Videos

from Our 2010 Inagural Event – TEDxCincy: Passion

Carlton Farmer

African American History IS American History

ABOUT CARLTON FARMER

A lover of history. A reader of books. A sitter of chairs. Carlton Farmer has been working on the nationally traveling museum exhibition “America I AM: The African American Imprint” for the last three years. While working on his masters at the University of Cincinnati, he was the public relations manager and a writer for the now defunct Firesideometer.com, which specialized in reviewing little-known independent music. As the assistant curator of “America I AM,” he identifies and locates artifacts for inclusion in the exhibition, doing much of the writing that accompanies these objects. Carlton loves traveling with the exhibition as it moves to different cities across the United States, but is always happy to return to his home in Cincinnati’s beautiful Over-the-Rhine.

Jeff Edmondson

The Key to Educational Improvement: Data and How We Use It

ABOUT JEFF EDMONDSON

Jeff Edmondson is the executive director of Strive, a partnership of postsecondary, K-12, business, philanthropic, non-profit, and civic organizations in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, which is aimed at increasing educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment of students throughout the region. The lessons learned from the development of this partnership are currently being applied in four cities across the country—through a collaborative relationship with Living Cities and the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities—to help ensure resources in these regions are efficiently and effectively supporting the success of every child.

He most recently served as the foundation officer for KnowledgeWorks Foundation. In this role, Edmondson was responsible for assisting the president & CEO by leading and providing support for priority initiatives, communicating on the vision and strategies of the foundation locally and nationally, and managing the relationship with the board of directors.

Prior to KnowledeWorks, Edmondson served as a program assistant at the 21st Century School Fund, where he conducted research, published papers and wrote legislation on local and national policy issues related to school facilities. Edmondson also worked as the peaceable schools coordinator at Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, the largest public secondary school in Washington, D.C. In this role, he was an advocate for teachers and students in the school; built partnerships between the school, organizations and businesses in the community to improve student outcomes; and trained students and staff in mediation and other alternative conflict resolution techniques.

Edmondson has a bachelor’s of science in biology from the University of Richmond and a master’s in public policy from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he served as a volunteer and supervisor for four years in Peace Corps Gabon, Central Africa.

Brad King

Telling Stories On The World

ABOUT BRAD KING

Brad King is an assistant professor of journalism and an Emerging Media Initiative Fellow at Ball State University, where his research examines how emerging technologies are changing the ways we tell stories.

King earned his master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2000. He worked for Condé Nast’s Wired magazine and then its sister website Wired.com. He coauthored Dungeons and Dreamers, a book on the history of the programmers and communities who built and played in the first virtual worlds. In 2004, he was hired as the producer for MIT’s Technology Review.

He is currently on the advisory boards for South by Southwest Interactive and

Carnegie Mellon’s ETC Press. He’s also finishing The Cult of Me (ETC Press 2010), a book about storytelling in the digital world, and Making Digital, a book of essays on digital project management.

Dave Knox
Cultivating a Start-up Culture in Cincinnati

ABOUT DAVE KNOX

Dave Knox is chief marketing officer for Rockfish Interactive. Prior to Rockfish, Knox was Procter & Gamble’s brand manager for Global Branded Entertainment where he ledthe strategy for new business models in venture investment, digital media and original content. Previously, Dave was P&G’s corporate marketing brand manager for DigitalBusiness Strategy, responsible for driving digital innovation across P&G’s 300+ brands worldwide.

Author of the industry leading blog, HardKnoxLife.com, Dave was named by AdAge as “1 of 25 Media People You Should Follow on Twitter” and Media Industry News as a “2010 Social Media Superstar.” Dave has spoken frequently on the topics of digitalmarketing, including appearances at SXSW, American Express Innovation Summit and Web 2.0 Summit.

Dave is active in the entrepreneurial community, serving as an advisor to several venture-backed companies and as the cofounder of The Brandery, a seed stage venture accelerator. He also serves on the board of VCU Brandcenter and on Pi Sigma Epsilon’s national council.

