TEDxMontanaStateUniversity

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Brian Gilman

  Colonel, USMC (Retired), founder of Warriors & Quiet Waters

  Colonel, USMC (Retired) leads Warriors & Quiet Waters, a veteran impact organization serving post-9/11 combat veterans. After 26 years in the Marines – including four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in command and leadership roles – Brian retired as Chief of Staff of Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in 2020. Brian's background uniquely qualifies him to evolve veteran support. Born into a sixth-generation Montana family rooted in Butte's mining heritage, he understands the grit that builds resilient communities. His military service spanned command from the platoon through regimental levels and senior Pentagon roles, where his passion for advocating for transitioning service members ignited his post-military mission. An avid outdoorsman, devoted husband, and father of two, Brian finds peace in nature's solace, meaning in family, and purpose in equipping fellow veterans to discover their own peace, meaning, and purpose after war.

• Brianna Daniels

  Accessability Activist

  Bri Daniels is a two-time childhood cancer survivor, amputee, and advocate for disability rights. After losing her leg to bone cancer at 18, she discovered adaptive sports and the transformative power of community to rebuild confidence and purpose. Through her work in adaptive sports, expanding prosthetic access, and inclusive healthcare design, she helps build communities where everyone can move, play, and belong. Bri invites audiences to reimagine mobility, not just as a physical ability, but as a universal human right and a source of joy, freedom, and connection.

• Quinn Holland

  Co-founder of Nutrax

  Robert Quinn Holland is a brother, son, friend and co-founder. He spends his days building meaningful relationships between people, places and plates. His business, Nutrax, connects what happens at the farm & ranch to the nutritional (and health) outcomes of what they produce, giving major food companies a way to invest in what people are craving today: health and regeneration. When he’s not working on Nutrax, Robert is out in nature or getting to know someone, hopefully both. Tonight he will share on the significance of what you eat and how it was raised.

• Sarah Nell Harp

  Montana State University Student

  Sarah Nell Harp is a junior here at Montana State University. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, accompanied by a minor in International Business. Along with her academic career, Sarah Nell serves on her sorority's executive board, acts as a JABS ambassador, works for ASMSU and Outdoor Recreation, photographs for the athletic department, leads a Bible study at her sorority, and participates in Boardroom Bobcats. Sarah Nell is originally from Fayetteville, GA, and possesses a deep love for her family. She enjoys art, spending time with her loved ones, listening to music, adventuring in the great outdoors, practicing her faith, and soaking up every wonderful moment life has to offer. She looks forward to speaking at TEDxMontanaStateUniversity and hopes that the audience can gain some inspiration to forge their own path.

• Trent Berg

  Director of Lidar Engineering at Aurora

  Trent Berg, Montana native and MSU alumnus (2004 BS in CS, 2009 MS in ECE), has been a visionary pioneer in Montana photonics. Trent serves as the Director of Lidar Engineering at Aurora- a company responsible for some of the country’s leading automotive vehicle technology. Here Trent oversees the team that validates the performance of FirstLight Lidar and other lidar sensors used in Aurora's autonomy stack. In his presentation, Trent will discuss his personal journey from northeastern Montana to MSU, to founding Blackmore Sensors & Analytics, being acquired by Aurora Innovations, and now leading the Aurora Innovations team. He will recount the trials, tribulations, and pivotal moments that have shaped his career.