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).

Covey Center for the Arts
425 West Center Street
Provo, Utah, 84601
United States

The New Soul Brigade

The New Soul Brigade band combines energy, musicality, vocals, and showmanship to create unforgettable performances. The full band includes three talented vocalists accompanied by a powerhouse group of musicians and a sizzling three-piece horn section.

Alison Brand

Student

Alison's passion lies at the intersection of design, business, and social impact. She will graduate from BYU this April with a BFA in Industrial Design, a minor in Business Management, and as a recipient of the Ballard Scholar of Social Innovation Award. As a 2015 Crocker Innovation Fellow, Alison collaborated on an interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial project focused on solving an age-old social problem: stinky diapers. In Fall 2016, she interned with Ashoka Youth Venture and documented the journey of young changemakers around the world. Alison's latest project is a startup built on the concept of "micro-volunteering"—volunteer activities that take less than 30 minutes, can be engaged in remotely, and achieve positive social impact.

James Perry

Actor / Writer

James was born and raised in Sacramento, CA in a family of seven. As the middle child, he was starved for attention so naturally took to acting. In college, he stretched his acting and writing skills by joining a sketch comedy troupe, Divine Comedy. He graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from BYU in 2013. After working as a Software Engineer for a little over a year, while doing Studio C part-time, the show grew and he became a full-time actor and writer. James married his high school sweetheart, Brenna. They love traveling and finding good food. When he isn't acting, James loves tending (or eating) his organic vegetable garden and playing with their puppy, Caesar.

Jann Haworth

Artist

Jann Haworth is closely associated with the 60’s Pop Art Movement in Great Britain. Her most recent solo shows: Galerie du Centre 2016, Art Paris Grand Palais 2016; Modern West Fine Art SLC 2015, Museum of Art BYU 2013; Wolverhampton Pop Gallery 2009/10; Mayor Gallery London 2006. She has had 19 one person shows in Europe and the US. Her work has featured in many large scale group exhibitions in Europe and the US [since 2000]: ‘Pop Art UK’, Modena Italy (2004); ‘Art and the 60’s The Tate Great Britain (2004); ‘British Pop’, Bilbao Spain (2005); and ‘Pop Art 1956-1968” Rome Italy (2007). ‘Seductive Subversives’ Brooklyn Museum (2010), ‘Power Up’: Female Pop Kunsalle Museum, Vienna and Germany (2010/11); ‘Hyper-realism’ Mumok, Vienna Austria; ‘Pop and the Object’ Acquavella Gallery New York (2013), ‘Pop and Design’ Loisianna Museum Denmark, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Barbican London, ‘London 60’s’ Christies (2013). Haworth was a contributor/director for four public works projects in Salt Lake : The 337 Project, Director ‘SLC Pepper’, ‘On Broadway’ murals and The Work in Progress Mural. Recent purchases: The Tate Great Britain, The Utah Arts Council and UMFA Utah. She holds two unusual distinctions: a female Pop Artist and Co-Designer for the Beatle’s Sgt Pepper Album cover [for which she received a Grammy}. She lives and works in Sundance, Utah.

Lincoln Nadauld

Executive Director

Lincoln Nadauld, MD, PhD, is the Executive Director of Precision Medicine and Precision Genomics at Intermountain Healthcare. Dr. Nadauld recently participated in the Precision Medicine Initiative Summit and joined roundtables at the White House with President Barack Obama. He also attended Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Summit, where the Oncology Precision Network (OPeN), spearheaded by Dr. Nadauld, was mentioned among the Vice President’s remarks. Dr. Nadauld completed his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University, and went on to complete combined MD/PhD and clinical training at the University of Utah. He completed clinical training in Medical Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in solid tumor genomics.

Marissa Getts

Student

Marissa is a native Montanan studying Sociology with minors in Middle East Studies and International Development. She lived in Zambia and Malawi as an LDS missionary, then as a research evaluation intern for a business/agricultural school. She was co-president of Students for International Development, one of the largest and most active clubs at BYU. Last semester, she interned for Ashoka Youth Venture doing research to understand the journey of young changemakers. Currently, she is a teaching assistant for Do Good Better, the Ballard Center's core class. She is also editor-in-chief of Ballard Brief, a Ballard Center initiative to help would-be change makers have access to accurate information about social problems and solutions. Ultimately, she wants to pursue a career in social innovation.

Mimi Knowles

Musician

Mimi Knowles finds his musical niche somewhere between the hip-hop edge of Kanye West and the soulful melodies of John Mayer. Currently localizing in the beehive state, Mimi Knowles, is crowned the first heavy hitter in his genre from Utah. Mimi has opened for Snopp Dogg, Fictionist, Boyz II Men, Ryan Innes, Andy Grammar, and Carrie Underwood.

