Theme: US Humans

Double the presenters; double the seats!
This year, TEDxBend is pleased to bring more speakers and performers to the stage--nearly twice as many as in past years--for a FULL Day of ideas worth sharing. Join us as we explore what makes us human including ideas about how we roll as human beings, the critical impact and intersection of people and the economy, the natural world, a d global issues.

Bend Senior High School
230 NE 6th St
Bend, Oregon, 97701
United States

Ayayat Idait Tena Numu

Ayayat Idait Tena Numu means “Beautiful the Ways of Our People” in the three languages of the Tribes of Warm Springs: the Wasco, Warm Springs, and Paiute Tribes. For 15 years, Ayayat Idait Tena Numu dancers have been learning the Wasq’u (Wasco) dances from tribal Elders to revive the traditional dances and songs of old. Combining the dance styles of three unique cultures – including Warm Springs dances and Paiute round dances –  these social gatherings bring people together to revive culture for coming generations, invest in youth, and have a good time.

The Slants

Portland’s The Slants are the first and only all-Asian American dance rock band in the world. Their catchy dance beats, strong hooks, and bombastic live shows are “not to be missed” (The Westword). They’ve been featured with Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, SPIN, BBC, NPR, and over 2,000 radio stations, TV shows, magazines, and websites across 88 countries. They have 22 international tours under their belts and have collaborated with artists such as The Decemberists, Mindless Self Indulgence, Girl Talk, Apl.De.Ap (of Black Eyed Peas), Blind Pilot, and Shonen Knife. The Slants worked with the Department of Defense for a series of shows at U.S. and NATO bases in Eastern Europe, dubbed “Operation Gratitude.” And they’ve won “Album of the Year” and “Editor’s Choice” from dozens of magazines, including Willamette Week, LA Weekly, Shojo Beat, Village Voice, City Beat, and Rockwired. But the band might be best known for their fight for free speech, which brought them before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Alicia Malone

Alicia Malone has appeared as a film expert on CNN, Access Hollywood, E!, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, MTV, Hollywood Today Live, MSNBC, HLN, KCBS, KTLA, AMC Theaters and she is a host on FilmStruck, a cinephile subscription service run by Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection. She is also the creator and host of Fandango’s Indie Movie Guide. Her first book on the history of women in Hollywood is due out in August 2017.

Anyssa Bohanan

Local news reporter, Anyssa Bohanan, is a self-proclaimed “Future Oprah.” In fact, she’s been interviewing her teddy bears since she was a toddler and attributes the fact that she can talk to anyone, anywhere, to growing up as an Army Brat. A two-year stint teaching English in South Korea taught Bohanan the true importance of escaping your comfort zone. From navigating the streets of a whole new country, to a journey of self-discovery in unfamiliar territory right here at home, she’s learning that being different doesn’t have to be a bad thing, no matter where you are.

Barbara McAfee

Barbara McAfee is a voice coach, singer/songwriter, keynote speaker, and author who believes that making sound together is an ancient and essential aspect of the human experience – one that offers gifts we can’t receive any other way. Her book, Full Voice: The Art & Practice of Vocal Presence, explores how to access the full power of voice in service to your best work and life.

Billy Mickelson

Billy Mickelson, a.k.a. Third Seven, is an international touring one-man cello band from Oregon. His stylized songwriting takes a traditional classical cello and transforms it in a way that delivers a new and original energy. Third Seven has made strength and encouraging communication the highest priority in his art. His audiences run the gamut from schools to community centers to punk rock shows, bluegrass shows, yoga classes, and everything in between. By remaining blind to audience classification, his performances deliver an equal opportunity for connection to all listeners. With 31 albums and thousands of performances worldwide, Third Seven continues to impact and uplift audiences around the globe.

Christopher Veal

Christopher Veal weaves personal stories of his journey to meaningful connection as he shares three keys for all of us to find deeper and more meaningful connection with ourselves and others, which in turn will improve our health and create a better world. As the Chief Daditude Officer of Daditude Coach, he works with men and women eager to craft their legacies and make a meaningful impact on their world

CJ Neary

Now 10 years old, CJ Neary has been asking for an instrument to play since he could speak. With no musical background, his parents tried their best to support him. He began playing violin at age 5 and led his parents on a musical journey that they never dreamed of. Starting out with classical, then Texas-style fiddling, bluegrass, jazz, and funk, CJ is now composing, singing, and playing piano and guitar too. His knowledge, creativity, and love of music has grown at an exponential rate. With multiple national titles and a Grand Ole Opry performance under his belt, CJ is currently working on his first album, with teacher Georges Bouhey, and is touring with the Bee Eaters. A 5th grader at Pine Ridge Elementary in Bend, CJ loves to play basketball, swim, and hang out with family when he isn’t playing music.

Daniela Papi Thornton

Daniela Papi-Thornton has a unique perspective on social entrepreneurship, developed as result of six years working for social change in Cambodia and her role as an educator at Oxford’s Saïd Business School. When focused on the role of the social entrepreneur as a “hero,” volunteer travel and social change education can have negative impacts on future social change leaders. Instead, she offers tools and perspectives that will help educators, parents, and budding change makers reposition themselves and rethink how we teach, fund, and incentivize social entrepreneurs. Addressing “heropreneurship” can help us better equip the social change leaders of the future to tackle our global and local challenges.

