SPEAKERS NETWORK WORLDWIDE - Key Persons
Allison Massari has been recognized with esteemed speaking engagements, including a main platform keynote at the 2013 Million Dollar Round Table conference (audience of 8,600 from 75 countries), and a TEDx event in Spain. She has been featured on ABC, NBC, and FOX networks and stars in the award-winning international documentary, Resolve (2015). In this film, hosted by the Head of Special Forces for the US Military in Afghanistan, she teaches solutions to overcome adversity and PTSD. Her diverse client list includes: GE Healthcare IT, LPL Financial, Kaiser Permanente, PEI, Eli Lilly and Co., HIMSS/CHIME, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Allscripts, and Siemens Healthcare.
Allison found remarkable success, happiness, and an undeniable "fire" within after overcoming two horrific car accidents that nearly took her life. In one, she was hit at 60 mph, burned alive, conscious the entire time, and sustained severe burns on over 50% of her body. She collectively spent hundreds of days in hospitals, doctors' offices, and physical therapy centers, and learned to navigate her way to true healing, eventually creating an extraordinary life beyond anything she had dreamed possible. Amazingly, Allison views her experiences as a tremendous gift, one that gave her the tools and understanding to share with others. Her breathtaking keynote blends powerful life lessons with compelling, insightful, and awe-inspiring, stories, and offers actionable takeaways for people to immediately transform and manage their lives. "The truth is, the same internal fire and ‘command of self' that I needed to heal my life is exactly what has given me success professionally."
Allison's vision and clarity, her honest and encouraging communication, and her gift in actuating the steps towards her clients' success, make her an invaluable asset to any organization. She adapts her message to address the individual issues affecting each market and has worked with diverse indus- tries including Finance, Insurance, Sales, IT, Energy, Agriculture, Healthcare, and Non-profits. In Healthcare, Allison has quickly become a leading educator, helping to alleviate burnout, offering support for compassion fatigue, and providing a preeminent program on patient-centered care for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education Units (CEU). As Allison states, "Compassion heals the places that medicine cannot touch."
A diversified entrepreneur, Ms. Massari has built four enterprising businesses in the past 25 years. In addition to her success as a professional speaker and executive coach, her thriving fine arts business and jewelry line, Massari Fine Arts, LLC, has received commissions from prominent Fortune 500 companies including General Mills, Lockheed Martin, and US Airways. Her sublime and dynamic visual art serves as a stunning backdrop to her inspiring keynotes.
Allison believes deeply in the power of community and compassion. On the advent of her own recovery she began helping children and teens with severe burn injuries. In 1998, Allison founded a revolutionary outdoor sports program, named after the man who risked his own life to save her, when he pulled her from her burning car. The Roger Pepper Adventure Camps powerfully build
Allison Massari's keynote programs are jaw-dropping, informative, and heartfelt. She captivates audiences with unforgettable stories about the power of kindness and incredible perseverance. Clients refer to her speech as the "Survival Guide to Being Human". With compassion and sensitivity born from her experiences, Allison shares how to transform any challenge into an opportunity, teaching secrets to create against-all-odds successful outcomes and new beginnings.
"When a struggle enters your life, be vigilant in every breathing moment to seek and find the good that is going to come from it. Search with ferocity. Have an unbending belief. The day will come when your heart can smile and rest. If nothing else, your pain can sculpt your spirit and bring you the greatest of gifts… a humbleness, a generosity of spirit, and a quiet strength." - Allison Massari
Andrew Busch is a political economist, author, and journalist.
Andy Masters IGNITES a cultural transformation to cultivate & empower future leaders, in order to improve performance, advance business growth, and transform customer experience - all within a creative, & high-morale work environment. Andy is an award-winning author and international speaker who has written 5 books, earned 4 degrees, and presented over 1,000+ entertaining and impactful programs for 100,000+ attendees. He has been featured on many major media outlets - including LifeTime Television, PBS, Investor's Business Daily, and Leadership Excellence magazine.
Andy has earned the prestigious "CSP" award/designation of the National Speakers Association (NSA), the highest international recognition for professional speakers, in which less than 10% of over 5,000+ speakers worldwide have achieved. Andy is based in Orlando, Florida, and served as 2018/19 President of the NSA-Central Florida Chapter - representing 125+ authors, speakers, and experts in the region.
