Meet our Speakers
Portland is full of innovative, informative, and inspiring ideas. TEDxConcordiaUPortland is all about raising awareness of these ideas and sharing ways in which you can put them into action or find outlets for ideas of your own. With that mission in mind, our speaker roster is full of individuals who are dedicated to the Portland model of inspiration, whether that be in the form of education, sustainability, locally created art, food cart cuisine, political activism and so much more. We're proud to announce the following individuals as our speakers for TEDxConcordiaUPortland. Click on a name to learn more information.
Speakers will be highlighted one at a time as an opportunity to share what they think, what ideas inspire them, how they have put them into action, and where you can go to get inspired yourself. After all, that’s what ideas worth spreading are all about.
think.inspire.go
Blaine Fontana
Artist
Blaine Fontana currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Imbuing his vision with the divine symbolism of religious myths, worldly folklore and current social dynamics, his works contain a kind of shamanic exploration of meaning that recognizes the totemic quality and power of the image. With extensive experience within the design world, including working as a designer for Felt Bicycles and acting Art Director for Zero+ Publishing, Fontana's work displays a virtuosic understanding of sign & simulacra and their role within our contemporary visual culture. Straddling the physical and metaphysical, organic and architectural, painterly and graphic sensibilities, Fontana fuses multiple visual strategies to forge an aesthetic language entirely of his own making.
His works have been published in a variety of publications, including iDN/Society 6, My Name Is, Sycamore Review, Soul Pancake, Mod Art and Juxtapoz. He has exhibited nationally in Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Miami, and New York, and internationally in Germany, Canada and Japan.
With his wife and creative partner, he currently runs Fontana Studios, a multi-media art and design studio in Portland, Oregon. He has designed and licensed work for a number of companies including SCION Installation Art Tour, Patagonia, Nike, Quicksilver, Toyota, Kid Robot, Upper Playground, Quiksilver, Ocean Pacific, KFC International, and Arbor Snowboards.
Blaine Fontana received his BFA in Communication Art/Design from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA in 2002. He was awarded "Best in Show" for his senior thesis project, and is one of only seven distinguished alumni from 2000-2010. He is currently an Advisory Board member for the Northwest College of Art.
Chris Guillebeau
Author, the Art of Non-Conformity
Chris Guillebeau is a self-proclaimed "writer, world-traveler, entrepreneur, and lifelong learner." As a volunteer executive for a medical charity in West Africa from 2002-2006, Chris "gave keynote speeches to presidents, hung out with warlords, and learned far more in those four years than anything (he) learned in college."
After his stint in West Africa, he entered the graduate program in International Studies at the University of Washington. He has currently traveled to more than 150 countries and is in the middle of a 5-year personal project to visit every country in the world.
"The Art of Non-Conformity (AONC) project chronicles (Chris's) writing on how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time." He specifically focuses on reforming conventional beliefs in the areas of life, work, and travel.
Chris Guillebeau travels the world and writes for a small army of remarkable people at chrisguillebeau.com. Follow his live updates from every country in the world at twitter.com/chrisguillebeau
Dee Williams
Small House and Simplicity Advocate
How much stuff does a person really need? This is a question Dee Williams has been challenging for years, and after a pivotal trip to Guatemala seven years ago, her conclusion was: not much. Dee sold her home, got rid of most of her belongings, and began limiting herself to about 300 possessions -- that was everything from heels and a toothbrush, to a couple of dinner plates and a two-ton jack. She then built a tiny house on wheels, parked it in a friend's backyard, and commenced re-defining her understanding of the basics: community well-being, gratitude, happiness and the compost toilet.
Dee has been featured in the media including, Yes! Magazine, the NBC Evening News, NPR, Good Morning America and TIME Magazine. Her tiny company, Boxcar Woodcraft, won the Washington Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices in 2008 and in 2010, her company, Portland Alternative Dwellings, started rolling out customer-designed little houses and offering workshops for would-be builders. You can learn more at www.portlandalternativedwellings.com, and you can see a video of Dee's house at www.nau.com/collective/stories/.
