Theme: Re-Evolution: Citizenship, Community, Contribution, Courage

Join us at TEDxTraverseCity in 2016 as we consider the forces that shape how we see Citizenship, Contribution, Community, and Courage today—something we’ve termed the new “C4”.

cit·i·zen·ship \ˈsi-tə-zən-ˌship\ n

: the qualities that a person is expected to have as a responsible member of a community
: behavior in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen

TEDxTraverseCity invites you to consider our theme for 2016: RE-EVOLUTION. The term “evolution” implies a process of development, growth and progression. Most people agree that 21st century society has evolved dramatically in many ways and in many areas. However, some of these people suggest that despite the incredible advancements and breakthroughs in technology, science and health, we’ve regressed as a society in areas of “Citizenship,” “Contribution,” “Community” and “Courage” at the micro and macro levels.

According to Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com, a citizen is expected to be a responsible member of a community, and behave accordingly “in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen.”

As citizens of our own community — on the local, national, and global level — are we living up to these expectations?

Are we inspired to be standup citizens by witnessing our local everyday heroes and those daily awe-inspiring moments close to home? Do we feel comfort at home and in our towns…our most familiar spaces? Do we perceive a “call to duty” as a citizen? Do we have the courage to do what’s right? Do these expectations still apply in this day and age, or should they re-evolve just as we have?

Note: Tickets will go on sale April 13, 2016 at 10:00 AM online.

Dennos Museum Center, NMC
1701 E Front Street
Traverse City, Michigan, 49686
United States

brotha James

Musician/Speaker/Entrepreneur

brotha James (Jeremy Reisig) is a musician, a speaker and an entrepreneur. Utilizing the many powers of individual empowerment, he's built a life full of passion, power and purpose. His passion is to create and present musical messages all over the world: “It's been living inside of me since I can remember. I consider myself very fortunate to have re-united with it in my late 20's." From 2010 to 2014, he built a business in the real estate branding niche, and then partnered the business, creating roughly 70k in horizontal/passive income and started his musical messages brand. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures from 2010 to 2014, brotha James played over 500 live shows across the country as a percussion player and rapper in the band FUNKTION. However, at the end of 2014, the band disbanded and he decided to go solo. "The journey of becoming a solo musician known as a looper was the hardest thing I've ever done," brotha James readily admits.

Diana Fairbanks

Television Journalist/Public Relations Executive

Diana Fairbanks is a long time television journalist now exploring the world beyond the anchor desk. Her nearly two decades career in front of the camera took her to stations in Montana, Michigan and New York. During her 12 years in Traverse City she won several awards for her broadcast skills, was honored by the Traverse City Business News as a "40 Under 40" influencer, and voted Best Newscaster by Traverse Magazine readers. She is also a graduate of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Grand Traverse program and has worked with multiple local charities, from the Swingshift and the Stars dance competition to events aimed at raising awareness and funds for those touched by breast cancer. While in Buffalo, NY she was an Emmy-nominated journalist anchoring evening newscasts at WIVB. During her time there she was also honored as Television Personality of the Year by the Buffalo Broadcasters Association.

Elizabeth Minor

Singer-Songwriter

Originally from the very northern tip of the Mitten, E Minor is based in Traverse City Michigan. Elizabeth Landry was born into a musical family, and raised to be influenced by all of the arts. She started singing as soon as she could talk, and also studied ballet from the age of 4 until 25. She grew up singing with her 4 sisters while her father played piano. At 11 years old Elizabeth wrote her very first song, and performed for the first time in front of a crowd while traveling with her family in Ireland. It was the magic of the folk music in Ireland and getting close to her heritage, that made her realize that she too is a folk musician.

Jake Bright

Writer/Author/Foreign Policy Expert

Jake Bright is a writer, award winning author, and Whitehead Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association with a focus on business, politics, and foreign affairs. He contributes as an editor and independently for publications including TechCrunch, The Financial Times This Is Africa, and U.S. News & World Report. Bright is a frequent commentator to media outlets and his business reporting has received "Best Business Column" distinction by The Week magazine. In 2015 Bright and Africa business expert Aubrey Hruby published The Next Africa: An Emerging Continent Becomes a Global Powerhouse with Macmillan Publishing. An Axiom Best Business Book Award winner, TNA details Africa’s transformation story driven by business, investment, entrepreneurs, and technology. Book related events, media, and speaking have included spots with Bloomberg News, The New Yorker, HuffPost Live, Fortune, World Affairs Council, C-SPAN, CNBC Africa, the White House Silicon Valley Africa Forum, Mic.Com, and others.

