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).

Lorton Performance Center
550 S Gary Pl, Tulsa, OK 74104
Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74104
United States

Ava Kaufman

Ava Kaufman was born in the Bronx. Attending New York University with a double major in Dance Therapy and Theatre Arts. As a dancer, she toured with Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, and Jo Jo Smith. As a marketing executive at Capezio in New York, she oversaw the transition from dance-wear into fashion. In Los Angeles, she created a multi-million dollar transportation company with huge hotelier clients. In 2009 Ava had an emergency heart transplant, and in 2011, began the non-profit Ava's Heart, working tirelessly for transplant patients. In 2021 she became a CNN Hero, for her work in the transplant and organ donation community.

Chip Paul

Chip Paul is a classically trained mathematician who has spent his career asking WHY. Chip spent over 10 years in corporate work in companies such as Southwestern Bell Corp, Phillips Petroleum Corp, and Williams Communications. After leaving corp life, Chip started his entrepreneurial career. In 2014 Chip and his wife Cynthia successfully exited a Tulsa based senior assistance company and began to build GnuPharma. GnuPharma was built around Chip's theory of human function under the endocannabinoid system. In 2015 Chip began building herbal formulations which impacted the endocannabinoid system to alter disease states and improve health. Chip patented these ideas and holds the first issued patent on predictably manipulating the endocannabinoid system for medical benefit without cannabis. Further Chip holds intellectual property for the first endocannabinoid diagnostic test which is currently being developed. Chip works and collaborates with major Universities and continues to write for additional intellectual property.

Joana Baquero

Joana Baquero is from Colombia, South America. She is a business strategist, author, and keynote speaker. With over 20 years of experience in Marketing, Joana has built a global career in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, with practice in Europe, Latin America, and North America. Joana is an advocate for people with rare bleeding disorders. In 2017, she published her autobiography "Driven by Hope: A True Story of Defying All Odds', where she shares her life experience about growing up with Afibrinogenemia, a rare bleeding disorder that affects 1 in a million people around the world. Joana launched her book in 2017 at the European Association for Hemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) conference in Paris. She has spoken at several conferences, including the 2018 World Federation of Hemophilia's World Congress in Glasgow, and the Steven L. Margolies MD Family Education Conference in New York. Joana is an active Board Member of the Hemophilia Association of New York, and the Vice President of the International Fibrinogen Physicians and Patients Association.

Larry Fleury

Growing up in Southeast Kansas, Larry Fleury always had a love of the changing weather patterns. Fleury has been a certified storm spotter for over a decade with Skywarn, a program of the National Weather Service to collect reports of localized severe weather in the United States. He attended Pittsburg State University in Kansas before joining AmeriCorps NCCC in Sacramento, California. Fleury developed a love for landscape photography and evolved his craft while monitoring the development of storms in Tornado Alley over the years. Fleury’s photography has been featured on The Weather Channel, Midwest Living Magazine, and other national outlets. Currently, Fleury is the Resident Photographer for The Runway Group– a holding company founded by Steuart and Tom Walton in Bentonville, Arkansas. He is also a contributing writer for one of the oldest continuing publications in the United States, The Farmers’ Almanac.

Major Matt McCord

Major Matt McCord is the division commander of the Tulsa Police Gilcrease Patrol Division serving Downtown and North Tulsa. Previous assignments include the Organized Gang Unit, Special Operations Team (SWAT), Special Response Team, Honor Guard, and Training Captain where he partnered with local community leaders and minority business owners to develop a comprehensive implicit bias/cultural competence program. He serves on the Boards of Directors for Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS), Little Light House Child Development Center for children with special needs, Crosstown Learning Center, and A Way Home for Tulsa Leadership Council working to end homelessness. Committees include Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Mosaic (Diversity and Inclusion) and the Mayor’s Police and Community Coalition. He and his wife, Anne, have been married for 20 years and have two children: A.J., 12, and Allison, 10.

Mark Ereth

Dr. Ereth is an Emeritus Professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and an Emeritus Consultant at Mayo Clinic. As a physician, Scientist, inventor, and social entrepreneur, he has led over 100 human, animal, and laboratory studies. Mark has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, and chapters and has over 200 visiting professorships, lectures, and/or presentations worldwide. With fellow inventors, he holds four patents for medical devices. Dr. Ereth is a member of The Doctors’ Mayo Society and also co-founded Cheetah Development, a non-profit working in Tanzania.

Myranda New

As a junior mechanical engineering student here at The University of Tulsa, Myranda New has always taken pride in her strong communication skills. Years of published creative writing pieces, journalism articles, and acting adventures under her belt, she is able to recognize the importance of soft skills — or, as they should be called, power skills — for successful team collaboration among engineers, especially after beginning her TURC project during her freshman year of college. Her proudest achievement is being President of the Society of Women Engineers on campus, where she encourages networking and mentoring among women in STEM. With a background including internships in the biomedical engineering industry and leading three physical and sensory therapy projects through MADE, she applies these power skills every day to optimize her opportunities and make a difference in the community. Myranda is actively working on a book with her mentor Dr. John Henshaw over this subject, currently titled “The Great Disasters: What Happens When Engineers Get it Wrong.” She also writes for The Collegian, University of Tulsa’s campus Newspaper, in a variety of sections.

Tyrance Billingsley II

Tyrance Billingsley is a born and raised Tulsan entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and community leader. He is the founder of Black Tech Street, an initiative to rebirth Black Wall Street as a Black tech capital and catalyze a global movement that sees Black people embrace technology as a means to build wealth and impact the world. Tyrance has been featured in Forbes, CNN, Blavity, the Wall Street Journal, and more. He was recently named to the inaugural Forbes the Culture 50 Champions list that highlights 50 Black and Brown people in the US who are working to uplift their communities. He is passionate about using technology to transform the position of Black Americans in the United States and catalyzing innovation that improves human quality of life.