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).

Orcas Center for Performing Arts
917 Mt. Baker Rd
Eastsound, Washington, 98245
United States

Deborah Parker

Deborah Parker, tsicyaltsa, is a former Vice Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes and one of Bernie Sander’s chosen DNC Advisors. She is of Tulalip, Apache and Yaqui ancestry and has served for many years as a motivational speaker, educator and activist. Most notably, Parker helped the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2013. In this presentation she shares the guiding wisdom of her elders.

Eric Youngren

Eric founded Island Energy Systems LLC in 2008 and developed the SolarNexus off-grid system integration appliance to help people more easily install higher quality and reliable off-grid power systems. His systems are now powering lights and computers in over 1,200 schools and clinics in rural villages in Tanzania and Kenya.

Hilary Bricken

One of the premier cannabis business and regulatory attorneys in the United States. As chair of Harris Moure’s Regulated Substances practice group, which includes the Canna Law Group, she helps cannabis companies of all sizes with their cannabis related legal issues. In 2013, based on her work in the marijuana industry, The Puget Sound Business Journal named Ms. Bricken one of seven Deal Makers of the Year. In 2014 and 2015, she was named a “Rising Star” and a “Top Rising Star of Washington Women Attorneys” by Super Lawyers Magazine. Also in 2015, the Puget Sound Business Journal named Hilary to its Top 40 Under 40 list for business and leadership. Hilary frequently testifies before local, state, and federal government bodies regarding cannabis regulations. She also authors a weekly column for Above the Law (a widely read attorney website) featuring content on marijuana policy and regulation, and is a regular contributor to and editor of her firm’s Canna Law Blog.

Jake Perrine

Jake Perrine is a theatre and audio artist who has created works in Massachusetts, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and Orcas. Since relocating to Orcas Island in 2010, Jake has acted in, and directed shows at the Orcas Center including last year’s Beatles tribute, “Across the Universe,” and teaches the OI high school drama class. He has published three books through Hal Leonard publishing, and co-created an online school called Warp Academy, all focused on music production education. Jake is a co-producer of the Imagine Orcas Island music and arts festival, which is gearing up for its second event this September at Doe Bay.

Katherine Maclean

Katherine MacLean, PhD. is an academically trained research scientist with a long-standing interest in the neural correlates of consciousness and the science of well-being. As a postdoctoral research fellow and faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, she was one of the lead scientists and session guides studying the effects of high doses of psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds in healthy adults.

Katrina Spade

Katrina Spade grew up in rural NH. Her parents were both medical professionals, and it was common to talk about death and dying at the dinner table. While earning her masters of architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Katrina designed a system that uses natural decomposition to turn our deceased into soil. Today, she is the founder and director of the Urban Death Project, an organization working to bring that system to the world. She is an Echoing Green Climate Fellow.

Lily Fangz

Lily Fangz is about fully engaging in the creative explorations of life, biting down, infecting those around with passion, perspective, and perhaps asking the questions that aren't posed enough. Wordplay started way back- writing since she could hold a pencil, that process evolved into stories, sketches, poetry, rhymes. Her memory is capacious and flow sick like contagious- so she began to share her words and release them free from their pages. Gravitated towards performance poetry, a lot of slams, jams, and cyphers. Realizing making music and art is the only thing that can quench her thirst LFangz is here to Chomp.The.F#$k.Down sink her teeth in and invites all to join the feast of engaging with this human experience C.T.F.D!

Mark Rossi

Mark Rossi , PhD is the Executive Director of Clean Production Action where he brings together diverse groups and achieves innovative outcomes. In 2006, he founded BizNGO, a unique collaboration of business and environmental leaders who work together to advance safer chemicals.

Martellus Bennett

Martellus Bennett plays tight end for the Chicago Bears in the NFL, but that's only his part time job. His interests beyond sports lie primarily in creative arts, where he is a published author of animated children's books, producer of cartoon feature films, and a host of other *off the wall* projects.

Matthew Schrier

In December 2012, Matthew Schrier embarked on a mission: to get the most hard-core combat photographs coming out of Aleppo, Syria at the time. When he was 45 minutes from the Turkish border, the car he was in suddenly stopped and he was taken prisoner by one of the most powerful terrorist organizations in the world: Jabhat al-Nusra.

Michael “The Wanz” Wansley

The last three years have been a whirlwind for Mike “The Wanz” Wansley, and much of it a musician’s dream come true. It started inside a recording studio, where Macklemore and Lewis invited Wansley to record the “Thrift Shop” chorus one fateful evening in Seattle. The entire session took 45 minutes, and the rest, well, is history.

Robert Dash

Robert Dash’s love for photography started over forty years ago. His photographs have appeared in galleries and juried shows around the country, and in publications such as TIME, and The Week, and the international photography website Lensculture. His work can be seen at Olga Artworks on Orcas Island and in the forthcoming book of photography and poetry, An Acre Shy of Eternity; Ecology and Metaphor on One Seaside Cliff. Robert has a son in college, and shares a home on Orcas with his partner, artist Ranna McNeil.

Stephan Schwartz

Stephan A. Schwartz is a columnist for the journal Explore, and editor of the daily web publication Schwartzreport.net where he covers trends that are affecting the future. For 40 years Stephane has been studying the nature of consciousness and exceptional human performance. He has written numerous magazine articles for Smithsonian, OMNI, American History, American Heritage, The Washington Post, The New York Times, has produced and written a number television documentaries and four books: The Secret Vaults of Time, The Alexandria Project, Mind Rover, Opening to the Infinite, and his latest, The 8 Laws of Change.

TJ DiCaprio

As Sr. Director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft, TJ is the chief architect responsible for designing and managing Microsoft’s internal carbon fee model. Her efforts drive accountability while supporting innovation in efficiency, green power, and low-carbon economic development in emerging nations.