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).

Conway Center
1104 S. Wabash
1st Floor
Chicago, Illinois, 60605
United States

Arika Linton

By day, Arika works as a nonprofit leader in Chicago for a postsecondary organization. With over 7 years experience in the nonprofit, education, and media space she has led organizations to see exponential growth and innovative advances by implementing creative practices. By night, when she's not spending time with her brave and brilliant five-year-old son, Zion, she enjoys writing about various black culture topics. Arika holds her B.A. in Arts Management, M.A. in Journalism and has received many recognitions for her work in the digital media and nonprofit space, such as the 2023 UNCF Chicago Millennial Mastermind, the 2022 Young Women's Professional League 40 Under 40, and the 2018 WNBA Chicago Sky Redefine Possible.

Beth Ryan

"Beth Ryan, Professor of Instruction in the Business and Entrepreneurship department at Columbia College Chicago. As a higher education professor and leadership consultant, Beth has engaged with people from college classrooms and entry level positions to coaching executive leaders. She has worked in a variety of industries including nonprofit arts and for profit corporations as well as government institutions. Diversity, equity and inclusion are foundational themes in Beth’s professional interactions and curiosity is what drives her in understanding cultural and structural elements that impact work. Beth is an expert facilitator and educator with over two decades of teaching and coaching experience in leadership development, strategic planning, change management, and human resources. As a strategic thinker and planner, she brings diverse real world experiences into her teaching and consulting practices to help others connect with things they know and understand. Her curiosity and passion for learning is infectious as she approaches learning as a collaborative discovery process. Beth is committed to guiding others to achieve their full personal and professional potential."

Brody Vesely

I’m Brody Vesely, a 21-year-old Acting Student at Columbia College Chicago, and I’m originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m currently finishing my Junior year and have been in multiple productions at the college. I’ve been involved in the arts as far back as the 2nd grade but didn’t decide it was the thing I truly wanted to do as a career until early High School. Public speaking and performance are some of my favorite activities and along with acting, I also write poetry, plays, and dabble in general creative writing. If I’m not in rehearsals or studying, I’m most likely busy working, rock climbing, or writing at any opportunity.

Duncan Mackenzie

Duncan MacKenzie is an internationally exhibiting Artist, Pundit, Educator, and a Founder of Bad at Sports (B@S) podcast and website. With B@S he has produced over 700 interviews with artists and cultural luminaries such as Suzanne Lacy, Kerry James Marshall, Luc Tuymans, Jeff Wall, and Helen Molesworth. Alongside his work with Bad at Sports he makes and regularly shows conceptually driven artwork internationally with his collaborator Christian Kuras. Between B@S and Kuras he has realized exhibitions and projects with art fairs like NADA Miami and NYC, EXPO Chicago, PULSE Miami, and Volta NYC, and institutions like the Contemporary Art Museum of St Louis, The Queens Museum, The Walker Art Center, and apexart NYC. His work has been written about in Afterall, artforum.com, Art in America, Flash Art, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. He is enjoying a post as Chair of two departments at Columbia College Chicago; Art and Art History, and Design. He is also a former toy company owner and toy designer, and the father of two excellent small humans.

Ervin A. Johnson

"Ervin A. Johnson graduated from the University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign with a bachelor's in Rhetoric and began work on his second bachelor's at Columbia College Chicago in photography in 2012. He completed his MFA in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design and returned to Chicago. Ervin utilizes photo-based mixed media to reimagine his cultural and racial identity via photography and video. In his most recent body of work, #InHonor, Ervin pays homage to the lives lost to police brutality and racism. In 2016 he was awarded the Critical Mass Solo Exhibition Award and completed an alumni summer residency with Columbia College followed by the 2016 Diane Dammayer Fellowship, a photographic residency which partners Heartland Alliance and Columbia College’s photography department. The Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues creates a space for a socially engaged photographer to produce a compelling and dynamic body of work highlighting human rights and social issues. Most recently Ervin has exhibited all across the United States, most notably with Arnika Dawkins Gallery in Atlanta and also Detroit’s Wright Museum. He was chosen as one of the 2017 and 2020 Critical Mass finalists. In 2019 he was chosen to be an Artist in Residence for the Center of Photography at Woodstock. He has exhibited at the Photography Show by AIPAD and with the European Cultural Center for the 2019 Venice Biennale. Most recently he has exhibited at Photo London and Paris Photo in 2020. In 2022 Ervin received the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. His work has been published in several various notable publications including Juxtapoz Magazine and Photograph Magazine. His work is in several important public and personal collections including the city of Atlanta as well as Columbia College Chicago and Savannah College of Art & Design."