Andy has written 5 books and earned 4 degrees, including an M.A.-Human Resources Development and an M.A.-Marketing from Webster University in Missouri. He is the author of the award-winning book "Kiss Your Customer: 77 Reasons Why Sales & Service Are Just Like Dating & Relationships" and his latest book "Things LEADERS Say: A Daily Guide to Help Every Leader Empower & Inspire."
Bill Walton has a passion - for his work, for family & friends, for music, for life and for greatness! Bill brings his outsized passion to the stage and inspires audiences with tales from an improbable life in sport and beyond. Walton speaks about the secrets of world-class performance, personal and organizational excellence, and how he overcame nearly impossible odds - on the court and off - to persevere and win. As entertaining as he is insightful, Walton is widely considered one of the best speakers from the world of sports.
The lessons Bill learned on the basketball court became life lessons that served him well throughout his sports, broadcasting and business careers. No lesson was more important than the words from the legendary John Wooden, Bill's basketball coach at UCLA, who simply said "Do your best." Wooden never asked players to go out and win - simply to do their best and not beat themselves. Walton never forgot those words which helped him throughout his extraordinary career.
Following a celebrated college basketball career, Walton went on to have a Hall of Fame NBA career. After basketball, Walton pursued his dream job as a sports broadcaster - but first had to overcome the lifelong stuttering affliction. And then, in 2008, Walton endured risky back surgery for to repair damage done early in his basketball career. Through it all, Walton's determination carried him through.
Bill Walton is an authentic and true original who personifies greatness and is one of the most compassionate figures in sport with an extraordinary record of giving back through his work with numerous charities and non-profits.
Bill Walton was introduced to the game of basketball while in the fourth grade at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School. Walton then attended Helix High School, where his team won the California Interscholastic Federation High School title two years in a row, while winning their final 49 consecutive games. While at Helix, Walton became the first and only high school player to ever make the U.S.A. Senior Men's National Basketball Team and play in the World Championship and/or Olympics.
Walton enrolled at UCLA in 1970. He played center for John Wooden's varsity team for three seasons (1972-1974), after a year with the freshman team in 1971. He was a member of two NCAA championship teams compiling an NCAA record 88 consecutive game winning streak.
In 1972, '73, and '74 Walton was named NCAA Player of the Year Award. He is a three-time All-American College Player and winner of the Sullivan Award for the United States Best Amateur Athlete of 1973. Bill was named to the Pacific 8 All-Conference first team three times and was conference player of the year for three consecutive years. At UCLA Walton was a scholar-athlete who also earned Academic All-American honors three years in a row. He graduated with honors with a B.A. in history. Walton also attended Stanford University Graduate School of Law in the early 1980's.
Walton's professional career began when he was the number one overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He was a member of their championship team in 1977. Nine years later he earned another championship title, this time with the Boston Celtics in 1986. He played with the Trailblazers 1974-1979, the San Diego Clippers 1979-1984, the relocated Los Angeles Clippers in 1985 and The Boston Celtics 1985-1988.
Walton was the NBA's Most Valuable Player, 1978; All-NBA First Team, 1978; NBA All-Star Team, 1977 and 1978; NBA Playoff's MVP, 1977; All-NBA second team, 1977; winner of the NBA Sixth Man Award, 1986. Walton is one of only four players in the history of basketball to have won multiple NCAA and multiple NBA Championships. Walton is also the second of only five players in the history of the NBA to lead the league in both blocked shots and rebounding in the same season. In 1991 Walton received the NBPA's Oscar Robertson Leadership Awards. In 1993 Walton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1997 Walton was selected as one of the NBA's Fifty Greatest Players of All Time. Also in 1997 Walton was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.
After retiring from basketball Bill began his broadcasting career in 1990 as an analyst for the then Prime Ticket Network. Walton worked for CBS Sports in the early 90's and then for NBC for many years, including work on the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. Over his career he's also done broadcasting work for ABC,
ESPN, FOX, MSNBC, Turner Sports, KCAL, NESA and the NBA. Walton has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards and in 2001 won an Emmy for Best Live Sports Television Broadcast. The southern California Sports Broadcasters Association has several times honored Walton with the Best Television Analyst/Commentator Award. In 2009, Walton was named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association.
In June 21, 2001, Walton was named as the inaugural inductee into the Grateful Dead Hall of Honor.
