Theme: Reset

Progression is not a straight trajectory. It requires soul searching, reevaluating, and reinventing along the way. We must pause periodically to consider what we know, center around our core values, and bravely examine new questions – each time with more depth, tenacity, and complexity.

Join us on Saturday, December 1st at the Bellco Theatre as we explore how we may reframe
the ways we see entrenched challenges facing our world, reimagine new opportunities for collaboration, reaffirm our shared humanity, and reanimate our purpose. TEDxMileHigh: Reset will feature two live sessions of speakers, an interactive exhibits lounge, and a surrounding week of experiences that will create space for reflection and open doors for new opportunities and discovery!

Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver, Colorado, 80202
United States

Alejandro Jimenez

Poet + Educator

Alejandro Jimenez is an educator, immigrant, writer, and Emmy-nominated poet from Colima, Mexico. He is a two-time National Poetry Slam Semi-Finalist whose work has appeared in multiple literary anthologies. His has shared his work in sold-out opera houses, rallies, universities & colleges, public and private schools, and cultural events. He lives in Denver, Colorado, works with youth as restorative justice coordinator, and tries to laugh with his students as much as possible. He is joined by dancers Kebrina Josefina De Jesus, Alba Gonzales, and Alina Margarita Mateo. Choreography by Kebrina Josefina De Jesus of Samba Colorado.

Apryl Alexander

Criminal Justice Reformer

Dr. Apryl Alexander is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver. She is the Director of the Forensic Institute of Research, Service, and Training (Denver FIRST) Outpatient Competency Restoration Program. She received the 2017 American Psychological Association’s Early Career Achievement Award. As the daughter of two Air Force veterans, she’s loved travel from an early age, and spent six years in Germany. She is a pop culture fanatic and named her Yorkie after Jax from Sons of Anarchy.

Carson Bruns

Tattoo Technologist

Carson Bruns is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering with the ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder. He received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Northwestern University under the guidance of Nobel Laureate J. Fraser Stoddart and was a Miller Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. His research uses molecular nanotechnology to develop new materials with applications in areas such as biomedicine, energy transduction, and human-computer interfaces. He grew up in the Sweetheart City - Loveland, Colorado.

Christoph Keplinger

Robotics Innovator

Christoph Keplinger is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, the principal inventor of HASEL artificial muscles, and the co-founder of Artimus Robotics. Originally from Austria, he studied soft matter physics at Johannes Kepler University Linz, before moving to the U.S. to research mechanics and chemistry at Harvard. His interdisciplinary research group works on muscle-mimetic actuators, functional polymers, and energy harvesting. Christoph and his wife are raising their two daughters to be tri-lingual in German, Russian, and English.

Ethan Mann

Microbiology Maverick

Dr. Ethan Mann is the Vice President of Sharklet Technologies, Inc., an innovative surface technology company based in Aurora, Colorado. Ethan has a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. He trained as a post-doctoral fellow in infectious disease at the Ohio State University. He serves on NIH review panels to evaluate small business innovation research grants. Ethan played Division II College Football at Chadron State College, runs marathons, and is more athletic than he looks! He has four children with his beautiful wife of 14 years, Tracy.

Gora Gora Orkestar

Brass Band

Founded in 2009, Gora Gora Orkestar is a 10-piece brass band that brings the sounds of the Balkans to the Colorado Rockies. They blend Old World melodies of Eastern European folk with the back beat of American funk and the sultry sway of South American tango into a new genre they’ve coined “Brass-Hop.” Gora Gora Orkestar features Tung Pham & Alice Hansen on trumpet, Pete Lyons & Michael Windham on saxophone, John Jonas & Jon Kenney on trombone, Ben Fausch on sousaphone, Adam Loudermilk & Vic Stauffenberg on drums, and Kelly Maxwell on Vocals.

Josh Dunn

Political Scientist

Josh Dunn is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. His books include Complex Justice: The Case of Missouri v. Jenkins, From Schoolhouse to Courthouse: The Judiciary's Role in American Education, and Passing on the Right: Conservative Professors in the Progressive University. Josh & his wife are a taxi service for their children’s baseball games. He is a lifelong Cubs fan; winning the World Series removed decades of emotional scar tissue.

