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).

McNamara Alumni Center
200 SE Oak St.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
United States

Amee McDonald

Non-profit consultant and adjunct instructor

Amee McDonald never quite fit into corporate America. She honed her natural analytical skills with positions at Northwest Airlines in International Pricing Operations, at Marketing Architects in Account Development, and at Mediaspace Solutions as Director of Innovation. But, she longed to fulfill her passion for helping nonprofits and social enterprises. In 2011, Amee and her husband Clint founded jabber logic: an ad agency for nonprofits. Since then, Amee has been honored as one of AdFed’s 32 Under 32, Minnesota Business Magazine’s The (Real) Power 50, and a finalist for the 2018 Community Impact Awards. She was FamilyWise’s 2017 volunteer of the year and has served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management since 2016.

Bharat Pulgam

Bharat Pulgam co-founded MXERS Technologies LLC early in 2015, Vitrose Health in 2017 and Runerra Technologies LLC in 2017, and has experiences working in non-profit and startup sectors since as early as his sophomore year of high school. An accountable, driven, growth-oriented leader with significant experience, Bharat has had a proven track record of delivering tangible results.

Catalina Morales

Lead Organizer at ISIAH

Catalina Morales Bahena was raised in Waukegan, IL. Catalina immigrated to the United States from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico with her parents and two older sisters. Catalina has lived in the United States since 1993 and was undocumented until she was granted DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status in 2013. Catalina is currently a Lead Organizer at ISAIAH, a state- wide community organization, which empowers people of faith to work on racial and economic justice issues. She is the lead staff on their immigrant justice campaigns, and she organizes a state-wide multi-racial base. Last year, she led the successful campaign to create an immigrant legal defense fund in Hennepin County.

Cheryl Robertson

Public Health Nursing Professor

Cheryl Robertson, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN is a Public Health Nurse, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota, and former Director of International Programs at the Center for Victims of Torture. She has pursued a pathway of scholarship, public health nursing practice, and service both nationally and globally. Her current work applies a strengths perspective to provide an understanding of refugee health, trauma, and coping in the aftermath of war and civil conflict. Robertson leads an interdisciplinary team in developing and testing community-based interventions to support healthy coping and healing among Somali and Oromo refugee communities. She also leads a small ethnographic methods team to better understand climate variability, conflict and forced displacement in the Horn of Africa Arid Lands. She is also a key faculty for the USAID One Health Workforce Emerging Pandemic Threats project.

Grant Berg

Trans activist and political science student

Grant Berg knew he was transgender from a young age, and struggled for years trying to cope with his identity. Now, GrantBerg is a successful University student at Augsburg University, taking on the challenges that face trans students in America head-on. Over the past year, Grant has begun to dedicate his time and resources to help those around him understand what it means to be transgender, and how to provide resources to trans people in their communities. Grant takes pride in cultivating productive campus environments through political action and community services. Grant Berg studies pre-law political science and history and hopes to pursue a career with the United States Marines once he graduates from Augsburg.

Nic Jelinski

Soil Science Professor

Dr. Nic Jelinski is an Assistant Professor of soil science in the Department of Soil, Water and Climate. His teaching responsibilities include Basic Soil Science, Field Study of Soils and Soil Judging. His research interests are centered around resolving problems of soil formation, enhancing access to soil information, and improving teaching and outreach for soil science in higher education and to the general public. He has lived and worked around the world in soils and land management for state (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) and federal agencies (Department of Defense, National Park Service) as well as the private sector (Alliant Energy). He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Peter Limthongviratn

Program Coordinator for the Asian Pacific American Resource Center

Growing up as a child of Thai immigrants, being racially tokenized and isolated were a common occurrence. As a result, Peter never felt he belonged or was "good enough." However, during his undergraduate years, Peter found his voice and quickly became galvanized about addressing issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. He then discovered his calling of supporting students from marginalized backgrounds in higher education institutions. Grounded in storytelling and community, Peter strives to empower students and help them become transformative leaders.