Theme: Building a Resilient Community

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).

Dennos Museum Center, NMC
1701 E Front Street
Traverse City, Michigan, 49686
United States

Alison Arnold

Alison Arnold Ed.D. Directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Community Health & Wellness at Central Michigan University, a five-college collaboration with community partners to provide programs, research, professional education and projects focused on health priorities. By creating awareness within communities, mobilizing health care professionals and educators, and giving them tools to productively and timely intervene, we can ensure that children, families and adults receive life-changing assistance. Dr. Arnold’s experience cuts across education, business, and philanthropy. With over 20 years in education administration, she has led community engagement initiatives, grants, and partnerships to support learning for P-12 and higher education institutions. She serves on the board for the Utopia Foundation which is dedicated to help create a world where communities thrive and every child goes to bed feeling nourished, loved, happy and hopeful about tomorrow. Dr. Arnold is a Master Trainer for the Michigan ACEs Initiative, Building Self-Healing Communities, providing training for teachers, allied health and medical professions, community health workers, parents, and others who support children and individuals experiencing trauma and adversity in their lives.

Christan Rainey

Christan Rainey has a passion for serving others and trying to make life better for everyone as is evident in his role as the Executive Director of M.A.D. (Men Against Domestic Violence) USA, Inc. and a Captain with North Charleston Fire Department. His story begins as a young man Christan always wanted to be a firefighter - to serve in his community and help better the lives of his community members. He always knew deep inside he would achieve his goal, but he understood that in order to achieve it he had to work hard to make it a reality. His life changed dramatically on September 30, 2006 when his mother and four siblings were murdered through an act of domestic violence at the hands of his mother’s husband. In the seven-year journey that followed, Christan wondered what his purpose if life was going to be after his family was stripped away from him. He turned his pain into his purpose and started the non-profit organization M.A.D. USA, Inc. with the belief that the voices of men coming together will strengthen the responses and generate a proactive approach to domestic violence. Through this organization, Christan reaches out to the surrounding communities by teaching Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Anti-bullying to students. Christan also mentors young men in the work he does and helps future generations to look at domestic violence through a different lens.

Don Schuster

Donald Schuster became interested in meditation as a teenager, almost 50 years ago when reading a book about meditation. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled in a Transcendental Meditation class while a student at the University of Michigan. As a former mental health Executive Director over 38 years, Don knew firsthand about the benefits of meditation in his own life but also in helping people deal with the many challenges of life. As a leadership consultant, he often witnessed the harm of stress on employees dealing with work and life balances. After a life changing medical event two decades ago, he realized medicine would not help him, so off to a 7-Day meditation retreat and an introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) medical school, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. He credits MBSR with offering a successful treatment option and encouraging him to become a passionate trainer in mindfulness. In retirement, he has a leadership consulting business that incorporates mindfulness, while teaching mindfulness classes throughout Michigan and Florida. He will be offering four free Forest Bathing programs with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy this summer, so check out their website.

Judge Linda Davis

Judge Davis was appointed to the bench March 27, 2000 by Governor Engler. Prior to her judgeship, Judge Davis was an Assistant Prosecutor with the Macomb County Prosecutors office for 13 years. Linda played a crucial role in FAN's inception and has been instrumental in the success and growth of the organization. She has received several prestigious awards from the FBI, Care House, Girl Scouts of the USA, Macomb Community College Outstanding Alumna Award, she was named the Henry Ford Hospital Woman of Excellence and Influence, Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals President’s Award, Macomb Bar Distinguished Public Service Award and Macomb County Humanitarian of the Year award. Judge Davis served on Governor Snyder’s Opiate Task Force and later was appointed to chair the Governor’s commission for the Prescription Overdose and Opiate response team. In addition, she has been invited to consult with President Trumps Opiate Task force and the First Ladies roundtable discussion on how the opiate epidemic is affecting families. She recently was invited by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to attend a roundtable discussion on the opiate crisis. She is currently FAN's primary speaker and presents multiple times a week to groups across the state and nationally.

Mary Gruman

Mary King Gruman, MS, LPC, NCC. A licensed professional counselor with Birchbark Counseling in Traverse City, Michigan, Mary is active in the Traverse City based Licensed Professional Counselors of Northern Michigan group and currently serves as a Master Trainer for the Michigan ACE Initiative. She is on the board of the local National Alliance for Mental Illness chapter as well as the advisory board of the Generations Ahead teen parenting program. Her practice serves people aged 13 and up and she specializes in helping young people figure out how to get back on track. Mary has lived in Traverse City for 8 years after spending thirty years in Southeast Asia, where she raised four children with her husband Jep. She founded and led the Singapore American School Arts Council, the Community Library and Symphony Bus programs for ten years. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, she captained the women’s Division 1 tennis team; upon graduating she accepted a position in the management training program at Citibank in New York and completed a series of overseas assignments in Europe, South America and Asia. She received her MS at the University of the Southwest.