Love of sports runs in the Walton family. Bill and his older brother Bruce (UCLA 1973) are the only brother combination in history to have played in the Super Bowl and to have won an NBA Championship. Bill and his third son Luke is only the third father/son pairing to have ever won NBA Championships. They are also the only father/son combination in history to have each won multiple NBA Championships.
Walton is active with many organizations and charities. For his efforts, in 2002 he received the NBA Retired Players Association Humanitarian Award. He is executive chairman of Connect SD Sport Innovators (SDSI), a non-profit, business-accelerating, trade organization that connects and drives the growth of Southern California's vibrant sports economy by offering innovative programs and services for startups, mature companies and service providers. Walton is also a board member for the Junior Seau foundation. Walton is also involved in numerous Internet ventures, providing content and business acumen.
Bill Walton is author of Back from the Dead (March, 2016) and Nothing But Net. He currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his wife Lori. They are the proud parents of four sons: Adam, Nathan, Luke and Chris, and the lucky grandparents of Olivia, Chase, Parker, Avery, Patrick, Lawson and Wilhelmina.
At 6' 11" in his Grateful Dead tie-dyed t-shirt, Bill Walton is one of the most recognizable and colorful sports legends ever. He's also among the most upbeat and positive people you'll ever meet. It's a mindset he's cultivated and credits for his ability to adapt, persevere, and ultimately succeed in his challenges on and off the court. Named one of "50 Greatest NBA Players of All Time," Bill incredibly missed 9½ of his 14 NBA seasons due to injuries related to undiagnosed congenital foot problems. Despite that, his achievements on the court were enormous. When his storied career ended with his 30 th surgery, Bill's dream was to pursue sports broadcasting. One problem: a severe lifelong stutter that prevented him from even saying a simple "thank you." Undeterred, Bill set about the task of learning to speak. He conquered stuttering and found a place behind the mic - earning numerous awards and honors since. Bill's greatest test came in 2007 when severe back pain confined him to the floor of his home for 2½ years. Finally relenting to surgery in 2009, the grueling rehab and recovery from that 37 th surgery could well be Bill's biggest achievement. While Bill exclaims regularly, "I'm the luckiest guy on Earth," it's clear his outlook on life helped create that luck. Bill Walton loves to inspire audiences with tales about the power of positive.
"Nicole was PHENOMENAL! One of the best speakers we've ever had. She was down to earth, had a powerful story and really cared about adjusting her message to fit the audience. If there are ever any groups in the AHA looking for a keynote, I will highly recommend her to them."
Crystal Washington works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity.
David Widmar has a passion for production agriculture. He closely tracks and monitors key trends affecting the agriculture economy and shares industry trends with audiences.
David Widmar is an agricultural economist specializing in ag trends and the farm economy. Through his research, he supports agribusinesses and farmers in their strategic and planning efforts. David's current work can be found at Agricultural Economic Insights, aei.ag, which he co-founded with Dr. Brent Gloy in 2014.
Prior to Agricultural Economic Insights, Mr. Widmar was a researcher with the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. While at Purdue, he led the 2012 Large Commercial Producer Survey and later directed the research efforts in launching the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, a monthly survey of farmer sentiment. Before working for Purdue University, David served as the economist for the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
David received his master's of science degree from Purdue University, and a bachelor's of science from Kansas State University, both in agricultural economics.
Dennis Snow's customer service abilities were honed over 20 years with the Walt Disney World Company. There, he developed his passion for service excellence.
Having entertained over a million people live and on television, Cancer survivor Diana Jordan came to realize that by making people laugh, she could help them deal with stress in business and in life.
David Kohl, Ph.D. - the AG Industry speaker everyone wants!
David Kohl received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University. For 25 years, Kohl was Professor of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. He was on special leave with the Royal Bank of Canada working on advanced initiatives for two years, and also assisted in the launch of the successful entrepreneurship program at Cornell University. Kohl retired from teaching in 2003 and is Professor Emeritus in the AAEC Department at Virginia Tech.
Kohl has traveled over 7 million miles throughout his professional career! He has conducted more than 5,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural groups such as bankers, Farm Credit, FSA, and regulators, as well as producer and agribusiness groups. He has published four books and over 1,000 articles on financial and business-related topics in journals, extension, and other popular publications. Kohl regularly writes for Ag Lender and Soybean Digest.
