Albert Banks

Growing up as the son of a Naval Engineer, Albert Banks relocated across oceans and state lines and found friends at every stop. Today he is the Technical Director and a founder of Myjive, where he translates computer science into consumer culture. But he continues to use his learned gift of creating relationships to help tie people to the technologies around them.

Follow him @ufbert or myjive.com.

Ann Woo

Ann Woo is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She will be graduating in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and minors in Entrepreneurship and International Studies- Comparative Globalization. She came on board with TEDxCharlotte this year to work as a liaison between the speakers and the committee to make sure there is smooth sailing all around. Currently, she is the Economic Development Intern at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and also works for UNC Charlotte’s newspaper, The Niner Times, as a writer of live music reviews. Ann can be described as a typical Aries, live music enthusiast, political junkie, adrenaline chaser, and sushi lover.

Follow her @a_woo.

Anna Stokkebye

Anna Stokkebye is a digital designer at Luquire George Andrews where her knowledge and skill within the digital space has played an integral role in the agency’s digital growth. Her input has been considered on nearly every digital project.

She has helped spearheading TEDxCharlotte’s e-communications and social media, as well as organizing interns.

In 2010, Stokkebye earned a Bachelor of Arts from UNC-Asheville in multimedia arts and sciences with minors in Spanish and printmaking.

Follow her @astokkebye.

Candice Langston

Daughter. Spouse. Mom. Friend. Colleague. Fundraiser. Volunteer. Mutt-haver. Camaro-driver. TEDxCharlotte-starter. Native Charlottean. 80′s fan. Risk-taker. Big idea advocate.

Follow her @CandiceLangston or on Facebook.

Deborah Triplett

Photographer. Gardener. Founder & producer of Yard Art Day. Lover of quirky beauty, heart given kindness, novel ideas that make the world a better place and a good thought tinged with some humour. Hopes to light one little candle.

Follow her @deborahtriplett, deborahtriplett.com or yardartday.org.

Desiree Kane

One of six John S. and James L. Knight Foundation CAC advisors, Desiree head of the e-communications team for TEDxCharlotte, is returning for her fourth year as a TEDxCLT organizer, and is constantly searching for what’s next at the intersections of digital media, political and media transparency, information accessibility and tech innovation that pushes the boundaries of digital citizenship and democracy. She also has been involved with TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar, TEDxDuke in Durham, NC, TEDxLionRock in Hong Kong, TEDxNASA@SiliconValley in California, and TEDxBeaconStreet in Boston. A digital campaign strategist, travel and tech columnist with CL Charlotte, and co-founder of ThePPL, the hub for 1000+ online content producers and journalists during the 2012 Democratic National Convention, she firmly believes in paying it forward nor has she ever met a stranger. She also loves owls, goats, the bleeding edge, over-sharing and is an avid coffee drinker.

Follow her @dbirdy or clclt.com/blogs/wayfaringtechnomad.

Jill Bjers

Jill Bjers is a mother, wife, author/playwright/poet, web strategist, community advocate and travel junkie. She hails from Salt Lake City, where she completed post graduate degrees in Creative Writing and Literature. She is co-owner of Xorcode, LLC, a personalize software development firm, with her husband. She is also the founder of OrgCamp, Co-Founder of TechCLT, Organizer of BarCampCLT, Director of Human Happinss for The PPL and Board Member/Ambassador of Global Outreach for TwelveInTwelve. Jill is dedicated to elevating the lives of people around her and brings her enthusiasm as a community organizer to all of her projects.

Follow her @jillzey or jillzey.me.

Kevin Beaty

Kevin Beaty is a photographer, filmmaker. He loves nothing more than watching the world through a lens, which is why he is always in pursuit of new subjects for short video documentaries and photoessays. He is currently working to establish a market for documentary video in an editorial setting, providing cinematic content to news outlets and jobs to independent filmmakers. Beyond his profession as a camera jockey, Beaty is an avid artist and a member of Hackerspace Charlotte.

Kim McCulloch

A love and respect of life combined with a deep, heartfelt compassion and empathy for others has led Kim Mcculloch to a career in volunteerism. She believes giving is so much better than receiving and nurturing others yields gifts for a lifetime. With a passion for nature, conservation and happiness for all it doesn’t leave the technologically challenged Kim any time for Twitter or a website… but you can find her on Facebook.

Manoj P. Kesavan

Manoj P. Kesavan is the founder of Point8 Forum, an open informal venue for individuals from the various creative fields to come together for conversation, critique and collaboration. They have been organizing discussion forums, collaborative projects and other events independently and in collaboration with the major cultural institutions of the region. Point8 also organizes the Pecha Kucha series in Charlotte, and runs the Point8 Blog on the Creative Loafing website. Manoj’s primary practice is architecture, with frequent detours into academics and writing, while maintaining a constant involvement in the community.

