TEDxUniversityofCentralArkansas announces speakers

Fourteen speakers were announced for the inaugural TEDxUniversityofCentralArkansas. The event will take place on Friday, March 4th at the Ida Waldran Auditorium on the school’s campus.

The theme of the event is “Ideas Whose Time Has Come.”

According to Kandace Keeney, the organizer for TEDxUniversityofCentralArkansas, “UCA is excited about the opportunity to provide a global platform for central Arkansas’ ideas worth spreading and we are thrilled about our diverse lineup of speakers for our inaugural TEDxUniversityofCentralArkansas event. From local citizens to those who work in the global arena, all of our speakers will share ideas whose time has come.”

Among those scheduled to speak are Philip Fletcher, Founder and Executive Director at The City of Hope Outreach, Dan Ndombe, creative entrepreneur and Brittany Hodak, co-founder of Per Diems Against Poverty.

“I am very excited to participate in the upcoming TEDx event,” Fletcher explained. “Over the last few years, TED Talks have been influential in my personal and professional development as a leader.”

Fletcher added, “Well my ‘idea worth spreading’ has to do with the potential of every human being to participate in societal transformation which can lead to human flourishing. Imagine an opportunity in which persons from vastly different backgrounds have the opportunity to equally influence a situation. I have this idea when such equal participation occurs real and lasting change occurs for the benefit of all. So I’m looking forward to linking arms with some other great idea sharing men and women in March. It will be a great time.”

Dan Ndombe is a creative entrepreneur who amassed a following on Youtube with his fun “Wine Glass Musician” videos. Ndombe has garnered over 3 million views for his videos. Ndombe recently launched a new creative agency Bean Sprout Project designing websites.

Ndombe’s presentation is entitled, “Creativity has no limits, and neither should the avenues that lead us to our true passion.”

“My journey online as Dan Newbie, and in real life as an immigrant and entrepreneur, has given me an outlook on life, creativity, education, and passion, that is at the core of everything I do and believe in,” he said.

“Creativity has no limits, and neither should the avenues that lead us to our true passion. I’m excited about the opportunity to tell my personal story, and contribute to a worldwide community that encourages the sharing of ideas and promotes necessary conversations in our communities. Taking the education outside the classroom, and expanding the range of our learning methodologies, are hardly concepts that haven’t been talked about before. But while most would leave that task to schools, educators and our conventional learning structures, I believe that it takes a community to light the path to any intellectual and creative accomplishment. That is an idea worth sharing.”

Brittany Hodak is the co-founder of Per Diems Against Poverty. Hodak, who appeared on Shark Tank with her business partner for ZinePak, is excited about the opportunity to talk about her non-profit.

Hodak told me she was excited about the opportunity. She explained it is her first opportunity to speak about Per Diems Against Poverty.

“I am thrilled to be participating in UCA’s first-ever TEDx event! I am grateful to help spread awareness about domestic hunger – an issue that impacts 1 in 7 Americans, and nearly 1 in 5 Arkansans. The theme of the event is ‘Ideas Whose Time Have Come,’ and I think everyone can agree that an America where no one goes hungry is an idea whose time is past due! I’m happy Per Diems Against Poverty is playing a very small role in this very big problem, and I’m excited UCA’s first TEDx event is providing a platform for this and other important messages.”

The speaker lineup includes:

·      Wes Craiglow (AICP), Deputy Director of Planning and Development at the city of Conway

·      John Berrey, Chairman of the Quapaw Tribe of Arkansas and Oklahoma

·      Phil Fletcher, Founder and Executive Director at The City of Hope Outreach

·      Malcolm Glover (Ph.D.), Communications Director and Delta Veterans Program Director at ARVets

·      Brittany Hodak, Co-Founder of Per Diems Against Poverty

·      Sandra Leyva, Executive Director of The Locals

·      Mouaz Moustafa, Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force

·      Dan Newbie, YouTube sensation, aka the “Wine Glass Musician”

·      Rashod Ollison, Entertainment Reporter at The Virginian-Pilot

·      Omavi Shukur, Director of Seeds of Liberation

·      Nan Snow, Veteran Feminist and Board Chair of Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame

·      Sylvia B. Thompson, Director of the El Dorado Promise

·      Donna Waugh, Search and Rescue (SAR) K-9 Handler with Arkansas Search Dog Association

·      Erika Wilhite, Founder and Artistic Director at Artist’s Laboratory Theatre