Theme: Towards a Technological World

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).

Minnetonka High School
18301 MN-7
Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55345
United States

Dan McCreary

Distinguished Engineer at Optum

Dan McCreary is an author, speaker, and evangelist for graph technologies. As a Distinguished Engineer at Optum, he works with business units within United Healthcare (Fortune 6) to evaluate and integrate advanced technologies including AI, Graph, and NoSQL into their digital ecosystem. Dan has a solid background and understanding of solution architecture. He has worked for Steve Jobs at NeXT Computer, at Bell Labs as an integrated circuit designer and as the owner of Integrity Solutions, a consulting firm of over 70 employees. He has expertise in NLP, US federal data integration (NIEM), XML standards, taxonomy and ontology development, and semantic search. He is the co-author of "Making Sense of NoSQL" and was the co-founder of DATAVERSITY's NoSQL Now! series of conferences. His current research is helping organizations evaluate the cost-effectiveness of migrating from relational to graph databases.

Gabrielle Tan

Student

Gabrielle Tan is a senior at Minnetonka High School. Since a young age, she has been extremely passionate about music and musical performance, starting off as a choral singer and picking up piano, guitar, and clarinet over several years. Her years at MHS have allowed her to further her music career through the choral and instrumental music programs and the student led club called Coffeehouse, which gives students the opportunity to perform on a full stage set up three times a year. Now as a board member of Coffeehouse, she not only has grown comfortable with live performance, but eager to spread musical opportunities to others and spark musical growth. Besides music, her interests include environmental protection, academics, and spreading positivity in a world too often divided.

Joseph Cossette

Physics and Physical Science teacher at Minnetonka High School

Joe Cossette teaches Physics and Physical Science at Minnetonka High School. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and worked as a Mechanical Development Engineer at Seagate Technology in Shakopee for a couple of years before quitting his job and going back to school for science education. He is passionate about bow ties and loves having a job where he gets to geek out about science every day. He enjoys designing experiences for students that challenge the mold of traditional education and spends much of his free time dreaming up science lyrics for popular songs. He and his wife are proud parents to a busy 1.5-year-old that has made life amazing, crazy, rewarding, and challenging.

Laurie Stach

Founder and Executive Director of the LaunchX entrepreneurship programs

Laurie is the Founder and Executive Director of the LaunchX entrepreneurship programs for high school students, where she seeks to build entrepreneurial skills in teens that empower them to build the future. Laurie holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She previously worked at MIT's entrepreneurship center as the Program Manager for High School Education, where she was the thought leader on startup ideation, built and ran the entrepreneurship center maker space, developed and taught an MITx / EdX course in entrepreneurship, and designed and taught a new maker class at MIT. Laurie also has previous experience as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group and as an innovator at BMW’s Design Studio.

René Rodriguez

Speaker, advisor, and CEO

René Rodriguez believes that we are only scratching the surface of what is possible, and that every profession can benefit from the latest in neuroscience research. As a speaker, advisor, and CEO, he helps leaders create influence and transformation both personally and professionally. René has shared the stage with the likes of Tony Robbins, George W. Bush, and Magic Johnson, to name a few. Over the last 20 years his company has trained more than 100,000 people in applying behavioral psychology and neuroleadership methodologies to solve some of the toughest challenges in leadership, sales and change. Rene's engaging speaking style, backed by his scientific approach, makes him a top rated speaker at every event. As an entrepreneur and CEO of multiple companies, Rene brings a practical business approach while inspiring his audiences to take action.

Tyler Olson

Serial entrepreneur

Tyler Olson is an award-winning serial entrepreneur in several technology fields. Tyler not only brings well-rounded exposure from all sectors of technology including Social Media, Data Analytics, Cyber Security, IT, and the world of web 2.0, but his deep passion for helping people learn and interactive speaking style ensure audiences of any level leave his presentations with new insights. He frequently speaks for organizations such as IBM, 3M, Target, and others. If you're looking for a dynamic, engaging, and takeaway-oriented presentation on topics related to technology, Tyler's the speaker you've been looking for.