Theme: Ideas That Bring Us Together

There seems to be more that divides us than unites us. In this age of social media, information comes at us so quickly and with such abundance that truth can become fuzzy and marginalized among the chatter. This year, TEDxLincoln will explore the ideas that bring us together. We want to showcase diverse perspectives, unifying ideas and stories that celebrate a community of people— with sometimes opposite opinions— that still choose community. Share your view on an issue, explain how we should use the outcomes of history to influence today’s decisions, or dive into civility in a divisive culture. We need you to share a story that celebrates diversity while finding commonality among our differences.

Kimball Recital Hall
1113 R St
Lincoln, Nebraska, 68508
United States

Alfonzo Cooper

Ph.D. Student in Opera

Alfonzo Cooper Jr., is a talented tenor studying opera at UNL. He is accompanied by Jacob Lee on the piano – also a student at UNL.

Andrew McDonald

Pastor

Pastor Doctor McDonald (don’t let the titles intimidate you, he’s very approachable) is pastor of one of Lincoln’s largest churches, Westminster Presbyterian.

Bryan Seck

Jobs Developer for Prosper Lincoln

Seck says that he came to Nebraska by way of Kazakhstan, Russia, Wichita, Washington, DC, and New York City. He has a passion for helping people, especially those who are less fortunate.

Dominique Morgan

Singer

Dominique is an award winning singer/songwriter, comedian and activist has been named three-time Omaha Entertainment Arts Awards Artist of the year.

Erik Campbell

Poet and Teacher

Erik Campbell is a published poet, sometime teacher and two-time nominee of the pushcart prize in poetry, among other various accolades.

Lori Seibel

President of Lincoln Community Health Endowment

Lori’s been around Lincoln for about 30 years, working in a variety of positions related to her training in health education. Now, as President and CEO of Lincoln’s Community Health Endowment she seeks to make Lincoln a great place to work, play and live . . . and all the while, be healthy.

Marianne Worthington

Founder, Work Warrior LLC

Worthington is a team builder, a team motivator and a team player. She loves to fan the flames of entrepreneurs, working to start things in and around Lincoln. She focuses on organizational development and encouraging entrepreneurs working to start things.

Mattison Merritt

University Student

This young lady has been on the national stage as a high school student competing in Speech contests and she’s is a double major in English and Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She loves to make people laugh and is so serious about it that she attended a special semester-long program on comedy, acting and improv at the Second City Training Center in Chicago.

Mesonjixx Performers

Entertainer

Mesonjixx honors the importance of storytelling through lyrical and visual documentation. With two working projects under the name of Mesonjixx - Mary Elizabeth plays both frontwoman and songwriter for band and creator of visual art pieces as an individual contemporary artist. Whether in the art gallery or on stage, Mesonjixx is a distinct and memorable experience.

Monica Mueller

University Administrator

Monica is Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Nebraska at Kearney where she also teaches a class “Who Do You Think You Are?: The Impact of Culture on Personal Identity Development.”

Omni Arts

Performing Group

OmniArts Nebraska is an Arts Production company with the goal of enriching and fostering creativity in the community. They explore the Humanities with young, aspiring, and established artists and organizations by creating fully integrated pieces of art utilizing four main artistic disciplines: Literature/Written Word, Visual art, Music and Performance.

Pat Leach

Head Librarian

Pat is the Head of Lincoln’s Public Libraries and a lover of books of all sorts, shapes and sizes. She can think of nothing more wonderful than to spend time reading, unless it’s talking with people about the importance of libraries in our lives.

Ronnie Green

Chancellor

Dr. Green is the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. When he’s not busy dealing with thousands of students and faculty members on the campus, he’s passionate about Nebraska’s role in helping feed the world.

Sara Sawatzki

Photographer for Olsson Associates Engineering

Sara’s a professional photographer in Lincoln. She works both full time as a photographer for Olsson Associates Engineering and part time as photographer for her own business, The Open Road Photographer. She is a serial traveler and volunteer and loves nothing more than getting behind a cause.

Shane Farritor

Professor

Dr. Farritor is a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln teaching Mechanical Engineering, but that only begins to tell his story. He’s an inventor who loves to make things, thus his role in helping establish Innovation Space at the Nebraska Innovation Campus. His garage is an organized collection of every imaginable tool, gizmo and trinket that can inspire his emerging projects. His research interests include space and surgical robotics and biomedical sensors. He is an inventor on 36 issued patents with over 40 pending applications.

Stuart Chittenden

Attorney

Stuart is a British expatriate who has called Omaha home since 2005. He believes that conversation helps us live better and work well. He designs and delivers conversation programs for corporate and non-profit organizations. When you feel disconnected with the people around you, when you have a real problem with someone else, one of the best things you can do to bridge that gap is a good old fashioned conversation.

Zora Murff

Photographer

Murff has a degree in Psychology and he’s working on a Master in Studio Art. He combines these two interests by working within the criminal justice system and capturing fascinating photos that help tell the stories of the inmates. Not only has his photography been of help in understanding people in the criminal justice system, it’s been on display and published around the world.