Dick and Jeanne Roy
Dick Roy, Managing Director
A 1970 graduate of Harvard Law School, Dick left his practice of corporate law with Stoel Rives to join his wife Jeanne as a full-time volunteer for the earth in 1993. Together, they have launched the Center for Earth Leadership, the Northwest Earth Institute, and the Oregon Natural Step Network. At the national level, Dick served for six years on the board of the Center for a New American Dream.
Jeanne Roy, Education Director
A recognized leader in Oregon's environmental movement for 35 years, Jeanne is a co-founder of the Center for Earth Leadership, the Northwest Earth Institute, and the Oregon Natural Step Network. She served on the founding board of The Natural Step U.S. at the request of Paul Hawken. She also co-founded Recycling Advocates and Portland's Master Recycler program, authored a weekly column on sustainable lifestyle in The Oregonian and This Week Magazine for five years, and serves as a continual advisor to public agencies on environmental policy matters.
Jeff Mapes
Author of Pedaling Revolution and political writer for The Oregonian
Jeff is the senior political reporter at The Oregonian and author of Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities. He has covered numerous state and national campaigns as well as Congress and the Oregon Legislature. He also writes the "Mapes on Politics" blog and appears every Friday for a political chat on Oregon Public Broadcasting during "Morning Edition." He is a graduate of San Jose State University, lives in Portland with his wife, Karen, and has two grown children. His last transportation purchase was a cargo bike.
Rep. Jefferson Smith
Founder of Oregon Bus Project
Jefferson Smith is a native Oregonian -an Eastsider from the age of zero - best known as founder of Oregon's "Bus Project," a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to engaging young people in forward-thinking, community-focused politics. He championed online voter registration as well as Oregon.gov/transparency to share Oregon's budget with the world.
Jefferson's work as a legislator is driven by his commitment to civic work, his love of Oregon, and a recognition that East Portland and mid-County need strong advocacy. "We live in a state that can be an example for the nation. With strong vision and leadership, our district can demonstrate that people-driven politics work, and that a commitment to making the world a better place for everyone isn't idealistic, it's about crafting sound, common sense policies."
Kelley Roy and Kelley Rodgers
Authors of Cartopia: Portland's Food Cart Revolution
Kelley Roy
Kelley Roy is the Director of ADX, a membership based art and design facility in the heart of Portland's Central Eastside. Equal parts workspace and incubator, the membership-based 10,000SF facility unites a number of creative disciplines under one roof, giving the community an accessible, collaborative, supportive site for creative work. From wood and metal shops, to co-working desks, to private studios (housed in swanky vintage travel trailers), ADX's amenities offer the opportunity for designers of all stripes to explore their craft, prototype products, enlist the support of industry experts, and display and sell work in an adjacent gallery. ADX also provides a diverse schedule of classes and a range of programming. Memberships are available for those wanting to utilize the space and equipment on a part-time basis. Members can then choose between hourly, daily, and monthly use of the wood shop, metal shop, and other production areas.
Ms. Roy's passion is all things Portland, and she provides business and marketing consulting services for Portland artists and designers who want to make a living doing what they love.
Kelly Rodgers
Kelly Rodgers is the principal of Confluence Planning. Since moving to Portland in 1995, Kelly has worked in a variety of areas to support the development of a sustainable city, including neighborhood planning, green infrastructure, community design, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation. In other words, she has been working to create cities where people know their neighbors, where resources are used efficiently, where people don't have to get in the car to meet their basic needs, and where it's possible to work collaboratively on creative energy, food, and housing solutions. Kelly's relationship with food carts began simply as a cartivore, but her interest was piqued further by their rapid growth and their increasingly elaborate street presence. She has grown to appreciate food carts not only for their architectural personality and contribution to street life, but also for their role in the artisan economy.
