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).

The Paramount Theater
913 West St. Germain St.
St. Cloud, Minnesota, 56301
United States

Ayan Omar

Ayan Omar migrated to the United States in November of 1993 as a Somali refugee as part of a family of 10 (now 14). Here she discovered that literature and poetry became what she describes as her "life jacket to success." After graduating from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Aya became a teacher, teaching language arts to 10-12th graders at Tech High School in St. Cloud.

David Vee

David Vee is an avid mountaineer. His passion for mountaineering started in 2011 when he summited Mount Ranier. He has since climbed fifteen high altitude peaks, including two of the famed "seven summits." David studied at St. CLoud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He lives in Cold Spring, Minnesota and is a licensed realtor and founder of the Summit Real Estate Team.

Kari Turkowski

Kari Turkowski has been a lifelong elite athlete. A three-sport athlete at St. Cloud State University, Kari went on to excel with a CPA firm in Minneapolis. Unexpectedly faced with a life changing heart condition, her experience led her to shift gears and focus on the study of medicine. Currently a graduate student working toward her Ph.D. at Mayo Clinic, she studies cardiac health.

Sally Koering Zimney

Sally Koering Zimney is the host of This Moved Me, a weekly podcast focused on the art of public speaking. A graduate of the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota, she works as a presentation coach, consultant and speaker. Sally lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband and three busy kids.