He has received 11 major teaching awards while teaching over 10,000 students, and 15 major Extension and Public Service awards from Virginia Tech, Cornell University, and state and national organizations. Kohl is a two-time recipient of the prestigious American Agricultural Economics Association's Outstanding Teaching Award. Kohl is only one of five professors in the 90-year plus history of the Association to receive the award twice. He received the Governor's award for his distinguished service to Virginia agriculture, the youngest recipient to receive this award.
Kohl has addressed the American Bankers Agricultural Conference for 30 consecutive years and has appeared before numerous state bankers' schools and conferences throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the world. He has also been one of the top-rated instructors at the LSU and Colorado Graduate Schools of Banking, and is Chancellor of Farm Credit University, which has trained over 700 lenders using an online and face-to-face educational approach.
As a facilitator of the United States Farm Financial Standards Task Force and member of the Canadian Agricultural Financial Standards Task Force, Dr. Kohl was one of the leaders in establishing guidelines for the standardized reporting and analysis of agricultural producers' financial information on a national and international basis. Recently, a $2 million endowed Chair of Agribusiness Management and Finance was established at Virginia Tech in the name of Dr. Kohl. This was in honor of his long-term commitment to teaching, research, and extension, and is one of only four such Chairs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.
He is also a business coach and part owner of Homestead Creamery, a value-added dairy business in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
On a more personal note, Dave enjoys playing basketball and likes most sports, farms, dogs, and covered bridges; he dislikes lazy students, administrative bureaucracies, and paperwork!
Dr. Kohl will provide groups with cutting-edge information in a dynamic format based upon his many years of academic research and working with commercial banks, ag lenders and producers throughout the world. Dr. Kohl's personal involvement with agriculture and interaction with key industry players provide a unique perspective into the future trends of the agricultural industry and economy.
The following are a sampling of the topics that he can bring to your group, ranging from a one-hour talk to one to three-day seminars. Talks can be customized to meet your group's needs.
Dr Fisher is a practicing cardiologist, certified mindfulness meditation teacher, and resilience and well-being coach. He shares with audiences science-based tools to improve their lives.
Dr. Willie Jolley helps organizations maximize profits and elevate the performance of their people…to achieve greater results!
Dr. Willie Jolley has achieved remarkable heights in the speaking industry, having come from humble beginnings as a fired singer, who was replaced by a karaoke machine! He has gone on to be named "One of the Outstanding Five Speakers in the World" by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International, inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame and achieved the distinction of Certified Speaker Professional by the National Speakers Association. He's the recipient of the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award, named "One of the Top 5 Leadership Speakers" by Speaking.com and Business Leader of The Year by The African American Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Jolley uses his public platform to pursue his mission of empowering and encouraging people to rise above their circumstances and maximize their God given potential! Many know him as the speaker Ford Motors called on when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. His work helped Ford reject a government bailout and go on to Billion Dollar profits!
Dr. Jolley has built a reputation of being captivating, compelling and life changing! No matter the venue, from his iHeartRadio Willie Jolley Wealthy Ways podcast to his SiriusXM Radio show, to his audiences like Walmart, Comcast, Verizon, Marriott or The Million Dollar Round Table, Dr. Jolley keeps it moving with high energy, high content and great enthusiasm. He delivers memorable nuggets and usable strategies on how every person can live a better life, one day at a time!
Dr. Willie Jolley is the author of several international best-selling books including It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life, A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback, Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks and An Attitude of Excellence, which was endorsed by Dr. Stephen Covey and Alan Mulally (former CEO of Ford Motors). He is also featured on the front of the top selling book, Chicken Soup For The Christian Soul II.
He has also written a popular new marriage book, co-authored with his wife of over 33 years, Dee Taylor-Jolley. The book is entitled, Make Love, Make Money, Make It Last!
Dr. Jolley holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Faith Driven Achievement from the California Graduate School of Theology, a master's degree in Theology from Wesley Theological seminary and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from The American University. Dr. Jolley resides with his family in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Head of Global Accreditation Siemens / Master Adversity, Triumph through Change, Live With Heart
Gary believes that people do not want to get pumped up for just a short time - they want to learn how to stay pumped for life. He teaches audiences techniques to condition themselves for success.
Gary had fears of falling in love and being around people. He was scared to even think of trying to be successful financially again for fear that he would just lose everything anyway. Step by step he made changes, opened his curtains to let the light in. He changed his ‘friends' and threw the medication away. It's a mindset that has stayed with him till this day. He'll be the first to tell you that moving forward is still often easier said than done. But he has learned a lot. Gary began consulting with people who wanted his advice. From this point he worked on getting his message and information out to people through his CD's and seminars. Gary soon received attention from national television producers of one-show-after-another, and things started taking off. His work was getting in front of millions of people and lives were being changed.
