Bengals linebacker, entrepreneur Dhani Jones among TEDx Cincy speakers

The speaker line-up for Cincinnati's first TEDx Cincy event reads like a Who's Who in Cincinnati innovation and creativity.

Among the scheduled speakers are Bengals linebacker, entrepreneur and Travel Channel star Dhani Jones. Outside of Cincinnati and football circles Jones is probably best known for his Travel Channel show Dhani Tackles the Globe, where he jets across the world, playing international sports and exploring new cultures. The show is in its second season. Jones will talk about something he knows firsthand: how sports can bridge language and cultural barriers

Jones is among more than a dozen speakers scheduled to speak at TEDxCincy, including Cincinnatians from the medical, arts, nonprofit and fashion worlds. The theme of the event, set for Oct. 7 at the Aronoff center downtown, is "Passion-The Energy Behind Life’s Most Fearless Pursuits."

TEDx is the moniker for the independently organized events based on the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in California, which brings together some of the world's most innovative and inspiring speakers. There are hundreds of TEDx events scheduled across the world from Iran and China to Sweden and Argentina.

TEDx Cincy is being organized through a partnership with LPK, the world's largest independently owned design agency, and Procter & Gamble. Tickets are $55 each, $35 for students and can be bought online. A limited number of tickets will be sold, and advanced registration is required.

Following is a partial list of the schedule speakers; you can find a complete list here.

• Grant McCracken, Cultural Anthropologist and Author, will share his point of view on the connection between culture and commerce, how successful big brands rely on cultural factors to build awareness.
• Dr. Victor Garcia, Pediatric Surgeon, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, will deliver a presentation on how individuals, communities and organizations can work together to create a healthy and sustainable world. 
• Claire Thompson, Fashion Designer and graduate from the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program, will deliver a presentation on how her passion for art empowered her to overcome blindness and eventually led her to design a wedding dress featured on Good Morning America.
• Carlton Farmer, Curator of American I Am exhibit, Cincinnati Museum Center, will speak on creating a traveling museum exhibition and the imprint of African American culture on America.
• Herman Mays, Curator of Zoology, Cincinnati Museum Center, will speak on how the evolution of the DNA sequence and its power to change our understanding and experience of life.
• John Eckberg, Director of Media Relations, Cook Medical, will speak on the invention of an antibiotic catheter that could prevent up to 50,000 deaths in the United States each year.
  

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: TEDCincy organizers
Photography by Scott Beseler
You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites