In anticipation of another sell-out year, TEDxDayton organizers have released the list of speakers for the 2015 event, which will take place on Oct. 16, 2015, at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton.
“This event keeps evolving, and we now have a community interested in engaging with ideas and learning something new in the spirit of TED,” said TEDxDayton co-chair Sean Creighton. “Our region is full of new, challenging ideas and we can bring those to stage to an audience that wants that experience.”
The speakers committee chose candidates from a combination of recruitment methods and from an open call for auditions earlier this year. “We plan to push our audience to new, even unknown places; surprise them; and leave them feeling they have really learned something,” said TEDxDayton co-chair Stephanie Gottschlich. “We want to take a subject the audience thinks it might already know and present it with a new twist. We want TEDxDayton attendees to reimagine, rethink, reconnect — it’s the central theme to our 2015 event.”
Speakers include:
● Rebecca Benná, Executive Director, Five River MetroParks
● Harriet Kamakil Brown, Student, University of Dayton
● Chinonye Chukwu, Assistant Professor, Motion Pictures at Wright State University
● Matt Coatney, Artificial Intelligence Software Executive, Five Spot Research Ltd.
● Patrick Flynn, Sustainability Group Leader, IO
● Dave Gasper, Software Entrepreneur, Assisted Patrol
● Sarah Hippensteel Hall, Manager of Watershed Partnerships, Miami Conservancy District
● Shannon Isom, CEO, YWCA Dayton
● Gary Klein, Founder, ShadowBox LLC
● Brian LaDuca, Creator and Director, Institute for Arts Nexus
● Lennard Moses, Associate Professor and Chairman, Central State University
● Matthew Purkey, Vice President of Resource Development, United Way of Greater Dayton
● Chelley Seibert, Retired Dayton Police Officer
● Joshua Stucky, Owner, Square One Salon
● Karin VanZant, Executive Director of Life Services, CareSource
● Kim Vesey, Vice President of Mission Support, Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton
● Performers this year include: Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company; poet, comedian, and motivational speaker Ed Mabrey; Dayton band Meghna & the Majority; and The Zoot Theatre Company.
Ticket sales have been strong, with 75 percent of seats already purchased. Last year and the inaugural 2013 TEDxDayton events sold out. Those interested in attending TEDxDayton 2015 are advised to purchase tickets soon.
TEDx is a global program of independently organized events licensed by TED. Visit www.tedxdayton.com or follow TEDxDayton on Facebook or Twitter for more information.