Born in the US, Timothy Straight has spent most of his life outside that country, in Norway for nearly two decades and in Armenia since 2000. After serving in Bosnia as leader of the Norwegian Peoples Aid office during the war, he came to Armenia and headed the Norwegian Refugee Council. He has and continues to design toys and handicrafts with Asian and Armenian craftspeople. He has served as the Norwegian Honorary Consul to Armenia since 2000 and the Finnish Honorary Consul since 2005. He was knighted by the King of Norway on September 6, 2010.
About TEDx
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. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)