Utica

Utica FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2015MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHAFER THEATER

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Welcome to TEDxUtica -1Square Block! We’re so happy that you’re all here to share in an evening of connections, community, and ideas worth spreading. The original impetus behind creating TEDxUtica back in 2013 was to see if we could create an atmosphere where you could be part of a conversation and exchange of ideas that is as diverse as our community itself, and we’re grateful to hear so many stories about how a talk or a connection made at TEDxUtica has sparked an action or a new way of thinking.

This year, our team wanted to think about how every idea or movement starts with a single person, place, or event. We were seeking speakers to share stories about how an idea begins, grows and spreads. That’s the idea behind 1Square Block.

On behalf of the entire organizing team, we hope you all have a memorable evening. Tonight is a night to stretch your thinking, to connect with new people, and to lay the foundation for what’s next.

TEDxUtica would not be possible without the generosity of our partners, the dedication of countless volunteers, and you. We thank you for your support and encourage you to join the conversation. Post your thoughts and comments throughout the event via Twitter, using the hashtag #TEDxUtica.

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Welcome Reception / Registration

TALKS | GROUP 1 TED opening video RYAN HARB The Power of PermacultureVICTOR LENUZZA The Power of ArtGARTH ROBERTS Defining Moments: Pathways to Growth, Opportunity, and Service

Break / Networking / Refreshments

TALKS | GROUP 2TED video JAMIE FULLER Change the Future with Your ForkGABRIELA WOLFE Cameras, CAFOs, and Pork Chops: Ag Gag and the State of Industrial Animal Agriculture in the U.S.

GRACE KIM The Power of Volition

Break / Networking / Refreshments

TALKS | GROUP 3TED video LANA NITTI Confronting Lead Poisoning Block by BlockMICHELLE TRUETT Microbranding Utica - Mile by Mile

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JAMIE FULLERJamie Fuller is a geek, bookworm, and passionate foodie. Jamie’s love of food, hospitality and books led her down a winding path through commercial foodservice, not-for-profi t organizations, and grant writing before she discovered the perfect intersection of her obsessions as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. These days she focuses on educating and empowering people to cut through lies, myths and marketing to

reclaim their health and reshape the future through informed, personalized, and unapologetic food and lifestyle choices. Jamie believes that every day (and diet!) should contain a little mischief, and advocates for indulgent, nutrient-dense real food at nutritionalmischief.com

. RYAN HARBRyan Harb is a certifi ed permaculture designer, community organizer and was the fi rst person in the nation to receive a Master of Science degree in Green Building. In 2010, Harb created a job for himself as Sustainability Manager for UMass Amherst Dining Services. He then began developing one of the fi rst university permaculture gardens in the nation that supplies locally grown produce and hands-on

sustainability education to the campus and local community. Within 18 months, “The UMass Permaculture Initiative” went viral and was featured in over 100 media publications including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Huffi ngton Post, and on MTV. The project has engaged over 3,500 volunteers and won 8 national awards. In 2012, Harb was invited to the White House to

meet and speak alongside President Barack Obama. He was named a “White House Campus Champion of Change”, and UMass Permaculture was voted the top university program in the country that’s changing the world for the better. Harb now works with schools, colleges and institutions throughout New England to transform their grass lawns and underutilized spaces into edible, educational, and beautiful permaculture gardens. His projects demonstrate how everyday people, working together, can help solve our global environmental problems while simultaneously making our local communities a better place.

GRACE KIMGrace Kim knew she was gay since she was four years old, making her grow up depressed and selectively mute. In order to get over her suicidal past as a loner without any real experiences, she created Best Day Project to force herself to do all the things she’s always wanted to do, but never allowed herself. She wrote out her bucket list on pieces of paper, pulled them out of a jar at random and

forced herself to do it while documenting it all on her website. She uses lessons learned as a successful, professional poker player and B.S. in Bioengineering from U.C. San Diego to try and unlock the secrets behind changing behavior, fi nding happiness and living your ideal life.

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VICTOR LENUZZAVictor Martin Lenuzza is a proud Utica native. He has studied at Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, NY and is a Mohawk Valley Community College (Advertising, Design & Production) and Syracuse University (B.F.A in Illustration) alumnus. He continued his studies at the Illustration Academy in Kansas City, MO with some of the top illustrators in the country (E.g. Mark English, Fred Otnes,

and Malcolm T. Liepke). His work has been exhibited and published internationally. Traveling extensively throughout Europe, and most recently working creatively with individuals with special needs, Victor consistently fi nds the importance that art has to transcend verbal language and be a universal connection. This signifi cantly continues to impact his personal and professional work. Victor lives in Utica, NY with his family.

