Theme: Changing the World for Good

The theme for TEDxNorthCentralCollege 2015 is “Changing the World for Good,” and features alumni and current students with high-impact ideas for social change.

As a comprehensive liberal arts college, North Central values a broad-based, interdisciplinary education that provides an ideal environment for the exchange of ideas. When the power of interdisciplinary learning is combined with a passion for the common good, the results are innovative solutions for lasting social impact.

Meiley Swallow Hall
31 S. Ellsworth
Naperville, Illinois, 60540
United States

Abbi Van Hook

Abigail Van Hook is a senior at North Central College majoring in Global Studies.

Alex Moerer

Alex Moerer is a sophomore at North Central College majoring in Theater.

Anthony Schullo

Anthony Schullo is a senior at North Central College majoring in Gender and Sexuality

Dr. Troy Hammond

Dr. Troy Hammond became North Central College's 10th president in 2013. He came to higher education with an impressive and varied resume, with experience as a scientist, business leader, entrepreneur and teacher. Most recently, he was president of an energy services company in Chicago. Dr. Hammond knows what makes sustainability initiatives work, and he’s applied that same expertise on the campus of North Central College.

Jackie Nelson

For several years, Jackie Nelson has carried out carefully formulated experiments in her life to discover what brings her greater happiness and fulfillment. The journey has resulted in a job she loves as the Director of Celebrity and Entertainment Engagement for the American Red Cross and a life she loves in South Loop neighborhood of Chicago with her husband, friends, and dog. To support the global Red Cross movement, Jackie mobilizes the creative talents and generosity of creative artists like musicians, directors, actors, etc. She also serves on a specialized volunteer corp that deploys to disasters to inform the public of powerful stories and lifesaving information as emergency operations get underway. She has her BA from North Central College in English and an independent, interdisciplinary major of “The History of Social Change." She is a fervent advocate for the value of practical optimism.

Jamie Mangiameli

Jamie Mangiameli is a senior at North Central College majoring in Sociology.

Kathy Guthrie

Kathy Guthrie is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Florida State University, where she regularly challenges students to "find their personal greatness."

Matthew Wilke

Matthew Wilke is a senior at North Central College, majoring in Sociology.

NeAngela Dixon

NeAngela Dixon has a passion for the rights of women and children, and fights for justice for those who experience crimes of intimate partner abuse, familial violence, sexual assault and neglect. She graduated from North Central College in 2004 and is now the Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County, IL and works in the Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Division.

Rachel West

Rachel West is a junior at North Central College, majoring in Choral Music Education.

Rick Guzman

Rick Guzman is the Assistant Chief of Staff for the second largest city in Illinois, working out of the Office of Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner. He serves as the City’s primary liaison to Aurora’s non-profit and faith-based organizations and oversees policy areas such as housing, human rights and cultural activities. Rick also co-founded “Emmanuel House” in Aurora, along with his wife in 2002. This non-profit organization partners closely with other community organizations to help lower-income families break the cycle of working-class poverty through a unique and dignified pathway to homeownership. He graduated suma cum laude from North Central College in 1999 and magna cum laude from NIU College of Law where he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Award for Human Rights.

Ryan Dowd

Ryan Dowd started volunteering at a homeless shelter when he was a teenager – and then became its executive director. He regularly slept in the shelter so that he knew how best to serve his guests. The scope and impact of Hesed House in Aurora tripled during his 14 years of service. He majored in Religious Studies while at North Central College in Naperville, IL. Whether he’s traveling to Africa equipping church leaders to stand up to oppression, or working at his new job at Ayuda in Washington DC serving the area’s most vulnerable immigrants, he’s passionate about human rights.