Grant McCracken

Getting Culture into the Corporation

ABOUT GRANT MCCRACKEN

Grant McCracken holds a PhD from the University of Chicago in cultural anthropology. He is the author of Culture and Consumption, Culture and Consumption II, Plenitude, Big Hair, The Long Interview, Flock and Flow, and Transformations. He has been the director of the Institute of Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School, a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge and he is now a research affiliate at C3 at MIT. He has consulted widely in the corporate world, including the Coca-Cola Company, Campbell Soup, Diageo, IBM, IKEA, Sesame Street, Chrysler, Kraft, and Kimberly Clark. He has served on marketing advisory boards for IBM and the Boston Beer Company. Basic Books has just published his latest book: Chief Culture Officer.

Dhani Jones

In The Zone

ABOUT DHANI JONES

Warrior and Bowtie Expert. Linebacker and Poet. Jock and Treehugger. Dhani Jones understands the extremes of life. An NFL player with the Cincinnati Bengals, Jones rides a bike to the stadium for practices and games, works with Al Gore’s climate change initiative and is a member of the Entertainment Council for Feeding America. His most recent accomplishment is the launch of Bow Ties for a Cause, a signature line to help create awareness and raise funds for non-profit organizations around the country. The line is custom-made for each charity and is designed by Dhani and the founding members of the organizations. The well-spoken Jones stars in the Travel Channel’s original series “Dhani Tackles The Globe,” now in its second season.

By actively participating in some of the most beloved national pastimes from around the world, Dhani discovers that sports have the universal ability to open a window into a culture, define a destination and unlock a common passion in people that is as different as it is familiar. His passion for living, authority on sports and understanding of issues such as climate change make Dhani a key player in sports and sustainability. It’s no wonder that in Hindi, “Dhani” means thinking man.

Claire Thompson

Why We Need Dreams To See

ABOUT CLAIRE THOMPSON

Claire is an artist. She is also a designer, who was suddenly days away from losing her sight. After undergoing an intensive eye surgery to restore her vision, she then spent the majority of her recovery living in a small canal town in the south of France. Pursuing her passion for art, Claire created over 30 paintings that captured her emotions and experiences as she worked to regain her sight. Her determination to see again quickly landed her in a national competition for a major fashion magazine. After nearly 300 hours of hand-sewing a silk wedding gown in 4 weeks, Claire landed a spot on Good Morning America, a debut in Times Square and in the pages of Brides Magazine. Her focus, drive and passion to see and design again results in her powerful and burning conviction of embracing a dream and never letting go.

Claire is a senior in the Design, Architecture, Art and Planning program at the University of Cincinnati. Though her background lies in fashion design, her interests span much more. Her diverse cooperative educational experience at DAAP has ranged from bridal design, childrenswear, foresight work, branding and identity, graphic and illustration design and design research.

Dr. Victor Garcia

Health and Prosperity for All

John Eckberg

Catheter Infections are NOT Inevitable

ABOUT JOHN ECKBERG

John Eckberg is director of media relations for Cook Medical, the Bloomington, IN based medical device company that has pioneered minimally invasive procedures for nearly five decades. He is the creator of the iPhone App “Success by John Eckberg,” a volume of more than 300 business book excerpts and quotations. He is also the author of The Success Effect: Uncommon Conversations with America’s Business Trailblazers (Sterling and Ross: 2008); Have a Crumby Book: The Billboards of Busken Bakery (Clerisy: 2009) and the true crime thriller Road Dog (Federal Point Publishing: 2002) about serial killer Glen Rogers. In the works is The Mud Daddy Chronicles: Raging Bass, Mystic Muskie and Twinkie Tiramisu, a memoir of more than two decades of annual fishing trips that will be published in the fall of 2010 by Clerisy Publishing. A former business reporter for Cincinnati Enquirer, John lives in Anderson Township and Bloomington with his wife, Carol, a retired teacher for Cincinnati Public Schools.