LANA NITTILana M. Nitti is a Utica resident, graduate of Mohawk Valley Community College, and social activist. She has researched the issue of childhood lead poisoning in Utica for over two years, winning several academic awards for her research. Ms. Nitti is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology at Utica College, with the ultimate goal of becoming a physician’s assistant with an emphasis on

women and family healthcare. She continues to engage with the issue of lead poisoning locally with an emphasis on improving her community, not only for herself but for her peers as well.

GARTH ROBERTSFormerly a Broadway conductor and keyboardist, Garth is co-owner of the American Hotel in Sharon Springs, New York and founder/President of Hero Fund America, a non-profi t dedicated to fi rst responders. Additionally, Garth serves on the Board of Directors for Bassett Hospital (Cobleskill regional) and the Klinkhart Hall Arts Center.

MICHELLE TRUETTMichelle Truett is the owner of 484 Design, Inc. – a graphic design and branding fi rm in Utica, NY. She holds a BA in graphic design from Rochester Institute of Technology. 484 specializes in branding and buiding awareness for small businesses, start up companies and non-profi ts. Over the past year and a half, she has spearheaded two major neighborhood branding efforts for Utica

along with Rust 2 Green Utica – the historic Bagg’s Square neighborhood and the Downtown district and will be continuing with the Brewery District and Bleecker Street in 2015.

Michelle has been an instructor with the Young Entrepreneur Academy at Mohawk Valley Community College for the past three years, guiding middle and high school students in starting their own businesses. She is a member of the Bagg’s Square Association, serving as

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the marketing chair and is also a longtime board member and secretary of the Fort Schuyler Club – one of the country’s oldest private clubs.

She is the mom of a 14 year old, a thimble collector, a runner and an avid snowboarder.

GABRIELA WOLFEGabriela Wolfe is native Utican who is currently a third year law student at Syracuse University College of Law. After travelling and earning a B.A. in international studies and globalization from Humboldt State University in Northern California, Gabriela returned to the area to be closer to family and attend law school. Gabriela has a long history of advocacy which includes volunteering in Buras, LA post-

Katrina, involvement in various multicultural events and activities, and her current work with Syracuse University Program for Refugee Assistance. These experiences and her interest in the animal agricultural industry have led to her current research in ag-gag laws and how they impact local communities. Her article, Anything But Ag-Gag: Ending the Industry-Advocate Cycle of Factory Farming, will be published in 66th volume of the Syracuse Law Review. Throughout her legal career, Gabriela intends to continue working for and writing about issues surrounding the industrialization of the animal agricultural industry.

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COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONMore than 60 years ago, a small group of community members like you had a big idea.

They thought, let’s build a community trust that combines financial investment with the talent and insight of community partners, like you, to create long-term social impact.

One small group. One big idea. Infinite impact.

Thanks to that small group and their big idea, The Foundation has invested more than $53 million into Herkimer and Oneida counties, built hundreds of innovative community partnerships and made community-changing impact in our two counties.

We believe, as our founders did, that it’s your big ideas that will continue our community’s next phase of big impact. So, our big idea is you’re the big idea.

And if our founders have taught us anything, it’s that big ideas need partners to make big impact.

In that spirit, on Oct. 15, during our fifth-annual Corporate Partners-sponsored Speaker Series, we’ll reveal a life-changing opportunity to make your big idea a big reality. Nationally renowned educator, innovator and dream maker Don Marinelli will get us started by sharing his big ideas for our community during one evening of community-building inspiration and innovation with steps to action. And that’s where you’ll come in. Get ready, big idea makers. Reserve your free ticket today at BigIdeas2015.com.

And while you’re waiting, join us on Twitter (@foundationhoc) and Facebook so we can start the big idea conversation.

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EXCELLUSACCOUNTABLE COST & QUALITY ARRANGEMENT (ACQA)A new, collaborative approach to making health care better for everyone

Rising health care costs impact everyone. That's why Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and local health systems are taking an innovative approach to improve community health and slow the rising costs of health care.

Our Accountable Cost and Quality Arrangements (ACQA) are part of our suite of Innovative Provider Partnerships and is an agreement between a system of doctors and hospitals and our health plan. Together we share responsibility for providing coordinated care to patients to achieve improved health care quality, a better patient experience and reduce unnecessary health care costs.

