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).

ISIS Retaurant & Music Hall
743 Haywood Road
Asheville, North Carolina, 28806
United States

Beth Hockman

Beth is a parent coach, educator, speaker and mom of twins. Beth believes parenting is a sacred profession and treats it as such. And like other professions, she believes in continuing education, support networks, best practices and finding the humor in the every day. Beth’s professional experience as an Outward Bound instructor, a public school teacher, academic director of a boarding school and Love and Logic facilitator, allows her the real-life experience to support parents on the path of parenthood. Beth co-founded Asheville TAASC, is adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, and is a board-of-director for FernLeaf Community Charter School.

Danna Smith

Danna Smith is the founder and Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance, and for more than 20 years, she has been at the forefront of forest protection in the US, leading hard-hitting campaigns and negotiating ground-breaking forest protection commitments from some of the largest companies in the world. Danna is a leading voice challenging the status quo, connecting the dots between climate change, forest destruction and social justice and pushing for forest protection in the US at a scale necessary to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st Century. She holds a law degree from Emory University.

Danya Perry

Danya Perry currently serves in the capacity of Vice President of Youth Development for Communities In Schools of NC and has served as a youth / education advocate for the past 20 years. In this capacity, Perry has spearheaded statewide initiatives aimed at school violence prevention, focusing specifically on bullying and gang prevention / intervention. Perry has assisted many organizations in their mission to ensure academic proficiency, provide a conducive learning environment, and mobilize the community around youth. Perry has co-authored several books - “Preventing Violence & Crime in America’s Schools: From Put Downs to Lock Downs,” which speaks to the need for early prevention and “The Secrets for Motivating, Educating, and Lifting the Spirits of African-American Males.”

David LaMotte

At the peak of an 18-year career as an internationally-touring musician, David LaMotte quit playing music publicly from 2008-2010 in order to pursue a master's degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution in Australia, accepting a Rotary World Peace Fellowship in order to do so. These days, about half of his work is performing, and the other half is traveling, learning, speaking and leading workshops around the world. LaMotte served on the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group, is a consultant on Peace and Justice issues for the NC Council of Churches, founded the non-profit, PEG Partners, in Guatemala and has written 2 books that address justice and peace work. LaMotte has traveled to conflict zones around the world (Bosnia, Belfast, Bethlehem, etc.) to engage in conflict work, teach, and learn from front lines peacemakers.

Jackson Carpenter

Jackson Carpenter has ten years’ experience working on solutions to climate change and the development of alternative fuels. He is a climate writer and member of the Collider in Asheville, NC, collaborating with scientists and businesses to address climate change. He is a coauthor of the Collider’s Business of Climate Report, and his upcoming book Carbon retells the story of climate change from a unique perspective that illuminates the commonsense solutions at our fingertips.

Jonathan Scales

International touring and recording artist Jonathan Scales has garnered a loyal following of music lovers by pushing the steel drums into a musically adventurous realm of contemporary jazz, changing listener's perspectives of the traditional Caribbean instrument often stereotypically associated with sandy beaches and cruise ship vacations. Scales has released 5 albums and has performed in 14 countries across 4 continents with his progressive sound that Jazz Times calls "joyously inventive."

Lynsie McKeown

As a student and teacher of yoga and meditation, personal trainer, and educator, Lynsie helps individuals find the right combination of tools to build a solid foundation for positive change. Lynsie believes we all have the capability to heal, transform and awaken to our full potential. Her passion is to share the methods that enable each of us to thrive and live an empowered life. Lynsie holds a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia, is a Certified Yoga Teacher, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Assisted Thai Yoga Body Worker.

Michelle Moog-Koussa

Michelle Moog-Koussa is the daughter of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. She has been the executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation for eleven years, and has spearheaded educational and historic preservation projects which inspire children and adults thought the science, music, technology and the spirit of invention.

Virginia Rosenberg

Virginia Rosenberg is an intuitive astrologer, writer, teacher, and lecturer. With a background in anthropology and post-colonial studies, her main interest is natural healing of self and society. Virginia has performed thousands of readings for clients internationally. Her writings are used as teaching tools in spiritual communities worldwide. She offers workshops, classes, and retreats and is resident astrologer for several organizations. Taoist philosophy, dance, and inner alchemy practices inform her perspective.

Zackary Paben

Since 1991, Zack has been empowering adolescents and adults as a mental health/recovery professional in a variety of modalities, including wilderness and residential. As he continues to face his own visible and invisible scars, he innately has to acknowledge the wounds of others and encourage them in their own healing process. Zack is the co-founder and CEO of the 501(c)3 charity More Heart Than Scars Foundation, who empower people to say in the affirmative,"I have more heart than scars," or to be able to receive the affirmation, "You have more heart than scars." They have seen the transformative power of those words. More Hearts than Scars Foundation’s mission is to quest for faith, love, hope, and heart in order to transcend visible and invisible scars, by overcoming obstacles together, and encouraging others to live so boldly.