Theme: Interconnectedness of Things

Hey TEDx-ers!

Welcome to the fifth installment of TEDxUW! We’re excited to have you join us for a day of engaging activities, mind-stimulating conversations, and an opportunity to be inspired by our speakers’ lives and work.

This year we have chosen to refocus the organization on the University of Waterloo and the KW region, which attracts some of the world's most talented individuals, groups, and organizations from the across the globe. Our goal at TEDxUW 2016 is to highlight the incredible things that happen here and share them with the world through the TED network.

With our theme the “Interconnectedness of Things”, we aim to showcase how the different aspects of our world are connected, rather than segmented. By using a transdisciplinary lens, we have explored a variety of systems and subjects to find some of the most powerful talks we could. Shaped by their incredible stories, ideas, and discoveries, our speakers will explore paradigms that will inspire, empower, and challenge you to take on new perspectives and establish a thoughtful and creative mindset.

Through our talks and activities, our hope is that today will help you meet very interesting people and build meaningful relationships which will extend beyond the conference.

Get inspired, dwell in thought-provoking conversations, and enjoy TEDxUW 2016!

Sincerely,
Munin Kim and Timothy Souza Co-Chairs, TEDxUW 2016

Theater of the Arts (Modern Languages 135)
200 University Ave
Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1
Canada

Andrew Deman

Professor: English Language & Literature

While on his way to a PhD in American Poetry, J. Andrew Deman became unsatisfied with the direction of his studies, and made the unorthodox shift towards studying comic books. Now a professor lecturer in the University of Waterloo’s department of English Language and Literature, Andrew holds a PhD in English literature, with a specialization in graphic narrative. He is a leader in Canadian comic book scholarship. Andrew is deeply familiar with the comic books field, and is especially interested in exploring gendered politics within graphic novels, as well as their cultural impact on our society despite their status as a marginalized medium.

Dana Fox

Director of Global Business Software at Athena Software

A global entrepreneur and visionary leader with Fortune 100 business fundamentals, Dana Fox is the Director of Global Business Software at Athena Software, where he is responsible for global sales and marketing activities. Dana comes from a diverse business background of both entrepreneurial ventures and Fortune 500 companies. Over the course of his career, he has become an expert on cognitive human services, and how they enable companies to discover trends and patterns that will help them deliver better services.

Ilona Dougherty

Managing Director of the Youth & Innovation Research Project at the University of Waterloo

Ilona is the Managing Director of the Youth and Innovation Research Project at the University of Waterloo. She is a regular commentator in the national media, and speaks to audiences internationally about tapping into the innovation potential of Millennials and Gen Z. In 2004, she co-founded Apathy is Boring, a Canadian non-partisan charitable organization that educates youth about democracy and encourages them to vote. She was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2009, and one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network in 2015.

Jason Tham

CEO at Nulogy Corporation

Jason Tham is the heartbeat and driving inspiration at Nulogy Corporation headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Jason grew up in Toronto, studied at the University of Waterloo, and is co-founder and CEO of Nulogy Corporation. Helping to drive the growth and strategy, today Nulogy is the recognized innovator and global leader of a cloud-based platform that connects brands and their strategic suppliers to launch and promote products to market. Jason has helped lead Nulogy to become one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America - achieving accolades such as Gartner Supply Chain Cool Vendor, Deloitte Fast50, Deloitte Fast500, and Aon Hewitt Best Employer awards. Jason is a competitive marathoner and triathlete, competing as part of Team Canada at the ITU World Championships in 2012 and 2013. He currently lives with his wife Andrea and daughter Sophie in Toronto.

Karin Schmidlin

UX Professor at University of Waterloo, Design Lead and Manager of Jamii Virtual Incubator

Karin is very fortunate in that the things she is passionate about are also the things that pay her bills. Namely, creating experiences people love, constant learning, and bringing people together with a shared goal. She has 10+ years of design and digital media experience and currently teaches User Experience Design (UX) in the University of Waterloo’s Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) program. When she is not in the classroom, Karin works with a team at the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre to develop Jamii, a virtual incubator for entrepreneurs around the world. She holds a Master of Digital Media from the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver, accredited by Simon Fraser University, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and the University of British Columbia. Karin is convinced that everything is just a little bit better with a cup of strong black coffee in her hand.

Kurtis McBride

CEO of Miovision Technologies

Tired of corporate hierarchy? So is Kurtis. So tired in fact he sat down with his team to tackle what a company structure should look like in the 21st century, how it can empower the development of its people, and how it can make businesses stronger. Kurtis McBride is the CEO of Miovision Technologies. He founded Miovision Technologies Incorporated in 2005 with two other Systems Design graduates from the University of Waterloo. Miovision develops video and web-based technologies to help traffic consultants and municipal governments reduce the cost of collecting, analyzing, and reporting accurate traffic data. Kurtis is passionate about fostering great working environments and about building strong company cultures. When not in the boardroom, you can find Kurtis on the pitching mound where he plays semi-competitive hardball.

Patrick Gill

Regional Vice President at Manulife Bank of Canada

After honing his skills as a Financial Adviser, Patrick helped to pioneer the role of a Banking Consultant to one of Canada’s largest, financial institutions. He spent the next decade giving expert advice to countless industry professionals and institutions such as the Toronto Police Services and the Canadian Armed Forces. Companies like Sony Canada, Edward Jones, and Adidas Canada have benefited from his strategies in cash flow management. His radio interviews on TALK 640 have helped him to spread his message to many seeking financial advice. But his greatest and most rewarding contributions have been in changing the lives of thousands of Canadian families that he has helped in restructuring their debt, savings and day-to-day banking more efficiently. Now, as a Regional Vice-President, Patrick spends his time coaching and mentoring others to do the same.

Phil Everson

Management Engineering student at the University of Waterloo, former President of the Entrepreneurship Society, and the VP of Education at GooseChase Adventures

Phil is a fourth year Management Engineering student at the University of Waterloo, former President of the Entrepreneurship Society, and the VP of Education at GooseChase Adventures - a 5 year old startup out of UWaterloo’s Velocity program. As an active member of the Waterloo Region startup community and Entrepreneur in Residence with Waterloo Residences, Phil is passionate about helping students start companies and consider entrepreneurship as a long term option. With time split between his own freelancing company, GooseChase, getting a degree, and extracurricular activities, productivity has become very important to Phil - motivating him to track every minute of his day and calendar just about everything.

Richard Yim

Co Founder at Landmine Boys

Mechanical engineering Alumni Richard Yim is the force behind Landmine Boys, a venture dedicated to developing robots that defuse landmines without using TNT, which greatly reduces the danger for people involved in this typically hazardous field. Richard’s story is a true testament to the amazing things that can happen when technology and social welfare intercept.

Shawna Percy

Published author and certified safeTALK & ASIST trainer

After losing her husband to suicide, Shawna Percy took to blogging and public speaking in order to help people going through similar traumas. Her talks and articles continually confront topics such as suicide, mental weakness, resilience, and finding hope even in the darkest of times. Shawna has appeared on CTV, and 100 Huntley Street. She has spoken in front of several live audiences at universities, churches, conferences, and at Ignite Waterloo. She is the published author of Breathe, and a certified suicide prevention trainer. Shawna seeks to deconstruct misconceptions surrounding suicide and mental health.