Tickets for TEDxPlano, an independently organized TED event, went on sale Tuesday and guest speakers were also announced. TEDxPlano 2017 will take place April 8 at the Courtyard Theater. TEDxPlano 2017 will take place April 8 at the Courtyard Theater.[/caption] This year, speakers will focus on the questions, "If one thing was different, what then?" The talks will surround this question along with the fundamentals of TED: technology, entertainment and design along with local factors affecting North Texas. Tickets are on sale for $75 per adult and $50 for students. Last year, tickets for TEDxPlano sold out in one week, according to the event's website. TEDxPlano 2017 speakers include:
  • Varsha Appaji, a senior at Plano Senior High School and active member of the debate team;
  • Dr. Jen Hartman, a clinical psychologist who launched Genuine Life Psychology & Wellness, a diversity-affirmative psychology practice that provides psychotherapy;
  • Jon Iadonisi, founder and CEO of Dallas-based VizSense, a services firm that works with Fortune 500 clients to deliver insights on a brand's health;
  • Mary Jacobs, producer of Plano Podcast and freelance writer covering spirituality, and health and fitness;
  • Rev. Arthur Jones, a Methodist pastor who has served for seven years at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano as a pastor;
  • Carol Kennelly, a registered nurse who left nursing to design and sell luxury homes in the Metro Detroit area;
  • Shannon Kraus, an entrepreneurial leader professionally focused on innovation around health and well-being;
  • Vinny Minchillo, a principal of Glass House Strategy, an advertising, marketing and media consulting firm, who has worked with JCPenney and the Dallas Cowboys;
  • Alicia Morgan, an aerospace science engineer and industrial engineer who followed her passion to work with youth at a nonprofit;
  • Jaideep Patil, a senior at Plano West Senior High School who launched the Plano West Sustainability and Conservation Club;
  • Gopal Raman, a senior at St. Mark's School of Texas and one of five National Student Poets selected by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities;
  • Kelsey Samuels, a community reporter at the Plano Star Courier and a Mesquite native;
  • and Zach Weisman, co-founder and CEO of CancerQ and director of business development at IdeaScale.
TEDxPlano will take place April 8 at the Courtyard Theater, 1509 H Ave, Plano. TEDxPlano is a self-organized event with a combination of guest speakers and TEDTalks videos used to spark discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidelines for the TEDx programs.