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).

2211 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan, 48201
United States

4th Wall Theatre Company

Theatre Troupe

The 4th Wall Theatre Company is specifically designed for everyone be that students with special needs or seniors looking for a fun, new adventure. Through singing, dancing, and acting, our actors-to-be learn about the theatre, the world, and themselves

Detroit Bellydance

Bellydance Troop

Fresh off the set of America's Got Talent, Lana Mini and Detroit Bellydance are award-winning belly dance (rakassa) performers featured in national media. They can be seen performing at weddings, festivals, charity events and theaters and have become one of the most sought-after dance groups in the genre. Their goal is friendly, elegant shows for all audiences.

Shine on Kentucky Moon

Bluegrass Jug Band

We started out as a seed in Andy's head and then began to grow into a beautiful, collective noise. The band features Andrew Thomas (vocals, banjo, uke, kazoo), Lee Jenks (banjo, vocals), Ryan Roy (washtub bass, vocals), Joe Whisner (guitar, mandolin, vocals, harmonica) and Bryan Foreman (guitar, ukulele, vocals).

Aaron Draplin

Designer & Founder of Draplin Design Co.

Aaron Draplin is a graphic designer, author and founder of Draplin Design Co. (DDC). Born in Detroit, Michigan, he is now based in Portland, Oregon. His clients include Nike, Burton Snowboards, Esquire, Red Wing, Field Notes, Ford Motor Company and the Obama Administration.

Adam Genei

Custom Car Builder & Founder of Mobsteel

Born in Detroit, Adam developed a love for the auto industry from his grandfather’s Ford Dealership. He started out making parts for the Big Three and that hobby turned into a business. Mobsteel started as a one bay garage with a welding bench and a mission to celebrate the automotive industry.

Annie Klark

Artistic Director & Co-founder of The 4th Wall Theatre Company

Annie earn a vocal performance and English degree from the University of Michigan. She a children’s theatre & choir director, a playwright, a curriculum designer and a co-founder of The 4th Wall Theatre Company. The 4th Wall Theatre theatre program is specifically designed for students with special needs. 4th Wall provides a fun, creative, and therapeutic activity for children and adults of all abilities. Through rehearsal and performance process, students will experience personal affirmation, empowerment, and will build important life skills.

Bill McDonald

Principal at Phoenix Haus

Powered by creativity, motivation and ambition, Bill grew up in a household of business owners both with inspiring stories on making a difference. Now he's working helping buildings realize energy independence by building homes in a quality controlled semi-automated facility.

Christian Birky

Founder & CEO of Lazlo

Christian Birky started a pony-powered, zero-emissions lawn service at age 10. Now 25, he continues to explore how the choices we make can create a better world. He studied prison policy at Princeton before founding Lazlo, which hires former inmates to manufacture sustainable menswear in Detroit.

Christine Gibbons

President & Chief Executive Officer of HistoSonics

Christine is the CEO of Histosonics, a life sciences startup based in Ann Arbor. HistoSonics is leading the coming revolution in histotripsy, a non-invasive, non-thermal surgery that will reduce patient trauma and healthcare costs across multiple indications.

Dave Meeker

Global head of Isobar NowLab

Dave is a technologist, designer and dad. He grew up in the rust belt and has seen urban landscapes change, and has been fascinated by urban evolution since he was a child. He now runs a series of global innovation labs. He likes to dance.

Dawn White

President & CTO at Accio Energy

Dr. White is a co-founder, President/CTO, and a board member of Accio Energy where she leads the technical team developing Accio’s EHD wind energy technology. Dr. White previously founded Solidica, Inc. where she invented and commercialized the Ultrasonic Consolidation rapid prototyping process as the Form-ation rapid prototyping machine. Prior to founding Solidica, Dr. White was a serial intrapreneur, commercializing technologies to create new business opportunities in multiple industries. Dr. White earned a BS and MS in Materials Science and Engineering, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Illinois. She has a continuous record of commercial innovation in a range of materials processing fields, including welding and joining science, metal spray forming, intelligent processing of materials and rapid prototyping and tooling. She has published dozens of technical papers, and is a productive inventor, having been awarded 27 US Patents.

Eric Thomas

Senior Partner at Saga MKTG

Born and raised in Detroit, Eric is an entrepreneur, storyteller and advocate for inclusion and opportunity. Eric has worked with hundreds of brands to help them develop their narrative and find their voice. He is driven by authenticity, and believes that true value is found in honest communication.

Eshwar Inapuri

Founder & CEO of Innamed

Eshwar is currently studying Bioengineering and Health Care Management at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he worked at the University of Michigan Center for Arrhythmia Research, giving him a unique understanding of the integration and intersection of biology and computer science.

James Kaymore

Poet

James is being seen felt and heard around the world through his spoken word, poetry writing and song writing.

Jeff Owens

Chief Technology Officer at Delphi Automotive

Jeff is a tech geek who loves cars. He was the shepherd of the first automated coast-to-coast drive. He has the unique ability to translate complex topics into ‘mere mortal’ speak. He runs Delphi's global engineering team, leads innovation and dev.

