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).

Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
350 Madison Street
Detroit, Michigan, 48226
United States

Afro Moone

Sonic meditation

Sound is a mysterious vast and beautiful matter, simply focusing on the sound of our pulse can connect us to the world within and around us.

Andy Didorosi

Founder, Detroit Bus & EV Startup Mutiny

Andy is a doer. A serial entrepreneur, Andy opened a small business incubator in Ferndale at age 22. A few years later, he took on public transportation and The Detroit Bus Company was born. In the pandemic, he started The Arsenal of Clean to help schools, hospitals, and Detroit get good, safe, effective hand sanitizer. In between, he’s run several charity initiatives for kids, Now, he’s bought an entire car factory in Detroit and he getting it started again – he’s building 4×4 EV light trucks from the ground up that are affordable and fixable.

Angie McClendon & Detroit Skate Family

Roller Skating

Terrance Carter II and Angie McClendon are tireless performers and promoters in Detroit's roller skating scene. Together with their talented friends, The Detroit Skate Family keeps the D rolling and grooving at Skateland and rinks around the midwest.

Aya Waller-Bey

Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology

Aya M. Waller-Bey is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Michigan, studying trauma narratives in college admissions. She is a decorated scholar and researcher who’s shared her research at the University of Amsterdam, op-eds in publications like Forbes, and invited talks, including the Aspen Center of Physics Winter Conference. Aya is a proud Detroiter and first-generation college student whose work challenges how organizations commodify the stories of the most marginalized. She holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Georgetown University and graduate degrees from the University of Cambridge in England and the University of Michigan.

Benji Rosenzweig

VP - Commercial Real Estate Broker at Colliers Internation Detroit

Benji is a Commercial Real Estate Broker with Colliers International Detroit. He & his wife Sarah are passionate disability advocates. They have two amazing daughters, Na’amah and Ellah. Benji is a founding board member of the Coffin Siris Syndrome Foundation, which is Ellah’s genetic condition. He is also a live music fanatic, a mildly competent musician, and lover of all things Detroit.

Big Strick

Artist

Detroit-based hip hop artist Big Strick is creating his own lane is the music industry through lyricism, community involvement and setting good vibes.

Craig Degenfelder

Executive Director – Gas Strategy, Consumers Energy

Craig Degenfelder has 25 years of combined experience in the construction and utility industries, including over 10 years with Consumers Energy, where he is currently the executive director of gas strategy. In this role, he leads the Company’s long-term investment strategy for the entire natural gas system to best serve its 1.8 million gas customers. Prior to this role, Craig was an executive director of enterprise project management. Craig holds an associate’s in business administration, a bachelor’s in construction management, a Project Management Professional certification, and an MBA.

Deon Forrest

Musician & Street Performer

Well before the world knew Deon Forrest, he was just a street performer known as "the Greektown Hotbox." With years practice, he grew better and better now it's time for the world to see. During the pandemic, Deon collaborated with musician around the world via Zoom.

Dion Walcott

Director of Partnerships, Pensole Lewis College

Dion Walcott is the founder of MARTK’D and is a highly sought-after speaker, strategist, and curator who has used his passion for sneakers to create a notable career in the marketplace. Dion’s first break came when he was chosen as the Director of Programs and Partnerships for North America’s first-ever sneaker exhibit at The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. Dion’s doing “Well and Good” approach has helped him empower creative communities globally.

Dr. Paula Ruffin

Entrepreneur, Chiropractor, Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach

Dr. Paula Ruffin is one of the most sought-after health and wellness coaches and speakers. She is the founder of New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center and CEO of Butta’ for Play ~ a personal moisturizer for women. For 25 years, her holistic approach to health restoration through custom nutrition coaching and spinal balancing has transformed lives. Her goal is to inspire people to stop being spectators in their declining health, get off the sidelines, and take action to win the game of maximizing their health span so they can squeeze out all the greatness this life has to offer!

