April 27, 2019
Keller Auditorium
We are living in trying times — yearning for truth, knowledge, peace of mind, and a path forward. Hope rests in our ability to understand, change, and begin anew. And the power of ideas inspires us
to recalibrate adversity into prosperity. Year 9 is committed to connecting the dots so that we all may better embrace our civic responsibilities, communities, one another — even ourselves.
16 Speakers
Rachel Knox, M.D.
Steve Oldham
Paloma Medina
David Peyton, Ph.D.
Carine Kanimba
Tyler Malek
Anna Debenham
JD Hooge
Ideas Booth Speaker
Nandini Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Kary Youman
Xiomara Torres
Duncan Campbell
68 Performers
Rebecca Jordan Smith
Portland Cello Project
NW Dance Project Piano. Push. Play.
86 Hosts
David Rae
Lindsey Murphy Renny Gleeson
100 Ecosystem
The History of TED
The History of TEDx
TED Commandments
TEDxPortland: Mission, Vision, Goals
TEDxPortland: Alumni
Where Are They Now?
Modern Adventure
Did You Know?
The Ideas Booth
6k Night Run
130 Collabs
Nike Shoe
Dehen Sweater
Portland Gear
Oki Doki + Pacific Outdoor
140 Community Featured Partners
Volunteer Spotlight
Our Team
Happy Hour
Dear Future Me
2013 Speaker
Session 1
9:00am – 10:30am
Session 2
10:50am – 12:00pm
Rachel Knox, M.D.
Steve Oldham
Paloma Medina
David Peyton, Ph.D.
Rebecca Jordan Smith
Carine Kanimba
20-minute break
Portland Cello Project
Tyler Malek
Anna Debenham
JD Hooge
90-minute lunch
Session 3
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Session 4
3:30pm – 4:30pm
NW Dance Project
Ideas Booth Speaker
Nandini Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Kary Youman
Xiomara Torres
30-minute break
Duncan Campbell
Piano. Push. Play. Renny Gleeson
Happy Hour in the park
Etiquette
• Please silence your phone
• Auditorium doors will be closed to entry while sessions are in progress
• Seating is first come, first served and cannot be saved for others
• Auditorium will be cleared during lunch break for cleaning
• Feel free to take notes in your book
Patron and pre-purchased lunch options
Land — Olympia Provisions sweetheart ham and swiss cheese baguette, apple, Tillamook cheese, Kettle chips, cookie, Olympia Provisions signature chocolate.
Field — Chevre & rhubarb sandwich, ancient grains with spring vegetables and fines herbes vinaigrette, pear, Tillamook cheese, Olympia Provisions pickle selection, local candy, Olympia Provisions signature chocolate.
We are pleased to offer the following coffee options:
Indoors — Starbucks drip coffee will be offered on the first floor of the Keller Auditorium at three concession stands. It will be free all day while supplies last.
Coast — Oregon albacore and spring vegetable spread with ciabatta, bagel chips, Tillamook cheese, Oregon cranberry and hazelnuts, local candy, Olympia Provisions signature chocolate.
Drinks included from local Portland company, Drink Shrub — all natural, zero added sugar.
There are gluten-free, nondairy, dietary options provided by Whole Bowl on SW 4th Ave available for purchase.
Thank you to our wonderful friends:
Outdoors — Multiple local roasters will be offering coffee in the Keller Park throughout the day. It will be free in the morning, then available for purchase at lunch and in the afternoon.
Mobile pickup — You can also pre-order a specialty coffee at the nearby Starbucks located at 1300 SW 3rd Ave (Essex House location). It will be ready in 5–7 minutes just down the street. Simply download the Starbucks app and order.
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Rachel Knox, M.D.
Steve Oldham
Paloma Medina
David Peyton, Ph.D.
Carine Kanimba
Tyler Malek
Anna Debenham
JD Hooge
Ideas Booth Speaker
Nandini Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Kary Youman
Xiomara Torres
Duncan Campbell
Rachel Knox, M.D.
Rachel is the co-founder of American Cannabinoid Clinics and Chair of the Oregon Cannabis Commission. She received her medical and business degrees from Tufts University and then pursued additional study of the most important physiologic system in the human body — the endocannabinoid system. She is passionate about educating her professional peers and broader public about the safety and effectiveness of cannabinoid medicine. Her work is groundbreaking at a transformative time in our society.
Hero?
Every person who has had the audacity to be empathically authentic and champion truth
Favorite TED Talk? TED Radio Hour (NPR)
Favorite Portland restaurant? Luc Lac
Favorite book? Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill
Favorite movie? Coming To America, The Princess Bride
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Elimination of processed and fake foods. Consumption of natural foods only.
Biggest pet peeve? Hypocrisy
Rolling Stones or Beatles? New Edition
Greatest fear? Losing God
Go-to karaoke song? I Would Die 4 U by Prince
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring? New Edition, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Childish Gambino, NSYNC
Steve is CEO of Carbon Engineering, a Canada-based clean energy company. He will give us a hopeful peek into the future and new technology that captures CO₂ directly from the atmosphere and synthesizes it into clean, affordable transportation fuel. Steve played a lead role in a number of “Canada firsts” in technology commercialization, including the first robot performing brain surgery, the first commercial radar satellite, robots that clean the inside of nuclear reactors, and satellites that service and repair other satellites.
Hero?
The politician who puts climate first
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Favorite book?
Harry Potter (the books were the backdrop to my kids growing up)
Favorite movie?
Love Actually
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
For us all to focus on the world our kids will live in, not the one we live in
Biggest pet peeve? Lack of politeness. I’m British!
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Greatest fear? Being irrelevant
Most embarrassing moment?
Singing karaoke on the night I first met my wife
Go-to karaoke song? Daydream Believer by The Monkees
Where would you go in a time machine? I’d go back to the day when both kids started sleeping through the night
Paloma is an expert in the neuroscience behind equity and the psychology of how to improve our work and personal lives. She is a performance coach, trainer, and owner of 11:11 Supply, a store that specializes in beautiful work tools designed to help you feel more productive, happy, and balanced. She has worked with tech companies such as Etsy and Digital Ocean, nonprofit organizations, homeless healthcare clinics, as well as individual leaders and CEOs.
Hero?
My abuela Coco (no relation to Pixar, weirdly)
Favorite TED Talk?
How Much Is Enough? by Kevin Cavenaugh
Favorite Portland restaurant? Güero
Favorite book?
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
That everyone feels love and cherished for their entire childhood
Biggest pet peeve?
When folks talk on the phone in coffee shops
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Greatest fear?
That I won’t dance enough before I die
Go-to karaoke song?
Push It by Salt-N-Pepa
Where would you go in a time machine? To 2119
Under your bed right now? A white noise machine
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Georgia O’Keeffe, Ross Christy, Peter Burr, Margaret Bourke-White, Diane Arbus
David Peyton, Ph.D.
David is committed to eradicating malaria from the world. With a Ph.D. in chemistry, David joined the faculty at Portland State University with a focus on the structures and motions of complex biological systems. When a collaborator brought to his attention the resurgence of malaria across the globe, he felt compelled to act. With a focus on combining public health and chemistry, he recently co-founded DesignMedix, a company designed to bring important drugs to market.
Hero?
My dad
Favorite TED Talk?
Your Body Language May Shape
Who You Are by Amy Cuddy
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Tasty n Alder
Favorite book?
The Last Lion by William Manchester
Favorite movie?
The original Snow White, The Lord Of The Rings
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Eradicate malaria
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Chunky
Biggest pet peeve? Whistling
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Greatest fear?
