Theodore Edmonds

Biographie: I'm a Culture Futurist® and Founder of Creativity America, a new kind of arts and industry growth lab for the age of AI. We are architecting the Wonder Economy—a neuroscience-based, systems-level approach to innovation where creativity is the currency of progress. Our driving question: What if AI is America's big chance to make the WORK of innovation more human than ever? As an artist, poet, social entrepreneur, cultural innovator, and proud Appalachian based in Denver, Colorado, I've invested 30 years working at the intersection of creative industries, human health science, and technology to shape the future of work. My experience spans healthcare, social innovation, academia, and the creative economy. Along the way, I’ve led projects for Fortune 100 companies, top-tier cardiovascular programs, city and state governments, family offices, universities, and national arts organizations. In 2013, I co-founded IDEAS xLab and was recognized by Southern Living as one of the “50 People Changing the Face of the South.” As an unconventional researcher, I use my neurodiversity as a leadership advantage. In 2018, I led a National Science Foundation-funded team that earned the Epic Trailblazer Award for Research & Innovation for pioneering work in cultural analytics. By 2022, concerned that American innovation was losing its sense of wonder, I embarked on a two-year journey across the country. From South Florida artist studios to Silicon Valley tech hubs, I met with hundreds of people—from artists to entrepreneurs to policymakers—asking one question: What’s holding your organization’s creativity back? In 2025, I founded Creativity America to help break down those barriers. Through partnerships across private and public sectors, we're building a new model for economic growth—one that unites the creative foresight of artists with the strategic execution of business leaders. Core Expertise Creativity + Innovation Skills • Creative Brain Capital • Human Creative Potential with Artificial Intelligence • Creativity as a Performance Driver in Corporate Innovation Teams • Creative Placehealing • Arts in Corporate Innovation • Arts in Entrepreneurship Strategy + Foresight • Strategic & Cultural Foresight • Multi-Dimensional Pattern Recognition • Quantum Storytelling • Culture Analytics for Innovation • Leadership Strategies for Systems Change Communication + Impact • Keynotes & Workshop Facilitation • Workplace Cultural Wellbeing • Human-Side R&D for Technology and Future of Work • Corporate Social Impact Innovation • Cultural Insight Communication