Gail Perry-Mason

Founder

Gail Perry Mason, lifelong Detroiter, has come a long way from foster care. Not only is she a respected authority in the financial industry, she's also a bestselling author. She's passionate about educating people on financial literacy, from the youth at Money Matters to running workshops for Chrysler, IBM, MGM, McDonald's, Blue Cross, and Wells Fargo. Gail took her wealth of wisdom to the airwaves when she co-hosted Building Wealth, an award-winning radio talk show. She's appeared on BET, Fox News, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, and NRP. The author of the books Money Matters for Families and Girl, Make Your Money Grow, Gail's writing has been published in Ebony, Essence, Jet, Washington Post, Oprah's Debt Diet and many more. Gail has served on the Board of Directors for many nonprofits and has received accolades from groups like Ford Motor Company, Michigan Women's Foundation, AKA National Sorority, Bank of America, Alternatives for Girls and Michigan's Top 10 Business Women.

Huel Perkins

New Anchor

After four decades in broadcasting and more than 32 years in Detroit, Huel Perkins retired from Fox 2 News, last March. During his career, he traveled the country with Nelson Mandela, followed Pope John Paul on his visit across America, and interviewed Civil Rights icons Rosa Parks and Andrew Young. But, it was the creation of a local talk show called “Let It Rip!” that allowed him to use his legal and journalistic training to bring eloquent, opinionated people together to discuss the issues of the day. It became one of the metro region’s most popular programs. Along the way, Huel has won three Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He's also been honored with a U.S. Congressional Proclamation for his integrity and service to the public. More than 60 organizations have recognized him for his lifelong commitment. Yet, he says his biggest reward comes from the lives he’s changed and the career doors he’s opened for the next generation of journalists.

Ian Prukner

Author & Entrepreneur

Ian Prukner is a Best Selling Author, Entrepreneur and Consultant and has built 7/8/9 figure businesses in finance, real estate, e-commerce and intellectual property spaces including a multiple 8 figure exit. Born and raised in Royal Oak Michigan Ian currently resides in Siesta Key Florida with his wife Jessica and 3 children, Kayley, Zac, and Zoey.

Jacob Barr

Stand Up Comedian

Jacob Barr is a Michigan stand-up comedian. Despite his age he has been performing all over the midwest for 7 years. Jacob has a rare disability that gives hima unique perspective on the world around him. This perspective is used to entertain audiences at comedy clubs, festivals, colleges, or any place that will allow him to scream at a crowd. In the past Jacob has worked with comedians such as Chris Gethard, Joe List, and Tim Meadows from SNL.

Jenny Feterovich

Entrepreneur / Film & TV Producer

Jenny Feterovich is an award winning TV & film Producer, a lifelong entrepreneur founding two production houses, and small business advocate, focusing on empowering women and immigrants. Jenny is also known in the music world as the globetrotting DJ LaFemme. Jenny arrived in the US with only a suitcase and $100 after her family fled their native Soviet Union in 1989 and landed in Detroit. In a new phase of her journey, Jenny has become a motivational speaker and is now the President of EO Detroit.

Jon Rimanelli

Founder/CEO

Jon is an electronics entrepreneur and private pilot with over 1000 hours of flight time (SEL, SES, IFR). With over 20 years of experience in electronics manufacturing, Jon established Nextronix in 2000 specializing in printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly a core business. Having fabricated millions of mission critical printed circuits, we support our customers with prototypes and volume manufacturing capabilities for automotive, aerospace, communications, industrial and defense applications. Given recent advances in automation, electric propulsion and light weight materials, Jon founded Detroit Aircraft Corporation to design and build a new class of VTOL aircraft for short haul mobility between cities and large hub-and-spoke airports. For the last three years, they have built and sold number defense grade unmanned aircraft for customer around the globe.

Justin Turk

Founder and CEO

Justin Turk, the Founder and CEO of Livegistics, Inc., has created ground-breaking technology that is disrupting the heavy construction, demolition, and civil engineering industries by eliminating the use of paper and, ultimately, creating sustainability hubs around the world. He is a third-generation entrepreneur, but instead of jumping right into construction like his family, he took a different path. Justin went to college to become a software developer, then got his Master's in civil engineering and construction management. With the partnership of his education and familial ties to construction, the foundation for Livegistics was created naturally. Justin is a member of EY's Entrepreneur Access Network and was awarded the Pharrell Williams Inaugural Black Ambition $1M prize for contributions to the construction technology business.

