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 Commons
1794 E Baxter Ln
Bozeman, Montana, 59718
United States

Anna Couch

Born in Austin, Texas, Anna Couch has called Bozeman, Montana home for 10 years. Anna graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English writing and a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies, where she was on a student-led research team that studied the experience of young adults who received sex education in Montana. She currently works at Bridgercare, a grassroots family planning clinic, helping people access sexual healthcare. When not advocating for sexual health, you can find her flying fishing with her husband or hiking with her pup, Dax.

Bailey Marjerison

Bailey Mihalovich graduated from Montana State University with a degree in community health and a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies. Here she was part of a student-led research team that studied the experience of young adults who had sex ed in Montana. Post-graduation she moved to Spokane, Washington and began a temporary position for the Spokane Regional Health District running a Covid isolation facility for the unhoused population. She now does care coordination for the Community Health Association of Spokane working with high utilizers of emergency departments who face social determinants of health barriers. Her patients often have complex medical conditions they are managing while experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health diagnoses. In her free time, Bailey can be found at a local coffee shop or brewery with her husband, reading, solving a puzzle, or at a park with her dog, Camper.

Brandt Williams

Brandt Williams is a connector, strategist and design thinker constantly looking at new ways to solve big challenges. Brandt has served as founder for early stage ventures, and CMO for Fortune 500 companies. He is committed to building new paths for creativity, sustainable livelihoods, and personal fulfillment.

Denver Holt

Denver Holt is the founder and president of the Owl Research Institute (ORI), a nonprofit he started 30 years ago. Today, it is one of the premier owl research centers in the world, just as Denver is one of the leading experts. He has dedicated his life to the study of wild owls: observing, recording, and enjoying their natural world. His unwavering commitment to boots-on-the-ground data collection informs his massive body of research. Denver is a widely published author who has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and The New York Times. He also frequently helps with film and television programs, such as Frozen Planet I and Frozen Planet II. He has educated and entertained people from all walks of life and enjoys guiding, meeting new people, and expanding his knowledge of wildlife and their habitat.

Dr. Charles van Rees

Dr. Charles van Rees is a conservation scientist, naturalist, and nature communicator dedicated to protecting wildlife and helping people deepen their connection with nature. With over 13 years of field research experience across six countries, Charles combines his exuberant love for the outdoors with biological expertise to help other people have deeper, more restorative and rewarding relationships with the outdoors. He is particularly passionate about the many ways that nature experiences and knowledge boost executive function, creativity, problem-solving, and innovativeness for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Charles is the founder of the Gulo in Nature blog and a co-producer and co-host on the Nature Guys podcast. Charles’ scientific work revolves around navigating competing demands for freshwater between the human and natural world. He has a broad background in endangered species management, animal behavior, landscape ecology and water resources negotiations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches mixed martial arts.

Dr. Deborah McCauley

Dr. Deborah McCauley is a wildlife veterinarian who has worked with wildlife organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, and ZooMontana. She graduated from Royal Veterinary College and has won numerous global leadership awards including the 2017 Ashoka Fellowship and the Emily Couric Women’s Leadership Award in 2019.

Emily Lynn Paulson

Emily Lynn Paulson is an author, writer, Certified Professional Recovery Coach, facilitator of Addiction Awareness, and the founder of Sober Mom Squad. She has appeared on media outlets including The Today Show, The Doctors, The Tamron Hall Show, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today, discussing how to end the shame and stigma of mental health and alcohol use disorders, and to find freedom from substances, situations, and systems that no longer serve you. Emily is the author of Highlight Real: Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life, and the forthcoming book Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and Other Lies of Multi-Level-Marketing (May 2023). Born and raised in Helena, Montana, Emily currently resides in Central Oregon with her husband and their five children.

Jimmy Talarico

Born and raised south of Chicago, Jimmy Talarico earned his Masters in architecture from Montana State University. He is an associate owner and project designer at Cushing Terrell, a national architecture and engineering firm that works with companies such as Target, Dell, Facebook, and Google. He is also an artist who co-owns Memories To Masterpiece, a space he created to display his wax on canvas artwork. Jimmy’s understanding of visual art and design, combined with an application of literary analysis, allows him to describe the power artists have to make connections between people across cultures, beliefs, and social groups.

Kate Kunst

Kate Kunst graduated in 2020 from Montana State University with a degree in fine art. Since graduation, they have split their time between printmaking and activism; after completing an internship at a studio in Washington D.C., they returned to Bozeman to organize with the Sunrise Movement and Bozeman United for Racial Justice and has been an active member of their respective leadership ever since. Stemming from the history of the female body, the explicit nature of their work often sparks conversations around sexual health and the lack of proper education. Now they are thrilled to be gathering data to back these testimonies and inspire change.

Meshayla Cox

Meshayla is a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Professional through Cornell University and studied African American studies at the University of Montana. She serves her community as an Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Consultant. In her work, Meshayla leverages her personal and educational experience to mobilize the power of institutions to transform our communities. In 2019, she received a Defending Democracy Fellowship from the Western States Center to fight against growing white nationalism throughout the country. Meshayla is passionate about building equitable and inclusive initiatives that progress anti-oppression organizational cultures where people feel included and valued for who they are and what they do. In her spare time, Meshayla enjoys watching reality TV, spending time with her puppy, and trying out new restaurants!

Raymond Ansotegui

Raymond Ansotegui was born and raised in Livingston, Montana and received his undergraduate degree from Montana State University where his father was a professor of animal science for thirty years. After attending higher education at Arizona State University and working at the Nevada Test Site, he returned to make Montana his home in 2008. Raymond’s experience as a bullfighter gives him a unique opportunity to dispel misconceptions about rodeo, and bull riding, in particular. There isn’t any actual “fighting” in western rodeo bullfighting, rather it is a dance of grit and grace involving extreme focus, humility and respect for the animals and the athletes. We learn to believe in ourselves, commit to our goals and when we get knocked down, to get back up again and again. His hope is to inspire and enlighten the audience by taking them into the arena and showing them the rewards of never giving up.