TEDxFargo is, at its simplest, a love letter to the Fargo-Moorhead community. It’s built around the TED tagline: “ideas change everything”. When the right idea lands in the right room, something tends to happen. Sometimes that looks like a new connection or collaboration. Other times it’s quieter. A shift in perspective… a conversation that sticks. A new way of thinking about something you thought you already understood.
The experience doesn’t follow a single lane, and that’s intentional. In one stretch, you might move from a talk on finding humor in grief to a live Irish drum performance, then into a deep dive on rare minerals in North Dakota. Not every talk will resonate with every person, but something will. The mix keeps the room engaged. It stays a little unpredictable.
TEDxFargo is also more than a series of talks. The twoday event is designed as a full experience, with morning adventures around Fargo, smaller moments built into the main program, and opportunities to spend time with speakers outside of the stage. Brewhalla serves as the backdrop, which shifts the feel from a traditional conference to something more open and interactive. It’s independently organized but part of the larger TED network, so there’s a global standard behind it, but the experience itself is rooted here. The speaker lineup reflects that mix. Local voices share the stage with people from outside the region, all contributing to something that feels both grounded and expansive.
It isn’t built for a specific industry or type of attendee. It’s built for people who want to stay curious and pay attention to what’s happening around them. The goal isn’t to leave with all the answers: it’s to leave with something that sticks, and a little more energy to do something with it.
What It Takes to Give a TEDxFargo Talk
1. Speaker Selection
- Speaker curation is led by Greg Tehven, TEDxFargo’s curator since the beginning
- The team starts by identifying hot topics, emerging issues, and areas where an alternate or unexpected perspective would resonate
- The strongest source of speaker recommendations is the TEDxFargo alumni network — nearly 300 speakers strong! Alumni are prioritized as recommenders because they’ve been through the process and understand what a TEDx talk requires vs. a standard speech or seminar
The central question asked of every potential speaker: What solution, perspective, or idea do you have that people haven’t heard before — or haven’t heard framed this way?
2. Speaker Support
- Every selected speaker goes through multiple meetings with the team to develop and refine their talk
- Support is tailored to the speaker: seasoned public speakers get a different level of coaching than first-timers
- Current speakers are often connected with alumni mentors for additional guidance and perspective
Speakers are coached to think beyond the Fargo room — their talk will reach the TEDx YouTube channel’s 44M+ subscribers!
3. Speaker Showtime
- Speakers arrive a few days ahead of the event to get acclimated, meet one another, and step into the experience before taking the stage
- A full day is dedicated to speaker rehearsal, where each speaker gets time on stage with full production from the Livewire team — red dot, microphones, slides, lighting, and timing
- On event day, speakers have a dedicated space to focus, practice, and prepare. Once it’s their time to shine, they’re mic’d and onto the red dot they go!
TEDxFargo talks are typically edited and published within a few months of the event.
Meet the TEDxFargo Team
The Advisory Board
Greg Tehven
TEDxFargo Curator, CEO of Emerging Prairie & Co-Founder of Grand Farm
Julie Peterson Klein
Executive Vice President & Chief Culture Officer at Bell Bank
Dr. Sue Mathison
Owner of Catalyst Medical Center
TEDxFargo talk: “Beauty Makes Us Happy: The Importance of Beauty In Our Lives” (2012)
Dr. Grace L Chao
Senior Advisor the Department of Human Services, Behavioral Health Division of the State of North Dakota
TEDxFargo talk: “Surviving Depression With Indigenous Teens” (2022)
Marshall Johnson
Chief Conservation Officer at National Audubon Society
TEDxFargo talk: “How your purchasing decisions can save our most endangered ecosystem.” (2019) & “It All Begins with Birds: Following the Thread of Connection” (2025)
Meet the TEDxFargo Team
The Core Team
Liz Campbell
Executive Producer and Speaker Coaching
Favorite moment:
All of it, from start to finish
Matt Wendel
PR and Media
Favorite moment:
The look on a speaker’s face when they exit the stage after their talk and the joy and relief hit themTEDxFargo since 2016
Madi Simpson
Brand and Creative
Favorite moment:
The intentionality behind every single touchpoint for our attendees, speakers, and sponsors
Sydney Brusseau
Operations and Logistics
Favorite moment:
Watching the community come together for a common purpose and listen to the speakers share their unique stories
Ashlyn Schauer
Strategy and Marketing
Favorite moment: The shared energy when an idea resonates with an audience and getting to witness those moments of connection and inspiration
Jada Schwindt
Hospitality and Attendee Experience
Favorite moment:
When we open the doors and witness the anticipation and energy of the crowd firsthand
