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).

Tower Theatre
425 NW 23rd St
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73103
United States

Adam Luck

Adam Luck is the Chief Executive Officer of City Care, non-profit organization seeking to inspire those willing to look social injustice and extreme poverty in the face and empower them to do whatever it takes to create change. City Care has built and manages 110 units of permanent supportive housing in Oklahoma City, operates the Oklahoma City day shelter in partnership with the Homeless Alliance, and oversees the Whiz Kids program. He is an Oklahoma native and left the state to serve five years in the U.S. Air Force as a Korean Cryptologic Linguist. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University. Adam was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin to the Oklahoma State Board of Corrections and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Employment Opportunities, a national non-profit that provides comprehensive employment services to individuals with recent criminal convictions. Prior to joining City Care, Adam served as the Policy Director at the E Foundation for Oklahoma and the Oklahoma state director for Right on Crime, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation focused on criminal justice reform. Adam and his wife Sarah live in Oklahoma City with their four young boys and yellow lab.

Halley Reeves

Halley Reeves is a health strategist. As a public health practitioner and a city planner, she aims to improve our communities by looking at what creates and maintains health. Having lived in Germany, Austria, China, India and several states within the United States, Halley concentrates on ‘Health in All Policies’ work specifically tied to community health planning in health care policy, the infusion of health considerations into the built-environment, and data to support all of the aforementioned activities. As a result of the multi-disciplinary nature of her work, she focuses on cross-sectorial collaboration building with the aim of collectively impacting health and defining how to measure that impact. She spent the last decade and a half working on policy-related issues beginning from local-level community based participatory research to international governmental relations. Although much of that time was in locations where data were scarce, she has used data to inform work throughout her career. She was first introduced to public health through an occupational health study with uranium workers in New Mexico seeking to influence US federal legislation. She then lived and worked in the Indian Himalayas helping to inform the development of a regional ambulance system through a demographic survey of subsistence farming villages administered by community health workers. Most recently she lived in Massachusetts managing the development of the state’s “one-stop shop” for health data and integrating the determinants of health more directly into the state’s community benefits ecosystem. Halley holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington and a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jordan Cocker

Jordan Cocker is a designer, curator and wellness advocate from the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Kingdom of Tonga. Jordan links relational world-views to Indigenous Futurisms. Cocker navigates present day attempts by governments and institutions to silence Indigenous voices. We are the latest version of our ancestors. Engage, make space and meaningfully connect — now is the time for lasting change. Over the years, Cocker has navigated the intersectionality of Tribal sovereignty and social, political, and historic climates. Her advocacy centers Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. Jordan is a co-founder of the Indigenous 20 Something Project: a movement committed to generational wellbeing.

Kelli Masters

Widely recognized as one of the most influential women in sports business, Kelli Masters often hears, “You have a DREAM JOB.” But she chooses to inspire others not just with her successes, but with her vulnerability, sharing not only the victories but also the battles and failures along the way. Kelli is an attorney, an NFL sports agent, and Founder and President of KMM Sports, a full-service sports management company. She has represented more professional athletes than any woman in the industry, having served as agent/contract advisor to players in every NFL draft since 2006 as well as numerous athletes in the MLB draft and the Olympics. In 2010, she made history as the first woman to represent a first round pick in the NFL Draft. Her story of progress through pain was featured as part of Motrin’s national “Women in Progress” campaign in 2017. Kelli is a former National and World Champion baton twirler, and was also Miss Oklahoma 1997, winning awards for talent and community service at the Miss America pageant that year. Currently, Kelli serves as an Adjunct Professor at Oklahoma City University and Oklahoma Christian University, teaching Sports Law. She is a sought-after writer and speaker on topics of sports and nonprofit as well as leadership, diversity and discovering purpose in life. Her first book, Dream Job, will launch in 2019.

