TEDxAkron

04/09/2026

An Important Announcement from TEDxAkron

After thoughtful consideration, we want to share a few important updates about TEDxAkron. First, we have determined that there will not be a Speaker event this fall, as intended. We had hoped to make something great happen this year, but it just doesn’t seem viable, and we want to respect what we feel we’re seeing by way of support and interest in this complex year.

Secondly, with this in mind and after a wealth of reflection on our 7 years of leadership, we have made the thoughtful decision to officially step down and away from our roles as license holders, leaders, and organizers of TEDxAkron.

These decisions were not made lightly.

For over a decade, TEDxAkron has been a space for ideas, voices, and stories that may not have otherwise found a stage, brought to life by an extraordinary community of speakers, volunteers, partners, and supporters. What has been built here is meaningful, and we are deeply proud of the inclusive vision we developed and what this community has created together. At the same time, we recognize personally and professionally when a chapter has reached its natural close. Especially for us as leaders of this localized global brand.

Rather than extending beyond what feels sustainable or true, we’ve chosen to conclude this chapter of our civic leadership and this era of TEDxAkron with intention, care, and extreme gratitude. Being able to connect with Akronites of all walks of life, open doors wide, offer this unique stage, and pass the microphone has been a true honor and privilege. We don’t know what might be next or possible with a TEDx in Akron, but it was a thrill to lend our time, talents, and passion to something this big for this long.

And finally, where does that leave TEDxAkron upon our departure? That’s entirely out of our hands, actually. TEDx licenses cannot be transferred directly from one organizer to another. Anyone interested in organizing a future TEDxAkron event is welcome to apply through TED’s official process. We have let TED know we will be ending our run, and in due time, another community volunteer may reach out to them to apply if they are interested and the license remains accessible.

But before we fully dismantle our direct involvement, we want to say thank you. To everyone who has been part of our leadership with TEDxAkron—on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience—truly, thank you. You’ve made this more than an event here in Akron. You’ve made it a community, and we’re grateful for the support and lasting trust along the way.

With utmost gratitude and appreciation,
Ben & Alexis

03/13/2026

We want to thank everyone who has reached out to offer kind words or share their thoughts on the cancellation of our 15th anniversary event. While a live, in-person event wasn't possible, we do plan to celebrate our TEDx Speakers online, in the weeks and months ahead.

💡But to answer a frequent question we've gotten this week: No. As of this date, we have not yet determined whether a traditional fall Speaker event will be held in 2026.

We promise one way or another, there will be a formal announcement in a few months about whether we will or won't be hosting a Speaker event this year. Stay tuned.

03/09/2026

An Update from TEDxAkron

For 15 years, TEDxAkron has been powered by ideas, volunteers, and a community willing to gather around meaningful conversation. Together, we have created a stage that amplified local voices, sparked dialogue, and invited curiosity across Summit County and beyond.

As an independently organized and locally funded event, TEDxAkron relies entirely on ticket sales, sponsorships, and donor support to responsibly produce each program. After careful consideration and a clear assessment of where things currently stand, the financial commitments required to produce our 15th Anniversary event have not come together in the way they need to.

📌 Because of that, we have made the decision to cancel the March 29th 15th Anniversary celebration.

This milestone carries deep meaning for all of us who have helped shape TEDxAkron over the years. At the same time, we believe strongly in protecting the quality, sustainability, and integrity of this platform. Moving forward without the necessary support would not reflect the standard this community deserves. And as of this date, we have not yet determined if a traditional fall Speaker event will be hosted this year. More to come on that effort in the months ahead.

We are grateful to the alumni, volunteers, partners, and early ticket holders who stepped forward in support of this gathering and over the many years with TEDxAkron. Your belief in this work matters.
Because the impact of the past 15 years remains. We are proud of the ideas shared, the speakers who stepped onto the red circle, and the community that made this stage possible. Thank you for being part of that story.

— The TEDxAkron Team

02/04/2026

We can bring amazing people to the stage because of the amazing donors and partners who help fund and support TEDxAkron. And we wanted to give one more grateful shout-out to our 2025 supporters! 🥳

Support for TEDxAkron helps cover the real costs of producing high-quality, community-centered events— including venue rental, professional videography and editing, photography, speaker coaching, marketing and promotion, technical production, event coordination, required TEDx education, and post-event gatherings.

TEDxAkron events are independently organized under a working license granted by The TED Foundation. In accordance with TEDx guidelines, 100% of sponsorship funds and in-kind contributions are reinvested directly into the planning and production of TEDxAkron events. Members of the TEDxAkron team are volunteers and are not paid for their roles or leadership.

🤩 Every. Dollar. Counts. And means the world!

If you're interested in learning more about supporting our 2026 and 15th Anniversary events, visit here to learn more: https://www.tedxakron.com/payment

❤️ Lets move forward -- together.

02/03/2026

Did you know that only 0.004% of the global adult population has ever done a TED or TEDx Talk?!

Which is why, when we say Akron is so unbelievably proud of Gabe, Angie, SirDiamond, Abby, Garth, and Cristina - we're not kidding around. Congratulations again to these remarkable 6 people for all of the hard work, inspiration, and dedication it took to take the TEDxAkron stage last fall to speak to the world. 🥳

If you haven't already, make sure to visit https://www.tedxakron.com/ to watch their Talks and learn more, or visit TEDx Talks on YouTube!

02/02/2026

Gabe Minson is an artist, a thinker, a builder of community, and a fourth-generation Akronite with roots that run deep and branches that reach everywhere. At just 22, they’ve already woven themselves into the city’s fabric: serving food at distros, making art, showing up for others, and asking big questions about identity, possibility, and what it means to belong.

In their powerful and personal TEDx Talk, Let Yourself Live, Gabe takes the greatest lesson they've ever learned to give others a piece of advice that extends beyond generations and lives lived. Let Yourself Live is a testimony on granting yourself permission to live and embrace who you truly are -- even at your weakest or most vulnerable.

Through dynamic stories of internally and externally imposed structures of existence, what it means to seek accomplishment, and how some structures will inevitably fail you, Gabe illustrates how they lit their own ignition to become free inside first, in order to offer their spark to others.

🤩 Congratulations again to Gabe on their TEDx Talk. Akron is so proud of you and everything you bring to our community and the world.

Focused on the greatest lesson Gabe Minson has ever learned, Let Yourself Live is a testimony on granting yourself permission to live and be able to embrace ...

02/01/2026

Abby Darin-Evans is the kind of person who brings calm energy to chaos—and probably shows up with snacks, a book recommendation, and a great CPR training anecdote, too.

A community builder by nature and a rule-bender by choice, whether reshaping traditions on the Torchbearers Board or just trying to remember where her energy ends and someone else’s chair begins (“not my chair, not my problem”), Abby is showing up—anxieties, authenticity, and all.

In their TEDx Talk, Social Resistance Through Silliness, Abby talks about the power of breaking barriers socially through humor and silliness, as vital in a world that is making social isolation more and more common. From making animal noises to being your authentic self to every room you enter, silliness allows you to break down walls to create authentic connections.

🤩 Congratulations again to Abby on her TEDx Talk. Akron is so proud of you and everything you bring to our community and the world.

Breaking barriers socially is vital in a world that is making social isolation common. From making animal noises to being your authentic self, silliness allo...

01/31/2026

From viral storyteller to fierce advocate, SirDiamond Jones is proof that vulnerability is a superpower. At just 26, he’s built a digital community of over half a million followers—by showing up, speaking out, and making space for others to feel seen.

In his powerful and revealing TEDx Talk, Becoming a Black Man in America, SirDiamond reflects on what it took to grow into himself as a Black, trans man—navigating identity, visibility, and belonging in a world eager to define him.

In telling his story of both known and perceived identity, he explores how naming and embracing every part of who we are as individuals can become a source of strength, leadership, and responsibility within our own communities.

🤩 Congratulations again to SirDiamond on his TEDx Talk. Akron is so proud of you and everything you bring to our community and the world.

In Becoming a Black Man in America, SirDiamond reflects on what it took to grow into himself as a Black, trans man—navigating identity, visibility, and belon...

01/30/2026

📣A note on TEDx, politics, and values in 2026 from the team at TEDxAkron.

As a reminder—and in the spirit of transparency—TEDx events operate under a global license that does not allow organizers or speakers to promote partisan politics, endorse candidates, or advocate for specific political agendas from the stage or through official TEDx programming. These guidelines exist to protect the integrity of this global platform and to ensure that TEDx remains a space for ideas, curiosity, nuance, and shared learning rather than political campaigning. The team at TEDxAkron fully respects, understands, and abides by this stance.

At the same time, it’s also important for us to say this clearly as an American TEDx program in 2026:

To know TEDxAkron is to know that we are committed to welcoming everyone to the stage. We believe in thoughtful dialogue, in complexity over slogans, and in the power of ideas to expand empathy rather than narrow it. We value diversity, inclusion, equity, justice, free expression, and the responsibility that comes with the First Amendment. We believe that stories—when shared by our friends and neighbors here in Akron and Greater Summit County—can challenge assumptions, illuminate lived experience, and move us toward deeper understanding, when offered with care.

We respect the boundaries of our license, and we take them seriously. And we trust our community to see us, know us, and understand the values that guide how we show up and lead this program, even when we cannot make declarative political statements.

Ideas matter.
How we hold space for them matters, too.

We take our drinks neat, and we toast to everyone trying to make this world a better, more compassionate, more inclusive place—on and off stage.

01/30/2026

Angie Haze isn’t just a musician: she’s a movement. With a voice made for the haunted and the hopeful, Angie creates songs that speak directly to survivors, dreamers, and anyone who's ever felt like their story was too heavy to carry alone.

Powerfully pushing into new territory--and a vulnerable step away from behind the piano or guitar -- Angie's TEDx Talk, Extremism to Radical Kindness, is a personal request to reframe personal trauma and today's extremism as a lens to reexamine who we truly are in these intense moments.

That maybe the extremism we see and experience in the world today is exactly what is needed to inspire us to do something and become someone different. Angie asks if these are the moments to remember who and what we are, and why.

🤩 Congratulations again to Angie on her TEDx Talk. Akron is so proud of you and everything you bring to our community and the world.

Maybe the extremism we see in the world today is exactly what is needed to inspire us to do something differently. Maybe we need to remember who and what we ...

01/29/2026

Dr. Cristina González Alcalá isn’t just shifting narratives, she’s reengineering them. A proud Mexican-born changemaker and systems strategist, Cristina blends data, heart, and lived experience to build a more equitable Akron from the inside out. She’s also the kind of leader who carries optimism and complexity, and someone who radiates light but isn’t afraid to talk about the dark.

In her 2025 TEDx Talk, How Rule Bending Became Identity Shaping, Dr. González Alcalá invites us to consider what happens when rule-bending becomes identity-shaping. This reflective and culturally grounded shares how moving from conformity to creation, and from sobrevivir to VIVIR, reshaped how she understands success, identity, and belonging.

Drawing inspiration from artists who bent rules and lived unapologetically themselves, through her VIVIR framework, she invites us to reconsider what it means to live fully when the rules we inherited were never meant to hold us.

🤩 Congratulations again to Cristina on her TEDx Talk. Akron is so proud of you and everything you bring to our community and the world.

What happens when rule-bending becomes identity-shaping? In this reflective and culturally grounded TEDx talk, Dr. Cristina González Alcalá shares how moving...