DETROIT — Organizers of the TEDxDetroit conference Monday announced a confirmed list of speakers for the sixth annual ideas and innovation conference.
The diverse cast features entrepreneurs, educators, engineers, artists, geeks and doctors – ranging in age from 12 to 65. All will share their idea worth spreading on stage at the historic Detroit Opera House on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More than 1,000 attendees are expected to attend TEDxDetroit to spark their creativity and get inspired.
Here is a list of speakers for this year’s event:
Stephen Goldner, CureLauncher
Devita Davison, Food Lab
James Ford Murphy, Pixar Animation Studios
Pashon Murray, Detroit Dirt
r. Ann Marie Sastry, Sakti3
Nate Aschenbach and David Arditti, GameStart
Samantha White, Shakespeare Detroit
Paul Armstrong, ChoreMonster
Brian Mulloy, Apigee
John Sauve, Artist – Man in the City
Leon LaBrecque, LJPR
Henry Balanon, Protean
Jorey Chernett, Intrinsic Medical Imaging
Zwena Gray, Kidpreneur
Dr. Joyce Lee, University of Michigan
Indrin Chetty, Henry Ford Health System
Jason Prater, Plex Systems
Claire Nelson, UIX
Debbie Mielewski, Ford Motor Company
Tunde Way, Lagos
Kevin Shinn, Altair
Andy Didorosi, Detroit Bus
The lineup also includes a diverse cast of performers. Included are the rap duo Passalacqua, magician Michael Mode, the indie folk group The Accidentals, Joori Jung and ARTLAB J Dance Company, the Detroit Drumline Academy and the Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences Choir under the direction of Angela Kee.
Said Charlie Wollborg, curator of TEDxDetroit, who also carries the title “chief troublemaker” at the Pontiac-based advertising, marketing, packaging and design firm Curve Detroit: “Every year, our mission is to secure speakers, performers and artists who have a deep connection to the city of Detroit and who have innovative ideas worth spreading. And this year is no exception, we’ve selected a group of people who will continue to speak to the inspiration and spirit of Detroit.”
TEDxDetroit will continue to release speaker bios and more information daily through its Tumblr page, www.tedxdetroit.tumblr.com, Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tedxdetroit, and Twitter page, www.twitter.com/tedxdetroit.
People interested in attending the event are encouraged to register at this link.
TEDxDetroit is not only meant to create dialogue and action, it also serves as a platform for Michigan social entrepreneurs to share their thoughts, actively apply ideas and ultimately bring positive change to Detroit. TEDxDetroit is sponsored by Cadillac, Quicken Loans, Plex Systems, LJPR, Detroit Venture Partners, Atomic Object, Curve Detroit and Airfoil Group.
To learn more about the conference, visit www.tedxdetroit.com.
TED (an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design) was founded in 1984 as a one-time event in California that featured one of the first demonstrations of the Macintosh computer, along with a demo of the compact disc, the e-book, and cutting-edge 3D graphics from Lucasfilm. It wasn’t held again until 1990, but it has become an annual event since. In 2001, TED was acquired by internet journalism entrepreneur Chris Anderson. And in 2009, TED agreed to allow conferences in other cities to use its name, as “TEDx(city name).” TEDx events can be organized by anyone who obtains a free license from TED, agreeing to follow the principles of the original.
The TED2015 Conference takes place in March 16-20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held Oct. 6-10 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More at www.TED.com. Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http:// www.facebook.com/TED.