Marcus Jackson

Marcus Jackson aka Kadence, grew up on the Eastside of Oklahoma City. Kadence found himself submersed in the culture of hip hop at a young age. At 16, Kadence had his own home studio and was producing music for local artists in Oklahoma City and by 18 Kadence was producing and rapping for Christian Hip Hop group Exodus Movement. During his time with Exodus Movement, Kadence found his niche by producing, emceeing, and engineering. In his 10 years with Exodus Movement, they put out five albums and two mixtapes, all of which Kadence was the lead producer and engineer on. In 2008 he produced the track “Go Hard” for Grammy Award winner Lecrae, earning himself his first Dove award nomination. In 2010 he felt led to go out on his own as a solo artist and released his freshman album “Going In”. The album won over critics within Christian Hip Hop leading to him being nominated as “New Artist of the Year”. In 2011 he produced a second track for Lecrae titled “More” on the album “Rehab: Overdose”. This time he and Lecrae won the Dove Award for Hip Hop Album of The Year. In 2013, he dropped his first EP “BandCamp” in March. He dropped a second EP the same year in October titled “Die Daily” which was an instant hit with fans. He was a featured artist at SXSW in 2014-2018. He also started the Die Daily movement with a collective of other artists and producers whose mission is to serve their community, their motto being Die To Self, Live For Christ, and Serve Others. Kadence released “Die Daily Annihilation” on September 2016 and “Die Daily Season 3” October 2017. While music was Marcus’ passion, his love for his community grabbed his attention. He began serving with Youth For Christ in 2005 and continued to impact the lives of inner city teens to present time. He also worked with The Mentoring Project, and founded a neighborhood focused community center called The Bridge Impact center. Marcus is continuing his efforts to impact families on the northeast side of Oklahoma City through mentorship and music.

Miki Kawamura

Ms. Kawamura began her training in Sapporo, Japan, then continued at Pacific Dance Arts in Vancouver, Canada. She danced professionally with Eugene Ballet/Ballet Idaho, City Ballet of San Diego, and Charleston Ballet Theatre before joining Oklahoma City Ballet in 2010. With Oklahoma City Ballet, Ms. Kawamura has performed Principal roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Coppelia, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Little Mermaid, and The Sleeping Beauty, in addition to the title roles in Paquita, Carmen, Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet, Scheherezade – 1001 Arabian Nights, and Giselle. Her repertoire includes George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, August Bournonville’s Napoli Divertissements, Antony Tudor’s Lilac Garden, in addition to works by Gerald Arpino, Margo Sappington, Nicolo Fonte, Twyla Tharp, Stanton Welch, Paul Vasterling, and Jiří Kylián. Ms. Kawamura has also created roles in new works by Jessica Lang, Alan Hineline, Matthew Neenan, Ma Cong, Brian Enos, and Robert Mills. She is an American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 5 of the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, and also serves as a Ballet Master for Oklahoma City Ballet. Ms. Kawamura was named “Artist of the Year” in 2014 by the Paseo Arts Association.

Rhonda Bear

Rhonda Bear is the Program Director for Stand in the Gap’s Women in Transition program. The Women in Transition program addresses twelve core issues that women must understand and address in their lives in order to position themselves to succeed in staying out of the prison system, living free from the bondage of their past and living successfully in the “free” world.Rhonda is the Founder and Director of 13 women’s transition homes and recently added 1 men’s home. She teaches the Stand in the Gap’s Women in Transition program in multiple prisons and county jails. She is the mother of 3 wonderful children, grandmother to 6 amazing grandchildren and married to a wonderful husband who is helping her achieve her dreams. Rhonda has graduated from Tulsa Community College with a degree in Community Program Management & Northeastern State University with a degree in Social Work.

