Jordan "Dxtr" Holmes

Jordan “Dxtr” Holmes was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Jordan’s curious mind led him to become a jack of all trades: scientist, engineer, musician, spoken word artist, and entrepreneur. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Material Science Engineering and meeting his mentor, Dr. Nikki Giovanni, he relocated to Chicago in 2014. There, he began his performance career as Dxtr Spits, a witty, impactful, and energized lyricist.

Jordan likes to think of himself as the Jay-Z of public speaking, minus a billion dollars. He combines his creative and technical talents in everything he does. He’s a dedicated meditator and lifelong student of mindfulness, something like a modern, younger, and partially more attractive Yoda. He lives by the motto, “Live life like an experiment; you cannot control what happens to you, but you can control the product you become,” and explores experimental themes in his multi-sensory performances. His a cappella spoken word and keynotes have brought crowds to tears while teaching deep, inspirational life lessons.

Jordan has been featured in Forbes, NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and more. He most recently launched a movement called “How Men Cry,” which is changing the narrative around men’s relationship to vulnerability and destigmatizing mental health conversations as a whole, with the intention of making compassion contagious.