Melissa Delzio
Creator of Our Portland Story
Melissa Delzio is a freelance graphic designer and creative entrepreneur with over seven years of experience producing print and web graphics for international and local consumer and non-profit brands. In 2008, Melissa founded a book project that promotes design and storytelling on the topic of Portland. Our Portland Story sought submissions of short stories from average Portlanders describing one thing they love about Portland, and paired those stories with different local designers who graphically bring the tale to life on the page. Altogether, the book creates a cross-section of community views and values told through personal stories and graphics. Our Portland Story was published in 2010 and is available for purchase online and at many local retailers.
Mohan Nair
Chief Innovation Officer at Regence
Born and raised in Singapore, Mohan witnessed and participated in a nation that transformed itself through hard work and strategy. There, he discovered his love for music, watercolors, mathematics and here he discovered his love for computer science, leadership and business strategy. He investigates all these passions as part of the fabric of personal and business transformation.
Currently, as Chief Innovation Officer at Regence, a leading healthcare organization, he is focused on healthcare transformation. Prior to this, Mohan's journey in business took him through high profile but diverse technology companies and startup businesses where he led as President. He was also founder of Emerge Inc, a strategy advisory firm. Unknown to many, he served as an infantry soldier, a TV talk show host, a performer and also as an educator as Adjunct Professor of Business Management at Kellogg School of Management teaching executive courses in cost and performance management for ten years.
Neal Keny-Guyer
CEO of Mercy Corps
Neal Keny-Guyer is a social entrepreneur committed to creating a more just and peaceful world. A native of Tennessee, Keny-Guyer holds a B.A. in Public Policy and Religion from Duke University, an M.A. in Public and Private Management from Yale University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Portland State University, Oregon.
Keny-Guyer joined Mercy Corps in 1994 as Chief Executive Officer. Under his aegis, Mercy Corps has emerged as a leading international humanitarian and development organization with ongoing operations in nearly 40 countries, a staff of 3,700, and an annual operating budget of $308 million. Keny-Guyer has forged new directions at Mercy Corps, most notably implementing global mergers and strategic alliances, placing human rights, civil society and social entrepreneurship at the forefront of Mercy Corps' humanitarian mission, and building an organizational reputation for groundbreaking, innovative programming in the world's toughest environments.
Polly Bangs and Tres Shannon
Polly Bangs, Urban Opportunities Program Manager
Ms. Bangs has worked with youth since 2002, and has been the founder and Program Manager of Urban Opportunities since 2007. Ms. Bangs previously owned her own restaurant in North Portland, Pasta Bangs, at which she created job opportunities for at-risk youth and developed the concept for Urban Opportunities. Ms. Bangs' entrepreneurial spirit and business connections have provided at-risk youth in Portland access to real jobs. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Portland State University, six years of experience as a supervisor, and five years' experience as a local business owner.
Tres Shannon, founder of Voodoo Doughnuts
Tres grew up in Colorado and moved to Portland in 1984. He opened an all-ages Rock Club, The X-Ray Café from 1990-1994 in downtown Portland. He booked bands at Berbati's from 1994-2000 and opened Voodoo Doughnut in 2003. Voodoo Doughnut currently has two stores in Portland and one store in Eugene. Tres is currently the front man for the Kareoke From Hell Band and The Miss You's. . Portland's premier Rolling Stones Cover Band.
Prashant Kakad
Bollywood singer, dancer, DJ
This multi-talented Cornell Graduate and ex- Intel Engineer is a Bollywood Singer, Dance Instructor, and DJ, spinning an eclectic mix of International dance music to packed houses nationwide. He has moved masses, from kids to elders across both coasts of America including New York City, Washington D.C., Bay Area, Seattle and Portland.
Prashant has taught dance at PSU, PCC and currently teaches at REED College as well as privately at Euphoria Studios. His twice a month Jai Ho Dance Parties at The Crystal Ballroom in Portland feature LIVE singing, dance lessons and dance performances blended with seamless DJ sets crossing barriers such as age, language and culture, compelling all to celebrate the joyful Indian Music via dance!
