Luci McKean

Activist, Artist, Marketer, Parent, Writer/Editor

I am, by nature, a maker of things and connections, an artist and activist, explorer of spirit and meaning and identity. Assistant Director of and a National Facilitator for the National School Reform Faculty. Setup crew chief for the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. At work, I'm a professional communicator, having done about everything you can do in journalism and advertising: creative director in direct marketing, copywriter and media buyer in an ad agency, ghostwriter of speeches and educational materials, minimalist graphic designer, website architect, freelance magazine writer, daily newspaper reporter, radio announcer and newscaster, public relations and marketing director, podcaster and blogger. Today, I advocate only for things I care about. I help people think about what to do in the context of a larger cause: I am curator of TEDxBloomington, a Critical Friends Group coach, National Facilitator leading trainings in collaborative skills for educators and businesspeople, Lotus volunteer, and occasional ghostwriter or copywriter for things that matter to me.

Collaboration. Action. Kindness. Compassion.

"Happiness is available. Help yourself." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

I've been watching TEDTalks (via borrowed DVDs from a TEDster) since about 2005. As we say, I've "drunk the Kool Aid" and feel entirely engaged by these Ideas. I was thrilled to discover that a TEDxBloomington conference was in the works back in 2010. I became the first local volunteer, then Local Team Leader and Champion within a couple weeks, and then was promoted to Co-Curator a couple months later. I am now the Curator for TEDxBloomington, with an outstanding team of co-producers, and am preparing work for our fourth TEDxBloomington conference. I'm committed to building and sustaining a vibrant TEDxBloomington community, conference, and series of conversations over time. In this wonderful "private ivy," Big Ten university community, there are hundreds of TED enthusiasts, most of whom don't know about one another, and so many thousands more people who have yet to be introduced to Ideas Worth Spreading.