TEDx Franklin: Finding Your Place Within Your Community
Description
TEDx Franklin will be Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in the theater located in the Arts & Technology Building at the Columbia State Community College, Williamson Campus, located at 1228 Liberty Pike in Franklin.
This event will showcase 12 speakers, both local and national, who will speak about topics relating to the theme Finding Your Place Within Your Community.
The theme is related to The Third Place, a phrase for a social environment where people gather other than in the home or at work. The emphasis will be on discussing how to build community both locally and on a national/international level.
The event will be limited to 100 attendees in keeping with TEDx standards and will consist of two sessions separated by an intermission. General information is available at https://TEDxfranklin.me
This will be a great opportunity for community members to hear from a wide range of voices about how we develop and grow community here, and it will also be an opportunity for speakers to improve their skills and deliver their messages.
Dan Ryan is the organizer and the TEDx Franklin Planning Committee includes Mindy Tate, Mayor Ken Moore, Phyllis Molyneux, Kathie Moore, Dr. Shane A. Hall, Deb Varallo, Marion Campos, Darin McCloy, Louis Upkins and Gena Ryan.
The presentation sponsor is Wilson Bank & Trust; Gold Sponsors include Franklin Tomorrow and Franklin Rotary at Breakfast, and Bronze Sponsors include Deborah Varallo, Dr. Shane Hall, Kathie Moore, and Dan Ryan.
About TEDx Franklin
TEDxFranklin events spark engagement and discussion by sharing live speaker talks and TED videos with the local community. Our full day conferences are fully planned and coordinated independently for the Franklin community. The content and design of each TEDx event is unique and developed locally but all of them have common key features and align to TEDx branding.
Lineup
Chris Whitney: CEO/Founder
Chris Whitney is the Founder and CEO of One Generation Away (OneGenAway), a 12-year-old nonprofit committed to ensuring no one is unseen and no one is hungry. Under his leadership, OneGenAway has grown into a multi-state organization distributing more than 10 million pounds of food annually, mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers, and serving families through mobile pantries and doorstep delivery with dignity and care. Chris has shaped innovative, scalable food-access models that combine operational excellence with deep human connection, addressing food insecurity while restoring hope, honor, and dignity. He attended Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, equipping him to lead mission-driven growth with discipline and vision. Chris is the author of The Dirty Church and a sought-after speaker on faith, leadership, and building nonprofit movements that last.
Craig Weber: Author, Speaker, Coach, Consultant
Craig Weber helps people and teams improve their performance by treating dialogue as a discipline. His unique work is outlined in his best-selling book Conversational Capacity: The Secret to Building Successful Teams that Perform When the Pressure is On (McGraw-Hill, 2013), and its sequel, Influence in Action: How to Build Your Conversational Capacity, Do Meaningful Work, and Make a Powerful Difference (McGraw-Hill, 2019). He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Masters of Leadership and Organizational Change (MLOC) program at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve. Engagedly.com recently named Craig one of the Global Top 100 Human Resources Influencers of 2021. A Vistage speaker for over 26 years, Craig has received the prestigious Vistage International Speaker of the Year Award, the Vistage Lifetime Achievement Award, the TEC (Vistage) Canada Speaker of the Year award, and the Vistage Top Performer Award.
Craige Hoover: Mixed Use Development Champion
Craige Hoover is a real estate developer, advisor, and placemaker focused on creating walkable, community-centered environments across small towns, suburbs, and ex-urban settings. Over the past two decades, he has worked on mixed-use neighborhoods, town centers, and farm-based communities throughout the Southeast. He is currently leading the development of Armistead, a farm-forward, mixed-use community in Franklin, Tennessee, where he is actively exploring how housing diversity, walkability, and working land can coexist in a modern American town. His work sits at the intersection of housing, land use, and human behavior—translating complex economic and regulatory systems into places that support daily life, connection, and long-term resilience.
Dave Delaney: Communication Expert
Dave Delaney helps people and organizations improve how they communicate, connect, and lead. He is a published author, corporate trainer, executive coach, and the host of the ADHD Wise Squirrels podcast. Trusted by Google, FedEx, LinkedIn, UPS, and many other organizations, Delaney delivers keynote presentations that enlighten audiences with fresh ideas, empower them with practical tools, and entertain them with his energy, storytelling, and humor. Learn more at https://davedelaneyspeaks.com/
Erin Krueger: Realtor/ CEO/ Coach/Author
"I’m Erin Krueger, and I learned my first lessons in leadership on a Pennsylvania farm, where my dad raised Angus cattle and taught me that the experience you create for others—how you treat people, how you make them feel—shapes how they perform. Instead of barking, “Time for chores,” he’d smile and ask, “Want to help Dad?” Then he’d turn on the radio so we could jitterbug before feeding the cattle. Those moments shaped how I lead every team I’ve built, including one of the nation’s top real-estate groups. I started as a solo agent, quickly becoming Tennessee’s top REALTOR® and one of the top producers in the country, but I knew my real work was bigger than sales. I built a powerhouse team by focusing on culture first—inviting rather than demanding, weaving joy into the day, and measuring success by how people grow.
