Creating Tomorrow Program
OCTOBER 25, 2025
Creating Tomorrow Program
Event Schedule
1:30-2:30 p.m. - Social Hour
2:30-5:00 p.m. - Session I
Mae Yoshikawa
Kizuki: The Japanese Aha-Moment That Reconnects and Awakens Us
Connie Svoboda
Nature is Good Medicine
Kevin Droe
Music Education is Stuck in the Past—Here’s How We Fix It
Performance by the Mariachi Panteras
Nirmal Melam
Schools without Darkness
Angela Walker Franklin
How to Call Out the Elephant in the Room
Performance by Diamond Roundtree
Gary Gute
Flow for Good
Sarah Helleso
A Case for Meaningful Work: Social Enterprise as a Tool to Equip Youth for What’s Next
Mitch Matthews
The Right Question at the Right Time: How to Unlock Dreams That Matter
5:00-7:00 p.m. - TEDx Fest
7:00-9:30 p.m. - Session II
Tatiana Rice
Society at a Crossroads: How AI and Policy Will Shape Our Future
Zach Lillquist
The Power of the Uber Conversation: Why Small Talk Matters More Than You Think
Performance by the SingPins
Hang Black
Great Leaders Make Courage Contagious
Muhammad Talha
The Myth of Being Self-Made: How Strangers Shape Our Success
Leslie Wilson
How Ownership Can Make Work Better for Everyone
Performance by Vince Gotera
Elaine Eshbaugh
The Hidden Connection Between Dementia and Anxiety
Quentin Hart
Bridging Divides, Building Futures
The B2Wins
How We Turned Our Hard Life Into a Daring Adventure
9:30-10:30 p.m. - Speaker Meet & Greet
Meet the Emcee
Ron Steele
The emcee for TEDxUniversity of Northern Iowa 2025 is legendary KWWL news anchor Ron Steele. A Hall of Fame broadcaster, Ron spent 49 years covering global events, interviewing U.S. presidents and world leaders, and producing the award-winning Iowa’s Child series. A community leader and heart surgery survivor, he continues to inspire through service and storytelling.
Speaker Session One
Kevin Droe
Music Education is Stuck in the Past—Here’s How We Fix It
Kevin is an associate professor of music education at UNI
Gary Gute
Flow for Good
Gary is an alumnus of [English, '82 and MA, '86] and a professor at UNI
Sarah Helleso
A Case for Meaningful Work: Social Enterprise as a Tool to Equip Youth for What’s Next
Sarah is an alumna of UNI [Leisure and Youth Services, '15]
Mitch Matthews
The Right Question at the Right Time: How to Unlock Dreams That Matter
Mitch is an alumnus of UNI [Communication and Media, '93]
Mariachi Panteras
"Mariachi Panteras" is an ensemble located at the University of Northern Iowa, which performs traditional Mexican folk music and serves to celebrate Latinx heritage. The group, co-founded by Stephanie Ramos, is part of the UNI School of Music and has been featured in local news outlets, including the Northern Iowan.
Diamond Roundtree
Diamond Roundtree is a spoken word poet and published author who began performing at 15. Known for weaving faith, resilience, and womanhood into her art, she has graced museums and community stages. At TEDxUniversity of Northern Iowa, she shares her original piece, "Dreaming of My Tomorrow."
The TEDx Fest Experience
5-7 p.m., Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
During the 2-hour intermission between TEDx Talk sessions, we invite you to connect with fellow audience members and our special guests through interactive experiences, outdoor games, and informative exhibits from our sponsors.
Choose on-site dinner options from food trucks or campus dining centers. Snacks will also be provided in the GBPAC lobby.
Find Your X Factor with Tina B
You’ll find Tina Bakehouse amping up the TEDx energy and creating a fun but safe space for learning and listening. Chat with Tina about finding and asserting your authentic voice as a speaker or leader, crafting an engaging signature talk, publishing a book, embracing Yes-And leadership, understanding temperament, mastering storytelling, or making progress toward any creative idea you’ve imagined but haven’t yet fulfilled.
Experience SHARP: Film Screening and Creative Team Meet and Greet
Meet the team of UNI alums from Morning Run Productions who competed and won first place in the Iowa edition of the international 48-Hour Film Project. Their additional awards for the short film SHARP included Cinematography and Audience Choice. They will present the 9-minute film, reflect on the team’s creative process under intense time pressure, and answer questions from the audience.
Experience Timeless Journeys
TheatreUNI students, in partnership with Western Home and Fortepan IA, teamed up to create a documentary film called Timeless Journeys. You’ll see how they used historical images of Iowa life drawn from UNI’s Fortepan IA Photographic Portal in “Creative Care” practices with older adults at the Western Home community. The students and their partners in this work, including those with dementia, created deeply moving stories based on inspiration from the historic photos.
Speaker Session Two
Tatiana Rice
Society at a Crossroads: How AI and Policy Will Shape Our Future
Tatiana is an alumna of UNI [Criminology, '16]
Zach Lillquist
The Power of the Uber Conversation: Why Small Talk Matters More Than You Think
Zach is an alumnus of UNI [Teaching, '17]
Muhammad Talha
The Myth of Being Self-Made: How Strangers Shape Our Success
Muhammad is a current nursing student at UNI
Leslie Wilson
How Ownership Can Make Work Better for Everyone
Leslie is an alumna of UNI [MBA, '84]
Elaine Eshbaugh
The Hidden Connection Between Dementia and Anxiety
Elaine is an alumna of UNI [Psychology, '00]
SingPins
The SingPins is an auditioned group of members composed from the Varsity Men’s Glee Club. They will be performing “Bright Lights in the Big City/Magic,” “Hallelujah,” and “Something for Everybody Medley.”
This group includes:
- Nathan Buelow
- Kaden Carda
- Kaleb Carda
- Zackary Evans
- Noah Hartman
- Dominic Hammel
- Caleb Little
- Ian Shelton
- Jamie Schaffer
- Lucas Shirbroun
- Aaron Tanay
- Benjy Trainer
- Brock Trenkamp
- Jon Turner
- Nicholas Wallestad
- Kolton Webber
- Kyle Williams
Vincent Gotera
Iowa Poet Laureat
Vince Gotera, Poet Laureate of Iowa since 2024, is Emeritus Professor of English at UNI and former editor of the North American Review and StarLine. Author of several poetry collections, his award-winning work spans genres and has been published internationally.
Organizing Committee
Deanne Gute
Licensee & Organizer
Jesse Heath
Organzier
Steve Carignan
Event Manager
Brian Gabel
Sponsorships Manager
Katie Kreis-Voigt
Marketing Director
Jocelyn Moeller
Finance Director
Ryan Randall
Sponsorships Manager
Samantha Schmiesing
Design Director
Nikki Zumbach Harken
Curator
Sponsors
