TED Talks by Fellows

Are you a Fellow who has given a TED Talk or particiapted as a featured speaker? If so, please email us at info@lgcchicago.org to be included in our Leadership Library.

A POWERFUL, NONPARTISAN SOLUTION TO FIX U.S. POLITICS

featuring Katherine Gehl (LGC Fellow since 2001) 

In this TEDxMileHigh Talk, Katherine Gehl, Founder of The Institute for Political Innovation, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2020 to catalyze modern political change in America, explains how we can reinvent our elections & get better results out of Washington. TEDxMileHigh accelerates innovation and social impact through the power of big ideas, transformative live events, and empowered digital communities. Listen here.

 

THE POWER OF VISUAL CONTENT FOR SOCIAL GOOD

featuring Angelique Power (LGC Fellow since 2015) 

Angelique Power, President of the Field Foundation, joined Top Chef’s Gail Simmons, ESPN E60’s Michael Baltierra, and photographer Melanie Dunea for a conversation on the power of visual content for social good. These inspiring voices convened virtually during 20/21 Vision: The Strategy Summit by PhotoShelter to celebrate how a compelling, visual narrative can change the world. This session was part of a full day of connection and inspiration for creative teams. Watch or listen here.

HOW TO REDUCE THE WEALTH GAP BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE AMERICANS

by Kedra Newsom Reeves (LGC Fellow since 2016) 

The racial wealth gap in the United States is shocking: white families have a median wealth nearly 10 times greater than that of Black families. How did we get here, and how can we stop the gap from growing? Wealth equity strategist Kedra Newsom Reeves provides a short history on the origins and perpetuation of racial wealth inequality in the US — and outlines four ways financial institutions can expand opportunity for Black individuals, families, entrepreneurs and communities. Watch or listen here. 

HUMANITY, A VIEW FROM INSIDE THE PANDEMIC: THE PEOPLE WITHIN ECONOMIES

by Rodrigo Garcia (LGC Fellow since 2020)

Rodrigo discusses "The People Within Economies" at TEDxWrigleyville, a virtual event focused on examining the human response to the COVID-19 pandemic to educate and inspire viewers in the midst of the global crisis. Rodrigo is a Chief Investor and Economic Systems Innovator. As Deputy State Treasurer & Chief Investment Officer for Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, he directs a $32 billion investment portfolio, $300 billion in related banking operations and financial services, and a ~$4 billion agency budget and leverages investment innovation, governance, stakeholder capitalism and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Watch or listen here. 

HUMANITY, A VIEW FROM INSIDE THE PANDEMIC: RESILIENCE AMIDST PANDEMIC

by Brian Johnson (LGC Fellow since 2020)

Brian discusses "Resilience Amidst Pandemic" at TEDxWrigleyville, a virtual event focused on taking an internal look at the human response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a mission to educate and inspire viewers in the midst of this global crisis. Brian shares the mission of Equality Illinois, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, to build a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and full acceptance of the LGBT community and discusses how the pandemic has hit the LGBTQ community particularly hard. Brian is CEO of Equality Illinois. Watch or listen here.

BIG THINKING PRECEDES GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

by Wendy Berger (LGC Fellow since 2011)

Wendy tells her very personal stories about loss, not being defined by her past, and building a new life without fear and filled with unbounded thinking. She shares some of the lessons she has learned about the importance of helping others and mentoring as healing tools. Watch or listen here. 

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE FOR BLACK BOYS

by Tim King (LGC Fellow since 1998)

Tim opened the first Urban Prep campus in 2006 with a simple goal: improve the educational outcomes for African-American males. Here he reflects on his journey as an educator, what it took to build the country’s first network of public charter high schools for boys, and the secret to Urban Prep's success. Watch or listen here. 

POVERTY IS A SUPERPOWER

by Dominique Jordan Turner (LGC Fellow since 2016)

Dominique challenges you to rethink traditional rubrics for assessing leadership and success. She posits that poverty, and the extreme challenges that come along with it, can serve as an incubator to develop and strengthen leadership skills that (when activated appropriately) can become what Dominique calls superpowers. Watch or listen here. 

THE POWER OF TIME

by Joanna Horsnail (LGC Fellow since 2015)

Joanna explores the human relationship with time, and how time can bring much-needed perspective and patience, through the lens of a personal experience with her son. Watch or listen here. 

WHY DIVERSITY IS UPSIDE DOWN

by Andrés Tapia (LGC Fellow since 2008)

Andrés explores ways we live in an Upside Down World. So much of what we know of how the world works has been flipped on its head. The US' position in geopolitics. The way healthcare will work in the US. How products get manufactured. How we consume entertainment. How we connect with one another. If all these and many more things are in the midst of questioning their basic presuppositions, then diversity should be no different. Watch or listen here.

WHY I TURNED CHICAGO'S ABANDONED HOMES INTO ART

by Amanda Williams (LGC Fellow since 2018)

Amanda shares her lifelong fascination with the complexity of color: from her experiences with race and redlining, to her discovery of color theory, to her work as a visual artist. Journey with her to explore "Color(ed) Theory," a project in which she painted soon-to-be-demolished houses bold, monochromatic colors infused with local meaning - catalyzing conversations and making the hidden visible. Watch or listen here.