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).

77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio, 43215
United States

Alex Van Bibber

Pianist and Child-Prodigy

Eleven year old sixth grader Alex Van Bibber began studying the piano at the age of 3 at his own request. Alex is a natural and charismatic performer. He won second place (2011) and first place (2012 and 2015) in the Columbus Music Teacher’s Association Competition (CMTA), and second place (2012 and 2013) and first place (2014) in the Ohio Music Teacher’s Association State Contest (OMTA). In 2014, Alex won the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SSA) Piano Concerto Contest and performed live with orchestra in Minneapolis, MN. Also in 2014, he won the district and state level “Buckeye” contests, earning the honor of Ohio’s top elementary pianist. In 2015, Alex had his Carnegie Hall debut in NYC, winning a gold medal in the AADGT Passion of Music Contest.

Charles Noble

Initiator, Facilitator

Program Manager for Boys & Men of Color Initiatives at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University. In this capacity I have the tremendous opportunity to serve as director of an innovative initiative named More Than My Brother’s Keeper. Our program, one of the first of its kind, was created to address the structural and institutional barriers to success affecting young men of color in Franklin County. The place-based collective-impact model is designed to better leverage participants out-of-school time to positively affect in-school outcomes. The penultimate goal of More Than My Brother’s Keeper is to understand which catalysts drive achievement for young men of color specifically, and anyone living in poverty, generally. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to bend the arc of destiny towards balance and justice one child at a time.

Crystal Oertle

Addict and Advocate

Crystal Oertle is a survivor of a 12-year heroin addition.

Daron Larson

Mindful Awareness Trainer

Daron Larson helps people feel more at home in their lives by encouraging them to habitually notice ordinary experiences in liberating ways. He has been practicing mindfulness daily to disrupt his own default narrative mode since his first silent meditation retreat in October 2002. He teaches mindfulness practice as attention training, using the challenges and benefits of physical fitness to help navigate similar aspects of developing attentional skills.

Darrin Hoover

Artist and Innovator

Darrin Hoover – boy at heart, performance artist at large. An Emmy and Addy Award Winner, Author, Speaker, and Performance Artist, Darrin’s lifetime career of an artist commands the attention of his audience with his amazing artistic abilities and dramatic performances. His work has been seen worldwide and he is a sought after speaker and performer for events and corporate meetings. Darrin is currently with Pillar Technology serving in the role as Creative Vanguard. Darrin has infused a bolt of energy into the culture with his creative flair for marketing, videography, and messaging.

Eric Gnezda

Songwriter

Eric is an award-winning songwriter, Emmy-nominated journalist, keynote speaker, communications coach, and college educator.

George Barrett

CEO and innovator

George S. Barrett is Chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health, a company ranked number 26 30 on the Fortune 500 and dedicated to improving the cost-effectiveness of health care. Barrett joined Cardinal Health in 2008 as Vice Chairman. From 2005 through 2007, Barrett was President and CEO of North America for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Executive Vice President of Global Pharmaceuticals, having served as President of Teva USA from 1999 through 2004.

Jeni Britton Bauer

Innovator, Visionary, Owner Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

Jeni Britton Bauer opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 with the singular goal to make better ice cream. Today Jeni’s is a community of growers, makers, artists, writers, doers, mathletes, dairymen and beekeepers who make every batch of ice cream with milk from grass-grazed cows, Ohio wildflower honey, whole fruits, vegetables, and herbs from nearby farms, as well as rare, carefully sourced ingredients from around the world, including Fair Trade Ndali Estate Vanilla, Direct Trade bean-to-bar Askinosie Chocolate, and Direct Trade Intelligentsia Coffee.

Joe DeLoss

Culinary Missions, Owner Hot Chicken Takeover

Currently, Joe is launching Hot Chicken Takeover – a new restaurant concept earning significant acclaim in central Ohio while providing supportive employment to dozens of adults affected by homelessness, incarceration, and poverty. This business models is founded on success Joe had previously while launching Freshbox Catering for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio. He’s also served as an adjunct instructor at the Fisher College of Business and the John Glenn School of Public Affairs (The Ohio State University) and maintains seats on local boards related to issues of workforce development.