Our ACQA is similar to an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Both the ACO model andour ACQA are designed to achieve the “triple aim” of improved health care quality, lower costs and an enhanced patient experience. ACO models have been around for several years, but the 2010 Affordable Care Act brought the ACO concept to the forefronts as a way to better integrate patient care while maintaining the quality of health care patients and receive and eliminating unnecessary spending.

ACQA promotes better health, better care and better cost control, leading to a better patient experience. By increasing care coordination, we are working to reduce unnecessary medical care and improve health outcomes, leading to a decrease in utilization of acute care services.

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This is accomplished through:1. More physician-patient engagement to coordinate care and improve health outcomes2. Emphasis on preventive care, patient safety and chronic illness management3. Improved efficiencies through the reduction of unnecessary, duplicative health care costs4. Shared savings incentives for providers who demonstrate efficiency and meet quality metrics

This type of partnership is redefining the relationship between insurers and providers. Through ACQA we will be able to deliver a better, more affordable and sustainable health care experience. That’s a “Big Idea” we can all get behind!

To learn more about ACQAs, please visit www.thisishealthreform.com

MVCCThe Mohawk Valley region is on track to reverse 4-5 decades of economic decline in the next 4-5 years! This requires a fundamental shift in the collective mindset of our community. We need to shift from a fixed mindset of scarcity (nothing can happen, so it’s everyone for themselves - getting what they can) to a growth mindset of abundance (anything is possible, so the more we work together the more we all benefit). As we reach a tipping point in our self-narrative as a region - tipping from negative to positive - the rest will flow and we will indeed see a true transformation in this area.

Mohawk Valley Community College recently studied the community’s mindset and self narrative through an extensive community assessment. The data and insights we gathered drive our new Strategic Plan. Our plan envisions this region with a robust and diverse

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economy that provides opportunity for all and incorporates the rich history of our community.

Our biggest opportunities include preparing a trained workforce for the new high-tech economy. This means challenging our best and brightest, creating new pathways for our most vulnerable populations, and capturing the entrepreneurial spirit in our community to nurture a vibrant ecosystem to support new business startups.

MVCC is building on its history of meeting the workforce demands in the region by developing state of the art programming like semiconductor manufacturing and mechatronics, as well as developing programming in the unmanned aerial systems sector to complement our robust cybersecurity and aviation programs. We continue to refine and expand our Honors Program for our most gifted students and have developed programs like New Directions for ex-offenders and the Educational Opportunity Center to support low-income and first-generation college students. Additionally, thINCubator (The Home of Innovative New Companies) was recently designated by New York State as the regional Innovation Hotspot for the Mohawk Valley. This recognition provides significant funding for expanding the physical space as well as the programming to support entrepreneurs of all kinds at all levels - further developing the vital startup ecosystem that facilitates active networks of smart resources for entrepreneurs.

We are currently pursuing several grant opportunities to galvanize big ideas for capital improvements, program expansion, and partnership development in all of these areas. MVCC is moving thINCubator and our carpentry/masonry programs to a new location on Broad Street in Bagg’s Square to expand our role in the revitalization of downtown Utica. We are establishing a University Partners and Transfer Center on our Utica Campus to allow students to complete a bachelor’s degree through accelerated programs offered by our university partners - this will help increase the number of people with bachelor’s degrees living

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in the region. Additionally, we have submitted proposals to increase our technical labs to include clean room labs and other space and equipment to support nanotechnology, as well as expanding our FabLab 3-D printing resources.

MVCC is on the frontline of the coming transformation. We stand at the ready to make sure it happens.

NORTHLAND COMMUNICATIONSBuilding something one square block at a time is something that rings true at Northland Communications. Since 1905, pole by pole, we’ve been expanding our network and adding new services allowing the communities we serve to have access to the latest in high performance communications technologies.

Just a few short weeks ago, the Mohawk Valley region learned that Austrian silicon chip manufacturer, AMS, and General Electric would be calling SUNY Poly home. The buzz about nanotechnology firms coming to SUNY Poly’s Quad-C site has been in the background of our daily routines for over a decade. What was at times considered an unattainable dream for our area is finally coming to fruition. The changes that a tech-based economy will bring to our region present a potential culture shift that we are ready to embrace. We can already see local entrepreneurs, new and familiar, taking the plunge and building new businesses in and around Utica. The Utica Memorial Auditorium is getting a modern facelift. The Boilermaker Road Race has a new headquarters. A once abandoned bank building is now a center for downtown living and dining. Utica College is bringing students downtown and filling up another formerly vacant building with the energy of a new generation of downtown consumers. The Bank of Utica is updating its own mark on Downtown Utica’s skyline with their current expansion project. Block by block, Utica is realizing a rebirth.

