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).

The Babcock Theater
2810 2nd Ave N
Billings, Montana, 59101
United States

Anthony Miller

Entrepreneur + Faith Community Leader

Anthony is nationally recognized financial planner, entrepreneur, and education enthusiast with graduate degrees in business and in financial services. He holds eight professional designations and taught finance at Rocky Mountain College for seven years. After a lifetime of faithful membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Anthony traversed an acute existential faith crisis after stumbling across the Church History Gospel Topics Essays on his church’s website. Out of the grief and loss of community from his faith crisis, Anthony created and co-leads a support group for others who have experienced painful shifts in faith and belief. Anthony frequently contributes to nuanced and post-Mormon communities online and in-person on these topics. He has been a featured guest on the Mormon Stories, A Thoughtful Faith, Mormon Discussions, Almost Awakened, Infants on Thrones, and Marriage on a Tightrope podcasts.

Chrissy Pratt

Animal Trainer and Behaviorist

Chrissy is passionate about all animals, fascinated by their behavior, and deeply committed to their conservation. Chrissy began her career working with animals as a volunteer at the New York Aquarium in 2002, where she became passionate about operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training, and how this helps improve the lives of animals living in captivity. She began to look towards applying her skills in a way that would promote conservation, rescue, rehabilitation, and finding creative ways for humans and animals to work together in a manner that benefits both...not just humans. When she is not teaching, Chrissy likes to spend her time learning about other cultures and ‘jungle’ ways of life.

Clinton Shelton

Singer + Composer + Music Producer

Through recordings and engaging performances, Clinton uses his voice as an instrument to weave textured stories and melodies that paint pictures of early childhood struggles and current pitfalls of those in America. Originally moving to Montana in 2007 to attend Montana State University – Northern. Clinton, decided to make the move permanent as he adopted the unwavering work ethic, generosity, accountability & perseverance that Montanans possess. By combining real life experiences with simple but high-energy beats, he has found a vehicle for his talent. His most recent single titled “Sincerely Mucho” has amassed over 200,000 Youtube streams & is rapidly approaching 500,000 streams on digital platforms all from “BIG SKY COUNTRY.” Clinton wears many hats as a father of two daughters, Sales Manager for Lithia Motors Inc, & the Co-Founder of an emerging Las Vegas based digital-marketing company House of Visions Productions.

Daniel Kosel

Poet + Musician

Daniel Kosel is a Montana poet-guitarist whose original blend of Country, Rock, and Blues reflects the influence of Merle Haggard, George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, and ACDC. This artist has shared stages with Sawyer Brown, Neal McCoy, Granger Smith, Young Dubliners, Thomas Gabriel, Coco Montoya, and more. Daniel says, “I’m not Charlie Pride, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Merle Haggard, or Angus Young, but I bet they’d like my music. “

Danny Wyrwas

Inventor + Business Owner

Danny is founder of Absolute Fence in Billings. Over the last few decades growing his business, Danny has built a company culture of developing leaders in and out of the workplace; giving them the tools they need to grow, making families better, thus making the community better, collectively. Elevate Leadership and Business Consulting, Inc. was born from this model where Danny works in a group setting or one on one with leaders and their teams to grow individuals and their business, improving company culture and communications. In his spare time, he has spent several years on a startup, Hopper & Hatch...a machine he has built and patented that catches live grasshoppers, removing them from an area, where he then dries them right on the prairie and packages them as feed for chickens and other livestock. Danny is passionate about building sustainable food sources, holistic management of resources and improving communities from the inside out.

Dennis Nettiksimmons

Musician

Dennis Nettiksimmons has been writing and playing music since he was a kid. His music took a backseat for a number of years to his legal career, but he has been actively engaged in the Billings, Montana music scene since 2001; playing solo acoustic guitar and participating in numerous bands and in a variety of styles - everything from bluegrass to jazz to funk to punk. His collaboration with Sophia has been one of his most profound musical experiences.