Right now it would be losing my research funding
Most embarrassing moment?
Running into another car at my first driver’s license test
Go-to karaoke song? Dream On by Aerosmith
Where would you go in a time machine? 18th Century London
Under your bed right now? Christmas wrapping paper
Carine Kanimba
Carine was born in Kigali, Rwanda, shortly before the genocide of 1994. She survived the Rwandan genocide thanks to her adoptive father, Paul Rusesabagina, whose story is portrayed in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Growing up in Belgium and the U.S., Carine completed her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and master’s in Law and Economics from Aix-Marseille University, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, and University of Bologna. Today, Carine works for Flat World Partners, an advisory and investment intermediary focused on impact investing.
Hero?
José “Pepe” Mujica
Favorite TED Talk?
The Danger Of A Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Favorite book?
Too many to choose! I have so many favorites.
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
End poverty
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Chunky
Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Beatles
Go-to karaoke song?
Anything by Jason Mraz
Where would you go in a time machine?
Back to graduate school, which was the best time of my life
Under your bed right now?
Trunk of clothes
In early 2011, Tyler heard that his cousin Kim Malek was opening an ice cream shop called Salt & Straw. He convinced her to take him on, dropped everything, and moved to Portland. Using an ice cream maker he found at Goodwill, Tyler began his new role as head ice cream maker. He’s created more than 600 flavors with his R&D department and helped change the way America eats. Thanks to him, we’re all a bit saltier. And sweeter.
Hero?
My grandpa lives in (very) rural Montana. In his heyday, he was a high school English teacher, a cattle rancher, a used boat salesman, and the high school women’s basketball coach. He and my grandma owned the local newspaper, and he was one of the only Democrats in history to be the State Representative for Pondera County. I hope someone will one day talk as fondly about me to my grandchildren.
Favorite TED Talk?
The Little Risks You Can Take To Increase Your Luck by Tina Seelig
Favorite Portland restaurant? Kachka, Le Pigeon, Yuzu, XLB, Mae
Favorite book?
The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
What’s one change you’d make in the world? Open borders
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Ha! Both?
Biggest pet peeve?
People asking about my peanut butter preferences
Greatest fear? Public speaking
Go-to karaoke song? Blink 182?
Where would you go in a time machine? January 20, 2021
Anna Debenham
Anna considers herself a “mental health plumber,” having worked in private practice and multidisciplinary healing and support teams for two decades in the U.S., Australia, and U.K. In 2017, Anna created The Insight Alliance, an organization that works with men and women in the Oregon correctional system with a simple focus: understanding the limitless nature of the human mind, and recognizing our own innate well-being — that everything we need to thrive already exists within us.
Hero?
Bernadine Healy, Dalai Lama
Favorite TED Talk?
The Two Words That Stand Between You And Your Next Big Idea by Emma Mcilroy
Favorite Portland restaurant?
The original Taqueria Nueve
Favorite movie?
Harold And Maude, The Shawshank Redemption
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Inner peace for all humans
Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Smooth
Biggest pet peeve?
Oregon drivers
Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Rolling Stones
Greatest fear?
Something happening to my dog, Ruby
Most embarrassing moment?
A relative stranger burning a leach (with a cigarette) off my vagina in the Indonesian jungle
Go-to karaoke song?
Not if I can help it — best for everyone!
Where would you go in a time machine? 1950s London, so I can meet my maternal grandmother
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Nina Simone, David Bowie, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Pink Floyd, Lee “Scratch” Perry
JD is a co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Instrument, a digital brand and experience innovation company. Instrument’s team of over 200 creative technologists help organizations like Google, Nike, OneMedical, and MercyCorps navigate the complexities of innovation. Twenty years into his interaction design career — in an era where our digital wellbeing is at risk — JD’s mission is to enrich human lives through the thoughtful application of design and technology.
Hero?
Dieter Rams
Favorite TED Talk?
How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
Favorite Portland restaurant? La Bonita
Favorite book?
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
Favorite movie? The Godfather
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Take all cellphones away
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Smooth
Biggest pet peeve? Interruptions
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles Greatest fear? Karaoke
Go-to karaoke song? Not my jam!
Where would you go in a time machine? Danceteria in 1986
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring? Beatles, Frank Ocean, Fugazi, Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest
Nandini Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Nandini is the founder of Make+Think+Code, a technology-focused institute, creative incubator, and lab for Portland’s creative, tech, civic, and educational communities. Her interests and work encompass questions in abstract mathematics, cryptography, deciphering ancient languages, and expanding access to cutting-edge technology through design education. She has memorized the first thousand digits of pi, is mildly obsessed with solving television crime, and has a memorable performance in a Bollywood song and dance sequence.
Hero?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Favorite TED Talk?
The Danger Of A Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Favorite Portland restaurant? Kachka
Favorite book?
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Favorite movie? In The Mood For Love, Brazil
Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Neither. Peanuts should just be boiled in seawater!
Biggest pet peeve?
Leafblowers or lawnmowers or any loud motor noises on weekend mornings. Let me enjoy my coffee!
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Wu-Tang Clan
Greatest fear?
Terrified of speaking in public, but excited to talk about cryptography
Where would you go in a time machine? Bletchley Park
A marketing maverick with a Screen Actors Guild card in his back pocket, this golf-obsessed Portlander has a hunger for disruption in the digital space. With a passion for kismet connection and understanding, he has committed himself to genealogy, building bridges, and helping people reach for the unknown without fear, judgement, or pretense.
Hero?
Mom and dad
Favorite TED Talk?
How Great Leaders Inspire Action by
Simon Sinek
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Blossoming Lotus
Favorite book?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Mandatory meditation breaks
Biggest pet peeve?
Complaining
Rolling Stones or Beatles?
James Brown
Greatest fear?
Not living up to my potential
Most embarrassing moment?
Dancing at a club and my pants split. I didn’t find out until I got home that evening.
Go-to karaoke song?
Super Freak by Rick James
Where would you go in a time machine?
Atlantis
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
OutKast, Erykah Badu, Thelonious Monk, Ludwig van Beethoven, The Roots
Xiomara Torres
Xiomara Torres crossed the Tijuana River at age 8 for the chance at a better life. Speaking no English, she settled in California and spent time in the foster care system until she aged out at 18. Today she has gone from undocumented immigrant to recently-elected Multnomah County Judge. She’s spent her career fighting for Oregon’s most vulnerable children and brings her talent and heart forward every day to make life better for our community.
Hero?
Dolores Huerta
Favorite Portland restaurant? Pambiche
Favorite book?
100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda
Favorite movie? Amélie
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
End homelessness
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Chunky
Biggest pet peeve? People honking
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Greatest fear? Snakes
Most embarrassing moment?
Bird pooping on me in high school
Where would you go in a time machine? Shakespearean times
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Amy Winehouse, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Samuel Barber, Nina Simone
Duncan Campbell
Duncan’s passion for helping society’s most vulnerable children grew from his own experience in inner-city Portland. Duncan founded Friends of the Children, an organization that seeks to break intergenerational cycles of poverty through transformative mentorship. The nonprofit started with 16 children in 1993 and now serves thousands around the country. Duncan is a true champion for children. He holds a B.S. and J.D. from the University of Oregon and enjoys Smokey Robinson concerts, hiking in the wilderness, and spending time with his three children and six grandchildren.
Hero?
All my friends
Favorite TED Talk?
The Power Of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Sungari Pearl
Favorite book?
Golf In The Kingdom by Michael Murphy
Favorite movie? The Mission
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Have people respect the dignity in each person and be caring and kind
Biggest pet peeve? Pessimists
Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Smokey Robinson
Greatest fear?