James Goebel

Founding Partner, Menlo Innovations

James Goebel is a founding partner of Menlo Innovations. Menlo uses highly collaborative project teams to design and implement innovative products for clients that place high value on user adoption. The team he helped build at Menlo Innovations has successfully blended an Extreme Programming development team, usability design specialists, a quality assurance practice, and formal project management. Representatives from start-up companies as well as large Fortune 500 firms routinely tour Menlo's Software Factory environment to study its implementation of agile. James has worked in a variety of environments, from 2 employee startups up to billion dollar organizations. As a coach and change agent, James has helped organizations achieve dramatic transformations in both process and culture. He enjoys speaking at conferences, teaching classes, and speaking to small local groups in order to share the lessons he has learned.

Jimmie Briggs

Journalist/Teacher

A National Magazine Award finalist and recipient of honors from the Open Society Institute, National Association of Black Journalists and the Carter Center for Mental Health Journalism, Jimmie Briggs’ book on child soldiers and war-affected children Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War won him accolades in 2005, and took readers into the lives of war-affected children around the world. Further, Briggs has served as an adjunct professor of investigative journalism at the New School for Social Research, and was a George A. Miller Visiting Professor in the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana. He was the founding executive director of Man Up, a global campaign to activate youth to stop violence against women and girls. Harnessing the universal power of music, sport and technology, Man Up provides innovative training, resources and support to young women and men and the organizations with whom they collaborate.

John Perkins

Economist/Author/Activist; John Lennon/Ono Peace Prize winner

John's books, including The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, have sold over a million copies, spent more than 70 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists, and are published in more than 30 languages. As Chief Economist at a major consulting firm, his experiences advising the World Bank, UN, IMF, U.S. government, Fortune 500 corporations, and heads of state convinced him to devote his life to facilitating changes in social, political, and economic systems, as well as in general consciousness. He was founder and CEO of a highly successful alternative energy company and is a founder and board member of Dream Change and The Pachamama Alliance, nonprofits dedicated to creating a sustainable, just, peaceful, and thriving world. John's courage in writing his books and speaking out against his former bosses exemplifies the courage shown by our Founding Fathers and Mothers when they stood up to the British Empire. Like them, John defied threats and bribes and took action.

Jonathan Williams

Founder, Failure:Lab

Jonathan Williams loves the space between an idea and its execution. He is one of the founders of the international movement Failure:Lab. Through vulnerable storytelling events and corporate curriculum he is pushing back on the stigma and fear surrounding failure -- while removing roadblocks to innovation, communication, and creative thinking. He also runs a business growth consulting firm Graybridge, and is the president of a contracting company in San Diego, California.

Kyle Skarshaug

Musician/Performer/Busker

Who am I? What is the Busker's Union? So, you're wondering what the Busker's Union is? Well, it's me - Kyle Skarshaug. The inspiration for the band name was a new ordinance that was adopted by the City of Prague in the Czech Republic, called the Busker's Ethical Code. Busking, of course, is artistic expression, usually in the form of music. The city of Traverse City, where I live, calls it "street performing." Being that I love busking, I thought the whole idea of busker's rights was fantastic, and I thought it was a great name for a band, even if it's just me. So, who am I? I'm a 15-year-old freshman at Traverse City West High School that has a passion for every aspect of music. I'm a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, vocals, and some piano. I'm always up for a collaboration, and just love being around the creative process of music. I'm the host of a TV show on Up North Media called "Northern Culture with Kyle." Check it out sometime.

Laura Asiala

Vice President, Public Affairs, Pyxera Global

Laura Asiala is passionate about the power of business to solve-or help solve-the world's most intransigent problems. She leads the efforts to attract more participation of businesses to contribute to the sustainable development, through their people and their work. Ms. Asiala's 30-year career in international business include roles in finance, marketing, business development, HR, branding, and communications, and corporate social responsibility. Prior to joining PYXERA Global, she was the Director of Corporate Communications and Corporate Citizenship for the Dow Corning Corporation where she led the development of the company's international corporate volunteer corps. Ms. Asiala has significant experience in the not-for-profit sector as well. She writes for the online magazine, New Global Citizen. You can follow her on Twitter: @LauraAsialaCSR.

