Theme: Shaping the Human Experience.

To shape: build, form, make, develop in a particular way.
To be human: mortal, compassionate, kind, humane.
To experience: undergo something, to feel, to learn.

We imagine a society in which people care about each other first. In the places we work, learn, play, heal and grow, we SHAPE and are shaped by others. Organizations, groups and teams where these experiences and interactions take place have the power and potential to be the most powerful force of good in our societies today. If we measure success by the way we touch the life of another HUMAN, what is possible today and for generations to come? TEDxClayton seeks to answer this question through distinguished speakers from a variety of industries, backgrounds, and ways of thinking that will inspire, challenge, and shape you. Through time and togetherness we boldly launch TEDxClayton. Welcome to the EXPERIENCE.

Application to attend will be posted May 13th.

St. Louis Club
7701 Forsyth Boulevard
Clayton, Missouri, 63105
United States

Aimee Wehmeier

President & CEO, Paraquad

Paraquad is one of the first Centers for Independent Living (CIL) in the country, serving about 2,500 people with disabilities annually. Wehmeier earned a Bachelor of Educational Studies from the University of Missouri and a MBA from William Woods University. Community leadership includes the Missouri State Rehabilitation Council; St. Louis Regional Chamber Board; Diversity Awareness Partnership; Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council Board; Missouri Foundation for Health, Fontbonne University, Washington University, and MO Better Foundation Advisory Boards; and the President’s Council. Wehmeier has a passion for public policy, advocacy and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. Employment and economic self-sufficiency are her highest priorities.

Andrew Baughen

Founder, Soulful Enterprise

Andrew has worked as a management consultant in banking strategy and as the Vicar of Saint James Clerkenwell, a church in London’s design and tech district. He continues to work in the ‘theotech’ sector at the intersection of business and theology. He is developing Soulful Enterprise which measures the wide range of value generated by an organization that make it soul-full rather than soul-less. Andrew is Programme Director of The School of Faith and an author and speaker on church strategy. He is an Honorary Visiting Fellow in the Faculty of Management, Cass Business School, City, University of London. Andrew is married to Rachel and they have two daughters. He enjoys cycling, photography and eating dessert.

Art McCoy

Superintendent, Jennings School District

At age 19, he began his career as a math teacher in the Rockwood School District after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science, reportedly as the youngest certified teacher in Missouri. After obtaining a Master’s Degree, he was appointed Vice-Principal in the City of St. Charles School District at 22. In 2002, after receiving a Doctor of Philosophy in Education, he became Pattonville’s K-12 Gifted Director. In December 2010, Dr. McCoy became the youngest and first African-American Superintendent/CEO of Ferguson-Florissant School District at age 33 and a leader for Harvard’s Pathways to Prosperity. He was Superintendent-in-Residence at the MIND Research Institute and Base 11 in Irvine, California from 2014 to 2016. In March 2016, he became superintendent in Jennings School District. Under his leadership, the 2017 and 2018 graduating Jennings class achieved 100% graduation, career, and college placement among the seniors enrolled as featured on Fox 2 and CNN.

Benjamin Ola. Akande

Assistant Chancellor, Washington University

Dr. Akande is a Nigerian born American Economist. He is Assistant Vice Chancellor of International Affairs- Africa and Associate Director of Global Health Center at Washington University in St Louis. Dr. Akande is the former President of Westminster College and served as Professor of Economics and dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University. Dr. Akande has served on private and publicly traded boards. He was a board member of the St. Louis Arts Museum and is currently on the board of the MUNY and Forest Park Forever. He is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies in the areas of: Strategy, Leadership Development and M&A. Dr. Akande and his wife Bola have three adult daughters. They reside in St Louis Missouri.

Brandon Dempsey

Partner, GoBrandGo

Brandon spends as much time exploring the world with his family while/or riding a BMW motorcycle as he can. When he’s not adventuring he’s collaborating with the owners of $25-250 million companies to help them re-position their company to unlock growth. A serial entrepreneur, Brandon is the co-owner of a marketing firm goBRANDgo!, and a real estate developer. He is also the author of Shut Up And Go!- A Millennial’s Guide to Figuring Out What You Want And How To Get It. And as the Global Membership Chair of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Brandon works to bring entrepreneurial tools, community, and support to entrepreneurs all over the world. He’s also actively engaged in several youth business programs. Brandon lives in St. Louis, MO with his wife, daughter, and 2 dogs. They adventure every weekend: hiking, rock climbing, dirt bike riding, exploring, or playing at a local park.

Charlotte Blank

CBO, Maritz

Charlotte has led programs in consumer psychology, social media, and global branding during her ten years in the media and automotive industries. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Curtis Martin

Hall of Fame Running Back, NFL

Curtis began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, earning the honor of Rookie of the Year in 1995. He then joined the New York Jets in 1998 where he played for 8 years and was a 5 time pro bowler. He finished his career as the 4th leading rusher of all-time and in 2012 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Driven to give his best while helping others, he founded the Curtis Martin Job Foundation. A non-profit organization that continuously provides financial support to single mothers, children charities, individuals with disabilities, low income housing providers and financial support to Surgicorps International. In addition, Curtis is the foundation’s sole financial supporter and is committed to funding the foundation’s endeavors.

Ed Reggi

Professional Actor

Ed is a lifelong storyteller who has the stories to prove it. Growing up in the Big Apple, Ed honed his acting by sneaking into the NBC studios located right across the street from his Brooklyn home. He later studied improv at Chicago’s historic The Second City which led him to apprentice with Paul Sills at Wisconsin Theater Game Center. While working as a professional actor, entertaining mostly corporate audiences, Ed soon recognized the interest of applying skills learned from improv–off the stage. Today, Reggi is a leader in Applied Improvisation. His clients vary from the Fortune 500 to small NGO’s. He teaches at Saint Louis University School of Business, Southern Illinois University Theater and Dance, Washington University School of Medicine and Center of Creative Arts (COCA). Upon moving to St. Louis, Ed managed to inaugurate a few successful local St. Louis events including the 48-Hour Film Project, St. Louis Improv and Fringe Festivals.