Speaking in front of large audiences
Most embarrassing moment?
When I was 8 years old, I peed my pants after being hit by a car on my bike
Go-to karaoke song?
My Girl by The Temptations
Where would you go in a time machine?
The Holy Land in 30AD
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Smokey Robinson, Van Morrison, The Temptations, Chance the Rapper
piano. push. play rebecca jordan.smit
portland cello nw dance project
Rebecca Jordan Smith
A new Portland resident by way of New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland, Rebecca is a former actress and recording artist turned award-winning songwriter, whose original songs have been recorded by Prince, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend, among others. As a producer and teacher today, she inspires artists, students — and all of us — toward creativity in its many forms.
Favorite TED Talk? 4/27/19!
Favorite Portland restaurant? Imperial
Favorite book?
From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Favorite movie?
It’s A Wonderful Life, Coming to America, The Godfather
What’s one change you’d make in the world? Peace
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Chunky
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Depends on the day, probably Rolling Stones
Greatest fear? Spiders!
Go-to karaoke song? Sir Mix-A-Lot
Where would you go in a time machine? Outer space
Under your bed right now? Hopefully no spiders
The Portland Cello Project is a nationally-recognized performing, recording, and educational group with a revolving cast of cellists. They appear anywhere and everywhere in North America, from punk rock clubs to symphony halls, from street parties to exclusive private events. Their work builds bridges through education, community outreach, and cross-genre collaboration. Prepare yourself for a fresh take on the cello and a truly unique artistic experience!
Doug Jenkins Artistic Director
Favorite TED Talk?
3 Ways To Speak English by Jamila Lyiscott
Favorite Portland restaurant? King Burrito
Favorite book?
St. Augustine’s Confessions by Saint Augustine
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
I feel like we all make infinite things change every day and that’s something to celebrate in and of itself
Biggest pet peeve? Polarization
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Both
Most embarrassing moment?
That time I tried my hardest to pretend I knew literally anything about sports when my new neighbor started talking to me about football
Go-to karaoke song?
Mr. Roboto by Styx or Toxic by Britney Spears
Where would you go in a time machine? 1893
NW Dance Project is dedicated to innovative dance pieces and has fostered nearly 300 original, contemporary works to date — an unparalleled number for a dance company. Their award-winning company performs in Portland and tours nationally and internationally.
They’re committed to advancing dance education, equity, and community engagement through cost-free interaction and access programs. From their creative center home in NE Portland, they continue to inspire the Rose City (and beyond) toward beauty, creativity, and connection.
Scott Lewis Executive Director
Favorite TED Talk?
Your Elusive Creative Genius by Elizabeth Gilbert
Favorite book?
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Favorite movie?
The Piano
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
World peace
Chunky or smooth peanut butter? Chunky
Biggest pet peeve? Non-responsiveness
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Greatest fear? Needles
Most embarrassing moment?
Bloodying dance partner’s nose on stage
Where would you go in a time machine?
Anywhere, let’s see where it takes me
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Samuel Beckett, George Clooney, Adele, Anthony Minghella, Céline (fashion designer Phoebe Philo)
Piano. Push. Play.
Founded by Megan McGeorge, Piano. Push. Play. rescues pianos and places them across the city for everyone to enjoy. Each piano is given new life by artists who paint, fabricate, and even tattoo the surfaces. What began as one piano, on one street corner, is now a city-wide musical experience that invites people of Portland to create music together. It’s a beautiful expression of togetherness, and their work represents Portland at its creative finest.
“I chose the words ‘less talk, more walk.’ For me, and I think a lot of people, the stories and ideas we hear in events like TEDxPortland leave us feeling inspired but then we just go on with life as it were and maybe just reference the stories occasionally in conversation. So the idea I’m trying to convey with this is to remember to act when inspired, not just consume it, because our need to reimagine the world and create solutions to our problems is urgent.”
Gage Hamilton Forest For The Trees
Megan McGeorge Founder
Hero?
Tilda Swinton
Favorite TED Talk?
Do Schools Kill Creativity? by Sir Ken Robinson
Favorite Portland restaurant?
¿Por Qué No?
Favorite book?
Black Elk Speaks by John Gneisenau Neihardt
Favorite movie? The Red Violin
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
Stop eating animals
Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Honey roasted fresh ground peanut butter
Biggest pet peeve?
People who don’t follow through
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
Most embarrassing moment?
Falling flat on my face in a room full of people, at a party, in New Orleans
Go-to karaoke song? Not a fan of karaoke
Where would you go in a time machine?
1920 flapper, fliting between NYC and Paris
Under your bed right now?
Boxes and boxes of shoes from Modern Vice
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring? Diana Vreeland, Neko Case, Frida Kahlo, Rupi Kaur, David Bowie
David believes in creating joy in others through community connection. A former creative at Nike, he is the co-founder and President of 503 Media & Events. He was part of the original planning group that brought TEDx to the Rose City in 2009 and has worked tirelessly to grow the event for our city. David formerly served as the licensee for TEDxPortland and has been the host and emcee since 2012.
Hero?
My parents
Favorite TED Talk?
The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong by Dan Pallotta
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Renata
Favorite movie?
The Man From Snowy River, The Natural
Biggest pet peeve?
Entitlement (Eli Cairo’s Talk!) and people who don’t chase their potential
Most embarrassing moment?
8th grade — accidentally running into a telephone pole trying to impress a girl I had a crush on, breaking my nose
Greatest fear?
Something happening to our kids
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Ben Harper, Hall & Oates, Rolling Stones, DMB, Prince
Lindsey Murphy
Lindsey is the creator, producer, and host of The Fab Lab with Crazy Aunt Lindsey, YouTube’s #1 kids science web series that takes everyday science concepts and turns them into fabulous DIY projects. As a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) advocate and science communicator, Lindsey focuses on accessibility and diversity in STEM.
Hero?
Mara Zepeda, Mira Kaddoura, Adrienne Nelson, Danielle Outlaw, Rukaiyah Adams, Karen Cahn of iFundWomen
Favorite Portland restaurant?
Ling Garden
Favorite book?
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Favorite movie?
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, The Sound Of Music
What’s one change you’d make in the world?
There would be no currency exchange or requirement whatsoever for the most basic human necessity for living well: organic food, comfortable and well-kept shelter, and fresh water. Also, generally, I’d replace all currency with a kindness and compassion rating as the great calibrator for the acquisition of things.
Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Boiled peanuts. Get into it.
Biggest pet peeve?
The gender wage gap. Pay women and POCs.
Rolling Stones or Beatles? Arthur Alexander
Greatest fear?
Letting the lie of fear get in the way of creating the most incredible reality
Most embarrassing moment?
I’ve never been embarrassed
Under your bed right now?
Mommy’s Baby (my cat)
Renny is a geek who has worked in the startup and interactive marketing space since 1994. He leads interactive strategy globally for Wieden+Kennedy and is the co-founder and leader of W+K’s Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE), a technology business accelerator positioned at the intersection of startups and brands. Renny has presented on the stage at “big TED” and is an original board member, speaker coach, and chief advisor to TEDxPortland. He is vital to making each year’s event feel cohesive and impactful.
Hero?
Theaster Gates
Favorite TED Talk?
A Healthy Economy Should Be Designed To Thrive, Not Grow by Kate Raworth
Favorite Portland restaurant?
PBJ’s Grilled
Favorite book?
A People’s Future Of The United States
Favorite movie? Jumanji
What’s one change you’d make in the world? Up the empathy
Chunky or smooth peanut butter?
Chunky, there is no other
Greatest fear?