Prashant's work has been featured in The Oregonian and The Asian Reporter positioning him as the vanguard of emerging Indian culture movement.
More information about Prashant can be found on his website www.DreamPrashant.com
Sharif Abdullah
Author of Creating a World That Works for All
Dr. Sharif Abdullah is an author and advocate for inclusivity, societal transformation and societal spirituality. Sharif's life vision and mission are simple: we can create a world that works for all beings.
Sharif believes we must release the status quo and transform our toxic political, economic and social/cultural systems and structures.
Sharif promotes heart-centered inclusivity, compassionate dialog, and a society based on visionary, localized and alternative economics and politics. His vision and work are informed by his spiritual awareness, his growing up with racism and generational poverty, and his later inclusivity experiences in over 100 distinct cultures, spanning 36 countries.
His books include The Power of One: Authentic Leadership in Turbulent Time, the award-winning Creating a World That Works for All, and the visionary Seven Seeds for a New Society.
Sharif has degrees in psychology and law. He is a graduate-level adjunct professor of Conflict Resolution at Portland State University. He is founder and director of the Commonway Institute for Societal Transformation.
Tim Smith
Urban Designer, City Planner, Architect for SERA Architecture
Tim Smith is a Principal and Director of Urban Design and Planning for SERA Architects, a Portland, Oregon firm that offers integrated services in architecture, urban design, planning, and sustainability consulting. He is a registered architect and a certified planner with over 30 years of professional experience. His recent projects include the design of a new capital city for the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, Eco-Taipei: An Eco-city vision for Taipei, Taiwan, and the Portland State University Framework Plan. Tim is currently serving as urban design advisor to the City of San Francisco for the redevelopment of Treasure Island.
Tim's work in sustainability has received a number of awards including a Progressive Architecture Research Award for Sustainable Communities in the Urban-Rural Interface. He has directed SERA's efforts to develop the Civic Ecology framework and has lectured widely on the topic. Tim has served as Vice President of the Portland Planning Commission, on the Portland Chapter AIA Urban Design Committee, the Mayor's Central City Roundtable and as a member of the City of Portland EcoDistrict Technical Advisory Committee. Tim is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he also received a Master of Architecture. He received a Master of City Planning and a Master in Architecture (Urban Design) from the University of Pennsylvania. Tim taught urban design at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design.
Nick Caleb
Activist
Nicholas attended Concordia University where he received a biology degree and, more importantly, mentoring and direction from positive and progressive professors. He attended law school at the University of Oregon because of its focus on public interest law and is currently a member of the Oregon State Bar. While at U of O, he was able to regularly travel internationally, teach animal behavior and genetics to undergraduates, clerk at the Oregon Department of Justice, and serve as an extern at the Federal District Court of Oregon for the Honorable Ann Aiken. In Nicholas' opinion, his most significant and life changing experience came from a summer spent as a policy analyst at Vandana Shiva's Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology in Delhi, India. This experience forced him to grapple with the effects of globalization on impoverished peoples around the globe.
After receiving his law degree, he moved to Europe and earned his LL.M. in Law & Technology from Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Nicholas reports that even more important than the high quality education were the valuable social, cultural, and political experiences that come with immersion in a foreign culture. As one of few Americans in his university -- and the only in his graduate program -- he served as a de facto ambassador for the American approach to law, life, and culture in the classroom. For example, during the American health care debate, Nicholas reports that he was repeatedly approached and challenged to explain why the wealthiest country in the history of the world openly refused to provide health care to all of his citizens when Europeans had accomplished this feat long ago. He left Europe with the strong belief that living in a society with a strong social safety net is not some abstract idea, but an achievable reality if people desire it enough.
After returning from Europe, Nicholas was immediately hired as a field organizer for a local Democratic state senate campaign. He has spent the last few months reintegrating into Portland society, teaching in environmental science, and is in the process of organizing a series of local civil rights seminars.