Theme: Power of the Past - Force of the Future

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).

TEDxYorkBeach
1 Robert Stevens Drive
York, Maine, 03909
United States

Adam Henckler

Engineer

With over twenty years experience working as a professional engineer in both the private and public sectors, he is currently involved in employee development for the United States Navy. The creator of the Peers, Advisors, and Leaders (PAL) program of network-based mentoring, which he originally piloted in 2014 is still an active program which he has refined ever since. A native of Maine, Adam supports high school science fairs as well as being a member of academic advisory boards at the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine. In his personal time, he is a youth soccer coach as well as a die hard supporter of Manchester City Football Club. Adam enjoys spending time at the beach with his wife and two children at his home in Cape Neddick, Maine.

Alicia Ramsdell

Founder & CEO of Mindful Career Path, LLC

Founder & CEO of Mindful Career Path, LLC, designing career fulfillment in collaboration with clients’ professional passion and energy. Previous to her current position, Alicia led a 15+year career in Corporate America. She started a life by default in Accounting roles, but later mindfully cultivated a life by design in Career Development roles. She is a Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP), a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), and holds a certificate in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Techniques. Alicia brings insight around best practices in career development strategies, while also leveraging stress to elevate your life’s work. Alicia is excited to bring you her idea worth sharing: “Choose the chance to experience failures in the career of your dreams, rather than successes in the career of your nightmares.”

Chloe Whitbread

Student

A sophomore at York High School and greatly involved in Theater, Eco Club, Young Women’s ALeadership, York High School’s, Agamenticus Sun Student Newspaper, T.I.D.A.L.W.A.V.E.S. (Teens In Drug Awareness Leading, Working, And Valuing Self esteem), as well as Speech and Debate. Her first public performance was in the 1st grade where she performed in “Christmas Carol”. Her passion for public speaking and being part of a positive change only prospered and improved throughout the years, as she now publicly speaks with Women Rights rallies, performing in “Bye Bye Birdie” and competing nationally in Washington D.C. for speech and debate on mental health awareness. Chloe is an inspiration with everything she does and believes in living in the moment.

Chris Kiper

Architectural Designer

An architectural designer and free range philosopher inhabiting a large tiny house in the woods of York, ME with his beautiful life partner and three radical children. After crisscrossing the country via car, van and hitchhiking, Chris settled down in Vermont where he was profoundly influenced by the spirit of self-sufficiency, artistic expression and whole system thinking. Writing music and touring the Northeast with a Burlington, VT based hip-hop band established a creative channel that has permeated his work as a musician, designer, metal fabricator, writer, and systems integrator. Experiencing the Permaculture Design Certificate course at Yestermorrow Design/Build School was a pivotal moment that set him off in pursuit of finding ways to make a positive impact in the world. Chris serves as Program Director for North Atlantic Services based in Epping, NH and operates Reflective Design works, an architectural design studio focused on residential projects in the Seacoast area.

Gregory Norris

Co-founded and is Director of Science at Earthster.org

Gregory co-founded and is Director of Science at Earthster.org, a web-based platform democratizing LCA. Norris directs SHINE (Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise) at MIT. Their research focuses on advancing and applying methods for Net Positive sustainability: creation and assessment of positive social and environmental “handprints” that exceed the actor’s footprints. He teaches Life Cycle Assessment at Harvard. He served as Chief Scientist with the International Living Future Institute, where he helped design, launch and advance the Living Product Challenge. In 1996 he founded Sylvatica which applied and advanced LCA methods and tools through 2010. He founded the non-profit New Earth in 2003 to promote collaboration between industry and civil society on community-driven sustainable development at a global level. In 2015 he co-founded NewEarth B, a public benefit corporation scaling the Handprinter.org platform for positive environmental & social impacts.

Karleen Savage

Certified Hostage and Crisis Negotiator

Certified hostage and crisis negotiator with years of experience in business and domestic mediation. With a masters degree in this subject, she is considered an expert in her field. Karleen has made it her life's work to help others resolve their conflicts peacefully and amicably. Successful in creating the Savage Theory of Resolution®, a five-skill model that can be used to help resolve any conflict. As a former adjunct professor, she has negotiated and influenced mediation for counties impacting hundreds of thousands of people into the future. She also started a mediation internship program with a local university. A mom to seven children and married for more than three decades, Karleen knows a little about resolving conflicts! With her vast experience and knowledge in the field, she is dedicated to helping others learn how to confidently resolve disagreements.

Keaton Smith

Entrepreneur

Founder of Haven Holdings, a micro private equity firm that builds and invests in businesses centered on love for their communities. Self proclaimed serial entrepreneur he also serves as executive manager, and is a Barrett Honors College alum. Having experienced wild highs and lows in business and in his personal life, he is very passionate about inspiring and empower- ing others, especially other fellow entrepreneurs. Keaton and his marvelous wife, Jessa, have three young kids and make their home in York, ME. Typically you can find them playing video games together or exploring outdoors as a family. Speaking at TEDx is a dream for Keaton and he is wholeheartedly grateful for the opportunity to connect with the audience.

Mary-Theresa Tringale

Certified Life Success Coach, Best Selling Author

A resident of Portland, ME, she is a certified life success coach, best-selling author of the book “Stand In Your Power”, and certi- fied practitioner in NLP, Hypnotherapy EFT Tapping, and TIME Techniques . She loves nothing more than cheering others on. After her own radical transformation in 2019, M-T launched her coaching business with her signature program, The Aligned & Empowered project in 2020, to coach others through their own breakthroughs to find their true life’s purpose. She also supports clients 1:1 and wants to remind others that they are not alone in their journey and are already equipped with everything they need to stand in their power. York is a special place for M-T as her parents, mom Lorraine and late-father Domenic, loved to visit more than anywhere else and was her family’s summer vacation spot for 20 years before her parents moved permanently in winter of 2009.

Meghan May

Biomedical Scientist

Meghan May is a biomedical scientist focused on the emergence and evolution of infectious diseases, and on societal parallels between past and modern pandemics. She is particularly interested in the role that science communication and outreach can play in helping us all remember lessons learned from previous public health catastrophes and applying them moving forward. Her laboratory research explored pathogen evolution and emerging diseases, and involved bacteria (such as those responsible for agricultural diseases and whooping cough), viruses (such as Zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus), and parasites (such as those causing river blindness and “elephantiasis”).

Michele Freitag

Educator

Dedicating her adult life to inspiring her students with discovering their strengths and inspiring personal growth, not only as learners, but as people. Wholeheartedly believing learning can, and should be, both rigorous and fun. Michele started her educational career as a speech/language pathologist and 18 years teaching 3rd grade. For the past 16 years, she has been a well known and respected gifted/talented/enrichment specialist at the elementary school level, challenging students in grades K - 4. During the height of COVID, she spent one year back in the classroom, teaching 4th grade. Michele is involved with Odyssey of the Mind program. She has helped hundreds of students in grades K - 12 improve their creative problem solving skills. For several years, Michele also served as the Director for Camp Invention, a summertime STEM camp. Currently, Michele teaches watercolor painting classes, is an avid crafter, and is very active in her church community.