TEDx Nebraska Wesleyan University
A Community of ’eXcellence’
True excellence was not achieved in isolation. It emerged through collective effort, shared values, and a commitment to lifting one another higher. TEDx Nebraska Wesleyan University celebrated how excellence comes to life through collaboration, innovation, and integrity—spanning education, entrepreneurship, science, art, and social impact. Together, speakers and attendees explored what it means to strive for excellence as a community.
This first-of-its-kind TEDx event at Nebraska Wesleyan University brought together purpose-driven individuals to connect, reflect, and imagine what’s possible when ideas are shared and challenged. The energy in the room sparked inspiration, meaningful conversations, and a shared belief in creating lasting change and a more inclusive future.
Thank you for being part of this community of eXcellence. We can’t wait to build on this momentum and welcome you back for the next TEDx Nebraska Wesleyan University event in 2027.
Event Details (Past)
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Time: 7–9 PM (Doors opened at 6 PM)
Location: O'Donnell Auditorium, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 5000 St Paul Ave, Lincoln, NE 68504
Speaker Information
Art Wilson
Art Wilson is a leadership coach who's lived on both sides of society's margins. From addiction, homelessness, and incarceration to earning his MBA from Nebraska Wesleyan University and founding Rebel Built Leadership, he understands what it means to not belong in conventional spaces. Now he works with people who are tired of performing someone else's idea of what a leader should be; people ready to show up on their own terms, beyond titles and the stories they were handed. He calls people out of the roles that keep them small and into leadership fueled by purpose, heart, and fire.
In Excellence at the Edge of Chaos, Art explores how real excellence, personal and collective, emerges at the edge where stability gives way to possibility. Through stories and systems thinking, he examines the rules we live by and what happens when we design for the edges, where things are uncertain, alive, and full of potential.
Ben Pankonin
Ben Pankonin is a tech entrepreneur, speaker and community advocate based in Lincoln. He is the founder and CEO of Social Assurance and Class Intercom, companies that help financial institutions and schools engage authentically and communicate with trust in a digital world. A graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Ben studied computer science and business, blending technical expertise with a passion for leadership. Active on several nonprofit boards in Lincoln, he is dedicated to initiatives that strengthen and connect people. Ben and his wife, Amber, are proud parents of their daughter, Aurora, who inspires his vision for building a more connected future.
Dr. Laura Young
Dr. Laura Young is a strategic communication expert, professor and speaker who helps leaders and professionals cut through the noise, align with their values and lead with clarity. Her TEDx talk, Work-Life Balance Is a Lie: Finding the Clarity Cure in a World on Fire, challenges the outdated ideal of balance and offers a bold, practical framework for integrating work and life in ways that energize rather than exhaust. Drawing on 14 years of experience, Dr. Young brings both academic rigor and deeply personal insight to the stage. Audiences leave with tools to clarify their priorities, communicate boundaries, and build a life and career fueled by purpose, enabling them to thrive in today’s chaotic world.
Greg Harris
Greg Harris is the co-founder of Quantum Workplace, an Omaha-based leader in employee feedback software, where he served as CEO for 18 years. He designed the first city-by-city Best Places to Work list, which has recognized top employers every year since 2004. Harris graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a degree in political science. His obsessive curiosity is focused primarily on the intersection of human capital metrics and economic outcomes. Harris is married, has four children and lives in Omaha.
Harris will issue a call to modern leaders to focus on the true superpower of leadership — honing in on SIGNAL rather than sentiment. He will explore how to rebuild trust, performance and progress not by dialing down empathy, but by pairing it with clarity and direction.
Joshua Berry
Joshua Berry works with leaders to unlock team-led results, where decisions are shared, ownership is deep, and outcomes stick. An author (Dare to Be Naive), global leadership consultant and CEO, he equips leaders to trade the addiction to being right for systems that invite participation, experimentation and aligned autonomy. In his TEDx talk, “Not Saying ‘I Don’t Know’ Is Hurting You,” Joshua demonstrates how courageous curiosity — naming what’s unknown and turning it into fast tests — builds trust and accelerates results. He shares practical scripts that leaders can use immediately to shift teams from compliance to commitment.
