TEDxMaui is right around the corner and Leslie Wilcox has accepted the invitation to host the January event. Wilcox is a longtime broadcast and print journalist in Hawaii with on-air and management positions in newsrooms in the CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates. She is also PBS Hawaii’s CEO and president, and hosts the weekly PBS Hawaii program Long Story Short.
Wilcox will be joined by Maui resident Kainoa Horcajo, a partner in Hana Pono, an organization that provides cultural studies and impact assessments. Horcajo has also worked with Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and as a media liaison for state Representative Mele Carroll.
“When we first announced TEDxMaui, we started receiving numerous applicants from off island residents,” said Katie McMillan, co-producer of TEDxMaui. “It was very clear that many people were looking for an opportunity to come to Maui. Our Program Director, Karen Bouris, had to really reach out into the community and explain what TED was all about. Many people were already fans but many people had never watched a TED talk. Our goal was to create a diverse program that really showcased our local talent and also brought experts from off island that brought relevant and inspired thinking to some of the islands most pressing issues.”
Presentations have already been confirmed for Dr. Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey, National Geographic’s first female Polynesian Explorer; Susan Casey, editor of O, Oprah Winfrey’s magazine; and Charles Hambleton, co-producer of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove (see www.tedxmaui.com/speakers for more speakers and information).
The TEDxMaui team consists of co-producers McMillan and Sara Tekula, program director Karen Bouris of The Merwin Conservancy and Peter Liu of Kaiscapes Social Media Consulting. In addition, Paul Sutherland, president of FIM Group (located in Kahului) and producer of TEDxTraverseCity, offered his support and experienced staff to the TEDxMaui team. The Utopia Foundation, of which Sutherland is chairman, provided initial funding to support the event, allowing the team to secure the Maui Arts & Cultural Center as its event venue.
“I feel this event is an opportunity to bring a new experience to Maui that millions across the globe are already a part of,” said Tekula. “There is nothing more important than–today, more than ever–sharing our best ideas.”
Tickets to TEDxMaui are on sale now through the MACC’s box office by calling 808-242-SHOW and through their website www.mauiarts.org. Tuition for the daylong event is $99. Student and senior (over 65) tickets will be $75. An ID will be required for verification. In order to create an intimate setting for more interaction, conversations and connections, TEDxMaui will be limited to 600 participants and 100 spaces reserved for students and elders. Tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
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