Richard Nongard

Dr. Richard Nongard is the recent author of “Viral Leadership: Seize the Power of Now to Create Lasting Transformation in Business.” He is a sought-after specialist in business psychology and corporate culture. He is also a licensed psychotherapist, who has specialized in ACT Therapy, Mindfulness Based-Stress Reduction, and Ericksonian Psychotherapy. He has crossed boundaries, teaching both his mental health clients and corporate clients the lasting strategies of mindfulness to create unlimited transformation at every level. His previous books have included “Counseling People Who Have Killed Other People” and “Contextual Psychology: Integrating Mindfulness Based Strategies into Effective Therapy.” His focus in both the therapeutic community and the business world is translating the evidenced-based practices of mindfulness into practical applications for creating lasting change. Dr. Nongard is a popular keynote speaker and trainer, who has traveled the world sharing real solutions to living in the moment and maximizing success at every level. He has a masters degree in counseling, and his doctorate in Transformational Leadership (Cultural Engagement) was earned at Bakke Graduate University in Dallas.

Scott Klososky

Throughout his career, Scott Klososky has been on the forefront of technology and industry. He is renowned globally for his ability to recognize and capitalize on future trends regarding the ways technology is shaping business and our world. Scott entertains while enlightening audiences around the world on a range of topics including building digital maturity, navigating the digital transformation, cybersecurity, technology-driven leadership, data intelligence, trendspotting, digital marketing, and injecting the right amount of technology into every process. He has developed a reputation for delivering presentations that leave attendees talking and thinking long after they have ended. To learn more and request Scott for your event, contact his speaking management office via info@speakersoffice.com or (760) 603-8110. Experience A former CEO of three successful tech startup companies and principal at consulting firm Future Point of View, Scott specializes in seeing beyond the horizon of how technology is changing the world. His unique perspectives on technology, business culture, and the future allow him to travel the globe as an international speaker, consultant, and author working with senior execs in organizations ranging from the Fortune 500 to universities, nonprofits, and countless professional associations and coalitions. As a technology entrepreneur, he also continually works in the trenches of building his own companies. Scott has developed the innovative concept of HUMALOGY®, the blending of technology and humanity. Humalogy provides a framework on how leaders can best balance technology and human effort to make processes more efficient and effective. For much of his career, Scott has been devoted to helping organizations protect their digital assets and pilot what is becoming an increasingly critical area for the health and survival of all: cybersecurity. He is a co-owner of TriCorps Cybersecurity which provides a host of cybersecurity services including audits and assessments, vulnerability testing, forensics, remediation, and team member training. He has spoken in front of the FBI’s Cyber Warfare Conference and the Federal Government for Financial Accountants. He is driven to ensure that all organizations can effectively protect themselves from cyberattack. Currently Scott is developing Crowdscribed, a new publishing model for a range of publication types generated by crowdsourcing. Created by the crowd and for the crowd, this new model of publishing reverses the process of traditional publishing and produces titles that will guarantee readers—and revenue. He is also the founder and part owner of Alkami Technology, a previous tech startup that developed a 2nd generation online banking platform with innovative features non-existent in current systems. The privately-owned software company focuses on providing online account management solutions to the financial services industry. Background Scott began his career fresh out of high school, where his job as a delivery boy was a springboard into the world of technology. He became division head of a computer sales division and then purchased it as his own company. It was eventually built into a twelve-store operation in three states. His next endeavor was as founder and CEO of Paragraph, Inc., a Soviet/American joint venture founded in 1988, despite international tensions. Half of the company was sold to Silicon Graphics, and the other half is still expanding today (Parascript, Inc.). Scott then collaborated with H.R. Haldeman to publish a diary of his years as an aide to President Nixon, which was a bestseller (Putnam Publishing), and involved Sony Interactive in the release of a book companion CD-ROM. The evolving Internet ushered in a world of opportunity for inspiring pioneers, and Scott was not left behind. He was founder and CEO of webcasts.com, an early producer of webcasted media ranging from corporate and government communications to sporting events and entertainment. He sold webcasts.com in 1999 for $115 million. His expertise in leadership and his creative approach to business direction inspired Critical Technologies to hire him as a turnaround CEO, where he completely rebuilt the underlying products and brought the company to profitability. Books Did God Create the Internet? The Impact of Technology on Humanity The Velocity Manifesto Harnessing Technology, Vision & Culture to Future-Proof Your Organization Enterprise Social Technology Harnessing the Power of Social Media, Social Networking, Social Relevancy Manager’s Guide to Social Media (A McGraw Hill Brief Case Series Book) Jumpstart Productivity, Profitability, and Business Growth with Social Media

