Jonathan Heider Laedtke

Born during the Croatian Civil War of Independence (1991-1995), Jonathan Heider Laedtke was placed in an orphanage at birth. During this time, a Catholic nun from Green Bay, Wisconsin, was on a mission trip to Split, Croatia, to assist refugee children separated from their parents. Knowing a family back in Green Bay who might be open to adopting, she reached out to them, describing a little boy with no arms and no legs and asking if they wanted him. Without hesitation and sight unseen, they responded with a resounding "Yes!"

A few years later, Heider Laedtke was a high-energy kid in small-town Wisconsin, eager to be like his older siblings, who all had their own sports. He soon plunged into athletics, quickly finding a passion for swimming. This led him to compete nationally and internationally in events such as Junior Nationals, Junior Worlds, Worlds, Pan-American Games, Canadian Open, and Greek Open, among others.

In 2010, Heider Laedtke joined the resident team at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he trained full-time as a Paralympic swimmer. There, he began educating and advocating on accessibility, diversity, and inclusion through speeches, workshops, and events. After narrowly missing the 2012 Paralympic Games team for London, England, he decided to enroll in college.

In 2014, to further his advocacy and education on diversity and inclusion, Heider Laedtke signed with a public speaking agency from Minnesota called The College Agency. This allowed him to speak at colleges and universities through their speaker series and TED-style events.

Heider Laedtke graduated in 2017 with high honors from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in architecture and a minor in real estate development. From May 2017 through June 2020, he worked at local architecture firms in Milwaukee, specializing in construction documents, space planning, rendering, marketing proposals, website development, and interior design, while continuing his public speaking on the side.

In January 2020, Heider Laedtke launched his own company, Split Star Productions, offering keynote speeches and diversity and inclusion workshops to colleges, universities, nonprofits, and companies of various sizes. His keynotes and workshops focus on leadership development, accessibility, disabilities, wellness, and inclusion, providing strategies for inclusive social media, office environments, and daily language to reach untapped audiences.

Today, Jonathan Heider Laedtke continues his mission advocating for diversity, inclusion, and accessibility alongside his passion for leadership development. He looks forward to connecting with others and finding ways to improve the community.