Fernando Jones

"""[Fernando] you are one in a million trying to get to the bottom of the barrel of the Blues.” - Buddy Guy ""Few Chicago Blues musicians have done more to nurture the next generation of talent than guitarist Fernando Jones."" - Howard Reich, the Chicago Tribune Fernando Jones, the American Bluesman, was born to loving Mississippi parents on the Southside of Chicago. Both were advocates for education and the arts. As a result, Jones would grow up to become a Renaissance Man. He’s an accomplished educator, graphic designer, author, playwright, illustrator, and poet though most here only know him as a musician and a singer/songwriter. He can even cook, too. Inspired by his older brothers, Foree (Big Flo), Marvin and Greg, Jones taught himself how to play guitar when he was just four years old and has been playing ever since. Jones has performed his compositions from basement parties from Chicago’s Southside to the University of Hawaii to The Smithsonian Institute to the Conservatory of Music in Pescara, Italy to nightclubs in Cuba. He said, ""I work on my craft and my complete package every single day. I perform every show as if it were Carnegie Hall. ”5 ½ decades later, he's still going strong as a bandleader. Jones is currently on faculty at Columbia College Chicago in the Music Department as the founding Blues Ensemble director. Today he is proud to be making his TEDx debut presenting Music as a Second Language."

Jewel Baker

"Jewel Baker is a multi-disciplinary artist passionate about creating compelling narratives. She began her creative journey at nine, learning Film and Journalism in Visions Blu. Throughout the years, Jewel has worked in Photography, Journalism, and Event Production. She is now a Senior at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in Film and Television with a minor in Photography, graduating in May 2024. While at Columbia, she directed three short films and was a cinematographer and producer. She has also held leadership roles on campus as Head Engage Leader and President of the Student Programming Board for two years, along with the President of Soul Sisters. Along with her pursuits in the film industry, she is also a Co-Founder of S.W.A.P., Students with a Purpose, at her Alma Mater, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, where she organizes an annual Fashion Show and just hosted their seventh year this past April. They are working on their 8th Show to be held in Spring 2025. She founded Jewel In Focus, a photography, videography, and graphic design company, in 2018 before starting her journey at Columbia. She has worked with various brands over the year and has spoken previously at the Black Women's Expo, along with being featured in the Amazon Prime Show, The College Tour, highlighting her Academic experience at Columbia within their Season 3."

Jory Holmes

Jory Mikyle Holmes is an actor hailing from Prince George's County, Maryland. He embarked on his performing arts journey at the age of 4 and has since graced stages across the Washington Metropolitan area, including The Baltimore Center Stage, The Kennedy Center, and Folger Shakespeare Library. A distinguished graduate of the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Jory honed his craft under the mentorship of acclaimed acting coach, Vera Katz. Jory has furthered his training by studying Shakespeare at Oxford with the British American Drama Academy and undertaking a study abroad program at Rose Bruford Conservatory. Currently a senior at Columbia College Chicago, he is pursuing a BFA degree in acting. As an artist, Jory's mission is to give a voice to the voiceless through his compelling performances and dedication to storytelling.

Leslie Randolph

"Leslie Randolph is a self-confidence coach for teenage girls. Leslie empowers her clients to ditch doubt and overcome anxiety by teaching the skill of cultivating self-confidence. Through coaching, Leslie serves as an enthusiastic cheerleader, mindset mirror, doubt detective, and accountability ally to help create positive change in her client’s lives. With Leslie’s support, clients not only achieve their goals but develop a deeper sense of self-worth and a new understanding of their potential. When she's not coaching, Leslie is a motivational speaker, a workshop facilitator, and the host of Why Didn’t They Tell Us, an inspirational podcast where she shares the lessons she learned late in life so others can know better…sooner. Learn more about Leslie’s approach at confidencecoachforgirls.com or follow along at The Coach Chronicles on social."

Michael Caplan

"Michael Caplan is an independent film director, producer and college professor. His most recent film Algren explores the life and legacy of writer Nelson Algren, the National Book Award-winning author of Man With the Golden Arm. The Guardian said that it was a “remarkable tribute to the enduring brilliance of a larger than-life literary luminary.” Caplan is currently working on a feature film, written by Chicago writer Joe Meno, that is set in Beverly, a working class neighborhood in Chicago, entitled People Who Don’t Don’t, which he plans to direct in the Fall of 2024. Caplan is currently collaborating with a marine biologist on Microcosm, a documentary series about the critical importance of oceanic microscopic life. He directed and wrote A Magical Vision, a film that spotlights the late internationally acclaimed magician and philosopher of the magical arts, Eugene Burger, which won an Audience Award at the Spirit Enlightened Film Festival. Caplan’s documentary, Stones from the Soil, showed on national PBS. The film is now part of the collection at the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC and the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Caplan has produced three feature films, including The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, which was acclaimed by The New York Times as “praiseworthy, intense, frenetic, frank, and touching… preserving not just a performance but the spirit of a time.” Caplan is an Associate Professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department at Columbia College Chicago. He lives in Chicago’s Albany Park with his wife and dog."

Natasha Williams

"Natasha Williams is a visionary creative in the plus-size fashion industry and the founder of the acclaimed Dream Big Midwest, the first-ever conference dedicated to celebrating diversity in fashion, held in Chicago. This event, a collaboration with top corporate fashion brands, not only set new industry standards for inclusivity but also sparked a broader dialogue about the future of fashion, body positivity, and inclusivity. Natasha's journey began with a BFA in Graphic Design, which laid the groundwork for her entrepreneurial endeavors. Building on her success and commitment to diversity, Natasha has since launched BLK Chicago, a media company designed to guide visitors through exploring Chicago’s culture through the lens of the Black and African diaspora. This new venture highlights local arts, cuisine, and entertainment, focusing on stories and businesses that spotlight Black creators, thereby fostering a more inclusive and enriched community experience. Additionally, Natasha is a dedicated Reiki practitioner who incorporates the principles of energy healing and the power of manifesting dreams into her professional endeavors, aiming to inspire others to embrace their full potential and pursue their aspirations. She resides in Oak Park, IL."

