Theme: Not Business as Usual

TEDxWestlake explores the accelerating change in the world around us, largely driven by the power of the digital infrastructure built over the last few decades. William Gibson has remarked: "The future is already here - it's just unevenly distributed." While we can't predict the future, we hope to uncover and mine some of these veins.

We invite speakers from a wide array of disciplines, from kinetic art to neuroscience to hybrid social ventures, to come share their stories with our audience of business students and innovators, and help us wonder about what might lie ahead.

Some of our fantastic speakers:

Dylan Evans, philosopher and expert in risk intelligence
Greg McEvilly, Kammok CEO/founder and social entrepreneur
Jeffrey Zachmann, kinetic sculptor
John Hagel, Center for the Edge director and author of “The Power of Pull”
Molly Dominguez, former captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps
Seryn, 5-person Dallas band of musical polymaths
William Hurley, founder of Chaotic Moon Labs and creator of the Board of Awesomeness
Elizabeth Wattley, creator of a Dallas-based 2-acre student-run urban farm
Diane Mars, graduate student in public administration

Deloitte University
Westlake, Texas
United States

Dylan Evans

Dylan Evans is the founder of Projection Point, the global leader in risk intelligence solutions. He has written several popular science books, including Risk Intelligence: How to Live with Uncertainty (Free Press, 2012) and Emotion: The Science of Sentiment (Oxford University Press, 2001). He received a PhD in Philosophy from the London School of Economics in 2000, and has held academic appointments at King’s College London, the University of Bath, the University of the West of England, and the American University of Beirut.

Greg McEvilly

Greg McEvilly is the driving force behind Kammok®, a new adventure brand that is revolutionizing the “products for social good” landscape. After learning about the pervasiveness of malaria and other vector-borne diseases in Africa, Greg was moved to take action. Connecting his desire to help with his love of the outdoors, he developed the concept of a lightweight portable hammock with integrated mosquito netting that could serve as alternative bedding in malaria-ridden countries. That idea evolved into a comfortable, portable hammock that was just as useful for campers and adventurers as it was for those living in Africa. But as that vision gained momentum in the adventure market, Greg never lost sight of where it began. Thus, Kammok was born, and has evolved to become a vehicle for sustainable giving and broad social impact.

Jeffrey Zachmann

I’m a mechanical guy in a digital world. One of the things I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I’m fascinated with systems, mechanical systems, biological systems, and even social systems. I think the interest in mechanical systems is probably what drew me to the kinetic sculpture originally, even though I wasn’t aware of it at the time. In the end, most of all, I like to make people smile. People who look at my sculptures come away with a smile. I enjoy watching the transition that happens when someone stands in front of one of my sculptures. I think there’s too much stress and darkness in people’s lives; if I can bring a short respite to this, all the better.

John Hagel

John Hagel III has nearly 30 years’ experience as a management consultant, author, speaker and entrepreneur. John currently serves as co-chairman of the Silicon Valley-based Center for the Edge, which conducts original research on emerging business opportunities that are not yet on the CEO’s management agenda but should be. John is the author of The Power of Pull, published by Basic Books and summarizing recent research pursued at the Center for the Edge, making the case that we are struggling as individuals and institutions to adapt to a long-term shift in our business environment that changes the nature of competition,. He is also the author of a series of earlier best-selling business books, beginning with Net Gain, published in 1997, and including Net Worth, Out of the Box and The Only Sustainable Edge.

Molly Dominguez

As a dual-degree Veterinary – Business student at the University of Pennsylvania, Molly Dominguez is challenging the future role of the veterinary profession. In the United States, a veterinarian is traditionally perceived as a doctor for dogs, cats and horses. Yet, during Molly’s six years as an officer on active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, including a deployment in Iraq, she learned about the global leadership of veterinary medicine in promoting political, economic, and public health security. Drawing from these experiences, she captures the essence of why spreading the capabilities and expertise of the veterinary profession is critical for the United States’ foreign policy over the next decade. Molly is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and received her Master’s in International Relations from Oklahoma University. Her husband, Augie Dominguez, is currently deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Seryn

Chelsea
 Bohrer
 ‐ 
violin,
 percussion,
 and
 bird 
chirps Chris 
Semmelbeck ‐ 
drums, 
banjo,
 pump
 organ,
 guitar,
 accordion,
 bells,
 earthquake
 stomps Aaron
 Stoner
‐ 
 bass,
 trumpet,
 cello
 and 
bear 
roars Nathan 
Allen 
‐ 
guitar,
 guitar,
 geeeter,
 banjo,
 and 
guitar.
 And 
some 
mouth 
sounds. Trenton 
Wheeler ‐ 
ukulele, 
banjo,
 accordion, 
sings 
the 
sung 
songs 

 Seryn
 is 
a 
5 
piece 
band
 who
 calls 
Denton, 
Texas 
their 
home. 
The 
scene 
in 
Denton 
is bustling, 
and 
Seryn 
merged 
right 
into 
it!
 When 
listening 
to 
the 
well 
layered 
textures of
 guitars, 
ukulele, 
accordion, 
bass, 
viola, 
banjo 
and 
various 
percussion,
 it’s 
hard 
to
 imagine 
This 
Is 
Where 
We 
Are 
is 
the 
band’s 
debut 
effort. 
The 
band’s 
strength
 resides in 
their 
musical 
talent 
and 
the 
understanding 
of 
dynamics. 
Their 
beauty
 is
 gracefully displayed
 through 
chilling 
harmonies. 
Each 
member 
and 
their 
voice 
carry 
equal importance. 
One 
is 
not 
complete 
without 
the 
other. Paste Magazine named 
Seryn 
as
 their 
no. 7 
of 
their 
“Best 
New 
Bands 
of 
2011″.

William Hurley

whurley®. If you’ve ever met him then you know that he’s brilliant. IBM named him a Master Inventor, he’s got 11 patents to his name, and he’s on the cutting edge of tech. He co-founded Chaotic Moon Studios and co-founded iPhoneDevCamp, iPadDevCamp, and BarCampAustin alike. The work he’s doing with Predictive, Perceptive, and Pervasive Computing, and mobile technology is a constant push to do better than today. And yet he can do nothing without the developer community that he’s a part of. Instigate. Collaborate. Innovate.™ “We’re all in this together,” he says. “Let’s keep doing awesome things.”

Elizabeth Wattley

Elizabeth Wattley, the Director of Service Learning, manages the Service Learning Program and the newly established Food for Good Farm at Paul Quinn College. Elizabeth has been with Paul Quinn College since August 2008 and is a graduate of a historically black college, Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Wattley left her position as a Senior Convention Accounting Manager with Wyndham Jade to join the College because of her personal commitment to the higher education of the African American community. Since coming to the College, Ms. Wattley has focused her talents and energies on the development of service learning projects that are incorporated into course curriculums. Additionally, she has served on a variety of college committees and plays an active role in developing student activities and programs to enhance campus life for current students at Paul Quinn College.

Diane Mars

Diane Mars is a Master of Public Administration Candidate at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has wide-ranging project management experience in San Francisco, New York, and Hong Kong. She has held editorial and marketing positions at higher education publishers John Wiley & Sons and Cengage Learning, legal support roles at the law firm Sedgwick and California Superior Court, Alameda County, and volunteer and pro bono civil society building roles at refugee and veteran service nonprofits. Diane possesses a B.A. in English from University of California, Berkeley. She is enthusiastic about federal policy, international relations, collaborative partnerships, and she likes imagining a more humane world.