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).

2735 Mount Baker Road
Mill Bay, British Columbia, V0R 2P1
Canada

’Qátuw̓as Jessica Brown

’Qátuw̓as (Ga-to-wos) Jessica Brown is the Indigenous Community Liaison for Ocean Networks Canada. She was raised in the Heiltsuk community of Bella Bella located in the central coast of British Columbia, in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. She is proud of her Heiltsuk and Nuu-chah-nulth roots that continue to ground her in her work with Indigenous communities, environmental organizations, and scientific facilities. She holds a degree in Environmental and Indigenous Studies from the University of Victoria. ’Qátuw̓as works to build mutually beneficial relationships between Ocean Networks Canada and Indigenous communities. She is working to bridge Western science and Indigenous knowledge through her active engagement with coastal Indigenous communities on topics of ocean observing systems, climate change, and the changing ocean. She also works with other members of the Learning and Engagement Team to bring Indigenous perspectives into both ocean science procedures and ocean science learning materials.

Bruce Carlson

Graduate of Brentwood 1964. Father of 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys. On the board of the school for over 20 years and am the immediate past Chair. I have been consulting with companies globally in the areas leadership development, team building, and organization change for over 35 years. Bruce is the co-author of “The Power to Change”, which has been translated for 20 different countries.

Glory Chima

Originating from Nigeria, Glory is currently in her third and final year at Brentwood. At 17 years old, she has lived in both Calgary and Saudi Arabia, and since arriving at Brentwood, Glory has proven to be a passionate public speaker; each year, she has performed exceptionally well in the school’s Melhuish Poetry Recitation Competitions, as well the Melhuish Persuasive Speech Competitions. A young speaker with a bright mind, Glory shares a love for spoken word and slam poetry, as well as enjoys writing and playing the guitar. Dedicated to her crafts, she strongly believes in a philosophy of determination and takes each and every day head on.

Hamish Purdy

Hamish Purdy is Oscar-nominated set decorator known for his work on Man of Steel (2013), Watchmen (2009) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). A born and raised Vancouver boy, Purdy attended UVic and UBC before going into film and TV, working on local independent film Impolite and TV series The X Files and films like Watchmen and Sucker Punch. Recently, he worked with Jack Fisk on The Revenant, for which he was nominated for an Oscar for production design. Hamish lives in North Vancouver with his wife and three kids. His eldest son Cameron attends Brentwood.

Jemma O’Malley

Jemma O’Malley is in Grade 11 at Brentwood College College. She is originally from Cape Town, but has called the beautiful Cowichan Valley home for the last ten years. Jemma loves going on long walks with her dogs and buying houseplants with her friends. She is excited about delivering a Ted Talk because she believes that talking about the uncomfortable is necessary to overcome the challenges in life

Maya Jenner

Maya is in grade 11, which is her fourth year, here at Brentwood. She is half Canadian and half Chinese. She comes from Shanghai, China, where she had spent her whole life up until she moved to Mill Bay. Maya enjoys puppies, tea and sharks.

Michelle Stilwell

Determination, perseverance, discipline. These three qualities truly capture the strength and character of the dynamic Canadian athlete, Olympian and politician, Michelle Stilwell. Michelle’s story speaks to the power of focus and how this can make a winner out of anybody. It was her love of competitive sport that helped her regain confidence in her abilities post injury. Since then, her passion to compete has been her vehicle to success in all aspects of life. Michelle is a six-time Paralympic gold medalist in both basketball and track, nine-time World Champion, and the world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 800m events in the T52 class. Currently, she is also an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Parksville-Qualicum. Michelle is passionate about healthy, active living and advocates for people with disabilities and children with special needs. She has been an ambassador, spokesperson, business owner and most recently honoured to be inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in May. Michelle’s determination, perseverance and discipline has allowed her to triumph over any obstacle on her journey to success purely for the fact she does not see limits, only challenges. Michelle lives in Parksville, a beautiful city on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada with husband Mark and son Kai.

Rafe Kelley

Rafe is a movement teacher and researcher, focusing on evolutionary approaches to movement practice. His training background includes 12 years of parkour, 20+ years of martial arts, and various periods studying gymnastics, modern dance, capoeira and strength and conditioning. His academic background was in Anthropology with an emphasis onevolutionary and biological origins of behavior. Rafe is the founder of Evolve Move Play, one of the premiere natural movement teaching organizations in the world, and co-founder of Parkour Visions, the 3rd parkour facility opened in North America.

Susanne Biro

Susanne Biro is a senior leadership coach, author and vegan. For over 15 years, she has worked internationally with senior-level leaders in some of the world’s best companies. Whether coaching one-on-one or authoring, designing, and delivering leadership development programs, her passion is the same: to help leaders reach their next level of personal, professional, and leadership mastery, and as a result, create the kind of organizations in which we all dream of working. Susanne is the author of “I Want You To Win! Coaching Skills for Creative Leadership”, a program she most notably delivered at Sir Richard Branson’s private home in June 2017. She is also the co-author of the book Unleashed! Leader as Coach and the corresponding Leader as Coach workshop, a program adopted by countless organizations like General Electric, American Express, and the Mayo Clinic. She is a Forbes contributor and the strategic engagement and corporate initiatives director for Vegan Leaders in Corporate Management. Susanne is also a wife, a mother of two, and a student of yoga.