PORTLAND, Ore. — TEDxPortland returned for its 11th year on Saturday at the Keller Auditorium in downtown Portland. The one-day event featured 11 TED talks and four musical performances.
The speakers and performers were announced on May 5. From a mental health advocate, to a physician whose work revolutionized COVID-19 testing, to a finalist of NBC's 'The Voice' and an actress who exposed a cult — the lineup was made up of diverse people from a wide range of backgrounds.
In the weeks leading up to the event, organizers focused on the themes of "embrace fluidity, strength and balance," according to the TEDxPortland website. "We will celebrate the contrarians, open-minded thinkers, and doers committed to creating a better tomorrow for our city and the world."
Speakers included Kiauna "Kee" Nelson, chef and owner of Northeast Portland's Kee's Loaded Kitchen; ocean advocate Aarthi Ananthanarayanan, the director of the Ocean Conservancy's Climate and Plastics Initiative; Dr. Yuan Po Tu, a physician at The Everett Clinic who played a key role in the pandemic; Trevor Beaman, an advocate for mental health and trauma awareness; Kim Scott, co-founder of Radical Candor, a company that helps employers create respectful working environments.
Sam Diaz, an expert on Oregon's land use policies also spoke as well as actress and podcast host Sarah Edmondson; David Lucas, a former professional basketball player and the founder of the Portland nonprofit the Maurice Lucas Foundation, which empowers youth through sports; Toby Barnes, the principal designer at Amazon's Alexa, who has worked with Amazon, Nike, Levi's and Microsoft; Emily Stutzman, CEO of the Portland brand design agency Happylucky; Software engineer Kyle Thornton, who has worked on solar tech at Tesla.
Performers included Fabiola Reyna, the co-founder of Reyna Tropical, a musical project made up of musicians, DJs and producers who celebrate the tropical diaspora. Finalist on NBC's 'The Voice' in 2020, singer and songwriter Thunderstorm Artis.
Pioneering rapper Gary Eldrige Grice, known by the stage names GZA or The Genius, is a founding member of legendary hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Singer and songwriter Megan Diana founded an outreach project called Piano. Push. Play, through which she places newly refurbished pianos across Portland in the summer.
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