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).

John D. Bradley Convention Centre
565 Richmond St.
Chatham, Ontario, N7M 3V6
Canada

Adam Ludolph

Adam Ludolph is a financial advisor, heading the local branch of the Co-operators insurance agency at the young age of 27. He is a member of the United Way Board of Directors, donating his time and ambition to the many agencies and other non-profits. With a passion for motivational speaking and as a previous member of Chatham-Kent Toastmasters, Adam has used this passion to share his journey to happiness and the stops along the way in hopes of inspiring change in individuals and the community of Chatham-Kent.

Alan Gertner

Alan Gertner is the co-founder and CEO of Tokyo Smoke, a modern lifestyle business that is inclusive of Cannabis. A lover of technology, design and everything in-between, Alan most recently led a $+100M organization at Google Asia Pacific. Alan is a proven leader in strategy and operations, including as a founding member of Google’s first Global Business Strategy team in California. A former Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman in New York and graduate, on the Dean’s list from Richard Ivey School of Business, Canada’s leading business school. Alan is creating incredibly thoughtful and deliberate interactions with Cannabis – fighting typical stoner stereotypes and providing a thoughtful business approach. In his eyes there is no reason that cannabis can not be treated like fine wine, with an educated user base.

Bren Dube

Bren Dubé is the co-founder and CEO of Implicit Entertainment, an organization on a mission to revolutionize the entertainment world, to empower people to grow as individuals and tp come together as one. Discovering a love for music at a young age, Bren found success locally with his band, Letterbomb, allowing him the opportunity to release multiple records and perform on tour for audiences all throughout Ontario. Living the stereotypical “rockstar” life of drinking and partying, Bren found himself on a dark path of self-destruction, alcoholism and depression when, after a 5 year run, the band parted ways. Searching for answers, Bren discovered the online world of personal development, immersing himself in books, audio programs and podcasts, finding mentors to learn from and relate to. He began making drastic changes in his lifestyle and as a result, inspired others to do the same.

Brian Knowler

Brian graduated from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law in 1997, and has been a police officer for 17 years. He speaks and writes extensively on topics around psychological health and trauma in the emergency response field, and has been consulted by media outlets across Canada. In March 2015, he published ‘On the Other Side of Broken – One Cop’s Battle With the Demons of PTSD.’ He is a member of the Police Advisory Group of Badge of Life Canada, an organization dedicated to furthering PTSD awareness and advocacy. Brian’s wife Cathy, a cop’s daughter, is a teacher, and trauma counselor for families and spouses of first responders. She co-wrote a chapter of Brian’s book and is “one of the strongest women” he knows. They have two teenage sons, who still think it’s cool to have a dad who is a cop. Brian lives with his family in Chatham.

Chris Hersh

Dr. C. K. Hersh grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. His father, a college professor, and his mother, a junior high school teacher, taught him to question, and to spend a lifetime learning. His academic journey took him to Duke University, and then back to the University of Kansas for medical school. He trained in San Antonio, Texas, and became an orthopedic surgeon with a subspecialty in hand surgery. He resides in Virginia, where he is active in athletic endeavours, and enjoys spending time with his wife and children. While serving in the United States Navy, Dr. Hersh was diagnosed with cancer. Two years later, he lost his father; his mother followed two years after. Such radical changes and events set him on a course to learn a different way of looking at life.

Chris Rupert

Guitarist and composer Chris Rupert has been active as a teacher, and performer for over 30 years. He has written music for solo guitar, as well as duets for guitar and cello, violin, mandolin, harpsichord, flute, charango, and synthesizer. Chris has compositions published by the Columbia Music Company and Edition Corvus, and has had music recorded by the Ahlert and Schwab duo. He also has 2 albums of music for solo guitar.

