Theme: Break Through

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).

The Grand Opera House
100 High Ave.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 54901
United States

Atiba Ellis

Law Professor

Atiba R. Ellis is a Professor of Law at West Virginia University and a Boden Visiting Professor of Law at Marquette University..

Carl Reible

Dairy Farmer

Carl (Chubbs) Reible III, along with his father, mother and two brothers, owns and operates Reible Family Farms in Farmersville, WI where he manages their herd of 340 dairy cows. He is a graduate of the Lakeshore Technical College’s Farm Business Management program. He serves as Treasurer of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Knowles. Chubbs and his wife Emily live in Theresa and are welcoming their first child to their family in October 2017.

Charlie Krebs

Theatre and Communications Professor

Krebs is a professor of theatre and communication at Lakeland University, where he produces plays, musicals and comedy improv. Raised in upstate New York, his path to Wisconsin led him to colleges and universities in North Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia, Michigan and Illinois.

Curt Kubiak

Healthcare Executive

Curt Kubiak is the founder and CEO of NOVO Health, and is also the CEO of the Orthopedic & Sports Institute. With a background in manufacturing, he brings a unique perspective to the administration of healthcare to deliver industry-leading pricing, outcomes, service and patient experience

Javad Ahmad

Information Technology Executive

Javad Ahmad is the President / COO at Oracular IS LLC,, and has been involved in the information technology industry for 24 years. He focuses his expertise on translating day-to-day business and human needs into information technology strategy and implementation. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and has obtained post-graduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jonathan Patz

Director - Global Health Institute

Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, is Professor & John P. Holton Chair in Health and the Environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also directs the Global Health Institute. He co-chaired the health expert panel of the first Congressionally mandated US National Assessment on Climate Change and was a convening lead author for the international Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. For 14 years, Patz was a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Patz is the author of nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers plus multiple reports, two co-edited textbooks and an encyclopedia on global environmental health

Joseph Peterson

Geology Professor

Dr. Joseph Peterson is an Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he conducts research in vertebrate paleontology. He earned his Ph.D. at Northern Illinois University in 2010 and has studied dinosaur preservation and behavior in the rocks of Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.

Ken Arneson

Senior Services Executive

Ken Arneson is the President/CEO of Evergreen Retirement Community, and has been in senior services for 30 years with experience ranging from in-hospital settings, for profit, and the not for profit sectos. Ken has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing and Management from Minot State University in Minot North Dakota. He also holds a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Care Administration from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Matt McVeigh

Music Teacher

Matt McVeigh teaches at Fond du Lac (Wisconsin) High School with a passion for developing kids’ potential through music. He is in demand throughout the state as both a performer and teacher, and loves exploring the connected nature of music and human development. Matt has been recognized by the Wisconsin State Music Association as both a creative and innovative educator, and his students have been recognized for musical excellence.

Nancy Yarbrough

Founder - Fresh Start Learning

Yarbrough is the Executive Director and founder of Fresh Start Learning Inc. She has served the Milwaukee community and surrounding counties for over 20+ years in the areas such as banking, adult education, advocacy/supportive services, professionalism skills, as a child care service training provider for adult learners and activist in pursuing legal rights for women in the workforce.

Nina Maybe

Performer

Nina Maybe is a performer, poet, teaching artist, and professional lunatic who has been engaging the public in more than a decade of social experiments, art shows, and interactive theatrical productions.

Sharon Hulce

Executive Search Leader

Sharon Hulce is President/CEO of Employment Resource Group Inc. (ERG) and is a 21-year veteran of the Executive Search industry. Sharon has served on numerous for profit and not-for-profit boards. She is a proud inducted member of The Pinnacle Society, a consortium of the top 75 recruiters in the country.

Tracey Robertson

Co-Founder - Fit Oshkosh

Tracey Robertson is co-founder and Executive Director of Fit Oshkosh, Inc., a grassroots, nonprofit organization located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, whose mission is to promote social transformation through Color-Brave conversations, education, advocacy, and research to achieve race equity and justice within our community.

Tracy Slagter

Political Science Professor

Tracy H. Slagter is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 2006, and has taught a wide array of courses on European and European Union politics, environmental politics, food politics, and international law.