Theme: Authentic

There is the normal way most people think about and interact with life. Then there is the way instigators, disruptors, troublemakers, and change agents do it. Those are the stories we highlight.

TEDxNormal brings the excitement and big ideas of TED to central Illinois!

Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Illinois State University
400 W. Beaufort Street
Normal, Illinois, 61761
United States

Adam Peterson

Adam Peterson is an award-winning educator, author, and speaker. Using his experiences from more than a decade in the classroom, he know shares his passion with educators all across the country! His ideas for spreading kindness have sparked a movement that has reached schools and communities in 35 U.S. states and 8 countries around the world, encouraging children and adults to be kind and BE THE YELLOW!

Ashley Quinto Powell

Ashley Quinto Powell is a speaker and sales executive. She speaks nationally on salary negotiation, motherhood, and inclusion — most recently for TEDx, Pinterest, Boeing and Google — and she supports women in business through formal and informal mentorship communities. She has been named a Brava Woman to Watch, an InBusiness Magazine 40 Under 40 and a 2018 Athena Award nominee. She has been quoted in MSNMoney.com and the Huffington Post and is the subject of a children's book, "She's a Technology Sales Executive and She's My Mom". She lives in Madison with her husband and two children.

Douglas Vakoch

Dr. Douglas Vakoch is president of METI International, a nonprofit scientific organization that transmits powerful, intentional radio signals to nearby stars, in the hope of eliciting a reply. As an elected member of the International Astronomical Union and the International Institute for Space Law, he explores the scientific and societal dimensions of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI.

Jay Percell

Dr. Jay C. Percell is an Assistant Professor at Illinois State University in the School of Teaching and Learning. His research interests include Secondary Education, Grading Practices, Educational Technology, and Digital Literacy. Follow him on Twitter: @jaycpercell.

Justin Sandler

Justin Sandler is a director, actor, drummer, writer, and inspirational speaker. He owns 3 cubed studios (Photography/Film studio) with his wife Mary Lou where they are currently in development of 2 feature documentary films... "Caregiving Cancer" & "MANtimacy." He is a cancer survivor as of 2018 and has been speaking about his journey as well as sharing his message through his one-man show "Embrace Love Free." He is currently writing his book with the same title.

Justing Sandler

Pending

Pamela Crim

Pamela Crim is the host of the number one devotional podcast in the world, BIG Life Devotional. She is recognized as the leader of change in lives of women around the world and the voice that helps thousands wake up daily with gratitude, energy, and purpose.

Pardeep Jindal

Pardeep Jindal is an I.T. professional and a Wellness Champion at AdventHealth. He is passionate about creating a culture of health and wellness. His mission is to create a new paradigm about health and well-being – one that leads to a happier and healthier life.

Raj Ramesh

Raj Ramesh is an AI expert who helps orgaizations transform themselve to adapt to the future by simplifying complicatedness. He does this by using doodles as an art form to capture complex concepts on a single page. You can find much of these doodles at youtube.com/rajramesh where he has over 21,000 subscribers.

Sam Cullinane

Sam has been married almost 24 years but in her tenth year of marriage she and her husband signed divorce papers. They reconciled and became avid students of relationships. Now she is a relationship researcher and writer co-authoring the books Bigger Love and Marriage: From Miserable to Magnificent and a podcast host of The Not-So Perfect Couple Podcast with her husband.