Theme: Perspective | where you stand matters.

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).

Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts
1601 Broadway Street
Kansas City, Missouri, 64108
United States

Angela Speck

Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Angela Speck is a Professor of Astrophysics & Astronomy and Director of Astronomy within the Physics & Astronomy Department at MU. She built the MU astronomy program starting with her arrival at MU in 2002 and is responsible for mentoring MU students with an interest in pursuing Astronomy/Astrophysics. Dr. Speck recently rotated off the MU Faculty Council on University Policy Committee where she served as Chair of Diversity Enhancement. She was also a member of the congressionally appointed FACA committee: Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC). She also co-chaired a taskforce to prepare the nation for the total solar eclipse that occurred in August 2017. Dr. Speck’s academic career exemplifies the idea that there should be a strong synergy between the research, teaching and service components for any faculty member. She has a doctorate in Astronomy from University College London, and has been at Mizzou for almost 15 years.

Anika Paulson

College Student, Musician, Sage

A veteran of the TED and TED-Ed stage, Anika Paulson is a college student and Resident Assistant at University of Minnesota Morris.

Bill Robertson

Historian, Maker, Mechanician

William Robertson designs and builds historically accurate tools that in turn are used to build working replicas of objects. Robertson’s works range from a Chester County spice chest to a fully operational microscope. They have been displayed all over the world – from the Smithsonian to The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures in Kansas City, Missouri.

Cathi Hanauer

Author, Columnist, Cofounder of NYT's Modern Love

Cathi Hanauer is the New York Times bestselling author of three novels and two essay anthologies, the most recent—The Bitch is Back—chosen as an NPR Best Book of 2016. She has written articles, essays, and reviews for The New York Times, O, Elle (where she’s a contributing editor), and many other magazines; she wrote the books column at both Glamour and Mademoiselle, and was the monthly advice columnist at Seventeen magazine for seven years. In 2004, she and her husband, writer and editor Daniel Jones, founded the New York Times “Modern Love” column. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts and New York City.

Jenny Hollowell

Writer, Producer, Musician

Jenny Hollowell is a writer and performer. She is author of the novel Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe (Henry Holt & Co) and her stories and essays have appeared in Glimmer Train, Scheherazade, and Bright Wall/Dark Room, among others. She has been honored by Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays and has appeared on WNYC's Selected Shorts, Pop-Up Magazine, and NPR's Radiolab. Her musical project, the duo Nights & Weekends, releases their first album in August 2017. She lives in Highland Park, Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

Lindsey Roy

Innovator, Storyteller, Executive

Lindsey Roy is a brilliant storyteller with a captivating story. A tragic boating accident while on vacation almost claimed Lindsey’s life and left her with an amputated left leg, severely injured right leg and injured right arm. Through a challenging recovery process, Lindsey learned impactful lessons on how to harness disruption and find clarity in the chaos. Lindsey has spent over sixteen years in the corporate environment, leading teams in innovation, digital development and product merchandising. She was named Vice President at Hallmark Cards at just thirty-two years old, one of the youngest VPs ever in a company with over a 100-year history and in the top 1% of brands worldwide. Lindsey combines her unique life experience, corporate background and emotional intelligence to truly connect with audiences.

Louis Rosenberg

Artificial Intelligence Expert

Louis Rosenberg, PhD is a researcher, entrepreneur, and writer. He is currently Founder & CEO of Unanimous AI, an artificial intelligence company that amplifies human intelligence by building “hive minds” modeled after biological swarms. A prolific inventor, Rosenberg has been awarded over 350 patents worldwide for his work in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Human-Computer Interaction. Rosenberg was also the creator of the Virtual Fixtures system for the U.S. Air Force in the early 90's, the first immersive Augmented Reality system. Prior to his current role at Unanimous AI, Rosenberg was founder and CEO of Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ: IMMR) and Outland Research, and has worked as a tenured professor at California State University (Cal Poly).

Nia Orms (aka Paula Prisco)

Writer, Actress, Comedian, Provocateur

Throughout her creative career, Orms has received acclaim for her many achievements, including the NAACP Award for Best Actress for her one woman show (directed by Oz Scott) called “Please Take a Number” and being featured alongside top talent like Angela Bassett on a Top Ten Best Actresses Review Plays list. Orms is the president of Improvatude Inc. where she's on a mission to reinvent self-help by guiding others via the healing power of comedy.

Perspective Where You Stand Matters

TEDxKC 2017 opening video.

Preetha ji

Wisdom Teacher

In 2009 Preethaji started One World Academy with her husband Krishnaji. One World Academy is a wisdom school for enlightenment based in a new tradition where the focus is on knowing oneself and discovering that we are connected to all that exists. Preethaji is an enlightened world teacher whose vision is to free individuals of all forms of unhappiness. Preethaji's teachings challenge every justification for living in sorrow and inner isolation or unconscious psychological conformity.

Robert Hernandez

Hackademic and Professor of Journalism

Robert Hernandez is an associate professor of professional practice at USC Annenberg, but he’s not an academic. He’s more of a “hackademic” and specializes in “MacGyvering” web journalism solutions. His current focus is exploring and developing the intersection of technology and journalism. He has worked for seattletimes.com, SFGate.com, eXaminer.com, La Prensa Gráfica, among others.

Shantanu Bala

Researcher and CEO/Entrepreneur

Prior to founding Somatic Labs, Shantanu spent eight years researching haptic technology and assistive technologies for individuals who are blind or visually impaired at Arizona State University. His published research focuses on translating visual and auditory information into tactile stimulations felt on a person’s back.