Joshua Dalton

Culinary Innovator, Owner Veritas Tavern

A Gulf Coast boy turned Midwest entrepreneur, Chef Joshua Dalton has been on a 15 year culinary journey best likened to a rollercoaster ride, one with twists, turns, highs, lows and the occasional corkscrew. Dalton was born in the south and spent most of his childhood just outside New Orleans. And, whether or not he knew it at the time, it’s obvious that he absorbed a great deal of the unique flavor and heart of that region as it now shows both in his personality and cooking techniques. Dalton is a self-aware workaholic who can be a bit brash, a bit bold and always a potty-mouth. But he also exudes passion for what’s he’s currently doing and is fiercely focused on what he can do next that is bigger, better and even more enlightening for his customers.

MelissaRoshan Potter

Model, Author and Speaker

As unique as her name, MelissaRoshan is an uncommon talent. With over a decade in the business, she has landed magazine covers, billboards, print ads, commercials, music videos, and album artwork. But what this respected model, author, and speaker is most proud of, is owning the title of Survivor. From the days of her tumultuous childhood, MelissaRoshan knew she was meant for so much more. Vowing to overcome, not only embarked on her own journey toward healing, but also became committed to encouraging others rise from their painful pasts. Today she has grown into a full time freelance artist, auto show narrator, motivational speaker, and published author. Her riveting memoir, “A Beautiful Freedom” chronicles her personal evolution from trial to triumph.

Rich Guerrieri

Forensic Scientist, Justice Advocate

Rich received a M.S. in Forensic Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980, and presently serves as the Research Leader with Battelle Memorial Institute’s Applied Genomics Program, directing forensic and biometric initiatives for the development and implementation of the next-generation sequencing technology in support of the forensic DNA community.

Shawn Springs

Athlete, Entrepreneur

Shawn Springs is the co-founder and CEO of Windpact Inc, a Northern Virginia based company developing safety technology to be used in sports, military and recreation equipment. His inspiration for founding Windpact came from a car seat made by Dorel Juvenile. Shawn was using the car seat to transport his children when he was struck with the idea that perhaps the same technology being utilized to protect his kids’ heads in an auto accident could be transferred into helmets to protect athletes, soldiers, etc.

Stephanie Rond

Artist, Advocate and Instigator

Stephanie Rond is a Columbus, Ohio based street artist whose colorful and feminist work can be seen on walls around the city, both inside and out. Stephanie attended Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. The Columbus Dispatch and Columbus Alive newspapers tapped her 97 piece solo show, titled Dangerous Impermanence, on their coveted list of Best Art Exhibits of 2014.She is co-founder of Creative Arts of Women (CAW), founder of the website Women Street Artists and owns several galleries. An award-winning documentary has been created about her work. The film, Tiny Out Loud, studies Rond’s gender-gouging street art and dollhouse art galleries.

Steve Locker

Coach, Innovator

Steve Locker is the founder of Locker Soccer Academy (2004) and Second Nature Sports (2013). He has 16 years of collegiate head coaching experience, including 7 years at Harvard University. He has spent the past eleven years working intensely with young children, and has personally worked with over 15,000 children in that time. Steve played collegiate soccer for Penn State and internationally for Hannover 96 in Germany. Steve holds the distinction of being the first American to earn a professional coaching diploma from Germany. His recent book, “Playing For The Long Run” compliments his efforts in fulfilling his passion to educate parents & parent-coaches in youth sports.

Yiem Sunbhanich

Thinker, Leader, Entrepreneur

Yiem Sunbhanich is a co-founder and CEO of TNEDICCA™. Prior to co-founding TNEDICCA™, Yiem spent 14 years analyzing data and leading analytics team in the Information Service, Insurance, and Automotive industries. The essence of his roles and responsibilities has been around helping companies to more effectively utilize the available data to make informed decisions and to take appropriate actions.