Levi Britton

Indie/Folk/Rock Artist

Levi Britton is an indie/folk/rock artist who hails from Traverse City, MI. Growing up around music sparked his drive to make it his profession. At age 20 Levi moved to Chicago, playing down in the subways, Potbelly restaurants, and any gig he could find. Eventually Britton co-founded his band, Down the Line that went on to release 5 albums, and toured the country for ten years with artists such as The Gin Blossoms, Pat Benatar, Peter Frampton, America, Keith Anderson, Lighthouse, and others. In 2011, Levi and DTL band mate Dan Myers formed Stolen Silver, releasing two albums—most recently in June 2014. Stolen Silver has recently been touring with actor Gary Sinise and The Lieutenant Dan Band, playing stadiums and military bases in support of U.S. troops and their families. In addition to playing with Stolen Silver, 2014 launched Levi’s solo career at a whole new level. After years of fans clamoring for a solo project, Levi hit the studio to record all new, original music.

Marc Dunkelman

Author/Fellow/Public Policy Expert

Marc J. Dunkelman is a visiting fellow at Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. His research focuses on how the evolving architecture of American community has affected the workings of government, the dynamism of the American economy, and the resilience of the American social safety net. During more than a dozen years working in Washington, DC, Dunkelman served on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as legislative director and chief of staff to a member of New York City’s delegation to the House of Representatives, and as the vice president for strategy and communications at the Democratic Leadership Council. He was also a senior fellow at the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, a visiting fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and a fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Advanced Governmental Studies. In 2014, W.W. Norton published his first book, The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community.

Michael Lehnert

Major General, USMC (ret)

Major General Mike Lehnert, USMC (retired) was graduated from Central Michigan University in 1973 and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps as a combat engineer. He served on active duty for thirty seven years and retired as a Major General in 2010. He deployed to Japan, the Republic of the Philippines, Cuba and participated in combat operations in Panama, Kuwait and Iraq. In 2003, he led 5,000 Marines and Sailors during the initial invasion of Iraq. He held thirteen separate commands from platoon commander to Joint Task Force Commander. His service included: Chief of Staff Joint Task Force Panama overseeing the turnover of the Panama Canal, Joint Task Group Commander in Guantanamo Bay Cuba during the Cuban migrant crisis, Commander, Joint Task Force 160 to establish detention facilities for Al Qaida and Taliban terrorists. He also participated in an initiative to get more veterans into universities. This effort grew into the Student Veterans of America.

Michele Borba

Parenting & Child Expert • Educational Psychologist • Best-Selling Author • Speaker

Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an internationally renowned educator, award-winning author, and parenting, child and bullying expert recognized for her solution-based strategies to strengthen children’s empathy and social-emotional intelligence and character, and reduce peer cruelty. A sought-after motivational speaker, she has presented keynotes throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific and served as a consultant to hundreds of schools and corporations including the Pentagon and 18 US Army bases in Europe and the Asian-Pacific. Her proposal: “Ending School Violence and Bullying” (SB1667) was signed into California law in 2002. She offers realistic, research-based advice culled from a career of working with over one million parents and educators worldwide. She is the author of 24 books, including UNSELFIE: Surprising Role of Empathy to Predict Children’s Happiness and Success (Simon & Schuster, 2016).

Micki Berg

Coach, Trainer, Motivator

Her family and friends will tell you that coaching, training, and motivational speaking are part of Micki Berg's DNA. Other than her 6 children and 11 grandchildren, helping people develop their innate potential is Micki's purpose and passion in life. Micki was born and raised in the city of Detroit. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, earning a B.S. in Medical Technology. Following the birth of her six children, Adam, Joshua, Jeremy, Seth, Rachel and Elizabeth, Micki chose to be a full-time Mom, a decision she will never regret. Micki's professional career shifted when she joined the staff of The WWGroup, Inc., where that she found her niche and passion for motivating others to success. During her years as Director of Training and Development, Micki's curiosity about training adults led her to Malcomb Knowles Adult Learning Theory, and eventually to graduate school. At age 50, Micki returned to academia. Micki's Ph.D. is in Human Development.

Tony Anderson

General Manager, Cherryland Electric + Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Tony Anderson took over as General Manager of Cherryland Electric Cooperative in March of 2003. Anderson has been in the electric cooperative business for more than 32 years and previously managed cooperatives in Wisconsin and Wyoming. Tony has been married to his last prom date, Mary, for 31 years. They have 3 children: Zach, 29; Andrew, 25; and Collette, 21. Community activities include recipient of the 2012 Governor's Service Awards Michigan Volunteer of the Year, Past Chair of Traverse City Chamber board, Board member/ past President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan, founder of Marathon4Kids, a charitable fundraiser for BBBS and is the current president of Freedom Builders, a local faith based non-profit that repairs homes for low income families. Hobbies include Green Bay Packers football, writing and running marathons. Tony has completed 34 marathons in 34 states while raising almost $150,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of NW Michigan.