Onur Öztürk

Onur Öztürk is an Assistant Professor of Art History at Columbia College Chicago primarily teaching art and design history, visual culture, and global awareness courses including Art of Islam, Art and Ritual, and Rethinking Museums. Originally from Ankara, Turkey, he received an M.Arch. degree in History of Architecture from the Middle East Technical University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Öztürk's research focuses on the built environments of Asia Minor and Chicago. His dissertation provided an in-depth study of the cults of divine rulers and urban transformation in Roman Asia. He is the primary editor of the recently published book Deconstructing the Myths of Islamic Art (co-editors Xenia Gazi and Sam Bowker, Routledge, 2022). His current research project focuses on Ottoman architecture and a climate phenomenon known as the Little Ice Age. He has also been studying the Balbo Monument in Chicago. You can see a selection of his digital maps and architectural illustrations in Penelope Davies' publication Architecture and Politics in Republican Rome (Cambridge University Press, 2017). Dr. Öztürk’s teaching and scholarship aim to reveal our intertwined histories while tackling Eurocentric and linear narratives of art history.

Rachel Jimenez Penca

"Rachel Jimenez Penca is a highly sought after Fashion Stylist and the Founder of Rachel J Styling, a Chicago-based wardrobe consulting business. Since 2013, her mission has been to simplify style and shopping for clients of all shapes, sizes, ages, and professions, while elevating their images and personal brands. With 15+ years in the fashion industry, Rachel's work spans celebrity, commercial, editorial, wedding and personal styling, featured on ABC7Chicago, WGN News, ESPN, the Wendy Williams Show, Fort Lauderdale Magazine and more. A notable list of high-profile clients include: Vivica A. Fox, Nazr Mohammed, Isadora Goreshter, Dr. Jessica Shepherd and Cheryl Scott, to name a few. Her styling career has led her to coveted partnerships with leading global brands such as Burberry, Ferragamo, Michael Kors, Nordstrom, rag & bone, and VINCE. Rachel proudly supports local Chicago designers such as Sophia Reyes, rach b jewelry, Model Atelier, Katie Farnan and Veronica Sheaffer. In addition to her company, Rachel is an Adjunct Professor of Fashion Styling at Columbia College Chicago, which is now the largest concentration of study within the Fashion Studies department. As an inspiring mentor to the next generation of stylists, she is widely known for championing the growth of the styling profession both at an entrepreneurial and higher educational level. Rachel was also the Author and Headline Instructor for an online course called “The Business of Personal Styling: From Basics to First Clients” offered by Pivot School."

Shaunda Brooks-Green

"Shaunda Brooks-Green, based in Chicago, is a seasoned Events and Marketing expert with a decade of experience across various music and entertainment entities such as Chicago Recording Company, DCASE, Lollapalooza, Burrell Communications, and Innovation Arts and Entertainment. Additionally, she is the Co-Founder and CEO of 6D Networktainment, a nonprofit music organization that fosters networking, performances, and music business education for budding artists and professionals. Apart from her ventures, Shaunda holds a full-time position as an Events and Marketing Manager at the Museum of Science and Industry, teaches part-time at Columbia College Chicago, and contributes to multiple boards, including the Center of Creative Entrepreneurship Music Advisory Committee. Her most cherished roles are being a mother and a wife. Shaunda earned her Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Illinois State University and pursued her education at Columbia College Chicago, attaining a Master's in Arts Management with a focus on Music Business."

Tyronita Bell

Tyronita Bell is a multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and entrepreneur with a Bachelor’s in Fashion Business from Columbia College Chicago. Working in apparel showrooms, she noticed a need for fashion business owners to have the tools necessary to run a successful operation. This is how the Showroom Agency was born. With a passion for connecting with others more deeply, she decided to create this platform to push creative professionals forward. Leading with a genuine curiosity of learning about the world within and around us through psychology and art across mediums. After graduating undergrad, she went on to complete a full-time social media internship at The Museum of Contemporary Art.This is where she learned how to manage large social media accounts with an omnipresence.She aided in the launch of five-star restaurant Marisol and the MCA Hearts 50th anniversary campaign. She later dived into freelance portrait photography and marketing, helping out local businesses and nonprofits. She quickly gained clients where she learned that her strength is both her creativity and approach to strategy. Her most recent work has been with Julie Kipta Showroom and The Chicago Fashion Coalition as Marketing Director, leading a team of six marketing ambassadors. Her vision for The Showroom Agency is to create paid opportunities for talented creative professionals who are often overlooked. All of her work until now has set her up for future success. Her passion has opened up many opportunities and her journey is only beginning.