TEDxBirmingham Announces Speaker Lineup

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Nov. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- TEDxBirmingham, a locally organized event in the spirit of the TED Conferences, recently announced the lineup of speakers for its March 1, 2014 event.  The non-profit organization seeks to highlight a diversity of voices from the Magic City for the event, themed “Rediscover the Magic.”

“We’re very excited about the speakers we have planned,” said TEDxBirmingham organizer Dr. Sarah Parcak.  “They are going to share some amazing ideas coming out of Birmingham from a variety of backgrounds.”

·Jen Barnett, co-founder and CEO at Freshfully

·Graham Boettcher, PhD, Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art

·Glenny Brock, writer and volunteer coordinator for the Lyric Theatre restoration

·Jim Cavale, COO and partner at Iron Tribe Fitness

·Michele Forman, filmmaker and the Director of Media Studies at UAB

·Chris Hastings, chef/owner of the Hot and Hot Fish Club and James Beard Award winner

·Victoria Hollis, program manager at the Birmingham Education Foundation

·Pat Hymel, MD, serial-entrepreneur-physician, co-founder and CEO of MedSnap

·Andrew Keitt, PhD, Associate Professor of history at UAB

·Malik Kofi, 12 year old concert cellist and public speaker

·Larry Lawal, MD, founder of medical research crowdfunding platform Healthfundit

·Jan Mattingly, founder and Chief Education Officer at Dynamic Education Adventures

·Jordan Reeves, program facilitator for TED-Ed and a UAB alum

·Tim Townes, PhD, Chair of UAB's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

·Gary Warner, computer forensics expert and co-founder of Malcovery Security

·Laura Kate Whitney,  founder and Chief Placemaker at LIV Birmingham

Two of the speakers, Victoria Hollis and Larry Lawal, were selected through an open audition in which over 15 locals tried out to fill speaking slots for TEDxBirmingham.

Birmingham residents interested in learning more about TEDxBirmingham can get information from www.TEDxBirmingham.org.  Information is also available by following @TEDxBirmingham (https://twitter.com/TEDxBirmingham)on Twitter.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

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.)   http://www.ted.com/tedx

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDNews, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration.

About TEDxBirmingham

TEDxBirmingham is an independent TEDx event operated under license from TED.  It is not being organized by the TED conferences — this is an independent TEDx event organized by Birmingham volunteers.  http://www.TEDxBirmingham.org   https://twitter.com/TEDxBirmingham