Theme: HeadVroom

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

425 Westfield Street
Greenville, South Carolina, 29601
United States

Granville Automatic

Led by a modern day Linda Ronstadt, Granville Automatic writes songs the Associated Press call “haunting tales of sorrow and perseverance.” Horses, history and war are just some of the topics songwriters Vanessa Olivarez and Elizabeth Elkins prefer – all fitting subjects for a band named after a 19th-century typewriter. Vocalist/songwriter Olivarez wrote and recorded a Top 10 single in Canada, has three cuts on Sugarland records, including a song on their multi-platinum Enjoy the Ride album, and received a Dora nomination for her work in the Toronto production of Hairspray. She was also a top 12 finalist on American Idol. Guitarist/songwriter Elkins is a Grand Prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest who has showcased at the Billboard/BMI Acoustic Brunch at SXSW, at BMI showcases in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville, and at CMJ.

Naina Dewan Dance Company

Naina Dewan Dance Company (NDC) is a modern dance company that was founded in 2013 by Artistic Director Naina Dewan. Based in Greenville, SC, the company creates and commissions work in the mediums of modern, postmodern, and contemporary dance, and inspires to uplift local and global audiences with passionate, intelligent performances of high artistic caliber. Company members include Naina Dewan, Martin Justo, Josha Williams, Kelsey Crum, Juliana Jordan, and Alyssa Taiber. NDC works are often fueled by abstract narratives of the human condition, the South Asian diaspora, myth and literature, themes of resiliency and love, and the unexpected humor in everyday life. The company has performed at Clemson University’s Association for India’s Development, Front Porch Arts Collective 2014 Festival, Senior Action/Greenville, Greenville 2014 Dance Festival, International Ballet’s 2014 Fall Chamber Concert, and Furman University (March 2015).

Nana Dewan Dance Company

Naina Dewan Dance Company (NDC) is a modern dance company that was founded in 2013 by Artistic Director Naina Dewan. Based in Greenville, SC, the company creates and commissions work in the mediums of modern, postmodern, and contemporary dance, and inspires to uplift local and global audiences with passionate, intelligent performances of high artistic caliber. Company members include Naina Dewan, Martin Justo, Josha Williams, Kelsey Crum, Juliana Jordan, and Alyssa Taiber. NDC works are often fueled by abstract narratives of the human condition, the South Asian diaspora, myth and literature, themes of resiliency and love, and the unexpected humor in everyday life. The company has performed at Clemson University’s Association for India’s Development, Front Porch Arts Collective 2014 Festival, Senior Action/Greenville, Greenville 2014 Dance Festival, International Ballet’s 2014 Fall Chamber Concert, and Furman University (March 2015).

Niana Dewan Dance Company

Naina Dewan Dance Company (NDC) is a modern dance company that was founded in 2013 by Artistic Director Naina Dewan. Based in Greenville, SC, the company creates and commissions work in the mediums of modern, postmodern, and contemporary dance, and inspires to uplift local and global audiences with passionate, intelligent performances of high artistic caliber. Company members include Naina Dewan, Martin Justo, Josha Williams, Kelsey Crum, Juliana Jordan, and Alyssa Taiber. NDC works are often fueled by abstract narratives of the human condition, the South Asian diaspora, myth and literature, themes of resiliency and love, and the unexpected humor in everyday life. The company has performed at Clemson University’s Association for India’s Development, Front Porch Arts Collective 2014 Festival, Senior Action/Greenville, Greenville 2014 Dance Festival, International Ballet’s 2014 Fall Chamber Concert, and Furman University (March 2015).

The Marcus King Band

Call him the next Duane Allman or Jimi Hendrix — but whatever you do, don’t call Marcus King a child prodigy. Sure, the 18-year-old guitar shredder’s talent shimmers with the same resonance as his heroes, but he’s been wielding that axe since he learned to talk – he started playing when he was two. Marcus was born into music, gifted with steel-string DNA and two generations of men before him who nurtured the boy’s musical nature. Marcus’s dad, the slyly talented Marvin King, has been a force in Upstate South Carolina’s music heritage for as long as anyone can remember. Marvin’s father and Marcus’s granddad, Bill, played a big part, too. It was only natural, then, that the boy who got his first guitar (a Squier Strat) at age 7 would land his first paying gig a year later.