Fear itself
Go-to karaoke song?
Sister Christian by Night Ranger
Where would you go in a time machine?
The future, I’d love to see if we make it
If you were on a desert island, what five artist anthologies would you bring?
Hans Zimmer, Ali Farka Touré, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Trent Reznor, Drake
they modern adven did you know?
the ideas booth 6k night run
TED Commandments
TEDxPortland: Mission, Vision, Goals
TEDxPortland: Alumni Where Are They Now?
Modern Adventure
Did You Know?
The Ideas Booth
6k Night Run
Kevin Cavenaugh
2018 Speaker
Established in 1984, TED is an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design — three broad subject areas that are collectively shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline. The diverse audience of CEOs, scientists, creatives, and philanthropists is almost as extraordinary as the
speakers, who have included Brené Brown, Bill Gates, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Frank Gehry, Bryan Stevenson, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, Jill Bolte Taylor, and Bono.
Peter Cho
2018 Speaker
TEDx is part of a revolution in global education made possible by local organizers wanting to engage their communities. Established in 2009, over 40,000 TEDx events have been organized worldwide with 100,000,000+ TEDx Talks curated. Every week, in over 135 countries, people are coming together to pursue Ideas Worth Spreading. We seek to build partnerships that will surface, promote, and support great ideas. The concept is simple: create an immersive environment where prominent local organizations, thought leaders, and key enablers from vastly different fields can
cross-fertilize and draw inspiration from unlikely places. This foundation of partners, speakers, and influencers forms the basis of the community we are trying to build in Portland and beyond.
01. Dream big. Strive to create the best talk you have ever given. Reveal something never seen before. Do something the audience will remember forever. Share an idea that could change the world.
02.
Show us the real you. Share your passions, your dreams … and also your fears. Be vulnerable. Speak of failure as well as success.
03. Make the complex plain. Don’t try to dazzle intellectually. Don’t speak in abstractions. Explain. Give examples. Tell stories. Be specific. 04. Connect with people’s emotions. Make us laugh. Make us cry.
05.
Don’t flaunt your ego. Don’t boast. It’s the surest way to switch everyone off.
06.
No selling from the stage. Unless we have specifically asked you to, do not talk about your company or organization. And don’t even think about pitching your products or services or asking for funding from the stage.
07.
Feel free to comment on other speakers’ talks, to praise or to criticize. Controversy energizes. Enthusiastic endorsement is powerful.
08. Don’t read your talk. Notes are fine. But if the choice is between reading or rambling, then read.
09. End your talk on time. Doing otherwise steals time from the people that follow you. We won’t allow it.
10. Rehearse your talk in front of a trusted friend… for timing, for clarity, for impact.
Welcome to our 9th annual event. We received our first TEDx license in 2009 and it took us 14 months to pull off our first event at The Armory. We grew to the Portland Art Museum and have since landed at the Keller Auditorium. Our 60+ member volunteer team works year-round on this experience to deliver ideas worth spreading to the Rose City and beyond. Our team goals center on speaker quality and content, premium event management, partner appreciation, and inspiring Portland to think and do.
Mira Kaddoura
2018 Speaker
To spread ideas. TEDx is part of a global TED community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, perspectives, and lives.
On TEDxPortland.com and TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge. A community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at our events.
Create a world-class experience that inspires Portland to think and do.
• To organize the most educational and inspiring day of the year.
• To bring our community together to celebrate people, partners, and place.
• To develop a core team organizing dynamic that fosters love, passion, and commitment to one another.
• To be the most innovative TEDx event on the planet.
TEDxPortland is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization State of Oregon registry number: 747610-90
EIN: 27-4884880
Greg Bell 2011 Speaker
2011
Jim Riswold
Greg Bell
Brian Druker, M.D.
Tinker Hatfield
Bobbie Conner
Elliot Mainzer
PHAME
On The Rocks
Mark Edlen
Scott Kveton
School of Rock
Thomas Lauderdale
Spencer Beebe
Karen Brooks
Storm Large
Mia Birk
John Jay
2012
Thomas Brown
Jessica Green, Ph.D.
Gavin Davison
David Terry
Portland Youth
Philharmonic
Bassima Mroue
Hideshi Hamaguchi
John Waller & Ben Canales
Joe Whitworth
Kate Davis
Sahar Alnouri
Ward Cunningham
Rose City
Trombones
Gene Sandoval
Aithan Shapira, Ph.D.
Jeb Corliss
Sam Adams
2013
Asia Greene
Brian Grant
Mike Thelin
Jonathan Krisel
Tom Brokaw
Naomi Pomeroy
Kate Bingaman-Burt
The Royal Blues
Laurie Marker, Ph.D.
Ben Huh
Guido Rahr
Kimberly Howard
Brian Faherty
Di-Ann Eisnor
Denver
2014
Aaron Draplin
Andrew Revkin
G Cody QJ Goldberg
Zalika Gardner
Eric Giler
Nong Poonsukwattana
Jackson Gariety
Al James Macklemore
Zach King
Isaiah Holt
D’Wayne Edwards
James Keller
Frank Moore
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Lisa Sedlar
2015
Jon Wexler
Vidya Spandana
Karen Gaffney
The von Trapps
G Douglas Bundy
Linda Smith
Fawn Weaver
Jacob Miller & The Bridge City Crooners
Benji Wagner
Gregory Gourdet
Con Bro Chill
Cameron Smith, Ph.D.
Jenna Nicholas
Kent Thornburg, Ph.D.
Regina Ellis
Amber Starks
Daniel Wilson, Ph.D.
Speech
Renny Gleeson
Over the past nine years, 150+ speakers and performers have graced the TEDxPortland stage. We cherish our relationship with our alumni, working year round to keep in touch with them and support them. Their ideas have shaped this city and our world!
2016
Elias Cairo
Nadya Okamoto
Joey Harrington
Intisar Abioto
Israel Bayer
Maurice Conti
Rex Burkholder
Tracy Oseran
Timber Jim Serrill
Thaniya Keereepart
Mara Zepeda
Samuel Hulick
Radiation City
Bobbi MacKenzie
Portland Gay
Men’s Chorus
Tylor Neist & Bridgetown
Orchestra
Rose City Trombones
Renny Gleeson
2017
Emma Mcilroy
Stephen Green
Dave Sanders, M.D.
Annie Choo
Thor Drake
Luis Vargas
Renu Malhotra, Ph.D.
Benjamin Dehen-Artaiz
Marla Smith-Nilson
Adam Garcia
Ragini Dindukurthi
Colin O’Brady
Ben Kaiser
Renny Gleeson
2018
Ann Curry
Albert Chi, M.D.
Tami Lynn Kent
Tom Sachs
Chief Danielle Outlaw
Peter Cho
Kevin Cavenaugh
Tyrone Poole
Colleen Yeager
The Gay Beards
Mira Kaddoura
Rick Turoczy
Christopher Nichols, Ph.D.
Kristine Napper
Steven Eberlein
Hunter Noack & Thomas Lauderdale
Edna Vazquez
Ron Artis II
Oregon Symphony
Renny Gleeson
Nong Poonsukwattana 2014 Speaker
Nong Poonsukwattana, owner of Nong’s Khao Man Gai, graced the TEDxPortland stage in 2014 for our “Perfect” campaign. She wowed the crowd with a personal idea of “giving first before receiving.” In five years since her Talk, she has become a passionate rock climber and has raised the already high bar for Thai “chicken and rice” in Portland. Moving solo from Bangkok in 2003 with only $17 in her pocket and two suitcases, she took herself from hustling multiple jobs in the restaurant industry to owning multiple restaurants. As a woman of intention, she values every aspect of her business, from choosing local market chicken to personally packaging her sauce. When opening her first food cart, Nong found paradox in the world of climbing and running a business. She lives by the practices of focus and patience, knowing that sometimes falling and failing is a reminder to take a step back and look at the problem from a different approach. With four store locations, country-wide distribution of her handmade sauce, and a toddler, she is living inspiration of what it means to dream big, seize opportunity, and reach for the unattainable.
