Former Illinois public health director among speakers scheduled for TEDx in Arlington Heights

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, is among the lineup of speakers at the upcoming TEDxArlington Heights conference.

The third annual event, an invite-only presentation Oct. 4, at Rolling Green Country Club, is a local, independently-organized version of the internationally popular TED Talks. It operates under a license with the New York- and Vancouver-based nonprofit organization behind the big ideas conferences.

The onstage speeches of Ezike and seven other presenters will be recorded and available online after the event at tedxarlingtonheights.com.

Speakers were asked to compose and memorize talks under the theme “Under the Surface.”

“You know those conversations that you only have in private because they don’t feel safe or you’re uncomfortable, so you don’t say them out loud? We’re putting ideas like that onstage,” said Donna Marie Post, founder, executive director and head curator of the Arlington Heights TEDx nonprofit. “Or the ones that you only have conversations about in your head, alone, by yourself? We’re putting those onstage.”

Speakers like Ezike will also address “things we know exist, and yet we ignore them,” Post said.

The exact topic of each speaker isn’t revealed until the event, she added.

“We want to dig deeper. We want to go beyond the surface. We want gritty conversations,” said Post, who in her day job is a consultant to professional speakers.

Besides Ezike, currently president and CEO of Sinai Chicago health system, the lineup includes: Kelwin Harris, chief civic engagement officer and deputy assessor with the Cook County Assessor’s Office; Kevin Chaplin, co-founder of Headquarters for AI, which helps companies navigate the generative AI landscape; Frank McAndrew, a professor emeritus of psychology at Knox College, who specializes in environmental psychology; Angela Blake, a social worker and assistant director of guest services at St. Margaret’s House, a day center serving women and children; Dhilan Stanley, a sophomore at Barrington High School and captain of the junior varsity Scholastic Bowl team; Jack Flight, a behavioral health and addiction specialist and licensed clinical social worker; and Leslie Davis, a licensed clinical professional counselor and relationship therapist.

Speakers and talks are chosen and curated by Post and her team of volunteers who first come up with a theme, then topics that would fit the theme. They look at applications from people who have applied online to see if there’s any alignment, but more often than not they seek out speakers.

Organizers of the event are most all from Arlington Heights, though presenters don’t have to be. Most of this year’s speakers are from the suburbs or downstate Illinois.

“It’s always the ideas first before the speaker,” Post said. “Do they believe in what we’re building. Are you in it for the right reasons? Are you in it for an idea to impact the world, to change how we think, to innovate? And/or, are you in it to sell a book, progress your platform, get more follows? We really want to amplify voices that understand what TEDx is all about.”