Theme: Thrive

TEDxBemidji is scheduled for Friday, April 14, 2017 from 2–5pm at the The Historic Chief Theater.

Our theme is Thrive. What does it mean?

Thrive can mean many things. One of the main ideas of thrive is creating the right conditions for a person or community to reach their full potential. Through TEDxBemidji, we hope to spark discussions about keeping our community thriving and providing the right environment for everyone to thrive. These aren’t necessarily easy conversations, but it’s amazing what can happen when you bring together many perspectives in an open, welcoming environment.

The Historic Chief Theater
314 Beltrami Ave.
Bemidji, Minnesota, 56601
United States

Anton Treuer

Ojibwe Language, History, and Culture Professor and Advocate + Author

Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of 14 books. He has a B.A. from Princeton University and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis (pronounced o-shkaah-bay-wis) Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. Dr. Treuer has presented all over the U.S. and Canada and in several foreign countries on Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask, Cultural Competence & Equity, Strategies for Addressing the “Achievement” Gap, and Tribal Sovereignty, History, Language, and Culture. He has sat on many organizational boards and has received more than 40 prestigious awards and fellowships, including ones from the American Philosophical Society, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. His published works include Everything You

Dan Carlson

Scuba Diving

Dan Carlson has been enjoying the adventures of scuba diving for over 25 years. He first started diving in Hawaii in the early 1990’s while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in the US Navy. Dan continued his adventures and training to become Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Public Safety Dive Instructor, and First Aid/CPR Instructor. Dan and his wife, Michelle, opened The Dive Depot in Bemidji, MN in 2001 to share their love of diving with the residents of Northern Minnesota. They are a PADI 5-Star Facility and in 2012, WCCO (CBS Channel 4) named The Dive Depot one of the top places in Minnesota to get scuba diving lessons. Dan has been able to dive in Hawaii, Guam, British Columbia, Honduras, Mexico, and the Florida Keys. Some of his favorite diving is in the local area and the Great Lakes. He enjoys diving in our local lakes even during winter.

Gary Johnson

Broadband Technologies

Gary Johnson is CEO of Paul Bunyan Communications, a position he accepted in 2012. Originally hired as a computer programmer, Gary has served in various capacities throughout his 28 years with the cooperative, focusing on Internet, digital video, and other broadband technologies. Paul Bunyan Communications has received substantial industry and media attention due to their aggressive rollout of one of the nations largest gigabit networks. Known as the GigaZone, the advanced all-fiber network delivers gigabit upload and download speeds across a rapidly growing portion of their 5,000 square mile rural service area.

John Repko

Entrepreneur

John has enjoyed a varied career that has found him on a football team with Dolph Lundgren (before Rocky IV), playing guitar with one of the founding members of the "boyband" Menudo, and writing software next to Jessica Alba. Throughout his career John has made significant contributions that include cloud computing delivery at Oracle and innovations in visual languages that led to the NeXT machine and live on in software that still ships on OSX Macintoshes. As Vice President of Operations, John built the data centers and ran the software for hosted-software pioneer Oracle Business Online where he was general manager and chief technologist with global responsibility for the SaaS solution delivering Oracle Applications. John has also held CTO and VP of Technology positions at publicly traded as well as startup companies including Apropos Technology, eScout, and The Magellan Network. John holds a B.S. from MIT, an M.S. from RPI, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Keila McCracken

Anthropologist + Design Activist

Keila McCracken is an Anthropologist and design activist. She believes that the behaviors that fill our days, and the objects that fill our homes, can serve as tools to fuel sustainable cultural change in our world. Keila is the owner and operator of Bare Cloth, a sustainable design and clothing business that uses its supply chain to positively impact its local economy, environment, and community. Keila also seeks to make life better for Bemidji area residents as a Service Access Specialist at Community Resource Connections where she’s served for three years. She has a certificate in Sustainable Design Entrepreneurship from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, graduated with honors in Environmental Anthropology from Wagner College in New York City, and is currently earning a master’s degree in Design Anthropology from St. Mary’s University, MN.

Liz Letson

Equine-assisted Psychotherapy

Exploring how horses help humans heal is Liz Letson’s calling. In her work with equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning (EAP/L), Liz has witnessed the positive effects of utilizing animals in relationship building, healing, and therapy. "Oh, you're the horse lady!" is a typical and welcome greeting Liz hears. But her experience is much more extensive than being a lifelong horse owner. Liz is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and the founder of Eagle Vista Ranch & Wellness Center (EVR), a private mental health practice where animals are part of the treatment team. Her practice helps individuals, families, and groups develop healthy skills for living and serves people who have suffered the effects of domestic violence, abuse, or neglect. As a pioneer in her field, Liz is developing an evidence base for EAP. She is also a co-author of the Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS), a tool that measures people's interactions with horses.

Miriam Tell

Singer-Songwriter, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Miriam is a singer-songwriter from Bemidji. Varied musical experience includes a long run with the renown “Known Only Locally” quartet. The quartet toured and performed extensively throughout the midwest opening for national shows. “Known Only Locally” recorded an album entitled “I Have to Wonder” which sold out, but was recently revived on CD format. Miriam has continued to follow her musical calling on various stages such as artist in residence, house concerts, ensemble groups, studio recordings, and concert halls. Miriam recorded two solo albums. One entitled “Dewpoint”, and the second one entitled “22 Bends” which includes all original material. Two of Miriam’s songs were published in Bemidji State University’s “Women’s Anthology-Dust and Fire”. The Beltrami County Historical Society’s History Museum grand opening featured a song Miriam wrote to commemorate the event. Miriam currently works full time as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.