40 and were able to provide food security for their children and send them to school. The Guerrants were inspired by the women’s dignity and ambition. They started the Guerrant Foundation, Inc. to help women and families improve their lives through small loans. They began making large personal donations and fundraising in mid-2006 and have helped over 30,000 of the world’s poorest people start businesses. All donations to the Guerrant Foundation go directly to Opportunity International, BRAC, or Pro Mujer.

Douglas Jackson

Douglas Jackson serves as the President/CEO of Project C.U.R.E. Each week, Project C.U.R.E. delivers approximately three semi-truck loads of donated medical supplies and equipment to desperately needy people around the world. Since 1987, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered equipment and supplies to hospitals and clinics in over 130 countries. It was named one of the top 200 charities in America by Forbes. In addition to his work at Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson has taught at the university level in the disciplines of finance, investments, leadership development, legal and international issues. Most recently at the Korbel School for International Studies, Douglas designed and implemented a graduate course entitled “From Disaster to Development: The Appropriate Response to International Crises.” Dr. Jackson holds a Ph.D. in Finance and a J.D., and is a frequent speaker and lecturer to colleges and universities worldwide, as well as civic, corporate and community organizations.

Drew Tutt

Drew Tutt is in his 20th year as a math teacher, teaching at Mountain Ridge High School in the Deer Valley Unified School District in Glendale, AZ. In addition to teaching his usual rigorous Advanced Placement curriculum of Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics, he has recently added one more course to his challenging yet rewarding teaching repertoire: AP Economics. The experience of teaching this particular course to Mountain Ridge’s seniors has afforded him the privilege and opportunity to discuss the economic and social implications of the choices they face as today’s students, tomorrow’s voters, and, eventually, future leaders of society. His goal is to develop intellectually curious, active citizens poised to make a difference in their communities. In addition to his role as an educator to some of our community’s best and brightest, he serves as the Mathematics departmental chair, and as a passionate advocate for public education funding.

Fiza Shah

Fiza Shah is the Founder & CEO of Developments in Literacy (DIL), a nonprofit organization that empowers underprivileged students, especially girls, by operating student-centered model schools and providing high-quality professional development to teachers and principals across Pakistan. Fiza has spent her professional life advocating for girls’ education and rights. Under her leadership, the organization has successfully provided quality education to tens of thousands of children and equipped them with academic competencies and life skills that have brought an increased measure of empowerment to their daily lives. The transformation in the students’ learning through innovative and cutting-edge solutions is not only shaping their destiny but that of their families and communities. Fiza was born in Quetta, Pakistan and moved to the United States in 1980. Educated in Pakistan, England, and the United States, she holds an EMBA degree from UCI.

Jim Bell

Dr. Jim Bell is a Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Jim’s research group primarily focuses on the geology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets using data obtained from telescopes and spacecraft missions. As an active planetary scientist, he has been heavily involved in many NASA robotic space exploration missions. He currently serves as the lead scientist in charge of the Panoramic camera (Pancam) color, stereoscopic imaging system on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, is the Deputy Principal Investigator of the Mastcam camera system on the Curiosity rover, and is the Principal Investigator for the Mastcam-Z cameras on NASA’s upcoming Mars-2020 rover.

Joelle Hadley

Joelle Hadley is the founder and president of The Culture Coaches, and she is passionate about creating more positive and productive work places where people love their work and love their lives. Her media and leadership career includes 21 years of marketing, sales, and publishing leadership with American City Business Journals, the nation’s largest publisher of weekly business newspapers. Joelle was also the face and voice of local business news on the NBC affiliate KPNX and on KTAR news-talk radio. She is an expert in communication and presentation skills, emotional intelligence, and personal performance. She is a master certified trainer in Emotional Intelligence from the Institute of Health and Human Potential and is also the Co-founder of The Southwest Institute for Emotional Intelligence. Joelle has inspired thousands of executives across the country with her many speeches and workshops centered on corporate culture, personal excellence, and lifestyle along with leadership.