Follow him on www.point8.org, blogs.creativeloafing.com or
point8.org/pechakucha.

Mike Watson

Mike Watson, is a convener of people, culture explorer, fine artist, fashion-insider, emcee extraordinaire, TEDx guru, struggling Buddhist, lover of Nike SBs, and asking the question WHY. Mike is also an educator of fashion marketing and design at The Art Institute of Charlotte; Mike was the featured speaker at the Mint Museum of Art Charlotte, on Andy Warhol and his iconic use of imagery. He partnered in the conceptual design for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s Return to Modern gala. He is a winner of the ASC’s SILO public works project, also produces fashion shows, has collaborated with powerhouses like ZGM, The McColl Center of Visual Art, and Neiman Marcus on its Fashions Night Out and Art and Fashion events. In the past Mike has won national awards for visual merchandising, has lead a variety of creative and fashion focused workshops and firmly believes that the happiness in his life comes from the love of his wife, vinyl records, his two amazing children and hot yoga.

Follow him @emcmike.

Mike Wirth

Mike is a designer, educator and artist who specializes in information design and data visualization from an educational perspective. He is an assistant professor of art and director of the new media design major at Queens University of Charlotte. Mike owns and operates Mike Wirth Art, an award winning information design group. His work has been featured on Washington Post.com, Comedy Central.com and in the Wall Street Journal. Mike has exhibited digital artwork internationally in Europe, nationally, and locally at The Lightactory, The Museum of York County, and The Duke Energy Explorium. Some of his interactive work is on display now and is apart of the permanent collection at the Levine Museum of the New South.

Ron Edelen

Ron Edelen is a founder of Myjive and a passionate advocator for empathetic storytelling. The Creative Director loves to tap into the human heart to tell stories using creativity, empathetic design and interactive experiences — stories that keep people coming back.

Follow him @ronedelen or myjive.com.

Rose Le

Rose Le is back bringing the TEDxCLT e-Communications buzz! Instructional Designer for Time Warner Cable by day, she specializes in activity-driven eLearning and performance support solutions. Rose studied Educational Technology and Economics, but (not so secretly) has a flare for the theatrical! Look for her and Sara Beth on TEDxCLT guerrilla videos!

Follow her @onerosele.

Sara Beth Jones

Sara Beth Jones is a 2012 graduate of Queens University of Charlotte where she majored in Organizational Communications and minored in New Media Design.  Additionally, she is returning member of the e-communications team for TEDxCharlotte. Joining the team in 2011, Sara Beth was the first Digital Media Intern for the organization. Currently, she is an Online Communication Specialist for Jackrabbit Technologies and serves as the Secretary and Graphic Designer of the Board of Directors of Social Media Charlotte.

Follow her @jonesysb.

Shannon Smith

Shannon Smith is the founder of Abundant Power, a financial services company focused on designing and delivering energy efficiency products and programs, headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Shannon founded Abundant Power in 2009 after over 20 years in the financial service and private equity industries, having invested in companies ranging from $25 million to $500 million in revenue.

Shannon is a board member of the Southeast Board of Environmental Defense Fund and the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and the Leadership Council of the American Council on Renewable Energy.  Shannon is also on the Board of AccelPAC – an energy industry PAC supporting energy technology

Shannon holds a BA in Philosophy and Economics from Wheaton College, and MBA from the Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. He was a Rotary Scholar at the Universite De Lille in Lille, France.  When not working, Shannon spends lots of time with his two sets of twins, stumbling through yoga, or piddling with his meager wine collection.

Tracy Russ

Tracy Russ is a published writer and communications consultant, and is the CEO/Founder of Russ Communications, based in Charlotte, NC. He has worked on a number of citizen engagement initiatives across the U.S. that seek to build social capital, create equity across lines of difference and inspire positive solutions to the challenges of climate change. He is a proponent of blending the arts, civic change and organizational development practices into communications efforts that create change in communities and organizations. In his free time, he enjoys reading, a night of good beers and bad puns, writing haiku, running and painting.

Winn Maddrey

Winn is the Executive Vice President for Topics Education, a strategic communications company that works with businesses and non-profits – locally and nationally. He is a communications veteran, political junkie, cause marketer and engaged in the local community. Winn has served as a speechwriter for a member of the US House of Representatives and a communications officer in the US Department of Commerce. He has also owned three communications firms, including Crescent PR, Capital Strategies, and Blue Nine Partners.

Kim Jones

Kim Jones is an Associate Professor at UNC Charlotte’s Department of Dance. A TEDxCharlotte Choreographer and performer.