TEDxMaui Partial Speaker List Revealed

By David Kvasnicka

Dr. Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsay. Photo courtesy TEDxMaui.

Five of the estimated 13-18 speakers for the upcoming 2012 TEDxMaui conference have been revealed.

The announcement coincides with the beginning of ticket sales, which began October 3rd. Tickets are $99 each and available through the MACC.

TED (technology, entertainment, design) is a forum for some of the world’s most progressive thinkers. In recent years, it has inspired TED-sanctioned but independently-organized regional events, with Maui’s being one of them.

TEDxMaui has been deliberately limited to an audience of 600 by the organizers to give the event a more “intimate atmosphere.”

However, it will dwarf other TEDx events, such as TEDxHonolulu’s maximum audience of 100, due to a rule which stipulates that a TEDx event can host a larger audience if one of the organizers has attended an official TED event. In this instance, co-producer Katie McMillan attended TED Women in Washington DC, which qualified Maui for the larger event.

100 spaces of the 600 will be reserved for students and elders, with those tickets priced at $75.

McMillan described ticket sales on day one to be “strong out of the gate,” and expects to sell out quickly.

The final program is still in development, and co-producers Sarah Tekula and McMillan are still seeking speakers for the event, which is expected to occur January 22, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the MACC’s Castle Theater.

The five revealed TEDxMaui speakers are as follows:

Images courtesy of TEDxMaui

Dr. Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey: The first female Fellow and Polynesian Explorer for the National Geographic Society, internationally-recognized expert on
cultural intelligence, and former Maui resident.

W.S. Merwin: Poet Laureate: Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, author of over 50 books of poetry and prose, and Maui resident for 30 years. Appointed United States Poet Laureate in 2010.

Byron Washon: Alternative energy pioneer, partnering with UHMC to bring electric vehicles to Maui, named one of Fast Company Magazine’s “100 Most Creative Persons in Business,” and graduate of Punahou.