Ehan Kamat

Founder and CEO, SOLEMENDER

Ehan is a maker by nature whose wide-ranging interests encompass sculpture, ceramics, 3D printing, hydroponic gardening, robotics, fine art sales, and French cuisine. At the age of twelve, Ehan invented the Solemender, a device for treating foot pain and a medical condition called plantar fasciitis. He has been a chosen exhibitor and speaker at numerous regional and national business conferences. Ehan has placed and won in multiple nationwide teen pitching/entrepreneurial competitions. In 2016, he was named one of the top twenty-one inventors in the United States by Upstart Magazine. Ehan appeared on season nine of ABC’s Emmy Award winning Shark Tank where he pitched Solemender to the sharks including guest shark Alex Rodriguez. Currently he is a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley planning a dual major in French and Business.

Fred Falker

President, Falker Consulting Group, Inc.

Falker Consulting Group, Inc. is a human resource development training and consulting firm. Frederick is also the Director of Workforce Development for the Saint Louis Zoo. He has worked as an organizational development consultant for more than 30 years, helping organizations with performance management, customer service and diversity issues. At the Saint Louis Zoo he has worked extensively on helping the organization’s efforts to establish itself as one of the best places to work, serve and volunteer in the country. He is currently working on a book detailing a fundamentally new approach to thinking about diversity entitled, Seeing the Box: Improving Interpersonal Effectiveness.

Gene Dobbs Bradford

President and CEO, Jazz St. Louis

Mr. Bradford has headed Jazz St. Louis since 1999. During that time, he has built the organization’s contributed and earned income from $375,000 to $3.5 million today and led the organization through a $8.5 million capital campaign to develop the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz. He has overseen the expansion of Jazz St. Louis programming and education and outreach programs that have reached over 170,000 students. Mr. Bradford has received many honors, including the 2018 St. Louis Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts, St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” “Most Influential People,” and “Inclusive Leadership” awards as well as being named the “2014 Non-profit Executive of the Year” by the St. Louis American Foundation, he was given the “Excellence in Leadership and Civic Engagement” award from the Royal Vagabonds, and a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from the Webster Groves Arts Commission.

Jayson Wells

Experience Teller | Author | Enhancement Coach, Jayson Wells Enterprises

Jayson Wells is a retired professional basketball player who has an incredible story to share with others. Jayson graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Sport Management. He then went on to play professional basketball for 13 seasons. After retiring from basketball, he joined Nike Grassroots Basketball as a skills instructor.Showing his value and dedication for 4 years, he was then elevated to Director of Nike Elite100, developing the top rated high school players in the country. Now, he is fulfilling his PURPOSE by taking on the role as an Empowerment Leader to ‘DevelopExtraordinary Winners.’

John Michel

Brigadier General (Ret), US Air Force

Gen. Michel is an award-winning author, lifelong learner, and sought-after speaker who is passionate about leadership and people. During his over 26 years of military service, General Michel held a series of key leadership positions in transportation, logistics, and operations. In addition to leading NATO’s unprecedented 14-nation effort in Afghanistan to build the $6.7 Billion Afghan Air Force, he was the only senior military leader in the Department of Defense to successfully develop and personally lead three large-scale, multi-billion dollar global transformation efforts He is a staunch advocate for improving access to care for our nation’s most vulnerable population, particularly the disabled and the elderly, and is committed to helping fellow veterans embrace entrepreneurism.

John Stroup

CEO, Belden

John’s corporate direction and strategic oversight of Belden’s operations helped grow the Company’s revenue from $1.2 billion in 2005 to $2.36 billion in 2015. Under his leadership, Belden has transformed from a provider of high quality cable products to a leading manufacturer of end-to-end networking and connectivity solutions. Since 2008, John has served on the Board of Directors for privately-held Barry-Wehmiller and publicly-held Rexnord Corp. As part of Rexnord’s board, he serves on the Audit and Compensation committees. For his work with Barry-Wehmiller, John was awarded as one of St. Louis Business Journal’s Outstanding Directors in 2013. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Marshall Davis Jones

Founder, MINDBODYSPEAK

Marshall Davis Jones listens. He keeps his ear to the ground and has written poetry that has flown into space. He believes everyone in the world can have a more resonant voice. Thus, he created MindBodySpeak. A program designed to help you find it.

Maya Leibman

CIO, American Airlines

Maya is responsible for all technology efforts including software development, infrastructure, operations and security. Maya led the systems integration of American Airlines and US Airways and now leads the organization’s next generation strategic initiatives including transitioning to the cloud, advanced analytics, machine learning and the advancement of DevOps tools and principles. Maya serves on the board of the Dallas Theater Center as well as TalkSTEM, a non-profit that seeks to connect STEM with the real world. She also volunteers for a number of local organizations, including the So SMAART program, where she works with minority girls ages 9 to 12, teaching them about technology and life. Maya earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Chicago and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Sam Caucci

CEO & Founder, 1Huddle

The game platform for employee training. Today, companies struggle to get their people ready to work. And with a workforce that is changing rapidly (50% will be a Millennial by 2020), we must find better ways to deploy training that helps onboard employees faster and up-skills them more effectively. So we built 1HUDDLE. This powerful, easy-to-use game platform helps managers to more easily create and deliver engaging training their team members love and that ultimately gets them ready to work. We are the fastest way to onboard, up-skill and fire up your workforce.