Benjamin Rollins Caldwell

Benjamin has dual degrees in art and business from Westmont College in California. After completing his degrees, he returned to his home state of South Carolina and worked as a Brand Manager and Designer for Votivo. In 2009, he decided to focus on furniture design, and established his design studio, BRC Designs, in the spring of 2010. A self proclaimed “re-inventor,” Benjamin spends countless hours sifting through thrift stores, antique stores, abandoned warehouses and salvage yards for inspiration. The types of materials he uses in his work are wide and varied—from more traditional materials such as wood, metal, glass, plastic, and stone—to more unconventional items such as playing cards, defunct pianos, computers, books, bicycles, children’s toys and even bathroom stall dividers. In each of his designs, Benjamin transforms these objects and materials from their original purpose into something new and innovative.

Emil Alexov

Emil is a physics professor and President of Predicagen LLC. He completed his PhD in Physics in 1991 from Sofia University (Bulgaria) and postdoctoral studies from City College of New York and Columbia University (New York). Before coming to the US, he was a visiting fellow at RIKEN, Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution renowned for high-quality research in a diverse range of scientific disciplines. Dr. Alexov’s current research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of human diseases associated with human DNA variants, and revealing the role of electrostatics in various phenomena occurring in Molecular Biophysics. He strongly believes that understanding the effects of human DNA variations and their association with diseases will pave the way for better diagnostics and therapy (typically referred to as Personalized Medicine), ultimately resulting in better health care.

Emily Kopp

mily Kopp’s musical beginnings started at a young age and continued throughout college in Orlando, FL, where she worked at a local music venue providing hospitality for nationally touring artists. With music dubbed as a marriage between “bluesy heartache vocals and pop songwriting smarts” (The Advocate), Kopp works in the grassroots-esque style of countless artists whom she most admires. In October, 2013, Kopp’s debut full-length release, “Serendipity Find Me,” received an in-depth feature in Billboard.com. That same month, she was also chosen as the BMI “Spotlight Artist,” with her album charting at #39 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart. Kopp’s strong sense of soul, lyrical knowhow, and pop sensibility never fails to speak to an audience. Whether it be alongside her band or solo, her live show is versatile — from gritty vocals and electric guitar feels to tender acoustic heartfelt moments and melodies.

Even Skjervold

Born and raised in Norway, Even came to the US seeking an environment that fostered creation and progress. He wanted to find a cure for cancer through nanotechnology. After received his undergraduate degree in bioengineering from Clemson University, he decided to expand his horizons with a business degree that would allow him to increase his impact. By day, Even works as a “big picture” engineer for companies that make medical devices, by night —an entrepreneur. His first venture is SouthYeast Labs, where he and a former teacher produce custom local yeast strains for craft breweries. The process of discovering so many diverse microbes through SouthYeast inspired this talk and prompted Even to ask: What else is out there, just waiting to be found?

Ivy Hill

Ivy is a genderqueer activist who has been heavily involved in the movement for LGBT equality for over a decade. Ze is Co-Founder and current Program Director of Gender Benders, the largest transgender advocacy group in South Carolina. Ivy also currently serves on the advisory board of the Campaign for Southern Equality, a grassroots campaign working to bring full equality to the South. In 2014, ze received the Ryan Wilson Equality Award for outstanding equality advocacy for the LGBT community of South Carolina. The last three years of Ivy’s work has largely been focused on transgender advocacy and education.

JJ Ohlinger

An accomplished painter whose work is featured frequently at art shows and in publications throughout the state, JJ has embraced a new medium in recent years as a tattoo artist. “My work,” he says, “is about taking notice and discovering the unique identity of the individual depicted not only in a painting or image, but also in the people encountered every day.”

Joe Mercaldo

Joe is currently the President of Piedmont Humanists and a member of the Interfaith Forum Board. Originally from Williamsport, PA, where he lived until the age of 30, Joe has been a resident of the Greenville area for nine years.

Martha Skinner

Martha studies our built environment as a delicate ecology using representation methods that visualize the cycles of life in order to more acutely address temporal, social, and environmental issues. Her work engages everyday users of a city—their choreography often takes the form of a performance and/or installation, documents that are life-size and participatory and that she refers to as inhabitable drawings. Within them, city residents collect, experience, reflect, and contribute.