Ben Nicholson

A Re-imagining of the Creative Cultural Future

ABOUT BEN NICHOLSON

Ben grew up wanting to be a Marine Biologist—but a complete inability to understand organic chemistry and a found love of telling stories landed him in the video business. Currently employed at Lightborne, a media post and production studio, Ben has done stints in a variety of roles and facilities.

Since Joining Lightborne, Ben has overseen the development of a once one-man motion design department into a fully staffed global creative force. Ben has directed and animated both live-action and animated national ad campaigns, music videos and tour visuals. At Lightborne, Ben is the dreamer and the technical limit pusher who is always looking for a new way to not only execute motion design but also to display it. This want comes from years of prior experience working on media for Disney rides, robotic projection screens, rock shows and just about every other surface where video should not be seen. Creative collaboration is the fuel for his fire, and he loves helping clients execute, grow and implement their vision.

When Ben is not working, he is gardening with his beautiful wife and helping love and wrangle his three children. You can often find him in the kitchen cooking meals for his friends.

With 12 years of experience in the motion design world, Ben brings a technical

and artistic eye that only time and fire can bring, and continues to love making the impossible possible.

Margy Waller

TaDa

ABOUT MARGY WALLER

Margy Waller is a vice president of ArtsWave. She has served as executive director of The Mobility Agenda, a think tank she founded in Washington, D.C. Previously she was visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, with a joint appointment in the Economic Studies and Metropolitan Policy programs. Prior to Brookings, she was senior advisor on domestic policy in the Clinton-Gore White House.

Margy was named one of the nation’s 25 most “powerful and influential” nonprofit arts leaders, a “Top 10 Tweeter” by SoapboxMedia, and Civic Star Rising by Cincy Magazine. She’s appeared in and on numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Daily News, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, CNN, and Fox News. She’s a non-practicing lawyer and photographer of the arts-allaround- us on her tumblr blog, cincinnatiartgrrl.

Shasta Bray

Connecting with Nature

ABOUT SHASTA BRAY

Wide-eyed with pigtails, Shasta grew up catching fireflies, reading Ranger Rick, and falling in love with the animals at the zoo. Dedicated to wildlife conservation, she believes that personal encounters with wildlife can create emotional connections that inspire people to take conservation action. As the interpretive media manager for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Shasta develops interpretive exhibits and programs that provide meaningful experiences and authentic opportunities to take action. She leads field courses for educators and supports conservation education efforts abroad.

Shasta received a BS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University and an MS in Zoology from Miami University. She is a certified interpretive trainer through the National Association for Interpretation and an active member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Shasta has written for a variety of publications, including Science and Children, Legacy, and Wildlife Explorer, and regularly contributes to the Cincinnati Zoo blog.

Joe Rigotti

Life Is A Party

ABOUT JOE RIGOTTI

Joe Rigotti has been in the special events business since forever. A generously fabulous person, he not only understands the theatrical, but also the business side of any event—whether it be social or corporate.

Joe received his BA in Studio Art and Communication from DePauw University, and attended graduate school at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied musical theater. He loves everything design oriented, included, but not limited to, fashion, music and theater. His special event experience goes beyond just décor—he has designed, stage managed, stage directed, choreographed, art directed multi-media, worked with national entertainers and even emceed events across the country. His national network includes personal connections with speakers, entertainers and other creatives, and allows him the resources to create unforgettable experiences.

Willie Carden

Worshipping Color Why is it Important?

ABOUT WILLIE CARDEN

Willie F. Carden Jr. is the Director of the Cincinnati Park Board and serves as the CEO for the Cincinnati Parks Foundation.

A native Cincinnatian living in the neighborhood of Colerain Township, he is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor of Arts in Finance/Economics, associate of arts in Business Management, and a certificate of business in CEO/ Executive Management.

