Theme: TEDxMileHigh: RETHINK

Let us challenge the boundaries we’ve set for ourselves. Let us revel in our imagination to contemplate an entirely new future.

The last 18 months have changed the world. Public health, government, finances, technology in various realms – have all changed. Our old way of thinking is obsolete. It’s time to rethink the future.

Join to hear from our community of activists, entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, and artists who are passionate about rethinking the impact our lives will have.

We are a place for you to tap into new big ideas, connect with like-minded individuals, and be a part of a movement to catalyze progress.

Are you ready?

Buell Theatre
1350 Curtis Street
Denver, Colorado, 80202
United States

Arden Lewis

Chef & Social Entrepreneur

Chef Arden Lewis is the first-generation son of immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago. After studying at the French Culinary Institute in New York, he became Sous Chef at the Union Square Hospitality Group and later the Executive Chef at one of the top catering companies in Brooklyn. When his partner, Caroline, started a Masters in Social Work at the University of Denver, Lewis signed on as Executive Chef for Comal Heritage Food Incubator by Focus Points Family Resource Center. There, he teaches immigrant and refugee women how to become entrepreneurs and launch their own food businesses.

Camille Stevens-Rumann

Fire Ecologist

Camille Stevens-Rumann is a fire ecologist & faculty member in the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship department at Colorado State University, as well the Assistant Director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. She started working in fire ecology after being a wildland firefighter and now her research focus is primarily on post-fire recovery. She has two children who get to tromp around many forests with her.

Ellen Trachman

Reproductive Law Expert

Attorney Ellen Trachman represents those wishing to build a family through assisted reproductive technology. In 2019, Ellen co-founded Colorado Fertility Advocates, a non-profit organization supporting Colorado fertility professionals and advocates. She was named Ally of the Year by the Colorado LGBT Bar Association and one of Denver’s 40 Under 40. Ellen writes a weekly column for Above the Law and co-hosts the podcast I Want To Put A Baby In You. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her spouse, four kids, and adorable mini goldendoodle, Teddy.

Inaiah & Chela Lujan

Musicians

Inaiah Lujan is a 6th generation Colorado native, of Latinx and Jicarilla Apache ancestry. He is the fourth of six brothers and sisters, born to a family of teachers, healers and music lovers. “We have a musician in the family!” his father exclaimed moments after his home birth in the San Luis Valley. Drawing inspiration from 50s & 60s Folk, Rock, Pop, R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop; Lujan croons and swoons, winning hearts wherever he may roam. Inaiah's sister, Chela Lujan, was born in New Mexico and grew up on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, and has long since made the high-plains of Colorado her home. A devoted disciple of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, she sings with a classic air. Adam Hook of Soaked in Sound describes her as having, “an oracle-like sound, warning of events that may come to pass.” Her hypnotic voice has a siren song effect on the listener, luring them closer into the depths of echoed beauty.

Jennifer L. Fluri

Political Geographer

Jennifer L. Fluri is a political geographer, Fulbright Scholar, and Professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder. She’s published 30+ peer reviewed articles and co-authored three books: “The Carpetbaggers of Kabul and other American-Afghan Entanglements,” “Feminist Spaces: Gender and Geography in a Global Context,” and “Engendering Development: Capitalism and Inequality in the Global Economy.” Her current research project, funded by the National Science Foundation, examines gender, security, and development in Afghanistan with a focus on Afghan women’s leadership.

Julieanna L. Richardson

Historian

Julieanna L. Richardson is the Founder and President of The HistoryMakers, the largest national collection of African American video oral histories on record since the WPA Slave Narratives. At Brandeis University, she did extensive oral history interviews on the Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1980 and worked as a corporate lawyer, prior to serving as the Cable Administrator for the City of Chicago. In 2014, Richardson was profiled in American Masters: The Boomer List, a PBS documentary and exhibition at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Kenya Mahogany

Spoken Word Artist

Kenya Mahogany Fashaw is a spoken word artist, actress, and playwright, and the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of 5280 Artist Co-Op. She is a member of the Denver Center of Performing Art Playwrights Group. She wrote and directed “Colorism, Breaking The Chains of Complexion,” which won a 2018 Henry Award for Outstanding New Play. She was also nominated for a Henry Award for her part in writing 5280’s “1 Night 6 Plays,” which included two of her micro-scripts: “Hiphop Matrimony: A Hiphop Musical” and “Cages: No More Boundage.” Kenya creates stories to normalize people of color and to change their narratives.

Monalicious

Songwriter & Music Producer

At 17, Mona Magno founded FreeMusicForFreePeople, a community-focused music company based in Denver. They’ve been performing with local bands for 10 years, but now write and perform all of their music as Monalicious. In 2015, Mona started co-facilitating the Denver Chapter of the Balanced Breakfast music industry meetup with local legend, Reed Fox. Currently, Mona is a Teaching Artist and Lead Program Coordinator at Youth On Record, a nationally recognized non-profit organization that brings artistic opportunities to underserved youth.

Ozy Aloziem

Visionary Leader

Ozy (Ozioma) Aloziem is an Igbo scholar and the Denver Public Library's first Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Manager. As a critical Black feminist, she amplifies voices of marginalized communities that are left on the fringes of academic research and public policy. In 2019, she served as a UN Practicum Delegate for the United Nation’s Annual Commission on the Status of Women. In 2021, she won the Library Journal “Movers & Shakers” award. Presently, her research is centered around trauma-informed & culturally responsive community engagement, radical healing, and radical imagination.

Virginia Spielmann

Occupational Therapist

Virginia Spielmann is an Occupational Therapist and the Executive Director of STAR Institute for Sensory Processing. She obtained her PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development in August 2021 and is Affiliate Faculty at Colorado State Department of Occupational Therapy. She co-founded & authored the Critical Core therapeutic role-playing game and co-developed the Palaana sensory lounger with SLACK Lifestyle. Her extensive clinical experience includes autism, differences in sensory integration/processing, infant mental health, adoption, developmental trauma, and physical disabilities.