Michael Angelo Caruso

Presentation Coach & Keynote Speaker

Michael Angelo Caruso teaches presentation skills. His keynotes are a combination of your best teacher and your favorite comedian. Michael gets fast results with clients on five continents and in 49 of the 50 states. He’s worked with Hallmark, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Rayovac, Citgo, Nissan, and the United States Navy. Michael is author of Work Hacks and Dear Michael Angelo -- A Father's Life Letters to His Son. He also has a highly rated speaker coaching class titled, Present Like a Pro. A lifetime Rotarian, Michael enjoys exercise, movies, non-fiction books and travel.

Mike Geeter

Comedian

As an Ivy League dropout and community college graduate from Pontiac, MI, Mike brings a pointed look at life, family, and relationships that few others can…or should. From his upbringing in a family with 17 children to discussing his life as a father, Mike’s comedy is jagged wit mixed with a smooth delivery. Mike was featured on Hulu and Fox Television’s comedy showcase “Laughs” (Season 1) and the Detroit episode of “Kevin Hart Presents: Hart Of The City 2” on Comedy Central (Season 2).

Mujeeb Ijaz

CEO & Founder

Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and chief executive officer of ONE, is a battery systems engineer with over 30 years of experience in the development of electric vehicles and battery systems technologies. His career work has focused on furthering the adoption of electric vehicles through advancements in battery safety, range, and cost. Mujeeb led teams at Ford Motor Co., where he developed Ford’s Edge with HySeries Drive, the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 that set a land speed record at Bonneville in 2007, and the Chrysler ENVI project. He was president of A123’s Venture Technologies unit, where he and his team led the development of Li-Ion battery solutions for electric vehicles, and more recently, a senior director at Apple, where he developed novel energy storage solutions. Mujeeb holds 31 U.S. patents in the field of battery technology and energy management systems. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech.

Neal Dreisig

Manager of Gas Strategy, Consumers Energy

Neal Dreisig is a Manager of Gas Asset Strategy for Consumers Energy. In this role, Neal leads the development of decarbonizing our gas system including renewable natural gas, hydrogen, carbon capture and other new technology end uses. Prior to this role, Neal spent 12 years as an engineer working on air quality control retrofits and other industrial projects. Neal holds a master’s degree in Management, a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, and also a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Princess Castleberry

CEO

Princess Castleberry is a native Detroit West Sider; an accomplished global risk and wellness leader; speaker; author; and pro makeup artist. She is CEO of both Castle Risk Management & HR Consulting and Cibeles Beauty, following a 20-year corporate career with Fortune 500 firms. She created ‘Every Leader is a Risk Manager’ - the world’s first wellness-centered risk competency model and is a Christian wife and mother. You’ll spot her signature red lipstick with a fired-up personality to match!

Quinton Robinson

Multidisciplinary Performance Artist

At 13 years old, Quinton Robinson was invited to join the international award-winning Steel Pan Orchestra known as The Steelheads and performed at National Jazz Festivals and events for thousands of people. He has taught music to hundreds in the US and in Asia. Currently, he’s booking live concerts across America as a soloist and with select guest artists. Quinton is also a Master Magician, Poetry Slam Champion, Composer/Band-Leader, Author, Educator, and Emcee. Just before the pandemic, Quinton was invited to Asia to design and implement a Youth Magic Camp for 700 Chinese age schoolchildren. The work continues here stateside anywhere there are people.

Renée Walker

Founder & President

Renée is an award-winning brand and marketing strategist who honed her expertise through executive positions with multimillion and billion-dollar brands in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Her passion is helping organizations and executives communicate strategically to achieve higher performance, productivity and profits.

Rochelle Riley

Author & Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit

Rochelle Riley is best known as an award-winning Detroit columnist. Currently, she serves as Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture guiding the city’s investment in the creative economy and transformative innovation. The essayist, keynoter, world traveler, and arts advocate is the author of “That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed The World” and “The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery." She's been a frequent guest on NPR and other outlets. Rochelle has been honored by the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.