Prior to his work at Cincinnati Parks, Mr. Carden held several positions within the City, including manager of City Hall, Police & Fire Facilities, and manager of Riverfront Stadium. Over the years, he has received numerous awards and accolades, including Working in Neighborhood’s Man of the Year, Profiles in Courage Leadership Award, Director of the Year, Leadership Cincinnati Class XXV, YMCA Black Achiever Award Winner, and a Senatorial Citation from Senator Mark Mallory for Outstanding Leadership and Public services.

Peter Chamberlain

Transforum Cincinnati

ABOUT PETER CHAMBERLAIN

Peter Chamberlain is an assistant professor of industrial design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. A graduate of DAAP’s Master of Fine Arts Sculpture program, he also holds a degree in design from the Graduate School at Chiba University, located just outside of Tokyo, Japan. He has worked in the rapid-prototyping industry and in transportation-related manufacturing technology in both Japan and the United States.

His primary research focus is on the unique role that culture plays in the emotional appreciation of everyday products and experiences. Through his experience teaching for the Live Well Collaborative at the University of Cincinnati, Peter has worked extensively with its corporate members, guiding interdisciplinary collaborative student teams as they tackle complex and crosscutting design problems.

Patricia Van Skaik

Advanced Photography Opens Doors to the Past

ABOUT PATRICIA VAN SKAIK

Patricia Van Skaik manages the Genealogy and Local History Collection at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, one of the top ranked collections in the country. Among her adventures preserving books, artifacts and manuscripts, none have surpassed the high tech exploration of the oldest photograph of urban America, the 1848 Cincinnati Riverfront Panorama.

At the heart of Patricia’s work is dedication to access to information, especially through technology. Patricia consulted on the first efforts to digitize historic US census records, which are now available at libraries throughout the country and for home access. She conducts podcasts and recommends rare materials for digitization in Cincinnati’s Virtual Library.

Patricia holds a masters degrees in Library Science and History. She writes a social media column, the DigiGenie, and tweets under the same name. She lectures widely on the intersection of technology, urban history and librarianship.

Mary Pierce Brosmer

Found: The Holy Grail of Wholeness in Organizational Life

ABOUT MARY PIERCE BROSMER

Mary is a teacher, poet and founder of Women Writing for (a) Change, a writing community which supports the lives of individuals working to commit life to language.

Since 1991 when Mary founded WWFC, her roles have included: maintaining vision and mission; teaching in the adult women’s and co-ed programs and the Feminist Leadership Academy; program creation and implementation; development and training of artists and faculty; and development of leaders for future staff both locally and for WWFC schools throughout the country.

Mary has continued—through Consulting for (a) Change—to work with individuals and groups to design and maintain themselves as living systems in professional and corporate settings. Her book, Women Writing for (a) Change: A Guide for Creative Transformation, is available from Ave Maria Press.

Dr. Ben Passty

Trimming the Fat: Passionately Seeking Passionate Feedback

ABOUT DR. BEN PASSTY

Dr. Benjamin Passty, a research assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Cincinnati, also serves as director of the Applied Economics Research Institute (AERI). The mission of the institute is to synergize revenue-producing consulting opportunities with the education of graduate students as well as economics faculty research.

During his time at AERI, Dr. Passty has supervised and executed numerous studies. Many of these are economic impact studies or economic forecasting. The institute has also executed studies for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce–Cincinnati, Mill Creek Restoration Project, Ohio Coin Machine Association, as well as several local governments within the Cincinnati MSA. AERI publishes the monthly Cincinnati Report on Business, producing a monthly economic index from a survey of purchasing managers who are members of NAPM-Cincinnati.

Dr. Passty’s private research program has focused on human capital and the impact it has on life outcomes, such as: the impact that a criminal record has on later employment prospects; the impact that income has on health outcomes; and the impact of women’s education on the marriage prospects of both men and women. His chief methodological concern is properly identifying policy impacts.

Dr. Passty is an active member and frequent presenter for the Association of University Bureaus of Economic Research and the Midwest Economic Association.