Jennifer Hesseltine

Athlete, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Consultant, Designer, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Idea generator, Parent

After attending TEDSummit in Banff in 2016 as a TED-Ed Innovative Educator, Jen was inspired by the natural beauty of the region and how many of the TEDTalks delivered there naturally connected to the region where TEDSummit was held. Some favorite memories included participating on a hike with satellite archaeologist and TED Prize winner, Sarah Parcak and listening to the mind-blowing Talk delivered by Suzanne Simard, forest ecologist. While onsite at TEDSummit, Jen Hesseltine and fellow TED-Ed Innovative Educator, Kim Preshoff, hosted a workshop entitled, "Global Speed Chat”–prompting 40 participants from around the world to participate in 10 hands-on activity-based discussions related to the environment and nature. Attending TEDSummit in Banff and living and working in the Adirondack region of New York prompted Jen and Kim to consider organizing a TED event celebrating the ideas and "natural connections" across the Adirondacks. Now, as co-organizers, Jen and Kim are working alongside a TEDx organizing team to host TEDxTupperLake at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, New York with an overarching theme of "Natural Connections." Jen's TED participation includes: TED-Ed Innovative Educator (2015-present), TED Youth in NYC (2015), TED Summit in Banff (2016), TED Women in Atlanta (2023), TEDxTupperLake (2024)