TEDxLafayette 2025 @ MatchBOX in Lafayette, Indiana

Welcome to TEDxLafayette in Greater Lafayette, Indiana!

Join us for an exciting day of inspiring TEDx talks featuring local speakers with roots or living in Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana. Get ready to be empowered by innovative ideas and thought-provoking discussions from our diverse lineup of speakers from our regional area of Greater Lafayette, Indiana. This in-person event will be a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and explore new perspectives. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience. See you there!

SPEAKERS:

DAN RITCHIE
DONTE WILBURN
ELENA GABOR
JESÙS CORRES
KAIA WEBB
LEAH GIORGINI

HALFTIME SHOW:

(to be announced soon)

EMCEES:

(to be announced soon)

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TEDx is an independent, non-profit event.

TEDx events are locally organized by volunteers who obtain a license from TED. The non-profit TEDx events are designed to bring the spirit of TED to local communities by sharing research and new ideas. TEDx events are not allowed to raise funds for charities or other organizations. TEDx name for a local event has to be specific to a small local area - "TEDxLafayette" name has been verified, vetted and licensed by official TED. Read more about TEDx organizing rules on ted.com.

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DAN RITCHIE

Dr. Dan Ritchie is the COO of Marbles Brain Body Fitness, co-founder of the Functional Aging Institute, and a highly sought-after expert and speaker at national and international events for active aging. He has trained over 6,000 Functional Aging Specialists in 35 countries and counting. Dan completed his PhD in Health and Kinesiology with a minor in Gerontonolgy from Purdue University.

DONTE WILBURN

Donte Wilburn’s goal is to motivate, inspire, and help others achieve their dreams by sharing his experiences, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in a very engaging way. Donte overcame poverty, incarceration, and a victim mindset to build a life of servanthood and success. He knew he was made for more—and so are you. Donte turned to dealing drugs as a way to quickly build the life of luxury he thought he wanted. After a near death experience and eventual arrest, Donte chose the difficult task of turning his life around. Instead of dealing drugs he now deals hope. He now owns several multi-million-dollar businesses, mentors at-risk youth, is an associate pastor, and has won several distinguished awards, including Indiana Entrepreneur of the Year and Small Business Person of the Year. He is also the author of best-selling book Born Hungry, You Were Made For More.

ELENA GABOR

Elena Gabor is a Professor of Organizational Communication at Bradley University, in Peoria, IL. She received her BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Bucharest (Romania) and her PhD in Organizational Communication from Purdue University, IN. She teaches in the Department of Communication on conflict management, organizational culture, high reliability practices, meaning of work, and intercultural communication.

Since coming to Bradley University in 2008, she has received five teaching awards: the Outstanding Tenured Teaching Award from the Organizational Communication Division of the National Communication Association in fall 2024, the Paul B. Snider Award for Teaching Excellence from the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts in May 2025 and 2023, the Caterpillar Inc. Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching from Bradley University in October 2013, and the Outstanding Educator Award in 2020 from Sigma Delta Tau at Bradley University.

Her research has spanned work contexts such as wildland firefighting, classical musicians, immigrant women engineers, and qualitative methodology. Her work has appeared in Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research, Intercultural Communication Studies, and International Journal of Wildland Fire. She co-edited Immigrants and Meanings of Work: Communicating Life and Career Transitions published in 2016 by Peter Lang. She is passionate about helping her students grow and achieve their goals and potential.

JESÚS CORREA

Jesús Correa serves as the Latino Business Liaison for Greater Lafayette Commerce, where he plays a key role in supporting, connecting, and empowering the Latino business community. In addition to his work at GLC, Jesús serves on the boards of the Latino Center for Wellness and Education and the Pink Team Foundation. He also contributes to the planning committee for Mexico en el Corazón, a signature cultural event that brings the community together.

An entrepreneur himself, Jesús owns Bear Den Epoxy, a local small business specializing in durable and functional flooring solutions. Whether through providing resources, hosting events, or creating networking opportunities, his mission is to ensure that Latino-owned businesses not only thrive but remain an integral and celebrated part of the Greater Lafayette community.

A proud resident of Lafayette for more than 17 years, Jesús lives with his wife, Jennifer—Lead Staff Therapist and Crisis & Access Coordinator at Purdue’s CAPS Center and their two-year-old Goldendoodle, Cub. Outside of work, he enjoys powerlifting, golfing, and spending time with family.

KAIA WEBB

Kaia Webb is a Purdue Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student currently participating in a Co-Op at Cook Research Inc. After participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition program in high school, she now volunteers at events and mentors her former team, Maverick Robotics. She uses her 6 years of design and assembly experience as the Mechanical Lead on the Robot in Three Days (Ri3D) at Purdue team, creating resources and documenting the engineering process for students around the world.

LEAH GIORGINI

Leah Giorgini is a British-Indonesian immigrant who moved from England to the United States in 2016. As a psychiatric survivor, childhood domestic violence survivor, former foster youth, and a person who has previously experienced homelessness, Leah is working towards a world free of oppression and injustice. She believes that promoting humane, trauma-informed, and socially grounded approaches to mental health is equity in action towards this vision.

Trained as an Occupational Therapist, Leah primarily worked in clinical psychiatric settings until she came to the United States, where she found a home working in mental health and domestic violence nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the US Chapter of the International Society of Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis.

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