TEDxMaui Features Presenters with “A Brilliant Life”

Clockwise from top left: Kerri Urosevich, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Sam Ohu Gon, Dave Kalama, and Kimi Werner (photo credit Justing Turkowski). Photos courtesy TEDxMaui.

By Maui Now Staff

The 3rd annual TEDxMaui event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 28, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Castle Theater.

Organizers announced their complete lineup of speakers and performers who will share their “big ideas” on stage in presentations that are limited to 18 minutes or less.

The event features “engaging presentations on diverse topics, big ideas, and cutting edge perspectives that have the potential to change the world,” according to event organizers.

Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, the half-sister of President Barack Obama and international studies educator, has been identified as one of the presenters at the 2014 TEDxMaui event.

Other notables are ukulele virtuoso Taimane Gardner; food sovereignty leader Daniel Anthony; Hawaiian ecology expert Samuel M. ‘Ohukani‘ōhi‘a Gon, III; Maui big wave surfer Dave Kalama; and travel writer Edward Readicker-Henderson.

Event organizers released a full list of presenters for the 2014 event, which includes the following:

Maui Presenters:

• Adaptations Dance Theater: Maui’s cutting-edge nonprofit professional contemporary dance company.
• Svetlana Berdyugina, PhD: NASA astronomer, researcher of extraterrestrial life, physics professor, discoverer and artist.
• Dave Kalama: Maui’s own surf icon and big wave pioneer, world champion ocean athlete.
• Rosemary “Rosie” Kulhavy-Sutherland: King Kekaulike High School student, TEDxYouth@SeaburyHall speaker, humorist who inspires her peers.
• Rick Rutiz: Founder and director of Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike. Mobilizes at-risk youth to learn construction skills to benefit themselves and their community.
• Sunny Savage: Wild food harvester, expert forager, teacher and adventurer.

Daniel Anthony, food sovereignty leader, local farming advocate, driving force behind the movement to bring kalo back to the classroom, kitchen and local economy. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Presenters from O‘ahu:

• Daniel Anthony: Food sovereignty leader, local farming advocate, driving force behind the movement to bring kalo back to our classrooms, kitchens and local economies.
• Robert Cazimero: Legendary and award-winning Hawaiian singer, songwriter, pianist, kumu hula and contributor to the Hawaiian cultural renaissance.
• Taimane Gardner: dazzling and innovative ukulele virtuoso and songwriter
• Samuel M. ‘Ohukani‘ōhi‘a Gon, III, PhD: Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor at The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, world-renowned expert on Hawaiian ecology.
• Maya Soetoro-Ng, PhD: Award-winning peace, multicultural, and international studies educator and children’s book author. Co-founder of the community peace training program Ceeds of Peace with Kerrie Urosevich. Campaigner for her brother, President Barack Obama.
• 

  Taimane Gardner: dazzling and innovative ukulele virtuoso and songwriter. TEDxMaui courtesy photo.

  ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

  Kerrie Urosevich, PhD: Community mobilizer and peace builder, Early Learning Action Strategy Coordinator for the Hawai‘i Governor’s Office, co-founder of Ceeds of Peace with Maya Soetoro-Ng.

• Dr. Bradley Willcox, MD: World-renowned longevity researcher, physician, co-author of The Okinawan Diet Plan and The Okinawa Program.
• Kimi Werner: Maui born and raised champion spearfisher and freediver, artist and chef-hunter.
• Lindsea K. Wilbur: Hawaiʻi’s own futurist focusing on social invention and human-centered political design, organizer and traveler on the Millennial Trains Project with the Government Futures Lab.
• Hinaleimoana “Kumu Hina” Wong-Kalu: Kanaka maoli teacher, cultural practitioner, community leader, one of first openly-transgender candidates to run for a statewide political office in the U.S.

Presenters from the US Mainland:

• Daedelus (Alfred Darlington): The “mad scientist of music,” artist, producer, composer and performer.
• BJ Fogg: Behavior scientist, expert on habit formation, founder of Stanford’s Persuasive Tech Lab, one of Fortune’s “10 new gurus you should know.”
• Edward Readicker-Henderson: Widely published vagabonding travel writer and contributing editor of National Geographic Traveler and ISLANDS magazines.

All presenters have crafted their presentations to reflect this year’s theme, “A Brilliant Life.”

“Anyone with a thirst for knowledge can have a profound experience at TEDxMaui,” said producer and co-founder Sara Tekula in an event press release. “I believe in this community’s ability to make a difference in the world, both locally and globally, and this event is where change-makers get inspired and subsequently find one another.”

Tickets are on sale in person at the MACC Box Office, online at the venue website or by calling 808-242-SHOW (7469), with a limited number of discounted tickets available for students and seniors.