On Saturday, February 21 beginning at 1:00pm, TEDxGrandForks will host its second main stage event, themed “Launch,” at the Empire Arts Center in Downtown Grand Forks. Registration will begin at noon at Daktyl Tattoo Gallery and an after party will be held from 6:00 - 8:00pm at HB Sound & Light.
TEDxGrandForks 2015 will explore what it means to move beyond amazing ideas, launching them into action. The event will encourage attendees to engage in a conversation about how to make "ideas worth spreading" into "ideas worth doing."
The event will feature a diverse representation of speakers from an array of industries and experiences, from the west coast to the east coast. Two local presenters, Jason Schaefer and Natasha Thomas, were selected by the community via an Open Mic Night event in November in which 14 individuals shared a 2-minute preview of their “idea worth spreading.” Other presenters include Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Maggie Bergeron, Jonas Fisher, Nicholas Gaudette, Alex Gilliam, Patrick Kasper, Tim Larkin, Taylor Mortell, and Bill Wong.
TEDxGrandForks tickets are $80 for general admission or $25 for University of North Dakota (UND) student admission (available to the first 75 UND student purchasers). The ticket purchase price includes access to all talks and experiences, including a post-event party. Tickets are limited and are sold on a first come basis.
Sponsors for TEDxGrandForks include the Greater Grand Forks Convention and Visitors Bureau, the University of North Dakota Student Government, the Knight Foundation, NINE18 Photography, BeeGee Designs, Amazing Grains, Dakota Harvest Bakers, Caribou Coffee, and the University of North Dakota.
The announced speakers are as follows. For detailed biographies, please visit the TEDxGrandForks website:
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte (Portland, ME) is a writer, lecturer and a lawyer. Anna was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, then a Republic of USSR. As the Soviet Union began its collapse, Anna and her family fled ethnic cleansing in Baku in the fall of 1989 as Armenians, a Christian minority of Azerbaijan. Anna and her family spent two and a half years in blockaded Armenia as refugees before coming to United States in 1992. In 2012 Anna published her first book, titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at the age of 14 as her family settled in North Dakota. The book is based on the childhood diaries she kept as her family was fleeing Baku, Azerbaijan and during life in Armenia as refugees.
Maggie Bergeron (Minneapolis, MN) is an organizer, choreographer, dancer, and teacher. She currently choreographs and directs Maggie Bergeron & Company, dances in her own work and the work of local choreographers, instructs dance majors at the University of Minnesota Dance Program in pedagogy and composition courses, and directs the Dance Department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter school for grades 9-12 committed to pre-professional training in the arts. Maggie is one of the co-creators of a new festival, Hear Here!, in the Twin Cities area that celebrates the space and time where movement and music intersect.
Jonas Fisher (Warroad, MN) is a high school senior that has always had a keen curiosity abot music, instruments, composition, and the process of perfecting one’s musical abilities. Jonas began playing piano as soon as he could reach the keys and has had formal lessons for the past elevent year, currently studying with Dr. Nariaki Sugiura at the University of North Dakota. Jonas is also an accomplished composer, winning scholarships in the Junior Composer’s contest in 2013 and 2014. Jonas plays several musical instruments, including euphonium, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and flute, several of which are completely self-taught.
Nicholas Gaudette (Minneapolis, MN), renegade bassist and composer, has been playing and performing in the Twin Cities area for over a quarter century. Nick is the instrumental music department chair at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, where he teaches music composition and conducts the chamber orchestra. Nick is one of the co-creators of a new festival, Hear Here!, in the Twin Cities area that celebrates the space and time where movement and music intersect.
Alex Gilliam (Philadelphia, PA) is a cheerleader of possibility and the founder of Public Workshop, an organization that redefines the way youth and communities participate as citizens and leaders in the design of their neighborhoods and cities. Alex fundamentally believes that great design, empowerment, innovation, and having fun are not mutually exclusive. Uniquely combining his skills as a designer, educator, expert builder, and entrepreneur, he leads multigenerational design-build community projects, develops placemaking initiatives, constructs maker spaces for people of all ages, devises transformative youth design leadership programs, and creates innovative participatory design tools.
Patrick Kasper (Fargo, ND) is the creator and presenter of the mind, body, fitness, team building, motivation program Positive Motion: Movement with a Message. He is an internationally known and respected fitness guru and has been an energetic force in the fitness and lifestyle industry for over 15 years. In 2013 Patrick and his Positive Motion team launched PositiveMotionTV.net, an innovative way for schools to experience and interact with the energy of Positive Motion in a convenient and affordable way, making a positive daily impact on students and staff.
Tim Larkin (Las Vegas, NV) is a former military intelligence officer and one of the world’s leading pro-victim rights and personal safety advocates. After being named the 2011 Self Defense Instructor of the Year and simultaneously inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame, Tim ended the year by taking on the UK Home Secretary and getting banned from the UK for his stand on a citizen’s right to defend themselves from imminent violence. Tim is the founder of Target Focus Training, a program that has trained over 10,000 clients from military operations units, special law enforcement teams, celebrities, and high profile business leaders on how to use physics and physiology to injure any human(s) trying to attack them.
