TEDxTopeka Announces Speaker Line-up for 2015 Event

Topeka, Kansas; September 9, 2015 – TEDxTopeka will take place on Tuesday, December 8 at the Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy from 5-9 p.m. The independently organized event, licensed by TED, will feature local voices and TED Talks videos.

Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe.

“TEDxTopeka is an opportunity for speakers from Topeka and the surrounding areas to share their ideas with the world”, said Nathan Morris, TEDxTopeka founder and organizing committee member. “There is so much talent in this community and we want TEDxTopeka to help highlight the amazing things, people and ideas here.”         

Speakers at 2015 TEDxTopeka include:

Brian Thomason – Growing Solutions to Feed the World
David W. Carter – The Power of Humility in the Age of Selfie
Nick Givechi – CANVAS: The Formation of Identity
Mikki Burcher – #lovethyselfie
Beth Lenherr & Macy Tanking – Neuro-Linguistic Programming: The Female Mindset Redefined
Lori McMillan – Taxation Myths and Realities: What’s the Matter with Kansas?
Stephanie Mott – Transgender in Kansas: Words That Work

For more information about TEDxTopeka, please visit TEDxTopeka.com.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event.
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, TED Talks 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.)

About TED.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

About Brian Thomason.

Brian Thomason is the CEO of the Blue Valley Network of Companies, including Blue Valley Tele-Communications and Networks Plus. His TEDx application included a proposed presentation titled, Growing Solutions to Feed the World. Thomason will focus on the challenging crossroads the agriculture industry is facing and how technology is playing an important role in helping to feed the world.