TEDxBlinnCollege is a half day event that includes 6 speakers and 2 pre-recorded TED talks.

Dr. W.W. O'Donnell Performing Arts Center
600 Blinn Boulevard
Brenham, Texas, 77833
United States

Julie Overstreet

Mental Health

Julie is the Director of Outreach and Development for NAMI Brazos Valley, located in Bryan and covering the seven counties of Brazos Valley. She studied Sociology at the University of Houston. Since then, she obtained her license as an adult educator on mental health related topics and as a facilitator of support groups for families and individuals living with mental illness. “Managing Conflict Mindfully: From A Peer Perspective”

Kathryn Kelly

Communication Studies Instructor

Kathryn is a communications instructor and private speech coach in Bryan, Texas. For the last ten years, she has taught Public Speaking, Argumentation and Debate, Mass Communication, and Oral Interpretation classes while coaching champion collegiate speech and debate teams. Kathryn started ghostwriting speeches for politicians and business professional during college, and in the last five years has taken on private public speaking lessons to professionals in the public and private sectors. “This Is Not A Speech”

Katie Burch

Architect

Country-girl turned entrepreneur, Katie Burch is the founding architect of a boutique firm in downtown Brenham. She is a designer, an author, an advocate, and a friend. Katie is a mom to two spirited boys, and a wife to her best friend and business partner, Ken. Together they have successfully challenged the accepted office norms to produce a work environment based on exceptionally high standards and total freedom. “How to Treat Top Performers like Leaders”

Michael Harrison

Scientist

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Theoretical Physics, minor in Quantum Chromodynamics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned distinction in his Master’s program in Aerospace Systems Architecture at the University of Southern California. He was selected as the TRW Space Technologies Black Engineer of the Year. He is also creative and active as a filmmaker and had one of his projects debut at the Cannes International Film Festival. “Artificial Intelligence: The Coming Storm”

Mike Shoup

Gardening

Mike has a degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University. Mike never liked roses when he was in the nursery business. He thought of roses as plants that require a lot of care to survive in Texas; they just were not worth growing. Then, he noticed all these wild roses growing in abandoned fields, cellar holes, and cemeteries. Mike has now become a key figure in the renaissance of antique roses. "How I got schooled by an old rose"

Sarah Burke

Musician

Dr. Burke is currently Director of Bands and Director of Percussion Studies at Blinn College in Brenham, TX. Additionally, she serves as Principal Percussionist with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Lubbock and Big Spring Symphonies. A founding member of Spindrift Percussion Group, Burke has promoted contemporary percussion music through the commissioning of several new works for percussion quartets. “Remembrance: Music as a cathartic journey toward peace and healing”