What is TEDx?
Nick & Mike Fiorito
NIGHT #1 - "The Ultimate Cheat Code"
Mike & Nick Fiorito are brothers from Brooklyn and co-founders of Blankets of Hope, a 501(c)3 educational non-profit on a mission to inspire a global movement of kindness, one blanket…
Monique Benabou
NIGHT #1 - "Under Pressure: A Talk on Purpose"
Monique Benabou is a world-class vocalist, multi-disciplinary artist and vocal embodiment coach who made her debut on NBC’s singing competition, The Voice. She has since spanned to global stages, performing, inspiring and leading…
Tom Spruance
NIGHT #2 - "Ripple Effects on Natural Habitats"
Tom Spruance is an avid fly fisherman and president of the Spruance Foundation, which supports many environmental challenges that face our natural wilderness. Tom has personally experienced the exponential growth endured by mountain…
Jan Winburn
NIGHT #2 - "Tragic Endings Spark New Beginnings"
Jan Winburn is a fan of artful storytelling, kickass reporting and the powerful melding of the two. She spent more than four decades working in newsrooms as a narrative editor, writing coach and investigative editor and now teaches in the…
Timothy Tate
NIGHT #2 - "3 Ways to a Meaningful Life"
Timothy was born and raised in the Chicago Suburbs, the youngest of four siblings, all much older than he, to an Irish Presbyterian minister father and a Swedish missionary mother. He has a son and daughter and two granddaughters…
Lisa Senters-McDermott
NIGHT #1 - "Resilience as an Entrepreneur"
Lisa Senters-McDermott, private aviation expert, is the CEO and founder of Jet Senters Aviation, JSA. With more than 25 years experience in the aviation industry, Lisa’s journey took off over two decades ago when she was instrumental…
Ben & Azrya Bequer
NIGHT #2 - "What Psychedelics Taught us about Love"
Azrya and Benjamin Bequer are the co-founding stewards of BEQOMING, a platform that provides transformational tools, stories, and media to help people see beyond the veil of who they thought they were supposed to be and awaken their full…
Ken Scott
NIGHT #1 - "16 to 1: A Story of Avalanches, Survival and the Aftermath"
Ken spent his early years on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. He developed a love of the outdoors while fishing with his grandfather on the waters surrounding the island. The outdoors and activities outside have dominated his life…
Rev. Briana Lynn
NIGHT #1 - "Radical Aliveness: Exploring the Shadow and Light of Humanity"
The programmed desire to be “cuter, smaller, and more dainty” began with Rev. Briana Lynn’s first diet at age 11. The yearning to be tiny, not so much, and not so loud grew into an obsession that mounted into a 15 year initiation of eating…
Saul Martinez
NIGHT #1 - "Strength in Struggle"
A former Army Infantryman and Purple Heart Recipient originally from Southern California, Saul made Bozeman home for his wife and two kids almost 10 years ago shortly after participating in a Warriors and Quiet Waters fishing experience…
Bruce Anfinson
NIGHT #2 - "Montana's Musical Ambassador"
Bruce Anfinson grew up along the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. His father loved to sing old “Sons of the Pioneers” tunes as well as classics by Bob Wills, Eddy Arnold and the like…
Todd Dittmann
NIGHT #1 - "A Need for Solidarity"
Todd Dittmann joined Angelo Gordon in 2013 to lead the firm’s energy strategy. He is a Managing Director and a member of the firm’s executive committee. Todd is a seasoned and experienced investment professional who has spent more than 25…
Ryan Busse
NIGHT #2 - "Responsibility: Democracy's Critical Ingredient"
Ryan Busse is a former firearms executive who helped build one of the world’s most iconic gun companies and was nominated multiple times by industry colleagues for the prestigious Shooting Industry Person of The Year Award…
TEDxBigSky
Ersin Ozer
As the license holder for TEDxBigSky, Ersin had the fortune of bringing together an amazing team of talented people to produce the inaugural event. A Montana native, Ersin moved to Big Sky in 2009 with the ambition to live the dream as a young professional. Ersin sells advertising and marketing services for a local agency and is passionate about the wellbeing and sustainability of his community.
Lori Addicks
As an executive coach, master facilitator, and consultant, Lori partners with individuals and organizational leaders globally to be the most effective leaders they can be. Lori knows how to inspire people to grow, develop and achieve results, especially during times of ambiguity, uncertainty and change. Lori and her husband, Rich, have been vacationing in Big Sky since 1996, and full-time residents since 2013.
Jackie Corcoran
As a TEDx Bozeman 2017 speaker, Holistic Health Coach, and initiator of the Top Shelf Toastmasters club in Big Sky, Jackie Corcoran understands the importance of listening carefully, communicating empathetically and reaching goals strategically. It is will this skill set and the love of Ted and TEDx talks, that she entered the assistant TEDx Big Sky speaking coach position. She has since enjoyed each moment of facilitating and witnessing the evolution and refinement of the speaker’s messages. She moved to Big Sky from NYC in 1996 and lives happily in the canyon with her husband Colin, Golden Retriever Westin and Mouser Extraordinaire, George St. Pierre.
Andrea Saari
Andrea is a born-and-bred Minnesotan, through and through. She has worked and lived in Big Sky since 2003 and considers it her ‘Forever Home’ -- and she is almost ready to call herself a local. She gobbles up all things art and science, and if you say ‘Stochastic Processes,’ she might swoon. Her crew includes Darwin & Mendel, and they are always ready for a mountain adventure on the HMS Spaniel.
Andrew Blessing
After many years managing a computer consulting business out East, Andrew found his way to Montana and Eventually Big Sky where he works as Technical Director for the Big Sky School District. Taking on the roll as “Tech Guru” for the K-12 students and staff has been incredibly rewarding with new adventures around every corner. It’s with this spirit of adventure that he tackles the slopes with his family, construction projects at home, and jumped at the chance to be a team member for TEDxBigSky.