Karen Miller

Brain-based Coaching + Strategic Planning Consultant

With a BA in History, a master’s degree in Public Relations, and a certification in Brain-Based Coaching, Karen Miller brings a multifaceted perspective to her work. Born, raised and educated in Montana, Karen is committed to the advancement of the Big Sky state. While her career has ventured into different avenues, no matter the position, she is dedicated to collaborating with communities to create better methods for achieving great outcomes. By combining the different aspects of her education and professional experience, Karen has the perspective and insights that elicit enthusiasm for innovation and excitement for action. Karen currently provides Strategic Planning, Team Development and Board Planning services for local organizations. In addition to crafting and facilitating solution-focused conversations, Karen spends her time with her husband A.J., daughter Eleni “Leni Bug,” dog Gus and her immediate family both here in Billings and in Helena.

Kevin Scharfe

Entrepreneur + Creator

Kevin is an entrepreneur and product designer whose patented camping product, “The Ripple” was nominated for the IHA’s global innovation awards in 2015 and featured on the hit show “I Want That!” and CBS New York. His passion for behavioral economics and social cognitive neuroscience led him to a neuroscience-based technology company where he became the creative director, leading a team of executive coaches and software engineers to develop an interactive coaching platform called, “Malcolm.” Kevin is now the co-founder of the tech startup Converge, an online platform that allows users to find, book and share meaningful experiences available in their communities, spanning from hiking excursions to mindfulness classes, to volunteering. Kevin is also the director of the entrepreneurial development program, Rock31 where he and a team of founders facilitate meetups, startup events, training programs, and peer coaching for owners of high- growth companies in and around Yellowstone County.

Leif Welhaven

Community Builder + Marketing Consultant

Leif Welhaven is the founder and CEO of LW Consulting, LLC, a marketing & motivation business based in Billings, Montana where he and his team specialize in: • Brand & Business Development • Sales & Marketing Strategy • Social Media Management • Website Development • Coaching & Team Building • Speaking & Corporate Training Leif is well known in his hometown of Billings, where he can be found emceeing a non-profit gala, promoting a worthwhile fundraiser, or just mowing a neighbor’s lawn. He has been active in the “Exchange Club”, a national service club, for over 22 years and currently serves as a Regional Vice President, offering support and training to Exchange Clubs all over the Western United States. In his spare time, he likes to ride his Harley. Leif’s real passion is spending time with his family which include his two grown children and two labradoodles.

Malcolm Horn

Mental Health Services Director + Master Level Addiction Counselor

Dr. Horn received her Doctorate in Psychology, with a teaching emphasis, from Walden University and has over a decade of progressive clinical experience working with the complex diagnoses that often accompany addictions and co-occurring disorders. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and is licensed by the State of Montana as an Addiction Counselor (LAC). She is certified as an SAP (Substance Abuse Professional) to conduct assessments for those with a safety-sensitive position under the Department of Transportation. She also has accreditation from the NAADAC (National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors) as a Master Level Addiction Counselor (MAC). Malcolm currently works at Rimrock Foundation and is responsible for ongoing training and education for clinical and support staff. She is passionate about our systems of care and how we can change systems to improve our health and outcomes.

Michael Collender

Rhetorician + Author + Professor

Michael grew up in LA and moved to the Pacific Northwest to save his wife from freeways. They now have 6 kids and live in Billings because he likes big cities, and she likes small towns. Somehow Billings is both. Michael teaches and writes on rhetoric and communication because people need hope and vision. Without both, people die. That’s why he’s written a textbook on public speaking called A Rhetoric of Love: Volume Two. It’s part of a series and will soon be published by Veritas Press. Michael is finishing his second PhD this year. He taught philosophy and leadership at Gonzaga University, was a visiting fellow of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and researched and lectured at the US Joint Forces Staff College, a war college in Norfolk, VA. The military published his research, and it is listed as recommended reading for commanders in Art of Design, the US Military’s textbook on Campaign design, published by the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS).