Dr. David Geier

Dr. David Geier, a double-board certified orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, helps relieve sports and exercise injuries for athletes and active people. In this talk he examines thre risks of youth sports on kids and proposes that the physical and mental health of our kids should not be a game. He serves as the  Medical Director of Sports Medicine for a private hospital near Charleston, South Carolina, Communications Council Chair for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) Board of Directors, Chairman of the Public Relations committee for AOSSM, member of the Outreach Committee for the STOP Sports Injuries campaign and the Medical Aspects of Sports committee for the South Carolina Medical Association, and member of the Sports Medicine Evaluation committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His passion for preventing youth sports injuries originates from being not just a doctor but also a dad. He is also the author of That's Gotta Hurt: The Injuries That Changed Sports Forever

Frank Patka

In January of 2010, Frank Patka participated in an armed robbery where he and two other people held a house hostage at gunpoint to collect a debt owed for drugs. During his 6-year sentence in prison, a counselor recognized potential in him and decided to invest in helping Patka grow into a worthwhile version of himself. This act started a ripple effect of positive influence which Patka carried throughout the rest of his time served. Investing in people is risky but has the potential to create great rewards for oneself, community, and the world.

Gail Lovelace Menasco

Local Bendite and storyteller, Gail Lovelace Menasco, shares unique and often comedic stories from her life’s adventures. Her work as a digital marketing specialist offers her a unique perspective of where emerging technology is leading our world. How can we take control of our lives and maintain our consciousness in an increasingly connected environment? By creating our own reality, using a disciplined approach, and taking responsibility for the things we can control. Gail has written and performed her own comedic one-woman show and takes delight in making others laugh.

Jasun "Plaedo" Wellman

Jasun “Plaedo” Wellman is a community organizer, educator, gardener, and artist. In a society where too many people report feelings of disconnection, depression, and disease, Plaedo discovered a practical remedy in gardening. Inspired by the discovery that the simple act of gardening could strengthen communities, increase health and joy, and benefit the environment, he co-founded the Eugene Avant Gardeners, a organization and movement dedicated to cultivating sustainable and resilient food networks. Avant Gardening is an aesthetic and ecological approach to gardening that seeks to cultivate a fun, sustainable culture change to meet the demands of climate change. Plaedo continues to use art and gardening as educating tools aimed at creating productive and flourishing communities.

Kevin Grove

Kevin Grove has been climbing and skiing mountains for over 25 years. In addition to summiting ten peaks in the Teton Range in a single day, he once climbed and skied Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and the three Sisters in a period of 19 hours. Grove’s love of snowy peaks goes well beyond that of the average snowsports enthusiast. Kevin is also an Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering at Central Oregon Community College, the Science Department Chair, and board member and director of Central Oregon Avalanche Association’s Professional Observer program. Blending science with his love of the outdoors, Grove digs deep into the science of snow to learn how a given slope can either deliver pure magic or a deadly experience.

Matt Clifford

Matt Clifford is the Co-Founder & COO of Barnana. A certified B-Corp, Barnana sustainably upcycles organic bananas to reduce food waste and provide a healthier snacking option. Featured in Forbes, Inc Magazine, New York Times, and Men’s Journal, Barnana is recognized for its unique approach to tackling the world’s food waste problem. Clifford is an active investor, endurance athlete, and lover of delicious food. He was named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2016 and Top Entrepreneur in San Diego by both SDBJ and Locale Magazine. Clifford graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, and holds a certificate of professional studies from Oxford University, England.

Michael Welp

Michael Welp, PhD. is a co-founder of White Men as Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP). For 20 years, Welp has led pioneering workshops engaging white male leaders to create cultures of full inclusion. He focuses on how to engage white men to become more passionate advocates for inclusion and how they can partner better with people of color and white women. Welp has facilitated interracial team building with over a dozen South African corporations in his work with Outward Bound. His research on how white men learn about diversity led to founding WMFDP. Welp is the author of the recently published book, Four Days To Change: 12 Radical Habits to Overcome Bias and Thrive in a Diverse World.

Paul Hessburg

As an expert on forest landscapes, Paul Hessburg aims to understand why wildfires are getting bigger and hotter, and how they got that way. Hessburg has spent more than 3 decades researching changes that have taken place in the fire-prone western landscapes, what caused them, and how they differ from place to place. Along with a revved up climate, these changes have created conditions ripe for the rise of what he and others call megafires. How do our forest management techniques affect the legacy we leave our children? Hessburg’s recent book, Making Transparent Environmental Management Decisions, offers compelling new insights into using modern-day decision support systems to plan for forest restoration.

Ron Fritz

Across the broad sweep of human history and in every corner of the globe, cultures have recognized the importance of “coming of age” rituals to help their children navigate the challenging transition from childhood to adulthood. In the United States, coming of age traditions are less common. Ron Fritz, father of three and CEO of an international technology company, believes in creating that meaningful rite of passage celebration to clarify for young people what it means to become an adult. Through his own family’s story, he hopes to inspire the resurgence of such traditions and maybe just spark a movement.

Simon Tam

Simon Tam is an author, musician, activist, and self-proclaimed troublemaker who urges us all to read the comments section. Best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock and anti-racism band, he approaches activism through the arts and encourages people to challenge their perceptions of how we connect with others we normally don’t get along with. His work has been highlighted in over 2,500 media features across 88 countries and he has collaborated with Barack and Michelle Obama, George Takei, and Jeremy Lin through the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to fight bullying.

Ysanne Spevack

Composer and food writer, Ysanne Spevack, designs experiences that bridge the gap between our outer world, our inner life, and beauty. She draws from scientific research to build multisensory, multimedia immersive experiences on a foundation of her music, food, and ideas. Her events are based on a new area of perception research called cross-modality, which explores how our senses interrelate to create an experience that’s unified, despite being made of separate organs. Engaging with all of our senses can radically inspire a more creative and beautiful experience of our daily lives. Ysanne has recorded and/or toured with Smashing Pumpkins, Tiesto, and Christina Perri, written books for HarperCollins and Rizzoli, cooked for Joshua Bell, and created edible gardens for William Shatner. Her immersive multisensory experiences were featured in the Los Angeles Times and Huffington Post.