Theme: SERVE

Since 1847, the University of Iowa has put energy towards being the University for Iowa. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators are challenged to be community builders, and live up to the challenge of being a credit to their community. It is only fitting that this year’s TEDxUIowa’s theme is one that reflects our history and looks to our future. The 2015 TEDxUIowa: “SERVE” event features some of the best and brightest minds sharing their passion, expertise, and energy.

Our event focuses on the many ways that the word serve may be applicable in our lives—whether that be volunteering, service-learning, community engagement, conflict resolution, international development, or otherwise. The Iowa Challenge asks students to set and meet high standards. As the charge states, “you should expect only the best from yourself and the University.” The Iowa Challenge calls on the University of Iowa Community to ‘contribute to the community where you live,’ in order to ‘provide a sense of belonging and leave each place better than you found it.’ In their own ways, each of our speakers have lived up to this challenge. Our speakers are focused on bringing opportunity to where there is none, food to the hungry, solidarity in chaos, awareness through endurance, and education through personal commitment. We’ll learn how being an apprentice to your passion is changing how we think about education, while also thinking about the passion and purpose we have for doing service work and how it relates to serving others with the correct ethic. We’ll see how solar technology is efficiently allowing others to have greater opportunities to address hunger, while also thinking about how something as simple as a bridge can completely change a community. We’ll hear about how national turmoil and crisis around racial identity has allowed a community to form solidarity. All of these ideas woven together create an opportunity for all who attend to have a new perspective on how they serve others, and what it means to be called to serve.

We believe that TEDx is a special way for us to exchange ideas and perspectives on our campus. Whether you are beginning your first year in one of our exciting new living learning communities, a medical student finishing up your time at our award-winning medical campus, a long-time corridor resident, or simply a guest, we are glad you are joining us today. Thank you for being a part of our event—with your help, support, and enthusiasm it is the beginning of another University of Iowa tradition.

Iowa Memorial Union
Iowa Memorial Union
125 N Madison St
Iowa City, Iowa, 52245
United States

Aly Olson

Aly Olson represented the state of Iowa at the 2015 Miss America Pageant, where she was named a top 12 semi-finalist. Aly was crowned Miss Iowa in June of 2014 and since then, she has spent her days traveling the state of Iowa promoting the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program, Children’s Miracle Network, and her personal platform Do One Thing: Diversity Everyday. Through her platform Do One Thing: Diversity Everyday, Aly encourages all to pursue simple actionable tasks each day that will lead to significant change for diversity and inclusion. “One thing” may look like trying out a Thai restaurant, visiting a new worship center with a friend, or having an open conversation about diversity with others. Aly works with Diversity Focus, the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations across the state of Iowa. Aly is passionate about spreading her message about diversity inclusion and enjoys speaking to large or small groups of any age.

Avery Bang

Avery Bang fancies herself an entrepreneur, engineer, artist and visionary who believes access to basic services should be a human right. As CEO of Bridges to Prosperity, an organization that builds bridges to provide access to healthcare and education, she built the program from a one-country focus to a worldwide presence.

H.S. Udaykumar

Dr. Udaykumar is a Professor Mechanical and Industrial engineering at the University of Iowa. He obtained a BTech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Florida. He has been at the University of Iowa since 1999. His current work is mainly in the area of Energy, Energetics and Computer Simulations. Dr. Udaykumar has been working with NGOs to develop a stored energy solar cooker; in the meantime he has also been exploring other options to cut down on the use of firewood by the villagers.

Ken Brown

An award-winning teacher and researcher, Ken Brown has been actively involved in volunteer roles his whole life. He currently sits on two non-profit boards (one local and another national) and contributes time and money to a number of other worthy causes. He is passionate about helping students develop and find ways to serve others. His students have worked on projects with many local nonprofits including the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, Oaknoll Retirement Community, the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities, United Way of Johnson County, the Iowa Children’s Museum, and the Crisis Center of Johnson County.

Lorraine Williams

Lorraine Williams is the owner and visionary of the award winning restaurant, Café Dodici, Dodici’s Shop and Dodici Night Suite in Washington Iowa. A Washington, Iowa native, Lorraine lived in Italy for 27 years, has dual American-Italian citizenship and speaks Italian fluently. As director of sales in her 15-year career in the Italian Health industry she was able to travel to every region in Italy, researching the health and healing practices of the country. She gained her education through engaging in the cultures of 25 different countries in 4 continents on numerous journeys over 20 years. These experiences drove her to establish a physical expression of what she has learned beginning with the merits of building restoration, the healing power of well-planned hospitality and nourishing food. Lorraine resides in Washington with her Italian husband and creative Chef, Alessandro Scipioni and her daughter Isabella Santoro, manager of Dodici’s Shop, in the home her father built.

Victor Saad

Victor Saad is a dreamer. Which he blames on cartoons, super heroes, and his mother’s cooking. Leaving a job he loved – working with middle and high school students – he followed a dream to learn practical ways to change the world, make a difference and create avenues to help his friends take risks to create change. Taking him through twelve apprenticeships/experiences in twelve months, The Leap Year Project became his self-made MBA in design, business, and social change. After publishing “The Leap Year Project” book, Victor founded Experience Institute, taking what he’s learned and joining forces with visionaries from Stanford’s d.school, Leo Burnett, and a team of educators to create a higher education model based on real-world experiences.

Willis Johnson

With more than 15 years of professional ministry experience in Indiana, North Carolina, and Missouri, Reverend Willis Johnson’s skills extend far beyond the pulpit. Most notably, he has developed faith-based, social service and education initiative, instituted a community-wide feeding program, and played a key role in the expansion of a prison ministry for juveniles and re-entering adults. Johnson has served in volunteer and paid leadership positions for multiple non-profit organizations, including Indiana Black Expo, Inc.; The Marion County (Indiana) Commission on Youth, Inc.; Celebration of Hope, a racial reconciliation ministry; and the Greensboro Day Center Homeless Project. Presently, he chairs Ferguson’s Human Rights Commission. Johnson captured national attention for his leadership after Mike Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri. A native of Kansas City, Johnson currently lives in Ferguson with his wife and two children.