Frank Moore
2014 Speaker
This spring, the U.S. Congress approved the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area as part of a collection of bills known as the public lands package. The new sanctuary on Oregon’s North Umpqua River protects approximately 100,000 acres of public lands in some of America’s best remaining wild steelhead spawning areas. It pairs a legendary river — treasured by Oregonians and frequented by thousands of foreign visitors yearly — with two inspirational conservationists and American heroes.
Born and raised in Oregon, Frank Moore is one of the “greatest generation,” and in World War II he stormed the beaches of Normandy along with 150,000 troops during the D-Day Allied Invasion and was awarded the Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor for his bravery. He returned home after the war, started a family, and pursued his passion of fishing on Oregon’s winding rivers. Frank’s humble and soft-spoken demeanor belies a lifetime of passionate and effective stewardship, not to mention his legendary prowess as a fly fisherman. Together, Frank and Jeanne Moore embody the resilience, toughness, and grace of Oregon’s great landscape. They remain as dedicated to each other as they do to the river they call home. In 2019, they celebrated 76 years of marriage, and Frank celebrated his 96th birthday in January.
Last year, Colin undertook two projects that acted as the canvas for his mission to create a globally influential platform for unleashing human potential. The first was called “50HP,” where Colin set a new world record by reaching the highest point of each of the 50 U.S. states in 21 days, 9 hours, and 48 minutes (the existing record was 42 days). Along the way, people of all ages, creeds, and ethnicities joined him on runs and climbs to make 50HP a fun-filled whirlwind journey around the USA.
With 50HP and a subsequent crossing of Greenland, Colin was preparing for what would be his most epic project to date, “The Impossible First.” The project was an attempt to be the world’s first person to cross Antarctica solo, unsupported, and unaided, a feat
Colin O’Brady 2017 Speaker
that after 100 years of failed attempts was lauded as “impossible” by many.
In the continuing spirit of his mission, Colin set out to be the first not for bragging rights, but for everyone who has been told their dreams are impossible. On November 3, 2018, he was dropped off on the edge of Antarctica and began his 932 mile journey. Every night, Colin sent an Instagram post and answered daily questions from over 30,000 school kids following his journey in their classrooms. The New York Times covered the project extensively, and after 54 of the most challenging days of his life, Colin crossed the finish line on December 26, 2018, setting yet another world record (his fourth).
Luis Vargas
Speaker
Luis Vargas’ 2017 Talk now has over 1 million views and he has since launched a venture-backed travel startup on the bleeding edge of creativity and innovation. It exists to use travel as a force for good by enabling extraordinary travel experiences with the world’s best brands and most interesting tastemakers. Some of these experiences include the opportunity to travel with other TEDxPortland alumni, including to Switzerland with Elias Cairo and Japan with Naomi Pomeroy. The Modern Adventure team is more than a dozen strong and growing. Luis continues to focus on connecting people to the essential truth that the world is a beautiful place and people are fundamentally kind. He believes that it’s a time for boundless optimism and that each of us has
the opportunity to spread joy to serve as a needed counter to the fear-based media and climate. He loves and is deeply grateful for the community and ecosystem that Portland provides as he takes on new personal and professional challenges. Luis says there is no place in the world he would rather be investing in, raising a family, and building a company. Simply put, Portland is home.
Cured
Modern Adventure creates extraordinary travel experiences connecting you to the authenticity of a destination and the magic of human discovery. The sevenday journey through Switzerland showcases the country’s natural beauty, breathtaking accommodations and genuine hospitality. Get unparalleled access to artisans and makers and insider food and wine education. The trip spans from soaring alpine mountaintops to rolling vineyards to shimmering lakes, spending days with local experts and nights at quiet mountain inns. Celebrate Swiss culture through the art of salumeri and one of the world’s proudest, most overlooked winegrowing regions.
Come to Switzerland August 12–18, 2019! Proceeds benefit TEDxPortland to provide ticket scholarships for Year 10 / 2020.
Joining the trip is chef, salumist and TEDxPortland alumnus Elias Cairo of Olympia Provisions and one of Food & Wine’s 2018 Sommeliers of the Year, Jessica Hereth.
Just outside the door of where you’ve gathered to watch TEDxPortland is a fountain plaza that, on its opening day in June, 1970, the New York Times declared “one of the greatest urban spaces since the Renaissance” — Keller Fountain.
The writer, famed architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, wasn’t easily enchanted (admonishing much of downtown Portland for its “urban renewal bombsites” and “suave schlock” highrises). But to Huxtable, the Keller’s designer, Lawrence Halprin and Associates, had created something worth a celebration: part high-mountain waterfall, part theater set, in the form of public space.
Halprin had already sprinkled three other fountain plazas through the neighborhood in Portland’s first experiment in urban renewal. Take a walk and see them: Pettygrove Park, Lovejoy Fountain, and the Source Fountain. In a politically torrid time, the plazas’ instant popularity inspired Portlanders to build more public space: places like Tom McCall Waterfront Park and Pioneer Courthouse Square.
In 2006, the Halprin Landscape Conservancy (HLC) formed to preserve, enhance, and activate the plazas, collectively known as the “Portland Open Space Sequence.” In 2012, HLC successfully nominated these landmark works of Modernist design to the National Register of Historic Places. This summer, HLC and Portland Parks & Recreation will complete a $4.5-million restoration. And, at lunchtime, today, the dance group BodyVox will evoke Halprin’s hopes for the fountain expressed at its dedication: “As you play in this garden, please try to remember we’re all in this together.”
For more information on the Keller Fountain and the Portland Open Space Sequence, visit halprinconservancy.org.
With special thanks to Randy Gragg for his wonderful commitment to our city.
• TEDxPortland at the Keller Auditorium takes nine months a year to organize.
• We work with over 90+ volunteers.
• We collaborate with 75+ local Portland partners.
• We have year-round programming with intimate Salons, “Paint the Town TED” fun run at OMSI, and high school TEDxYouth programming.
• Our Core Team members are sent to greater TED conferences outside of Oregon to learn from other events and build a deeper bench with our volunteers. This past fall, Peter Achterman (our licensee) attended TEDWomen on behalf of TEDxPortland.
TEDxPortland has trail-blazed a number of global TEDx firsts:
• The Ideas Booth — thank you Oregon Historical Society!
• Award-winning event book — thank you Premier Press!
• City-wide scavenger hunts — thank you Portland Gear!
• 6k “Paint the Town TED” fun run, now an annual experience 5 times “running” — thank you OMSI!
• Annual Salon series — thank you W+K, Daimler, and Instrument!
• High school TEDxYouth programing 4+ straight years — thank you University of Oregon!
• Regional workshops that support TEDxBend, TEDxSalem, TEDxMtHood, TEDxMcMinville, TEDxUOregon, TEDxSeattle, and TEDxVancouver.
• City-wide out-of-home billboard campaigns.
• A city-wide art show, twice (featuring 74 local artists!)
• Interstitial creative short films based on our themes.
• A private speaker dinner celebrating our current speaker class and alumni every year — thank you ZGF and Irving St. Kitchen!