Taylor Mortell (Boston, MA) cofounded and lead the multifaceted, greater Boston community art project, “Still Running: An Art Marathon for Boston." Originally started in response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Still Running grew into a year-long series of free community art-making events called "Art Marathons" where all were invited to make artwork celebrating Boston while providing an outlet for the city to heal. The goal was to make artwork that would later be given local first responders as a way to give thanks for their service. Taylor was presented with The Citizen Artist Award in recognition of contributions in art for societal impact.
Natasha Thomas (Grand Forks, ND) is a North Dakota born and raised, board certified music therapist, bellydance performer and instructor, and prime mover for race-related activism living in Grand Forks. Natasha teaches at the Music Departmet at the University of North Dakota and manages the downtown studio of the Lovely Dozen, a local Middle Eastern Dance troupe. Natasha is particularly passionate about bringing people together over concepts of celebrating diversity, breaking down barriers hand in hand with cultural sensitivity, and balancing personal and systemic responsibility.
Jason Schaefer’s (Grand Forks, ND) passions center on themes of innovation, community, and sustainability. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm coupled with Midwestern pragmatism. Jason currently serves on the boards of the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association and Amazing Grains Food Cooperative. Jason has always had a strong interest in cities and had the chance to live in some great ones, including Almuñécar, Spain; Missoula, MT; Boston, MA; Washington, DC; Fargo, ND; and, of course, Grand Forks, ND. Last year, he was awarded a McCloy Fellowship to study urban sustainability initiatives while visiting Amsterdam and seven cities across Germany. Recently, he traveled with a delegation of leaders from Fargo to learn about creative initiatives in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Bill Wong (Los Angeles, CA) was born in Hong Kong and came to the United States with his family as an 11 year old in 1996. Bill received his bachelor’s degree in statistics from University of California, Riverside in 2007, masters degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California in 2011, and clinical doctorate degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California in 2013. Bill was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in August 2010. After a year in trying to find his identity in occupational therapy, he decided to establish his specialty in autism. Since receiving his diagnosis, Bill has presented at occupational therapy conferences at state, national, and international levels. Bill has also guest lectured at 8 different occupational therapy masters programs on autism. Bill’s passion for his occupational therapy career is to be able to deliver occupational therapy presentations to Chinese speaking countries in Chinese and to continue to establish himself as a leader in occupational therapy and autism communities.
TEDxGrandForks 2015 will explore what it means to move beyond amazing ideas, launching them into action. The event will encourage attendees to engage in a conversation about how to make "ideas worth spreading" into "ideas worth doing."
The event will feature a diverse representation of speakers from an array of industries and experiences, from the west coast to the east coast. Two local presenters, Jason Schaefer and Natasha Thomas, were selected by the community via an Open Mic Night event in November in which 14 individuals shared a 2-minute preview of their “idea worth spreading.” Other presenters include Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Maggie Bergeron, Jonas Fisher, Nicholas Gaudette, Alex Gilliam, Patrick Kasper, Tim Larkin, Taylor Mortell, and Bill Wong.
TEDxGrandForks tickets are $80 for general admission or $25 for University of North Dakota (UND) student admission (available to the first 75 UND student purchasers). The ticket purchase price includes access to all talks and experiences, including a post-event party. Tickets are limited and are sold on a first come basis.
Sponsors for TEDxGrandForks include the Greater Grand Forks Convention and Visitors Bureau, the University of North Dakota Student Government, the Knight Foundation, NINE18 Photography, BeeGee Designs, Amazing Grains, Dakota Harvest Bakers, Caribou Coffee, and the University of North Dakota.
The announced speakers are as follows. For detailed biographies, please visit the TEDxGrandForks website:
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte (Portland, ME) is a writer, lecturer and a lawyer. Anna was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, then a Republic of USSR. As the Soviet Union began its collapse, Anna and her family fled ethnic cleansing in Baku in the fall of 1989 as Armenians, a Christian minority of Azerbaijan. Anna and her family spent two and a half years in blockaded Armenia as refugees before coming to United States in 1992. In 2012 Anna published her first book, titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at the age of 14 as her family settled in North Dakota. The book is based on the childhood diaries she kept as her family was fleeing Baku, Azerbaijan and during life in Armenia as refugees.
Maggie Bergeron (Minneapolis, MN) is an organizer, choreographer, dancer, and teacher. She currently choreographs and directs Maggie Bergeron & Company, dances in her own work and the work of local choreographers, instructs dance majors at the University of Minnesota Dance Program in pedagogy and composition courses, and directs the Dance Department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter school for grades 9-12 committed to pre-professional training in the arts. Maggie is one of the co-creators of a new festival, Hear Here!, in the Twin Cities area that celebrates the space and time where movement and music intersect.