Crystal Martens

Crystal grew up in Chatham. She attended the University of Windsor for her Bachelor of Arts & Social Sciences as well as her Bachelor of Education. She also attended Fanshawe College in London for both her Developmental Services Worker, and Early Childhood Education diplomas. She is currently an occasional teacher for the Lambton Kent District School Board, and works part-time at Growing Together Family Resource Centre. Crystal also owns her own local face painting business, Fun Time Faces. She has learned many lessons from working with children of varying abilities over the years, and has a strong interest in promoting gender-neutral teaching and parenting practices, for the sake of a child’s broader experience of the world. Crystal is also an amateur artist who has had works shown in various exhibits at the Chatham Cultural Centre Thames Art Gallery. She loves to kayak, watch movies, make art, read, rollerblade, bike-ride, dance, do cartwheels, eat ice cream, and laugh.

Emily Hime

At 18, Emily Hime embarked on her first adventure overseas as a humanitarian, volunteering in Ghana, Africa. She witnessed the harsh realities of extreme poverty and corruption first hand. Following a trip to the earthquake ravished country of Haiti, Emily felt as if her passion and purpose was to serve those less fortunate, and to be a voice that can bring awareness to people around the globe about poverty and social injustice. Emily is the founder of the non-profit organization Hime For Help, as well as the founder and director of Maison Ke Kontan Children’s Home in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Heather Foley

Heather was born and raised in New Liskeard. Her desire to pursue a career in health care has taken her to Laurentian University in Sudbury, and then to the University of Waterloo, where she was a member of the first class in the brand new School of Pharmacy, and maintains a faculty connection as an Adjunct Clinical Professor. She completed pharmacy residency training at the Windsor Regional Hospital and has since spent time working in community and hospital pharmacy, as well as, briefly,in telepharmacy. Currently, Heather fulfills the role of Clinical Pharmacist and Case Manager with the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team. Outside of professional commitments, she loves to spend time outdoors and in the arena with her husband and two boys, Brandon and Bryce.

Ian Khan

Speaker, author and futurist, Ian Khan was born in “heaven on earth,” Kashmir. He is the author of Cloud Wars, The Internet of Things & the Future of Innovation, Make Me Like You, 21 Steps, and Get Ahead. A champion of meaningful conversations, Ian works with many audiences, helping them to challenge the status quo, find inner strength, and strive toward goals. As a speaker, Ian engages with a variety of audiences, from both the public and private sectors. Ian also has a deep interest in music, singing traditional south asian mystic folk songs, and playing the djembe, while learning to play the guitar and the harmonium. He is an adventurer, having travelled to over 25 countries, lived in +60 degree C temperatures and escaped death many times: once near the pyramids of Giza, and multiple times in his homeland. Today, he lives with his wife and son in Mississauga, and enjoys riding his motorcycle.

Jennifer Jones

Jennifer is the President and CEO of Media Street Productions Inc., an award winning television production company in Windsor, Ontario. She is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, and is a Past Governor of Rotary District 6400. One of Rotary International’s most recognized communicators, Jennifer has presented keynote addresses and training workshops at more than 100 conferences across North America, and around the world. Jennifer has also chaired the Board of Governors of the University of Windsor and the Board of Directors of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. Her awards include Rotary’s Service above Self Award and Citation for Meritorious Service, the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award, a first for a Canadian. Jennifer is happily married to Nick Krayacich a local family physician. They share a thirst for adventure that took them to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009.

Jennifer Pate

Jen is a geographer and filmmaker fascinated by human-environment interaction. She has a BA in Geography, and an MSc in Environment, Science & Society, from the University College of London. She has been involved in several international research, filmmaking, and sport expeditions, in a diverse range of roles, from filmmaker, to marketing manager, to expedition leader.

Jim Waters

Jim grew up on a farm west of London, Ontario. He graduated as a Professional Engineer from the University of Western Ontario in 1995, with a degree in structural engineering. In 1996, Jim was hired as a project manager on the Greenfield Ethanol Plant construction in Chatham, and he has remained in the agri-business and food processing sectors throughout most of his career. Jim joined BDM Millwrights Inc. in 2004 as the General Manager. BDM has grown into a company with more than 70 employees, and expected revenue over ten million dollars. Approximately 25 percent of BDM’s business comes from export work in the United States, the Caribbean and Central America. Jim is a father, an IRONMAN, and a ‘once and future’ marathon runner. He has sat on the steering committee of the C-K Interactive Manufacturing Innovation Network, and is a founding board member of the Chatham-Kent Manufacturer’s Association.