• More custom, incredible collaborations than we can count, from custom beer (Rogue Ales) and wine (Stoller Family Estate) to upcycled vinyl billboard bags (Pacific Outdoor and Oki Doki) and shoes (Nike)!
Back by popular demand, the Ideas Booth has returned for its second year. After overwhelming success last year, with over 250 submissions, not one, but two speakers were selected to take the TEDxPortland stage at Keller Auditorium. Congratulations to Steven Eberlein and Kristine Napper for their 2018 Talks.
Fabricated from scratch by local partners, this booth was located in the Oregon Historical Society’s pavilion from March 22 to April 2. Participants were given 90 seconds
to present an Idea Worth Spreading for a chance to join our speaker lineup and share their idea with the TEDxPortland audience. The selected speaker was then paired with a speaker coach and graphic designer and given two weeks to get ready for today.
Nothing like this has ever been done before in the TED or TEDx global community.
Hats off to the speaker who will grace the stage today. Show them a little extra support...
With special thanks to our partners
• Oregon Historical Society
• StoryTap
• Flatline Fabrication
• Space Monkey Designs
• Victory
• Leyard and Planar
• Lane Powell
• 503 Media & Events
Testimonial
“Sometimes it only takes 90 seconds to change your life. I exited the Ideas Booth last April unaware of how many doors of opportunity I had just opened. Two weeks after leaving the booth, David Rae called. “Steve — you’ve just been selected from 254 applicants. In eight days, you’ll be speaking to 3,000 people. Come in at 9am. We’ve got work to do.” I jumped up and down, hugged my family, put in for unauthorized time off from work, and buckled up for the most intense week of my life.
From the moment that I entered the TEDxPortland office, the team was there to support me, to challenge me, to cheer for me and to guide me toward making the most of my nine minutes on stage. I came with an idea, and together, we sculpted that idea into a Talk that I will forever be proud of.
I expected TEDxPortland to only be an event. As it turns out, I was indoctrinated into a family of like-minded individuals who share a high tolerance for risk, a low tolerance for egos, a generosity of spirit and, above all, a healthy dose of courage. My exposure to the TEDx staff and speakers gave me the courage to stop playing it small and safe with my ideas. In December, I doubled down on myself by resigning from my job of 10 years to launch my own enterprise. The Ideas Booth was the first door of opportunity. Now I’m in the business of creating my own doors.”
—Steve Eberlein, Ideas Booth Speaker 2018 & Director of Tipping Point Resilience
On June 20, 2019 the TEDxPortland organizing team will be hosting our fifth annual 6k Night Run at OMSI. Affectionately referred to as “Paint the Town TED,” this experience has welcomed over 1,000 participants in years past. Red Nike Dri-FIT TEDxPortland T-shirts are presented to each runner and colorful costumes are encouraged for best-dressed prizes. Participants enjoy a non-competitive experience that is family-friendly around the Portland waterfront. With special thanks to OMSI, Fuller Events, Rogue Ales, LED Lenser, Pinnacle Exhibits, Nike, Stumptown Coffee, KIND Snacks, and Red Bull.
Course Route: starting at OMSI, we head north on the Eastbank Esplanade, crossing west over the Steel Bridge, and continue south on the Waterfront Park Trail, crossing east over the Hawthorne Bridge, finishing back at OMSI. We are thrilled to share that this event has been promoted in the TEDx global community by the TED leadership in New York and has been replicated in over 15 cities around the world.
Presented by
In collaboration with
The Nike Air Trainer 1 was the first athletic cross training shoe, and was released for the first time in 1987. TEDxPortland 2011 Alumnus, Tinker Hatfield, was the man behind the design, and was inspired to create them when he noticed people in his local gym using two pairs of sneakers for running and weightlifting. Thus, the multipurpose Nike Air Trainer 1 was born.
Our TEDxPortland organizing team is always “building our bench” of volunteers in an effort to cross-train our talent to meet the needs of our ever-evolving event and yearround programming. Of the nine supporting words that fit with our theme this year, one word resonated a little more than others when it came to our shoe design: “rebel.”
With special thanks to Brendan Hughes
Legendary tennis player John McEnroe debuted this shoe prototype in 1986, reinforcing our thinking, to “be a rebel with a cause.”
Thank you to Tinker and the Nike family for once again making something so uniquely special happen for our speakers and volunteers.
“Well into their tenth decade, Dehen continues a tradition of heavy duty, quality manufacturing while actually producing their goods in Portland.”
Founded by William Peter Dehen in 1920, Dehen Knitting Company produces classic and traditional U.S. heavyweight apparel. Keeping true to their humble yet pioneering beginnings in Portland, they are a family business known for long-lasting quality, workmanship, and rugged styling. In the 1920’s they began knitting varsity and collegiate sweaters for student athletes. Today, well into their tenth decade, Dehen continues a tradition of heavy duty, quality manufacturing while actually producing their goods in Portland. Truth is built into every garment Dehen makes.
TEDxPortland became incredibly inspired after Benjamin Dehen-Artaiz graced our stage in 2017 for our Spectrum theme. His Talk was about “Resurrecting the American Dream.” We have since collaborated and partnered to outfit all of our TEDxPortland alumni speakers / performers in a custom Dehen varsity sweater.
It is a gesture to show our alumni how much we cherish them, their ideas and their continued involvement in our community building efforts.
There are three stripes on the sleeve to symbolize TED: Technology, Entertainment, and Design.
We are very proud to outfit our TEDxPortland family in these one-of-kind sweaters and share with you, the “Heavy Duty, Old School Truth” that is Dehen 1920.
From city-wide scavenger hunts to iconic custom “TED Red” hats, Portland Gear has provided creative collaborations for our volunteer team and attendees. Their infamous VW bus made its debut in 2014 on SW 3rd Ave and we have never looked back. This year we are thrilled to provide new hats, shirts and, oneof-a-kind “ideas socks.”
“The best thing a creator can do is walk. Walking gives you ideas.”
David Rae
With special thanks to Marcus Harvey, Eli Abramovitz, Mack Olsen, Cortney White, Zack Dean, and Mackenzie Bindrup.
Once again, we are thrilled to share that we have upcycled our 2018 vinyl “Br/dges” billboards.
This tote bag is handmade and is a collaboration between Oki Doki, Pacific Outdoor Advertising, and TEDxPortland. Oki Doki is a Portland-based, socially responsible brand that repurposes billboard materials into one-of-a-kind items. This incredible partnership is putting people back to work and giving individuals purpose and hope.
We are proud to honor the production team at Oki Doki — Donna Erickson, Sarah Roberts, Dana Morgan, and Ramona Ruhr.
This would not have been possible without the leadership and vision of Theo Hunter and Dan Dhruva at Pacific Outdoor. Thank you for your innovative thinking and thoughtful partnership.
Patron ticket holders
Be sure to claim your bags at the end of the day during the happy hour in the park. We will also have a limited quantity for sale from 4:30pm – 6:00pm.
The University of Oregon, specifically the School of Journalism and Communication in Portland, was one of our first partners in 2011. They helped get TEDxPortland off the ground. In 2012, The University of Oregon became the presenting partner and has continued their support ever since. We do not know where we would be without them. We are so thankful for their support, not only with our main event at the Keller but also with past TEDx SALONS that are held throughout the year. They are also the hosts for our TEDxYouth@Portland. With heartfelt appreciation we thank Matt Roberts, Jane Gordon, Tess Phillips, Heidi Hiasson, and Kyle Henley who have graciously facilitated a wonderful community connection.
Inspired by TEDxPortland, the University is proudly now curating their own TED inspired Presidential Speaker Series called “WINGS” — featuring their faculty, students, and alumni.