Kimberly Corban

Victim Advocate

Kimberly Corban grew up in Greeley, Colorado, and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in Psychology and MA in Criminal Justice. In May 2006, a stranger broke into her college apartment and raped her. Her testimony led to his arrest and conviction. Today, she empowers survivors and works to prevent sexual assault. She enjoys golfing with her husband, singing Disney songs with her kids, and co-hosting her podcast “Life As She Knows It.” She will defend the Oxford comma until she can no longer speak, write, or communicate.

Laura Rovner

Civil Rights Thought Leader

Laura Rovner is Professor of Law and Director of the Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Denver College of Law, where she supervises law students litigating constitutional challenges to prison conditions. She received the ACLU of Colorado’s Edward Sherman Award for Outstanding Legal Work on Behalf of Civil Liberties and the University of Denver’s Distinguished Teaching Award and was named as one of 5280 Magazine’s Top Lawyers in Civil Rights. She has two cats named Nashira & Ruthie, is a slow but dedicated runner, and loves Halloween.

Mark Martin

Beatbox Champion

As the winner of the 2016 American Beatbox Championships and the International 2016 BeatRhyme Battle, Mark Martin is best known for playfully blurring the lines between language and sound. He toured the world with the theater group VocaPeople for 5 years. He enjoys collaborating with other musicians, especially his partner and fellow World Beatbox Champion, Kaila Mullady as Lightship. He is a passionate educator and taught in New York City for 8 years. Today, he leads workshops around the country. He is a chef, a dancer, and an Eagle Scout.

Matt Vogl

Mental Health Technologist

Matt Vogl is the Executive Director and founder of the National Mental Health Innovation Center (NMHIC) at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus, where he leads a team to better treat and prevent mental illness. Previously, Matt was the Deputy Director of the University of Colorado Depression Center. He earned a BA from Marquette University and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Matt was a standup comic for 12 years and is a diehard St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. He has two sons with his amazing wife.

Maytham Alshadood

Refugee Advocate

Maytham Alshadood is an organizer, activist, and commissioner on the Denver Refugee & Immigrant Commission. Originally from in Baghdad, Iraq, Maytham joined the U.S. Military as a Combat Interpreter in 2005. In 2008, he moved to the U.S. and settled in Denver. He graduated with honors from the University of Colorado College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus, and works as a Transplant Nurse. He founded DRIVE Project, which empowers refugees and immigrants to become their own advocates through civic engagement. He is a self-taught fly-fisherman.

Michael ILL Se7en Acuña

Implicit Bias Educator

Michael Acuña is a youth advocate, Hip Hop Artist and educator that resides in Denver Colorado. He's currently working along side Youth On Record as a partner artist and the Office Of The Independent Monitor facilitating implicit bias workshops and helping with community outreach. Michael is also the Co founder of Tribal Zyphers, a program that connects youth the indigenous roots of Hip Hop culture empowering self narrative. Michael has been honored as the recipient of the Mastermind Award in 2018 and presidents Obama's My brother keeper initiative MBK 25 award in 2016 for his creative work in his community.

Sabine Doebel

Developmental Psychologist

Sabine Doebel is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She has a Ph.D. from the Institute of Child Development in Minnesota. Her research focuses on the development of executive function. Sabine was born in Ohio but grew up in a suburb of Toronto, Canada, and despite having lived in the U.S. for 8 years, she still says “sorry” a lot and refers to colored pencils as “pencil crayons.” She lives in Boulder with her husband, Eric, and 18-month-old son/comedian, Vincent.

Susan Cottrell

Faith Leader

Susan Cottrell is a prominent voice for faith parents of LGBTQI children. She is an international speaker, acclaimed author, and public theologian with a Masters in Theological Studies. After spending 25 years in the Evangelical church, she founded FreedHearts to champion the LGBTQI community and their families. She served as the Vice-President of PFLAG Austin (Texas) and was endorsed by The Human Rights Campaign and The Gay Christian Network. She has five children, two of whom are in the LGBTQI community, with her husband of 30 years, Rob.