Shawn Askinosie

In 2006, Shawn Askinosie left a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer to start a bean to bar chocolate factory and never looked back. Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch, award winning chocolate factory located in Springfield, Missouri, sourcing 100% of their beans directly from farmers that they profit share with on three continents. This spring will mark Shawn’s 42nd origin trip. Recently named by Forbes “One of the 25 Best Small Companies in America”, Askinosie Chocolate has also been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, on Bloomberg, MSNBC and numerous other national and international media outlets. Shawn was named by O, The Oprah Magazine “One of 15 Guys Who Are Saving the World.” He has been awarded honorary doctorates from University of Missouri-Columbia and Missouri State University. Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author, recently praised the company’s model: “[Shawn] has built a practice of creating a worthwhile luxury good that directly benefits people. Not sort of. Not a little. But directly.” Shawn is a Family Brother at Assumption Abbey, a Trappist monastery near Ava, Missouri and the co-founder of Lost & Found, a grief center serving children and families in Southwest Missouri. His new book – Meaningful Work: The Quest To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling And Feed Your Soul, co-written with his daughter Lawren Askinosie, published by Penguin Random House released last year and is already a #1 bestseller on Amazon.

Wayland Cubit

Lieutenant Wayland Cubit is an Oklahoma native. He is a husband, father, grandfather, career Law Enforcement Professional, motivational speaker, and mentor. He is committed the past 10 years of his career to creating and supporting positive programs that benefit and change the lives of at-risk youth. Lt. Cubit’s educational journey has allowed him the opportunity to study Criminal Justice Administration at the University of Oklahoma, Police Science at Oklahoma State University OKC, and Family Studies & Gerontology at Southern Nazarene University. In 1996, Lt. Cubit started his professional journey in law enforcement as a Patrol Officer. His early experiences as a patrolman inspired his passion to serve youth in at-risk communities in a more personal manner. While embracing his entry-level position, he paid close attention to issues that plagued our low-income communities. After years in patrol, Lt. Cubit moved from one specialty unit to the next, which afforded him the opportunity to become an undercover police officer and conducted undercover street crime and narcotic investigations. The Chief of Police, recognized his passion for the community and youth and reassigned him to the Criminal Intelligence Unit, where he worked as a gang intervention/prevention specialist. In 2010, his experience, reputation in the community and support from police administration inspired him to establish the OCPD F.A.C.T. Unit (Family Awareness and Community Teamwork), which is an youth outreach program that focuses on mentorship, building character and empowering at-risk youth, which ultimately reduced juvenile delinquency and involvement with the criminal justice system. Lt. Cubit volunteers as a facilitator and trainer on Effective Police Interactions with Youth and Disproportionate Minority Contacts, Fair and Impartial Policing, and is a certified instructor in Unconscious Bias. He is a former the Board Chair for Youth Leadership Exchange. He serves on several boards and committees, including the Board of Visitors for the University of Oklahoma AFAM Department, A Chance to Change, The 111 Project, Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce and Odyssey Leadership Academy. He has served as the primary facilitator for many Town Hall meetings and public discussions. He has been a presenter at the Department of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on the topic of Juvenile Justice Reform and community engagement. Lt. Cubit was honored to be recognized as the 2015-2016 Volunteer of the Year by the Urban League of Greater OKC for his consistent willingness to share his time, experience and knowledge with the community. Lt. Cubit continually organizes and implements opportunities for at-risk youth to connect with positive caring adults who will help them realize their true authentic God given potential. When it comes to our youth, Lt. Cubit believes they can all be inspired to be the best version of themselves with great mentorship and leadership. He will continue to dedicate his time and efforts towards implementing more programs that inspire youth to know that the Police Department is not only an institution that confronts crime and criminals, but an institution filled with individuals who wants to see them succeed.