Our core organizing team finds 2018 inspiration in this quote from legendary runner and UO Alumnus, Steve Prefontaine: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
TEDxPortland Year 9 is in the third year of our creative relationship with our admired agency of record. The team at Enjoy is a natural extension of our core organizing team. We admire them as professionals, we cherish them as friends. With special thanks to Emily Boisvert, Matthew Anderson, and Ian Coyle. They create the objects, spaces, and experiences
that captivate imagination. From theme ideation and campaign photo shoots to digital execution and event book design, it has been a thrill and distinct privilege to work with them. We are humbled to be on this journey together.
Nike’s purpose is to use the power of sport to move the world forward. Our TEDxPortland organizing team is inspired by their belief in a fair, sustainable future — one where everyone thrives on a healthy planet and a level playing field. They have been with us as a partner from day one and we cannot imagine this journey without them.
Thank you for continuing to inspire us and for supporting our creative endeavors. With special thanks to Mike Brewer, Trish Young, Howard Lichter, John Hoke, Aaron Cooper, Adam Welliver, Brendan Hughes, and Tinker Hatfield.
This amazing Portland family business elevated our production value to new heights when we first started working with them in 2012. In 2014, we introduced our first volume of the awardwinning TEDxPortland Event Book. These books are now cherished collectibles, finding homes on personal library shelves, coffee tables and ottomans. All the printed collateral you see here today is made possible by the amazing team at Premier Press.
In particular, we would like to thank Juli Cordell, Eric Farrara, and Andy Gordon for being models of professionalism and generosity.
We were thrilled to produce a behind-the-scenes film this year to showcase just how incredible the process is producing your event book. Enjoy the “how it is made” film!
Oregon Community Foundation’s love for Oregon and supporting local communities across the state inspires us. They are a model for how to respect the past and optimistically build toward a better future by transforming individual generosity into exponential impact. They believe in our collective ability to build a brighter tomorrow where all Oregonians can create and sustain meaningful lives. Where communities work together to address our greatest
challenges. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy, and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians.
$110m
Grants and scholarships to communities
2,000
Generous donors
1,660
Passionate volunteers
2,200
Active community partners
We never thought TEDxPortland would grow into what it is today. It was 700+ people at The Armory in Year 1. It is now the largest TEDx in the United States with 3,300+ annually at the Keller and year-round programming. Thank you to the leadership at Lane Powell for earnestly looking out for the organization’s best interests as things have developed over the years. From formalizing our initial organization, to supporting
our non-profit incorporation, we are eternally grateful to the legal counsel (and friendship) of Emily Maass, Lisa Poplawski, Jeff Wolfstone, and Carter Mann for their thoughtfulness and stewardship.
Victory continues to raise the bar for our creative standards. Their team of motion, graphic, web, and social designers dream, dare, and do the impossible. They have influenced our digital reach to a global scale, produced our annual highlight films, and meticulously worked to remaster our speakers’ Talks for the rest of the world to enjoy, forever. Our relationship runs deep, dating back to 2009 when first discussions began of
bringing a TED “ideas experience” to town. Not simply an event or a conference, but an experience. Heartfelt thanks to the leadership team at Victory — Mark Starkey, Mario Soriano, Jelyssa Madrid, Keith Leinweber, and Ben Che.
Sincere thanks to the innovative leadership of Jodi Jordan and Carrie Roso of Umpqua Bank. They continue to be instrumental partners with us, creating thoughtprovoking activations around this experience. They also made our first-ever fundraising gala possible on March 14, 2019. It was a landmark moment in the evolution of our growth. Our organization proudly banks with Umpqua — we feel most banks treat customers like customers. They treat us like family.
We believe that banking should be personal. With Umpqua Bank’s new Go-To platform, wherever and whenever we need them, they are there. Whether online or in person, the Go-To community goes above and beyond for TEDxPortland.
Last October, a 30-person TEDxPortland organizing team traveled up to Timberline Lodge for the fourth consecutive year for an offsite retreat to dream about, and create Year 9. We were once again inspired at 7,000 feet to create the foundational elements for our re.imagine campaign. We’d like to extend special thanks to Sally Kohnstamm and the folks at Timberline Lodge for making this trip possible. This Oregon treasure is such a special place. The magic found there touches everyone who enters the lodge.
Leyard and Planar continue to raise the bar with us, pushing us to new heights. They are a backyard company gone global — a world leader in the design, production, distribution, and service of digital displays, video walls, and visualization products. With special thanks to Adam Schmidt, Erika Sessions, Jeremy Sternhagen, and Chris Prosio for their steadfast support and commitment to excellence.
Thank you to our partners at Provenance Hotels. They host our out-of-town speakers and core team at their properties and make them feel at home. In addition, they have hosted our Partner Appreciation Night at the Sentinel hotel for the past six years. It is an opportunity for our 65+ partners to connect, collaborate, and establish meaningful relationships. Heart, innovation, and style is at the core of everything they do. With special thanks to Bashar Wali, Zie Zie Senzaki, and Sosanda Erdmann.
It is a privilege and honor to work alongside this amazing team at Henry V. The backstage and production execution behind TEDxPortland is a reflection of an amazing group of individuals from this hometown event company. Their company mission is simple: “make things happen.” We wholeheartedly believe they embody their ethos as they continue to support our efforts with profound industry expertise, grace and a sense of unparalleled style. With special thanks to Matthew Anderson, Jerry Green, Matt Harper, and Katja Asaro.
We are continually inspired by the cutting-edge, people-focused innovation, engineered and delivered daily by our partners at Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). This past year, we held one of our annual Salons for 300+ guests at their beautiful new campus facility on Swan Island. We are thrilled to return with another installment in 2020. With special thanks to the leadership of Anahita Crawford, David Carson, and Eileen Frack.
Portland General Electric strives to enrich the quality of life for Oregonians while helping resolve many of the immediate needs of the people and communities across our state. We feel honored to be working with them. Please visit their activation space at the top of Keller Park. TEDxPortland alumnus, Aaron Draplin, and PGE have collaborated on one-ofa-kind T-shirts and have signed Draplin Design Company books for attendees. Visit them to learn more about their community impact and grab a swag item while supplies last!
With special thanks to Rachel DeRosia, Katie Paullin, Kimberly Howard, Anne Synder-Grassman, Brianne Hyder, and Kregg Arntson.
Special thanks to our media partners today. With the help of Joe Christensen and the team at Blaze Streaming Media, our livestream is being showcased to thousands of people today around the state (and the world!) for free on KGW.com.
WiLine’s WiFi network by the numbers:
37,000,000
Unique social media impressions for TEDxPortland 2018.
7,000 Feet of ethernet cable needed to outfit the Keller Auditorium with WiFi.
1,800
Devices that accessed the TEDxPortland WiFi network in 2018.
100 Gigabytes of data transferred by last year’s attendees (equal to streaming 100 HD movies).
70 Hours required to install this year’s WiFi network.
30 Enterprise-grade, highcapacity wireless access points installed for today’s event.
1
TEDxPortland’s rank among social media trends in North America four years running.
65+ partners graciously give their time, services and resources to make this event possible.
We are especially proud of the local influence our partners have on our local community.
Amy Wolff
Amy has been involved with TEDxPortland since 2015. She is a core-team member serving on the Speaker Coaching Committee. In her day job she works at Distinction Communication as a highly-rated senior trainer, executive coach, and event speaker. She has experience coaching corporate lawyers to nonprofit advocates, from shoe designers to engineers. Her greatest thrill is mixing business and personal passions by facilitating trainings for community leaders in Kigali, Rwanda (one of her favorite places on Earth). In her TEDxPortland history she has coached and worked with Karen Gaffney (2015), Timber Jim Serrill (2016), Ragani Dindukurthi (2017), Albert Chi, M.D. (2018), Carine Kanimba (2019), and David Peyton, Ph.D. (2019).