Roop Raj

News Anchor

Roop Raj is evening anchor at Fox 2. He joined the station in 2009 as weekend morning coanchor. The Troy, Mi native also anchored the news in Lansing, Flint and New Orleans. Raj was anchoring the news when Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana back in 2005. The broadcast journalist has reported on nearly every shift at Fox 2 before landing the evening spot. He was recently voted as one of Detroit's best news anchors.

Sarah Welch

Chief Culinary Officer

Chef Sarah was raised between Jamaica and Michigan surrounded with culture, cooking, and eating. After graduating from Michigan State in hospitality administration, she trained in the culinary arts at New York’s French Culinary Institute. Today, Sarah is the Executive Chef, founding member and equity partner at Marrow. She is also the co-owner of seafood-centric restaurant Mink where her husband Cameron is the chef. Marrow was voted a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant in the country by the James Beard Foundation (JBF) in 2019, and in that same year, was named one of the top new restaurants by Eater. Sarah has been nominated twice by the JBF as one of the best chefs in the Great Lakes region. She was most notably featured in Top Chef's Season 19 where she became a finalist. Sarah's time in Detroit has yielded close connections with the local farming community, which now serves as the muse for the food you can find at Marrow's restaurant.

Stefan Tongur

Vice President, Business Development at Electreon

Stefan defined the concept of Electric Road Systems (ERS), and it is no surprise that he is well rehearsed in the opportunities and challenges of commercializing ERS in Europe and the US. Stefan also holds expertise on business models, sustainable transition, policy, and systemic innovation and has previously worked as a Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Stefan holds an M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Economics and Management, both from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. His doctoral thesis is one of the world’s first to research the topic of ERS and is titled “Preparing for takeoff – Analyzing the development of electric road system from a business model perspective”.

Steve Lowisz

CEO, Speaker, Investor

Steve Lowisz is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and keynote speaker on all things people. As the son of immigrants, Steve was recognized as a Michigan Small Businessperson of the Year, and has led Qualigence International to being named a Best & Brightest Place to Work in the Nation. But it was a rocky road. After more than 2 decades as a leader, Steve now shares his own journey of growth focused on getting the best FOR team members, not just the best FROM each employee.

Sydney Davis

Founder

Sydney is the Founder of NixCode, an Artificial-Intelligent (AI) assisted no-code app development software company. She is dedicated to supporting non-technical entrepreneurs, helping them launch their first successful mobile app & software companies. Sydney has been recognized as one of 30 Influential Women Advancing AI and a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur Honoree. With over a decade of entrepreneurship and tech experience, Sydney encourages diversity of thought among community leaders and equity among underrepresented founders.

Tim Finkel

Comedian, Educator

Teacher by day, comedian by night, Tim has traveled and performed on as many stages as his wife has given him permission to. His musings on family life, distaste for other people's children, and being a dad will make you wonder if having kids is right for you…or him. Despite his constant lack of sleep, Tim brings a farcical energy to the stage that sheds light on the dark side of middle-aged modern parenting that no one is willing to confess. Tim's the creator of Laughs 4 Wishes, a comedic event that benefits the Make-A-Wish Organization of Michigan. He also teaches a Teen Comedy Class at the renowned Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle where you can often catch him as a regular weekend performer. His primary focus is teaching positive mental health and resiliency through the power of laughter.

Vince Paul

President & Artistic Director

Mr. Paul is one of the country’s leading performing arts managers, serving as President and Artistic Director of the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts since 2006. Currently managing a $11MM annual budget, staff of 32 FT, 270 PT employees, over 800 independent contractors and a volunteer corps, he presents some of the biggest names in show business as well as the world’s most renowned attractions in theatre, music, puppetry, circus and dance, to an audience of more than 250,000 each year. As chief executive officer and community leader, he is responsible for producing, developing, and programming over 400 performances and special events annually, plus the blockbuster, all-genre Detroit Music Weekend downtown festival. In addition, he oversees the nine performing arts education outreach programs that engage 22,000 students annually, mainly in the Detroit schools.