Theme: Cultivation

TEDxWorcester will feature short presentations by local thought leaders, along with opportunities for participants to view TED talks on a variety of topics. Our aim with hosting this is to encourage lively and informal discussion in the community on a range of topics in a relaxed setting. A TEDx event is a local gathering where live TED-like talks of no more than 18 minutes each and videos previously recorded at TED conferences are shared with the community. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. The content and design of each TEDx event is unique and developed independently. The overarching theme for our event is Cultivation—interpreted broadly, narrowly, metaphorically, or literally.

Nativity School of Worcester
67 Lincoln Street
Worcester, Massachusetts, 01605
United States

Gloria Hall

Historic Preservation Researcher and Interpreter

Gloria Hall is one of the many strong voices for art within the city, and a prime force behind the creation and development of Art in the Park, the annual juried, outdoor public art installation that blankets Elm Park with interactive, visual and inspiring works of art. Gloria Hall is one of the many strong voices for art within the city, and a prime force behind the creation and development of Art in the Park, the annual juried, outdoor public art installation that blankets Elm Park with interactive, visual and inspiring works of art.

José Castillo

Musician

José teaches music and Quinsigamond Community College and is the recipient of a Worcester Arts Council Fellowship

Kent Flowers

Founder of Technocopia, President of Neuron Robotics

Kent is president of Neuron Robotics and currently serves as shop head and a founder of WorcShop, a maker space in our city. Kent is also a founder of the Worcester Free Store on Stafford Street.

Lulama Moyo

Senior at Clark University

Lulu is a student at Clark University and is slam and spoken word artist. Born in Zimbabwe, Lulu spent many years in South Africa and now resides in Maine.

Matilde Castiel

Director of Health and Human Services

Matilde Castiel, MD did her undergraduate studies at the University of California in San Francisco, and later earned a medical degree from that same institution. She now lives in Holden, MA with her husband Aaron Mendel, and their two sons. Currently, she teaches medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and runs the Héctor Reyes House, a home for Latino men in Worcester who are recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

Thomas Del Prete

Director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice Professor

Professor Del Prete has been Director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice since 2012. Previously, he was Director of the Hiatt Center for Urban Education (1998-2012) and Chair of the Education Department (1996-2012). A graduate of Brown University, and a former secondary teacher in History and English, he earned his doctorate from Harvard University, concentrating on teaching, learning, and curriculum. Professor Del Prete’s interests include university-school partnerships, models of urban teacher education, secondary school reform, history curriculum and learning, and spirituality and education. He has been recognized for his scholarship on Thomas Merton and education. His book Thomas Merton and the Education of the Whole Person earned the first scholarship award given by the International Thomas Merton Society in 1991. He has published about twenty articles and reviews in Merton studies. He was elected President of the International Thomas Merton Society