Sandra Gebhardt

Sandra Gebhardt Marketing Owner

As a digital marketer with years of experience, Sandra has worked with 100’s of small business owners, trained in high ticket consulting groups, spoken at multiple events, been featured in two documentaries, runs a top-rated Podcast (Binding Authority) all while being a wife and keeping the worlds cutest two-year-old entertained, happy and from falling off of tall things he climbs. Sandra is extremely passionate about helping people solve problems they are having in business. She has been described as being “a bit too much” or “a busy body” and voted “most eager to please” by her Highschool Senior class. Sandra took these labels and turned into being somewhat famous for “knowing a person for that,” helping small business owners plug holes in their current business. She also runs a group consulting course called Mothers Of Marketing where she focuses on coaching and helping Moms build their small businesses!

Sherry Winn

Motivational Speaker + Coach + Author + Olympian

Sherry Winn is the founder of The Winning Leadership Company. She is a Two-Time Olympian, National Basketball Coach of The Year, and Best-Selling Author. She is an in-demand internationally renowned speaker who frequently speaks for companies like StubHub, AnyTime Fitness, New York Life, and Edward Jones. Sherry is known as a leader of leaders who has written five books with a much-anticipated book titled, Winning Leadership: Seven Secrets for Employee Champions and Sales Superstars. CEOs rave about her ability to weave practical steps with life changing messages throughout a humorous presentation which keeps leaders and team members on the edge-of-their seats. With over 34 years of practicing leadership as a National Championship Basketball Coach, Sherry is an expert at coaching leaders and team members to championship status. She has successfully taken leaders beyond their levels of comfort to “WIN” against competitors who were superior in talent, facilities, and financial budgets.

Sophia Writesel

Singer + Musician + Composer + Cellist

Sophia Writesel began classical training in cello and voice in 2007 at the age of 9 and continued to participate in numerous competitions and recitals throughout her school years. As an independent artist, Sophia has been involved with several groups in the local music scene since 2019, the first group being a duo with Dennis Nettiksimmons. “I was introduced to music at a very young age. Some of my earliest memories are attending symphonies and observing the vocal lessons my grandma would teach. Music has always been at the forefront of my life and continues to be my life-long passion. The songs that I write come directly from genuine, raw emotion. Using poetry and song-writing as an emotional outlet has guided me through some of my greatest hardships. When I am overcome with emotion, I pick up a guitar to channel my thoughts and feelings out of myself and into music.”

Tim Pollard

Leader in Executive Communications + CEO + Author

Tim is the Founder and CEO of Oratium and author of The Compelling Communicator: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design. Throughout a long career in Sales and Marketing for companies such as Unilever, Barclays Bank and the Corporate Executive Board, Tim has almost obsessively sought to understand and capture the underlying “science” of extraordinary communication. The result of this journey has been the development of a unique set of tools and concepts, and a remarkable ability to coach others in the learnable processes of exceptional communications. As a leading thinker in his field, Tim is a regular columnist for Forbes and Entrepreneur, and a highly sought-after speaker in the area of advanced communication skills, with particular emphasis on executive communications, sales messaging and donor messaging.

William B. Henry

Leadership Trainer + Consultant + Author + CEO

William specializes in having D.E.I.I. conversations around leadership development, strategic planning, employee engagement, and culture building. He has more than 20 years of experience enhancing the performance of individual executives, teams, and organizations. His background encompasses a wide range of programs and initiatives for organization design, cultural change and personal development. His stance takes a different approach as he works directly with clients to implement strategies and teach skills that can be carried through every phase of life. William has gained national attention with his motto “We All Play A Role.” William meets leaders where they are in their career path and in their experience of D.E.I.I. knowledge and application: whether it’s newly hired leaders of an organization, key stakeholders taking on challenging new assignments, leaders with management issues, or other high-potential stakeholders who can benefit from clear and constructive feedback.