Naren Vyavahare

Dr. Vyavahare is a professor of bioengineering—his primary research and teaching interests are in the area of heart valve biomaterials, site-specific therapies, and extracellular matrix remodeling in tissue regeneration. Dr. Vyavahare is a Director of NIH funded South Carolina Bioengineering Center of Regeneration and Formation of Tissues (SC BioCRAFT). His research is published in over 150 journal publications and conference proceedings, and six book chapters; additionally, Dr. Vyavahare holds 13 International and US Patents. Some of the patents are now licensed to companies to develop products. His current research includes targeted treatments to restore extracellular matrix and tissue function in heart valves, aortic aneurysms, vascular calcification, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and skin disorders.

Patrick Cox

Patrick runs one of the most sought-after photography studios in Greenville. Known for work that’s expressive and relevant, his commercial and photojournalistic photography has been featured in publications both local and international. He launched Cox Photography in late 2001, re-framing his career with an emphasis on work-life balance. Cox Photography is the most sought-after studio in town for work that’s creative and consistent. Clients seek Patrick out for his breadth and depth of experience. His photojournalism is featured in publications both local and international, from At Home in the Upstate to National Geographic.

Precious Bivings

Precious is a powerhouse life speaker with the ability to captivate the soul of an audience with thought provoking messages that are sure to ignite change. She is a mother, life coach, entrepreneur, as well as Founder and CEO of Brettani’s Heritage—a Life Recovery Organization.

Ric Standridge

A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Ric Standridge has left his mark in Upstate South Carolina’s community as the founder of South Carolina Children’s Theatre and as a recruiting director for the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts. Standridge owns and operates a studio and gallery at the Taylors Mill. His paintings have been exhibited in countless galleries throughout the Southeast, and his works are highly sought after by both private and corporate collectors.

Scott Neely

Scott serves as Pastoral Executive at First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, SC (www.fpcspartanburg.org). A graduate of Wofford College and Harvard Divinity School, he has been a lecturer in religion and the humanities at the University of South Carolina-Upstate and Wofford College. Scott is a practicing artist whose work fuses writing, painting, and digital media. In addition to individual work, he has led literary and visual community projects on issues of diversity, race, and religious pluralism.

Shanita Jackson

Shanita is a spoken word poet and a member of Asheville’s HomeWord youth poetry community. She began writing in seventh grade and continued under the mentorship of Glenis Redmond. For three consecutive years, Shanita and a team of youth poets from the HomeWord program traveled and competed in Brave New Voices, an international youth poetry festival. She is a senior at Henderson County Early College High School and will earn her diploma and Associate’s Degree in the spring of 2015. Her mother is and always will be her inspiration.

Tavis Brunson

Tavis is a native of Columbia, SC. He has been performing poetry professionally since 2003, bringing through his words inspiration flavored with a generous dose of comedy. He was a three-time member of the nationally ranked Columbia Poetry Slam Team, 2006 Southern Fried Champions; a member of the 2-time National Poetry Slam Champions and two-time Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champions, SlamCharlotte (www.SlamCharlotte.com), and a 2-time Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) finalist, ranking 12th in the world in 2005 and 5th in the world in 2006. Tavis’ gift of spoken word and comedy has been featured in churches, family and community events, open mics, slams and talent shows all over the nation. Not one to limit his God-given gifts to a stage and a mic, he also teaches workshops in countless schools and universities. He is a favorite in the poetry circuit and loves to host.

Tavo Ramirez

Tavo Ramirez is a founder of Project Lotus and Varia Labs. Project Lotus has been together for over 15 years making music in the Upstate as well across the country. Varia Labs is a local record label designed to produce original music from home-spun local artist and from the South.

Tom Heck

Tom is an educator, maker, and community organizer. He has worked in education and community development for over 25 years. Tom started his career working with teenagers in juvenile corrections facilities and then worked as a Technology Education high school teacher in the Washington, DC area. With an increased desire to broaden his efforts, Tom became a Senior Director for the YMCA, where he developed in-school and out-of-school programs for K12 students. Tom’s work for the YMCA led him to develop a company serving 4,000 education professionals in 35 countries. He now brings his passion for engineering, design, and K12 learning to his work at Purdue University in the EPICS K12 program. Tom has invented and licensed products, authored several books and multimedia products, and facilitated groups across the US. He has worked as a consultant and contract trainer with some of the most successful companies in the US including Franklin-Covey and the Center for Creative Leadership.