Jonas Fisher (Warroad, MN) is a high school senior that has always had a keen curiosity abot music, instruments, composition, and the process of perfecting one’s musical abilities. Jonas began playing piano as soon as he could reach the keys and has had formal lessons for the past elevent year, currently studying with Dr. Nariaki Sugiura at the University of North Dakota. Jonas is also an accomplished composer, winning scholarships in the Junior Composer’s contest in 2013 and 2014. Jonas plays several musical instruments, including euphonium, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and flute, several of which are completely self-taught.
Nicholas Gaudette (Minneapolis, MN), renegade bassist and composer, has been playing and performing in the Twin Cities area for over a quarter century. Nick is the instrumental music department chair at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, where he teaches music composition and conducts the chamber orchestra. Nick is one of the co-creators of a new festival, Hear Here!, in the Twin Cities area that celebrates the space and time where movement and music intersect.
Alex Gilliam (Philadelphia, PA) is a cheerleader of possibility and the founder of Public Workshop, an organization that redefines the way youth and communities participate as citizens and leaders in the design of their neighborhoods and cities. Alex fundamentally believes that great design, empowerment, innovation, and having fun are not mutually exclusive. Uniquely combining his skills as a designer, educator, expert builder, and entrepreneur, he leads multigenerational design-build community projects, develops placemaking initiatives, constructs maker spaces for people of all ages, devises transformative youth design leadership programs, and creates innovative participatory design tools.
Patrick Kasper (Fargo, ND) is the creator and presenter of the mind, body, fitness, team building, motivation program Positive Motion: Movement with a Message. He is an internationally known and respected fitness guru and has been an energetic force in the fitness and lifestyle industry for over 15 years. In 2013 Patrick and his Positive Motion team launched PositiveMotionTV.net, an innovative way for schools to experience and interact with the energy of Positive Motion in a convenient and affordable way, making a positive daily impact on students and staff.
Tim Larkin (Las Vegas, NV) is a former military intelligence officer and one of the world’s leading pro-victim rights and personal safety advocates. After being named the 2011 Self Defense Instructor of the Year and simultaneously inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame, Tim ended the year by taking on the UK Home Secretary and getting banned from the UK for his stand on a citizen’s right to defend themselves from imminent violence. Tim is the founder of Target Focus Training, a program that has trained over 10,000 clients from military operations units, special law enforcement teams, celebrities, and high profile business leaders on how to use physics and physiology to injure any human(s) trying to attack them.
Taylor Mortell (Boston, MA) cofounded and lead the multifaceted, greater Boston community art project, “Still Running: An Art Marathon for Boston." Originally started in response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Still Running grew into a year-long series of free community art-making events called "Art Marathons" where all were invited to make artwork celebrating Boston while providing an outlet for the city to heal. The goal was to make artwork that would later be given local first responders as a way to give thanks for their service. Taylor was presented with The Citizen Artist Award in recognition of contributions in art for societal impact.
Natasha Thomas (Grand Forks, ND) is a North Dakota born and raised, board certified music therapist, bellydance performer and instructor, and prime mover for race-related activism living in Grand Forks. Natasha teaches at the Music Departmet at the University of North Dakota and manages the downtown studio of the Lovely Dozen, a local Middle Eastern Dance troupe. Natasha is particularly passionate about bringing people together over concepts of celebrating diversity, breaking down barriers hand in hand with cultural sensitivity, and balancing personal and systemic responsibility.
Jason Schaefer’s (Grand Forks, ND) passions center on themes of innovation, community, and sustainability. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm coupled with Midwestern pragmatism. Jason currently serves on the boards of the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association and Amazing Grains Food Cooperative. Jason has always had a strong interest in cities and had the chance to live in some great ones, including Almuñécar, Spain; Missoula, MT; Boston, MA; Washington, DC; Fargo, ND; and, of course, Grand Forks, ND. Last year, he was awarded a McCloy Fellowship to study urban sustainability initiatives while visiting Amsterdam and seven cities across Germany. Recently, he traveled with a delegation of leaders from Fargo to learn about creative initiatives in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Bill Wong (Los Angeles, CA) was born in Hong Kong and came to the United States with his family as an 11 year old in 1996. Bill received his bachelor’s degree in statistics from University of California, Riverside in 2007, masters degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California in 2011, and clinical doctorate degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California in 2013. Bill was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in August 2010. After a year in trying to find his identity in occupational therapy, he decided to establish his specialty in autism. Since receiving his diagnosis, Bill has presented at occupational therapy conferences at state, national, and international levels. Bill has also guest lectured at 8 different occupational therapy masters programs on autism. Bill’s passion for his occupational therapy career is to be able to deliver occupational therapy presentations to Chinese speaking countries in Chinese and to continue to establish himself as a leader in occupational therapy and autism communities.