Moe Egan

Director

While in jail, Moe heard about a place called Delancey Street where he could change his life. He wrote to them and was accepted. At Delancey Street, Moe held many jobs and eventually was given responsibility of the newcomers, charged with with guiding them through the most critical first months of their stay. Moe completed his two-year commitment and stayed on two more years because he loved what was happening to him and those around him. He graduated from Delancey Street and was hired by a leading tour company in San Francisco, working his way up to managing the operation and was eventually transferred to oversee their Las Vegas operation. Last year, Moe joined the staff at The Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City and is now helping save lives of others who have hit rock bottom.

Mustapha El Akkari

Director

Mustapha El Akkari began his athletic career as a member of the National Team of Lebanon, competing against international teams in the Middle East. He recently played for BYU-Hawai'i's Men's Basketball Team and competed for the NCAA championship game. He was honored with popular election by his student body as the first Muslim student-body president of a private LDS university. El Akkari is the Global Supply Manager at Nu Skin Enterprises. He oversees 54 countries and acts as Team Lead for the North Asia Region, negotiating contracts and streamlining lean business models. He is currently authoring a book on business leadership, focusing on principled mastery from his experiences as an immigrant and innovator in corporate America. Mustapha is an alumnus of BYU-Hawaii and will hold an MBA in 2018 from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

Naja Lockwood

Founder

Naja has worked in the arts and media world since 1997. She believes in film as a means to effect social change and is passionate about people, the stories they tell and the impact these stories have on our world. Naja is the founder and investor of RYSE Media, a media company dedicated to stories that inspires and compels social change and diversity and serves on the Advisory Board of the Utah Film Commission. Naja continues her lifelong commitment to diversity and serves on the Board of CAAM in San Francisco (Center for Asian American Media), helping filmmakers tell their stories and bring forth issues of the Asian experience in the US and around the world. Naja is a tireless advocate for refugees in America and volunteers her time with her kids to help with ESL, mentorship and workforce services, which stems from her years with Phillips Brooks House at Harvard University to her current work in Utah. Naja is a graduate of Boston University (B.A.) and Harvard Business School (M.B.A). Prior to moving to Park City with her family, Naja served as Arts Commissioner for the City of San Francisco and was the first Vietnamese-American to be sworn into that position

Sam Cobbs

CEO

Sam Cobbs is a national expert and policy advisor on at-risk foster youth, focusing specifically on the issues foster youth face as they transition to adulthood. In his 20 years of work in the nonprofit sector, Mr. Cobbs has created and implemented programs that successfully reduce poverty and homelessness among vulnerable young people and has has been one of the leading voices in advocating for better access to housing, education, employment and health programs. Mr. Cobbs joined First Place for Youth in 2005, and under his leadership, the organization quickly grew from an Oakland-based organization to a nationally-recognized model and the largest provider of housing to foster youth in California. This year, First Place will grow to house nearly 600 foster youth, providing access to safe, stable housing, along with intensive case management, and education and employment services that transform lives.

Tim Stay

CEO

Tim Stay was formerly the CEO, as well as a co-founder of Unitus Labs. Tim Stay started and ran Marketing Ally, which became one of the Top 50 Call Centers in the U.S.A and had over 1,110 employees. He started and later sold FreeServers.com to About.com. He was a co-founder of Bizcradle, a business incubator that launched such technology companies as SenForce, which sold to Novell. Tim was former CEO of Perfect Search Corporation, an innovative search engine and software development company. Tim was voted as one of the vSpring 100 technology entrepreneurs in Utah and was recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from BYU. He has served on the Utah Valley University Foundation Board and on the Advisory Board for the Center of Economic Self-Reliance and the National Advisory Council for Religious Education at BYU. Tim holds a civil engineering degree (B.S.) and also has an M.B.A. and an M.A. in International Studies, with a focus on economic development in developing countries, all from Brigham Young University.

Vijay Chakravarthy

Chair

A globe trotter, designer & strategist, Vijay's expertise is in developing holistic experiences that include the design of products, services, environments & digital artifacts. His career has lead him on a journey through Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States. Having worked with manufacturers and design consultancies, his projects include process design, change management, brand research, design research and new product development. As the chair of IDSA’s New York City chapter, he serves members, businesses and institutions in NYC. An ardent design advocate, Vijay is passionate about connecting the silos of psychology, business and design. Send him a tweet @vijay_chk