Michelle Esrick

Michelle Esrick is an award-winning filmmaker, poet and social activist. Esrick immerses herself in stories that inspire and give her a clear knowing that it will help to serve a great many. She has seen first hand that honest stories can shift perceptions, change laws, transform our culture and even save lives. Esrick’s recent film, CRACKED UP premiered at DOC NYC Film Festival (2018). In CRACKED UP, featuring Saturday Night Live veteran, Darrell Hammond, we witness the impact adverse childhood experiences can have across a lifetime. Courageous and passionate, Esrick’s groundbreaking storytelling is helping us understand childhood trauma, addiction and recovery, in a new light, breaking down barriers of stigma and replacing shame with compassion, hope, and connection. Esrick’s social activism went all the way to the Capital with a successful presentation before Congress. Making the point that childhood trauma is a root cause of addiction which resulted in nine provisions for trauma-informed care being added to the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. October 24th, 2018 the President signed this bill in to law. Her willingness to share her research and personal journey with complete vulnerability, depth and humor delivers to survivors, their love ones, the professional community and the new learners, the public-at-large, a sense of hope, love and connection. Esrick directed and produced the multi-award winning film, The Wavy Gravy Movie: Saint Misbehavin’, which premiered on Showtime, PBS and Netflix. The New York Times hailed, Saint Misbehavin’ is an unabashed love letter to the world that defies the cynicism of our age.” (2011). The Wavy Gravy Movie will be re-mastered and released this summer (2019). Esrick Executive Produced the Netflix Original film, Ram Dass, Going Home. Widely acclaimed, the film was short-listed for an Academy Award. (2017) She directed the music video, LET’S RISE! CNN called LET’S RISE! the anthem for the March For Our Lives Movement airing the segment internationally to 350 million viewers worldwide. Ranking LET’S RISE! among the most important protest songs of the year, CNN featured Esrick and her work in a 2018 year-end television special. Michelle lives in New York City.

Mindy Buell

Mindy was born and raised in Ohio. She was drawn to nonprofit work from the beginning of her career with the desire to provide care to those in need. Following graduate school, she was principal of a middle and high school for all at-risk youth in Manistee. After she and her husband moved to Traverse City, she learned about a new organization that was just starting called Michael’s Place that helped grieving children and families. From the moment of her first conversation with the founder, Chris Dennos, she knew Michael’s Place was where she needed to be. She became the founding executive director and has been with the organization for almost 18 years. Mindy Buell has provided leadership and program development from the inception of Michael’s Place as a start-up nonprofit in the Traverse City community and surrounding areas. Since 2001, Buell has been the driving force building widely respected and sought out no cost support services for children and families grieving the loss of a loved one. As Executive Director/CEO, Mindy has served in a multitude of capacities for Michael’s Place including development, program and capacity building, volunteer management and coordination, and donor cultivation. In addition, Mindy served as a group facilitator for more than 10 years giving her a wealth of experience assisting and advocating for grieving families and children. Mindy was instrumental in the creation of the first template for school grief crisis planning, intervention, and aftercare in the event of the death of a school community member. She and her staff have helped numerous schools create their individualized grief crisis plans. Similar services have been created to assist businesses and organizations. It is Mindy’s goal to lead Michael’s Place into the future with a sound, sustainable revenue source, a respected and well-trained core of volunteers and professional staff, as she continues to spearhead innovative, transformative applications for both programs and development. Mindy is married to Mike and they have three boys, Brady (20), Mac (18), and Gus (10). Her favorite activities are reading and writing along with cheering on her boys. Mindy Buell has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Toledo and a Masters of Administration.

Rami Shapiro

Growing up in an Orthodox Jewish home where his mother thought he might be the Messiah while his father was convinced he was a luftmensch (air head), Rami Shapiro has had only one idea in his entire life: alles iz Gott, everything is God, the Happening happening as all happening. He earned rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College in order to preach this idea in synagogues, and a PhD in contemporary Judaism from Union Graduate School in order to teach this idea in universities. Along the way he’s taken Bodhisattva vows in Zen Buddhism, become a 32° Mason in the Scottish Rite, been initiated into the Ramakrishna Order of Vedanta Hinduism, joined the Theosophical Society, published three dozen books, has had his poems included in prayer books and hymnals around the English speaking world, and has walked the 12 Steps of Overeaters Anonymous more times than he can count. His books fall into three categories: Biblical translations that make the Bible say what he wished it would say; spiritual explorations that make spirituality all about practice rather than feelings; and recovery that reveals the central addiction of all humans—playing God—and the way to free oneself from it: realize God is playing you. Rami currently co-directs the One River Foundation devoted to sharing the Perennial Wisdom at the mystic heart of the world’s religions

Victor Strecher

Vic’s passion is purpose and his purpose is passion. For nearly a decade, he’s been on a continuing quest to help over one billion people find greater purpose and meaning in their lives. Vic loves researching, teaching, writing, and innovating in areas that intersect science and philosophy.