Theme: -isms

This independently organized event, licensed by TED, will feature local and non-local voices under the theme of “-isms”.
Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe.

Kenneth J. Shouldice Library
906 Ryan Ave.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, 49783
United States

Betsy Huggett

Director of the Diane Peppler Resource Center, Inc.

Betsy Huggett is the executive director for Diane Peppler Resource Center, Inc. in Sault Ste. Marie, MI since September 2014. Ms. Huggett moved to the Upper Peninsula in 2005 from Hillsdale County, where she worked for Hope Network as a mental health case manager in Hillsdale and Jackson Counties. She worked for Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Men’s and Women’s New Hope House for 9 years as a primary clinician, case manager, and program director. She is a member of the Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force, and a board member for Trace Holistic, a non-profit organization of nurses and nurse practitioners who provide sexual assault exams for those in need.

Blake Erickson

Student

Blake is a senior criminal justice major from Roscommon, Michigan. A 2016 graduate of Roscommon High School, Blake will be continuing his education at the University of Michigan Law School starting in Fall 2019. On campus, Blake serves as Student Government Treasurer and the President of both the Honors Student Organization and Political Science Club. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and playing sports.

Danial O'Brien

Filmmaker

Danial O’Brien is an award-winning independent filmmaker. He is a graduate of Sault College’s Digital Film Production Program, and also holds a post-graduation certificate from Fanshawe College in Marketing Management. In 2018, while a student at Sault College, he was part of a team that traveled to Tanzania to produce a series of marketing videos for Arusha Technical College and Pwani Veta. The project was funded by CICan. He made his feature film directorial debut with “The Book of Nightmares”. The film won the iHorror Award for Best Original Screenplay and will be distributed by Wild Eye Releasing in October 2019. Danial lives in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, with his family.

Justin Goldston

Management Consultant

Dr. Justin Goldston is a leading expert on blockchain technology and its inclusion in business enterprises. As a certified management consultant, he has spent most of his career in industry working with leaders of organizations implementing enterprise applications around the world. With his love for technology and his passion to make a positive impact on social change, Dr. Goldston has made it his mission to bring technological knowledge and capabilities to the people. Along with deep domain experience, Dr. Goldston is a member of The Blockchain Council, The World Blockchain Association, The Government Blockchain Association, and is certified in Blockchain from Cornell University.

Megan Kinney

Librarian

Megan Kinney is a recent arrival to the Sault from Colorado. She was born in Michigan and grew up in the Cleveland area. She has a BA in French from the Ohio State University, and a Master’s in Information Science from the University of Michigan. Megan has worked in libraries for 30 years and in four states: Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, and Arizona. She has also written and implemented grants for every organization in which she has worked. In 2017-18, she was an Americorps VISTA volunteer in southwest Colorado. She has been coming to the Sault to visit her spouse’s family for almost 20 years. In that time, she has watched it evolve into quite a petri dish of innovation and social action. As a result, she is inspired to dig right in and roll her sleeves up, thus, her talk about microenterprise and social entrepreneurism in the Sault. In her free time, Megan enjoys hanging out and hiking with her husband and three dogs, swimming, biking, and listening to podcasts.

Ryan Byrne

Filmmaker

Ryan Byrne was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In 2002 he toured Asia as a model/actor after winning a local modeling competition and signing with Elite Models in Hong Kong. After returning home to Canada in 2006, he founded a company called ACE Studios. Ryan first pursued his passion for film-making at Sault College in an introductory film-making course. Immediately after completing the program he jumped into creating his first feature film with all-local-talent called “All Hallows Eve: October 30th”. This first film was distributed by Gravitas Ventures. In 2016 his second feature-length film “The Book of Nightmares” won the iHorror Award for the Best Original Screenplay and will be released in October 2019 by Wild Eye Releasing. Presently, Ryan continues to lead the team at ACE in producing original content.

Todd Zakrajsek

Educator

Todd D. Zakrajsek, PHD (Lake Superior State College Class of ’85) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC – Chapel Hill. Dr. Zakrajsek was a tenured professor of psychology and built faculty development efforts at three universities before joining the UNC School of Medicine. In addition to his work at UNC providing resources for faculty on various topics related to teaching/learning, leadership, and scholarly activity, Todd has served on many educationally-related boards and work groups. Current and past board memberships include the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, College Teaching, Education in the Health Professions. Todd has consulted with organizations such as Lenovo Computer, Microsoft, Harvard, and the Gates Foundation.