Julie Ross

Julie Ross is an entrepreneur, a former sign painter and graphic designer, and a certified personal trainer, and yoga and Pilates instructor. She has made her living from playing and writing music, coaching, teaching music, art and fitness, and hosting events, shows, and musical jams, and is known locally for hosting open mic venues across the area, over the past 20 years. Julie is a long time member of SOCAN with 2 studio albums to her credit with EyreSpace Audio, as well as 2 demo EP’s under Lyric Jar Music. She has a new record called Water Music in the works, with Implicit Records, Her mission is to make people feel better, and she plans to continue to “paint with words and sounds” every chance she gets, whether in the studio, in a band setting, on an open mic stage, or in a songwriting session.

Lisa Dadd

Graduating with a Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Western Ontario, Lisa had no idea she would climb the corporate ladder for 15 years before deciding to ‘retire’, at the ripe age of 39. That decision to invest in what she was meant to be in life, rather than settle for what she was doing for a living, transformed more than just her job. A self-professed ‘digital nomad’, Lisa has found fabulous blurring the lines between work and play, as she intentionally redesigns her life to allow more time and flexibility to travel, learn new skills, and explore new business opportunities. Leveraging fifteen years of strategic business skills, and cultivating personal insights from her many adventures, her mission is to provide practical, relevant advice for anyone tired of feeling stuck and ready to take action.

Matthew Oldridge

Matthew has been teaching mathematics with the Peel District School Board for fifteen years. Married, with two children, 4 and 6, he lives in Mississauga. He is currently a “resource teacher of effective mathematics” in Peel, and spends most of his time thinking about how best kids learn mathematics. In his work in his own classrooms, and with the Ontario Ministry of Education (LearnTeachLead), he has come to see the power in letting kids lead, accessing their powerful thinking, and making classrooms places of surprise and wonder.

Richard Coffey

Richard Coffey is a Grade 12 high-school student from Toronto. When he was 4 years old, Richard was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. Richard is probably not the type of person you would think of as having Asperger Syndrome. On any given day, you could find him working as an umpire for his local baseball association, performing in shows on the piano and trumpet, or serving as the newly elected Vice President of his school’s Student Advisory Council. When he was younger, however, he struggled with understanding how to make social connections. Richard’s goal is to make Autism and Asperger Syndrome something people aren’t afraid to talk about.

Sam White

Sam White is an award-winning theatre producer and entrepreneur. Only a few weeks after her hometown filed for bankruptcy in 2013, she pioneered the first-ever Shakespeare company there, called Shakespeare in Detroit, with a groundbreaking performance of Othello. Since then, her work has been featured on the BBC, and several national media outlets. In 2015, she landed the February cover of Southwest Airlines’ inflight magazine, captured by renowned celebrity photographer Cris Crisman. In 2017, she plans to produce one site-specific performance of Henry V, and a park production of Hamlet. Her vision is to create a world-class Shakespeare company in the city that inspires more inclusion and nontraditional ideas, while respecting The Bard’s classical text.

Susan Whelan

The Honourable Susan Whelan was born and raised in Essex County and her first summer job was picking tomatoes on a local farm. Throughout her life, she has had a passion to be involved in the community and has volunteered to benefit the environment, children, and hospitals. Susan has served on the boards of the Windsor-Essex County Children’s Aid Society, the Windsor Essex Alzheimer Society, the University of Windsor Alumni, and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Susan has a Masters of Law from the University of Toronto. Between 1993 and 2004 she was a Member of Parliament, and, from 2002-2003, Minister of International Cooperation. In this role, she was responsible for Canada’s foreign aid program – a life-changing experience for her. In 2009, Susan embarked on a new career in the non-profit sector, when she was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer. She stepped down from her role to successfully fight the most important battle of her life.