Holly Duckworth: Human-Centered Leadership Architect
Holly Duckworth is a speaker and leadership guide who helps people navigate change while staying grounded in what makes us human. After relocating to Tennessee during a season of personal and professional renewal, she became deeply interested in how belonging is rebuilt when home, work, and community are disrupted. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, wellbeing, and cultural change, inviting curiosity, integrity, and presence in how we show up for one another. She speaks from lived experience and a commitment to excellence that empowers individuals and communities to reconnect, rebuild, and move forward with purpose. www.HollyDuckworth.com"
Jess Patz: Advocate + Speaker
Jess Patz is a speaker and community advocate whose work focuses on how individuals and systems build connection, resilience, and sustainable engagement. She has spent years working alongside survivor-serving initiatives, observing how people seek belonging, and why so many feel disconnected even within active communities. Jess brings a systems-level perspective to conversations about identity, leadership, and collective responsibility, translating complex social dynamics into clear, accessible ideas. Her work challenges commonly held assumptions about strength, resilience, and belonging, inviting audiences to rethink how communities are formed and sustained. Known for her ability to blend insight with practical reflection, Jess speaks nationally on topics that encourage deeper connection, shared ownership, and long-term community health.
Kalinda Fisher: Entrepreneur & Conversationalist
Kalinda Fisher is the founder of Advocate Market Research and Executive Director of The Great Reset. Trained as a sociologist (M.A., University at Buffalo), she’s spent 25 years helping organizations understand the real people behind the data—by listening for what’s said, what’s unsaid, and why it matters. After moving to Nashville in 2007, Kalinda kept building Advocate while leaning into her favorite work: creating spaces where people feel heard. In 2017, she started The Great Reset at her dining room table as a simple experiment in bringing neighbors back into respectful, curious conversation—and she still believes small rooms can change big things. When she’s not facilitating a focus group or hosting a dialogue, you’ll find her with her family, a good book, or chasing the next great cup of coffee. Kalinda is proud to be a part of Leadership Franklin Class of 2026.
Landon Funk: Educator and Education Consultant
Landon Funk (she/her) is an educator and education consultant in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work and research centers student empowerment and engagement from elementary school to college students. In addition, Funk has a private education practice in Green Hills and specializes in working with students who have learning differences like anxiety, PTSD, depression, dyslexia, dyscalculia, OCD, dysgraphia, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). She also teaches in the college classroom at Middle Tennessee State University and Columbia State Community College. Funk holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s from Mercy College, and is currently a PhD candidate in English at Middle Tennessee State University.
Leslie Mathis: Architect of EmpowHERment
Leslie Mathis is the founder of Streamline Multifamily Group and the creator of EmpowHER, a growing movement redefining leadership spaces for women. With over two decades in multifamily real estate and experience guiding portfolios worth billions, Leslie pairs deep operational expertise with a passion for building community and creating change. In this talk, she explores the idea of the ""Third Place"" - intentional spaces beyond home and work where women grow, lead, and rise together. Drawing on lessons from building EmpowHER, Leslie shows how these environments build leadership muscle, spark clarity, and fuel purpose. Their ripple effects reach far beyond the room, including raising $10,000 for Entryway to support families in need. Because finding your place isn’t about claiming a seat at the table. It’s about building the spaces where we all belong and widening them so others can rise too.
Mridu Nagrath-Parikh: Productivity Expert
Mridu (Mri-thu) Parikh is a Productivity Coach, speaker, and founder of Life Is Organized. Known as “The Stress Squasher,” she helps high-achievers take control of their time, energy, and focus. A bestselling author and host of the Productivity on Purpose podcast, her work has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. Mridu’s mission is to redefine productivity as an emotional experience that fuels clarity, connection, and community.
Pam Lewis: President CEO- FRSA PLA MEDIA
Lewis holds a degree from Wells College, an Executive Mini MBA from Belmont College, with additional coursework at Fordham and Scarritt Bennett. She was part of the original launch team for the MTV MUSIC TELEVISION, discovered and managed Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. She founded award-winning PLA Media, creating successful campaigns for entrepreneurs, authors, and entertainers, including Steve Winwood, Dolly Parton, and Steve Earle, among others. She served as Franklin alderman and vice mayor, spearheading many preservation, women's and children's issues, workforce, and environmental efforts. Her foundation has raised millions for many worthwhile organizations. In honor of our 250th anniversary, Lewis has just released 2 books on America's first rock star... Ben Franklin.
FAQs
- Where can I park?
There will be adequate parking in the garage immediately to the rear of Building 4 on the Columbia State Community College Williamson Campus.
- What is TEDx Franklin & why should I attend?
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity