Past TEDx event
TEDxFridley
Belong
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.
Amir Khadar
Amir Khadar identifies as a “queer youth of color.” He’s a 16-year-old junior at Fridley High School, pursuing the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Amir gets a kick out of public speaking, and participates in a host of extra-curricular activities. His leadership roles include treasurer of the student council and a captain on the speech team.
Cathy Gasiorowicz
Cathy Gasiorowicz is a senior writer at StoneArch, a Minneapolis-based health marketing agency that understands the power of a good story. Until 1996, Cathy worked as a dancer, choreographer and actor at various theaters (Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, Minnesota Opera, Children’s Theater, History Theater), and as a mime (Yoplait Yogurt, MN State Arts Board, countless bar mitzvahs). Her onewoman show, Falling Out of the Family Tree, was a sell-out at the 2004 Minnesota Fringe Festival.
Jearlyn Steele
Jearlyn Steele has dedicated her life to touching people with the sound of her voice: as a singer performing from Carnegie Hall to Korea, a radio talk show host for nearly two decades at WCCO Radio 830 AM, and a television entertainment reporter at TPT’s Emmy Award-winning Almanac. A graduate student majoring in Leadership with a concentration in Spirituality, Jearlyn hopes to teach through example that we are all spiritual beings first, mastering the human experience.
Nick Buettner
Nick is committed to informing, inspiring and connecting people and ideas. He’s traveled the planet, visiting geographic Blue Zones—areas where more people reach age 100 than anywhere else. As part of the Blue Zones team, Nick leads the development and implementation of the Blue Zones Project, taking the lessons of the worlds longest-lived, and applying them to 27 communities nation wide.
Rebecca Ebnet-Mavencamp
Rebecca Ebnet-Mavencamp is Executive Director of the Anoka County Historical Society and has a background in journalism, creative writing, photography, and non-profit management. With a strong appreciation for how place and community influence a person’s identity, Rebecca advocates for individuals telling their own story, taking ownership for their contribution to public history and helping to leave a more complete picture of the world we know.
Robert Christenson
Robert Christenson has been active in the health care and nonprofit sector for over 50 years, providing policy guidance, strategic planning and governance training. He’s currently President of InCommerce Solutions—a business, health care and nonprofit consulting firm. In his long lifetime he has founded, co-founded, or been a charter board member for 12 businesses and 10 nonprofit organizations.