She is also making a tremendous impact in her community and around the world by making love and hope tangible with her “Don’t Give Up Movement.” Check out DontGiveUpSigns.com for inspiration.
When Amy’s not with clients, she’s meeting friends in small coffee shops, scheming to travel the globe, and constantly picking up toys… lots and lots of toys after her two beautiful daughters. She lives in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jake.
Board of Directors
Paul Anthony
Susan Hoffman
Renny Gleeson
Mark Starkey
Clare Ryan
Peter Achterman
David Rae
Licensee
Peter Achterman
Advisory Team
Greg Bell
Karen Brooks
Stephen Green
Al James
Gene Sandoval
Regina Ellis
G Cody QJ Goldberg
China Forbes
Redray Frazier
Curator & Host
David Rae
Leadership Team
Clare Ryan
Peter Achterman
Justin Albano
Seth Walker
Grace Moen
Ben Ford
Molly McCluskey
Allen Hardin
Speaker Coaching Committee
Seth Walker
Renny Gleeson
Peter Achterman
Clare Ryan
Paul Anthony
Cathey Armillas
Pete Lewis
Amy Wolff
Allen Hardin
Grace Moen
David Rae
Robyn Tenenbaum
Vince LaVecchia
Agency of Record
Enjoy the Weather
Principal
Ian Coyle
Executive Producer
Emily Boisvert
Creative Director
Matthew Anderson
Campaign Photographer
James Fitzgerald III
Hair & Makeup Artist
Lena Walsh
Nica DeMaria
Mt. Hood Photograph
Kenji Sugahara
• We are very grateful to the staff of Portland’5 and Keller Auditorium.
Your precision and professionalism continue to take us to new heights.
Introductory Video Victory
Interstitial Animation Content
Henry V Studios
Stage Management & Production
Henry V
Stage Technology & Screens
Planar — A Leyard Company
TEDxPortland Stage Sign
Brad Hogan and the wonderful team at Pinnacle Exhibits
PR & Communications
Kasia Hall
Kelsey Knecht
PR Agency of Record
Edelman —
McKenzie Thorp
Lauren Garetto
Billy Manggala
Kent Hollenbeck
Kristin Oke
Social Media & Interactive
Kelsey Knecht
Volunteer Management
Molly McCluskey
Justin Albano
Ben Ford
Gala Celebration
Chelsea Berchon
Partnerships
Amy Ziskin
Grant Writing
Lisa Ward
Performance Direction
Grace Moen
Art Direction
Juleah Zach
Copywriting
Seth Walker
Ideas Booth
Oregon Historical Society
Flatline Fabrication
Victory
Space Monkey Designs
Lane Powell
Leyard / Planar
StoryTap
503 Media & Events
• With special thanks to Kate Incerto
TEDxPortland Studio
Design Team
Daniel Westling
Jordan Aftanas
Annatova Goodman
Kyle Fordham
Victoria Wells
Rachel Worthman
Jon Hill
Juleah Zach
Keller Park Expo
Fuller Events —
Christina & Tyler Fuller
Jennifer Kelly
Nike Custom Shoes
Brendan Hughes
Adam Welliver
Aaron Cooper
Tinker Hatfield
Team Uniforms
Hyder Graphics
Portland Gear
Nike Collaborations
Mike Brewer
Howard Lichter
Botanical Innovation
Rosemary Stafford
Floral Design
Partner Appreciation
Night
Provenance Hotels —
Sentinel
Legal
Lane Powell —
Emily Maass
Lisa Poplawski
Jeff Wolfstone
Carter Mann
Irving St. Kitchen
Speaker Dinner
Anna Caporael
Lynette Aguirre
Chef Sara
Pamela Lloyd
Kelsey Nealeigh
Rosemary Stafford
Sarah Lewis
Hotel Speaker
Accommodations
Provenance Hotels — Dossier
• With special thanks to Leslie Lew, Sosanda Erdmann, Bashar Wali, and Zie Zie Senzaki
Happy Hour
Stoller Family Estate
Rogue Ales
Beam Spirits
• With special thanks to James Falvey, Dharma Tamm, and George Mann
6k Run Committee & Partners
Fuller Events
OMSI
Pinnacle Exhibits
Rogue KIND
Red Bull
Last Regiment of
Syncopated Drummers
Sprinklr
Really BIG Video
TEDxYouth@Portland Mentorship
University of Oregon
Matt Roberts
Allen Hardin
Really BIG Video
Nike
Keller WiFi Experience WiLine
Media Partners & Live Stream
Sean Sterling, Chris Hammond, and John Maher of the Oregonian Media Group & OregonLive.com
Brenda Buratti,
Steve Carter, and Cassidy Quinn of KGW.com
Joe Christensen of Blaze Streaming Media
Videography & YouTube
Post Production
Victory
Event Camera Crew
Joe Christensen and the Blaze Streaming Media team
Event Photography
Connor Meyer
Victory
Event Registration
Magnify
Communications —
Stacey Stine
Erin McMahon
Kylee Morrell
Creative Workspace
The Fair-Haired Dumbbell
503 Media & Events
Collaborations & Sounding Board
Aaron Cooper
Michael Shea
For First Believing In Us
Michael Doherty
John Jay
2011 Speaker
Thanks to our incredible happy hour partners! Let’s celebrate and share highlights and inspiration from the day. Meet new people, raise a glass, and commit to doing something with the information and ideas you have just learned. Each guest can imbibe with two complimentary drinks. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home with our friends from Lyft!
Inspired by Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way and our partners at Egg Press, we wanted to re.imagine our lives for the coming year. Not that we’re saying we need to make radical life changes, just that we think exploring new ways of seeing and thinking about our lives is always worth the effort.
Especially if that effort leads to a self-addressed, handwritten time machine filled with insight and inspiration.
Step 1.
Imagine you have several alternate lives. What would you do you with them? Without overthinking it, list three possibilities, no matter how wild or impractical (e.g. mountain climber, zoologist, youtube chef, treehouse dweller, keytar player, etc.):
Step 2.
For each life, list the two qualities that most appeal to you:
This section is a two-page worksheet. Simply fill it out, detach, then drop it off at the Egg Press tent in the Keller Park courtyard. One year from now, they’ll mail your letter to your future self.
See step five for more information.
Step 3.
Brainstorm some ideas about how you might incorporate those qualities into your life during the coming year:
Step 4.
Write a letter to your 2020 self. You can say whatever you like, of course — it’s just you talking to yourself after all! — but here are some of our suggestions for using your worksheet as a jumping off point:
• Imagine that you are your 2020 self. Describe the coming year as though it’s already happened. Talk about the adventures you had, the changes you made, and the things you accomplished.
• Write a letter of intent describing your aspirations for the coming year. What are your hopes, goals, and objectives? What are some creative ways you might transform those aspirations into reality?
• Summarize or respond to the worksheet. Describe the things you’re already doing or that you’re happy with, but also describe the things you’d like to focus on or improve upon.
Step 5.
When you’re finished, go to the Egg Press tent in the Keller Park courtyard. They’ll have envelopes ready to be stuffed, addressed, stamped and collected for safekeeping until next year, when we’ll send your letter to your future self, who by then will be your present self, and who will hopefully have their April 2020 mind blown by this tiny TEDxPortland time machine.