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All of these developments are reason to celebrate as they mean that our community is taking positive steps forward and betting on its future. It is Northland’s mission to make sure that all of the businesses in our community have access to the best technology available to help nurture the entrepreneurial seeds of projects that are popping up throughout our region. Block by block, Northland believes that the success of our communities depends on the ability for them to be connected to one another locally, regionally, and globally on the best network available. We are excited and proud to be a technology partner with so many of the success stories in the areas we serve. Tonight’s TEDxUtica event is a timely reminder that we all have ideas to contribute that can make our community a better place. Keep thinking big and continue to be an active participant in all of the positive things happening in our area.

UNITED WAY OF THE VALLEY & GREATER UTICAConvene and facilitate the: Mohawk Valley Anti-Poverty Initiative“A Better Response to the Challenge of Poverty”

On January 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the term “War on Poverty,” for legislation and social services aimed at reducing or eliminating poverty in the United States of America. A half a century later, how are we doing in the Mohawk Valley?

The current population of the Mohawk Valley is about 495,942 people. 23% of our population, 112,631 children, families and individuals, are still challenged with the devastating issues of poverty, and another 9.1% (43,196) are teetering at the poverty level.

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The answer is, half a century later, we have work to do and it’s time for a refreshed approach!

On July 9, 2015 Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, County Executive Tony Picente and over more than 90 community-wide partners began the Mohawk Valley Anti-Poverty discussions. Despite the many traditional and non-traditional anti-poverty programs, here in the Mohawk Valley, attempting to move children and families out of poverty, new efforts must be implemented.

• We need a more aggressive, innovative, and bold approach.• Utilize existing community data assessing needs, and implement a creative approach to engage affected community members..”

• Governor Cuomo recently created an Anti-Poverty Task Force in Rochester. Let’s learn from their challenges, explore options, replicate their successes and realize our community’s victories.

With United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area’s mission to mobilize the caring power of the Valley & Greater Utica Area by connecting people, resources and ideas to create a thriving community, we knew we must assist with this work. We will encourage innovation, cross-agency cooperation and guide evidence-based decisions with a No Wrong Door approach.

There will be a better response to the challenge of poverty and our community will work together to eliminate the 23% poverty rate!

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Avalon Printing

Bremer’s Wine and Liquor

Claudette Ferrone Photography

The Cooley Group

Meelan's Carpet One Floor & Home

MVCC Cultural Series

Nola’s Restaurant

PJ Green

The Radisson

Saranac Brewery

Tech Circle

Total Solutions

Utica Zoo

Matt Wagner

Tom Wszalek / TW Video Productions

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1 S Q U A R E B L O C K

Join the 1 Square Block conversation tonight using

#TEDxUtica on Twitter

Videos of tonight's talks will be available at

tedxutica.com

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RYAN MILLERORGANIZERDirectorthINCubatorwww.ryancmiller.com

JEN FANELLI ORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHMedia Content Coordinator MVCC

GEOFF STORMORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHCreative Director MPW Marketing

LEAH McDONALD HOBAICAORGANIZER / DESIGNER / SPEAKER COACHGraphic Designer / PhotographerLeah McDonald Design + Photographywww.leahmcdonald.com

SARA MILLERORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHCoordinator of International Student ServicesMVCC

JOHN MATTHEWS ORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHStrategic Relationship ManagerNorthland Communications

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JAN MURRAY ORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHLibrary Media SpecialistPerry Junior High, New Hartford Central School District

ANDRÉ SHORT ORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHHigh School English Teacher

AARON POSTIGLIONE ORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHService Coordination Director & Grant WriterHerkimer ARC

JORDAN M. SHORTORGANIZER / SPEAKER COACHMarketing & Community Engagement Coordinator United Way of the Valley & Greater Utica

MICHAEL CALOGEROVOLUNTEER SPEAKER COACHFinance DirectorUpstate Cerebral Palsy

ANN RUSHLOVOLUNTEER SPEAKER COACHExecutive Director, Leadership Mohawk Valley &Program Coordinator, SUNY Poly

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