ideas worth spreading
Meet the some of the speakers, performers, and exhibitors who light up TEDxDetroit in 2026.
TEDxDetroit 2026 on Wednesday, November 4th will feature some of the best and brightest minds sharing their passion, insights, and ideas worth spreading.
Our speaker roster balances left brain and right brain – academics, artists, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Each speaker only has a short block of time to share their positive idea for the world.
The main stage isn’t the only place to experience big ideas at TEDxDetroit. TEDxLabs will showcase homegrown tech, art, and small businesses right outside the auditorium.
Founder,
SamMac Communications Inc.
Christy McDonald is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, speaker and founder of SamMac Communications, where she works with teams on deliberate presence and navigating difficult conversations. An anchor for 27 years at WXYZ, Detroit PBS and WDIV, she covered stories from 9/11 to Detroit’s bankruptcy, co-moderated two Michigan gubernatorial debates and created original streaming news programming. She is the author of the memoir-in-essays Thanks for the Lasagna, Just Send Booze, which explores grief, friendship, motherhood and the slow process of becoming someone new. Christy has advocated for cancer screening since losing her husband, Detroit sports broadcaster Jamie Samuelsen, to colorectal cancer in 2020.
Author, Creative &
Engineering Leader
Rish Mitra is an inspiring author, writer, ultra runner, and founder of Dads & Dudes, a Detroit platform that makes space for the questions men rarely ask out loud and seeks answers through its mini series. A contributor to independent journals, he writes poetry and creative essays that give others permission to speak. His journey shows the strength that grows from facing hard truths. A manufacturing leader at Stellantis by day, Rish lives in Detroit with his son and their German Shepherd.
Professor, Author &
Fractional CTO/CIO
Professor Timothy E. Bates, “The Godfather of Tech,” is a Detroit-born U.S. Marine veteran with 40+ years in technology. A Professor of Practice in Cybersecurity at the University of Michigan-Flint and Oakland University, he founded The Godfather of Tech, a nonprofit foundation helping people understand AI and emerging tech well enough to stay in control of their own lives. His belief: technology should be a tool with purpose, not something we serve. From a Detroit factory worker to a grandmother trying AI for the first time, everyone deserves understanding, not just access. He also champions ethical, privacy-first AI through Pyrinas.co and wrote a practical guide to AI prompting for everyday people.
Chief Information Officer,
National Food Group
Todd Loiselle was told in first grade he might not graduate high school. He couldn’t memorize, so he learned to figure things out another way. Today he is Chief Information Officer of National Food Group, with 30 years leading technology through constant change. He is the author of Learning Your Way and a champion for people who learn differently. His message: the people we label as behind are often early.
President,
Michigan Bhakti Center
Yugal Kishore Das is an author, motivational speaker, monk of 24+ years, and lifestyle mentor who helps people navigate modern life. As President of Michigan Bhakti Center Inc., he blends Eastern wisdom with modern perspectives to offer practical tools for personal fulfillment and professional excellence. Based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, he travels across North America, East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, leading seminars on mindfulness, personality development, work-life balance, and relationships for executives, medical professionals, students, and families. He has logged over 20,000 hours of meditation and holds degrees in mathematics, law, and science, plus training in software programming.
Volunteer & Community Engagement Coordinator
Detroit-born and powered by caffeine, curiosity, and chaos, Julie Barnes Maurer has never been good at sitting still. A 52-and-a-half-year-old gymnast, ultrarunner, and Ironman finisher, she has chased finish lines from 5Ks to 100-mile ultras, crossing them with a cartwheel when possible. Her passion is getting other people to show up. For six years she has led fluid stations at the Detroit Free Press Marathon, rallying thousands of volunteers. She now works with Cass Community Social Services, helping Detroiters facing hard times. A mother of three and Juju to two, Julie believes you can do extraordinary things and still be an ordinary, imperfect human. Some finish lines aren’t the ones you planned.
Comedian, Talent Booker, Show Runner, Comedy Coach
Bill Bushart is Detroit’s Pure Michigan Comic. Voted Best Comedian in Detroit by the Metro Times & HOUR Detroit and called “Best Bet” by The Detroit News. For over 30 years he’s been considered one of Michigan’s best. He’s headlined Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle, Odd Ball Comedy Fest at DTE, Brew Ha-ha, Laugh Fest, casinos and clubs across the Midwest, with appearances on FOX TV, WDIV, WXYT, and WJR 760.
As the acclaimed instructor of the Comedy Castle’s Stand-Up 101 course, Bill has coached thousands of comics preparing them for their debut stand-ups sets. He is known for his patience, support, enthusiasm, and punchy joke writing.
In The Accidental Life Coach, Bill shares how coaching aspiring comedians is more than just laughs. It’s a lesson in acceptance, communication and creativity.
Founder. Poet. Poetry Instructor. Voice-Over Artist. Writer.
I feel in love with basketball at an early age. It became a part of my identity as I would go on to play for one of the Nation’s top 2 year programs, Vincennes University in Vincennes Indiana. After a leg injury ended my career, I would later fall in love with poetry, which led me to becoming founder and CEO at Expressing Is Living. Here, I teach the spirit, confidence, and self actualization, it takes to write inspiring poems. I’m now pursuing a speaking career, as I’m blessed to grace the TEDx stage for my second time, at TEDxDetriot.
Musician &
Performer
Kylee Phillips is a Michigan-native singer-songwriter of deeply self-exposing pop. Armed with an arresting, laser-focused voice and an unrivaled ear for hooks, she spent over a decade as a beloved hidden gem of the Detroit scene before her debut EP, the aptly named Long Time Coming, earned cult-like acclaim across the Midwest. With the catharsis of Muna and Maggie Rogers, her anthemic, sonically dense songs make room for both the tears and the pulse-pounding we didn’t know we needed. In 2026 she releases her first full-length album, Before I Am Invisible, the sound of a grounded woman who has found the one place she won’t be talked over. A full-band release tour follows, at full power and full volume.
Magician & Keynote Speaker
Handsleight LLC
Anthony Grupido is a Michigan magician, mentalist, and keynote speaker who combines entertainment with honest conversations about mental health and resilience. He has presented to more than 1,000 school districts, earned over 400 million online views, and opened for Jim Gaffigan and The Impractical Jokers. Through The Magic of Hope, he shares his personal story to encourage lasting connection and seeking support. Having previously spoken at TEDxDetroit, Anthony is excited to return to the stage.
TEDxLabs Exhibitors
Coming Soon
TEDxLabs Exhibitors
Coming Soon