Katie Mann

CEO & Co-founder of The 4th Wall Theatre Company

Katie is a certified teacher with masters in special education, an American Sign Language instructor, a choreographer and a co-founder of The 4th Wall Theatre Company. The 4th Wall Theatre theatre program is specifically designed for students with special needs. 4th Wall provides a fun, creative, and therapeutic activity for children and adults of all abilities. Through rehearsal and performance process, students will experience personal affirmation, empowerment, and will build important life skills.

Khary Turner

Executive Director of the Coleman A. Young Foundation

Khary Kimani Turner is an educator, author and artist from Detroit. His work bridges experiences in music, non-profit leadership and literature. From Coleman A. Young Foundation to Black Bottom Collective, he is an 'smarts and arts' guy, a husband and a father.

Kisma Jordan

Soprano & Kresge Art Fellow

Characterized by The New York Times as a “shimmering soprano voice”, Ms. Jordan has proven to be a vocal powerhouse of great versatility. The Baltimore Sun praised excitedly, “Kisma Jordan steals the show, vocally…with her truly lovely soprano. She sounds wonderful in the house, the tone ripe and well supported, the phrasing lively, the diction superb. I can't prove any great powers of prognostication, but I sure do feel there's a good chance we could all be hearing more from this singer in time.” Kisma Jordan has performed with opera companies and symphonies around the country. She is a Kresge Arts Fellow, winner in the Soma International Foundation’s 2016 Lois Alba Aria Competition, winner of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s 2016 Mildred Miller International Vocal Competition and winner of the National Opera Association’s 2016 Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition.

Lisa Waud

Creator of The Flower House & Founder of Pot & Box

Based in detroit, michigan, Lisa Waud is the founder of pot & box, a floral design and horticultural decor studio. Lisa is also the creator of flower house, detroit flower week, and the indie markets HLDYMRKT & VLNTNSDYMRKT. She loves coffee and her giant dog zero.

Lungiswa Moore

Founder of #mygirlsquad

Born in Zimbabwe and was raised in South Africa with my mother and brother. We relocated to America. I am a mother of 2 and I love to create. Sisterhood is important and so is family and community. I use my energy to foster positive connections with women of color.

Michael Knight

CEO of Michael Knight Art Of Strength

Michael Knight has been known as the Michigan personal trainer to turn to when you're serious about getting in shape. His no nonsense "training camp" style keeps clients on track, but it's his personal triumph over obesity that keeps them coming back.

Mike Ellison

Poet, Recording Artist & Actor

Mike Ellison was born in Ethiopia and fully realized himself as an actor, recording and performance artist in Detroit. The multi-faceted entertainer has released independent albums, produced national concert and community outreach tours, and registered acting credits that span film, theater and television. Mike has employed entertainment as a vehicle to promote education and health initiatives throughout the United States and his birth country.

Patrick Elkins

Artist, Author & Puppeteer

Raised in and near Grand Rapids, Michigan, Elkins moved to Ypsilanti to study Creative Writing at Eastern Michigan University. He is an author, performance artist, puppeteer and songwriter.

Paulette Auchtung

Planetarium & Live Theaters Manager at Michigan Science Center

Paulette studied physics at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (UWSP) and did undergraduate astrophysics research. She started her planetarium career in 2009 and has been sharing her passion with the world inspiring the next generation of scientists ever since.

Rick Lax

Deception Expert & Magician

Rick Lax fools people every day. The magician, entrepreneur, television producer and deception expert has become an internet celebrity with his daily video magic tricks earning millions of views every day. He even managed to fool Penn & Teller on "Fool Us." The Michigan native attended Michigan State University and the University of Michigan before earning a law degree at DePaul University. After passing the bar and penning a book on lawyers, Lax headed west to pursue his passion: conjuring. The true polymath is continually evolving his craft. From professional gambling to consulting for David Copperfield to producing "Wizard Wars" for SyFy to creating magic tricks for Penguin Magic, our eyes won't believe what Rick Lax will do next.

Rick Robinson

Bassist & Composer

Robinson began playing bass in Highland Park, then Interlochen, Cleveland & Boston music schools. He came back to join the DSO where he started arranging, composing and rethinking classical for his famous CutTime outreach ensembles. He quit DSO after starting the Classical Revolution Detroit series.

Satori Shakoor

Executive Producer & Director of The Secret Society Of Twisted Storytellers

Satori Shakoor is an artist, a Moth main stage storyteller and host, veteran of live performance and social entrepreneur. She is the creator of The Secret Society Of Twisted Storytellers and the Director of TSRS, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 dedicated to the craft of storytelling for well being in society.

Shamayim Harris

Project Directress of The Avalon Village

Shamayim ‘Shu’ Harris is an entrepreneur & community activist based in Highland Park. Shu serves as her city’s 1st female police chaplain & is chairwoman of the Highland Park Charter Commission. She is the former VP of the Highland Park Housing Commission & Project Directress of the Avalon Village.

Wes Matthews

Poet & Student

Wes Matthews is a sophomore at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. He is a member of the 2016 Detroit Youth Slam Team and the Citywide Poets organization.

Zaria Ware

Poet & Filmmaker

Zaria is an award-winning teenage poet and filmmaker, attempting to navigate the idea of "growing up", despite her initial reluctance. She love the human body and mind, which is the motif in most of her written works and short videos on Youtube.