Lori Ebert

Dr. Ebert completed her Ph.D. in Health Education at the University of New Mexico and has been teaching and working in higher education for over ten years. She has taught over 1,500 students in the areas of health and sexuality. She is a published author of a Human Sexuality instructor guide for some of the most recognized sex experts and has also published in the health and medical fields. She is a requested speaker and presenter in areas such as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Human Sexuality, Sexuality and Research, Health Prevention and Promotion, Personal Health, HIV/AIDS, Violence Prevention, Injury Prevention, Substance Abuse, Conflict Mediation, and Stress Management. Dr. Ebert has a passion for sex that goes beyond the bedroom! As a Health Educator with over 14 years of higher education in the areas of health, she is committed to sexual wellness around the world to prevent death and disease.

Michael Berens

Michael Berens serves as Professor in the Brain Tumor Research Unit, Director of the Cancer & Cell Biology Division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, AZ. He also serves as Deputy Director for TGen Research Resources. The research focus in Berens' lab is how cancer spreads, specifically studying the biochemical and genomic drivers of disseminating malignant brain cancer. Specific projects include accelerating drug discovery and development for glioblastoma (a lethal form of brain cancer), use of genomic profiling for treatment planning in cancer patients (Precision Medicine), and biomarkers of tumor response to therapy. Their goal is to identify or develop therapies that specifically target the invading malignant cells, leading to a major improvement in survival and quality of life for patients with glioblastoma. Dr. Berens holds 4 patents and has launched two biotech companies.

Patrick McWhortor

Patrick McWhortor is a long-time Arizona change agent. He is currently Arizona Campaign Director for Open Primaries, a movement of diverse Americans who believe no American should be required to join a political party to exercise his or her right to vote. Prior to joining Open Primaries, Patrick was President and CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits for ten years. He has a deep background in the nonprofit community, founding NPower Arizona, working as Assistant Director at Data Network for Human Services, and serving on many nonprofit boards of directors. He is past Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Council of Nonprofits and currently serves on the boards of Arizona Town Hall and Herberger Theatre. Patrick also teaches nonprofit, public policy, and political science courses at Arizona State University, the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Randy Christensen

Randal Christensen completed a residency at a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program in Phoenix, AZ. He began working at Phoenix Children’s Hospital as the Medical Director of the Crews’n Healthmobile, and he is the Division Chief of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. These experiences are reflective of someone whose life and work is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth - whether rendering direct patient care, advocating for vulnerable populations, or teaching the next generation of medical practitioners. Dr. Christensen and his Crews’n Healthmobile team are proud to provide access to medical care and social services to homeless and at-risk children and adolescents via several mobile medical units and clinic sites throughout Phoenix and the surrounding communities. Dr. Christensen has been honored with numerous awards for his work including CNN’s Medical Marvel and People Magazine’s Heroes Among Us.

Sue Ellen Allen

Sue Ellen Allen knows the difficulties that formerly incarcerated individuals face after prison – both as the co-founder of Gina’s Team, a nonprofit helping inmates reenter society, and as a former inmate starting over after her own release in 2009. Through Gina’s Team, she has worked tirelessly to support women in Arizona prisons and provide a foundation for their reentry through a successful prison program. In her drive to Reinvent Reentry, her work also focuses on educating the public about the costs of incarceration and on working with businesses to encourage a “Fair Chance” in hiring practices. She was awarded the Dawson Prize in Memoir in the 2009 Prison Writing Contest for PEN American Center for her memoir, "The Slumber Party from Hell," in which she discusses the costs for our Incarceration Nation. In 2016, she was a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama at the President’s final State of the Union address as a representative for criminal justice reform.

Zana Alattar

Zana Alattar is a pre-medical student at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, pursuing concurrent undergraduate degrees in Justice Studies, Biochemistry, and Biological Sciences. She is a Syrian American raised in the suburbs of Chicago who spent her summers in her parent’s home city: Homs, Syria. In August 2012, Zana founded Save Our Syrian Freedom (SOS Freedom), a student club at ASU dedicated to raising awareness of the Syrian Revolution and providing humanitarian relief. As president, Zana worked with numerous nonprofit organizations and civil society networks inside Syria and the U.S. She traveled to Turkey and northern Syria on humanitarian aid trips and participated in the Syrian American Medical Society’s Psychosocial Program and Medical Mission at the 2014 International Conference. Her commitment to action was featured in the 2014 CGI University. In September 2014, Zana used her experience with SOS Freedom to found Students Organize for Syria (SOS).