Gary's work has been seen and featured on many national and local talk shows such as The View, Inside Edition, Fox and Friends, regularly featured on CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Oprah's program, The Nate Berkus Show, Success magazine, Selling Power as well as numerous other national newspapers and magazines.
Gary has shared the stage with top speakers such as Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn. He has been featured in magazines such as Success, Selling Power, Network Marketing Lifestyle Magazine, Sales and Marketing Management, The Enquirer, and Networking Times.
However, Gary Coxe does not consider himself a motivational speaker, even though he is a powerful motivator. He believes that people do not want to get pumped up for just a short time, but that they want to learn how to stay pumped for life. It is Gary's earnest desire to teach others how to condition themselves for ultimate success as he shares his self-mastery techniques.
Job Titles:
- Chief Evangelist, Canva Former Chief Evangelist, Apple Brand Ambassador, Mercedes Benz Best - Selling Author of 13 Books With over Ten Million Social - Media Followers
Enchantment, as defined by bestselling business guru Guy Kawasaki, is not about manipulating people. It transforms situations and relationships. It con verts hostility into civility and civility into affinity. It changes skeptics and cynics into believers and the undecided into the loyal.
Brown walked away from football in 2012 to become a farmer. He maintains a farm called First Fruits Farm where he grows produce and donates to the needy. Jason speaks on finding your purpose.
Job Titles:
- Neuroscience Sales / Global Pharmaceutical Company
Missy provides the daily leadership and forward-thinking for our company. Prior to purchasing The Speakers Network in 1996, Missy was the national marketing director for The Farrell Group, a productivity training company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. During her distinguished career as the head of a successful speakers bureau, Missy served for three years as showcase chair for the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and was awarded both the President's Award and the coveted Dottie Walters Award for her service to others in the industry. She also served as educational director of the Carolinas Chapter of Meeting Planners International. Missy is passionately involved in fundraising and volunteer work for local community organizations. When she's not working, she enjoys reading, traveling, entertaining, book club, family, and friends.
Nicole delivers actionable insights for pursuing dreams, making choices, and living an unscripted life.
Nicole offers leaders a framework to lead through fog and friction in times of crisis.
For more than 20 years, Patti has dedicated herself to creating lasting client relationships and finding the perfect match between meeting planners and speakers. Her clients are consistently awed by Patti's attention to every aspect of the speaker search and procurement process, ensuring no detail is overlooked. Patti honed this skill by working in the legal field before bringing her talents to Speakers Network Worldwide. In her free time, Patti enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, spending time with family and friends - and she's always ready for an adventure.
Tom is one of the world's top public philosophers and pioneering business thinkers.
Tom Morris has become one of the most active public philosophers in the world due to his unusual ability to bring the greatest wisdom of the past into the challenges of the present.
A native of Durham, North Carolina and a distinguished alumnus of Durham Academy, Morris was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, which has honored him, along with Michael Jordan, as a recipient of their "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award." He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in both Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University, as well as other, honorary doctorates in recognition of his public work of bringing practical philosophy back into the cultural mix. Morris served for 15 years as a professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he quickly became one of their most popular teachers, in many years having as much as an eighth of the entire student body in his classes. He is now chairman of the Morris Institute for Human Values.
Morris' book, True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence, launched him into a new adventure as a public philosopher and advisor to the corporate world. His audiences have included such organizations as Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Merrill Lynch, Verizon, IBM, Coca Cola, The US Air Force, Wells Real Estate Funds, International Paper, Price Waterhouse, Target Stores, Mattel, NBC Sports, Business Week Magazine, Bayer, Deloitte and Touche, Federated Investors, Mass Mutual, Prudential, Raymond James, Citi Mortgage, Goldman Sachs, Taco Bell, Campbell Soup, MasterFoods, Minute Maid, The American Heart Association, United Health Group and The Young President's Organization, to name just as few, as well as many of the largest national and international trade associations.
Morris is also the author of the highly acclaimed and best-selling leadership classic If Aristotle Ran General Motors and the big yellow book, often seen in college dorms nationwide the night before final exams, Philosophy for Dummies. Other books include The Art of Achievement, The Stoic Art of Living and Superheroes and Philosophy, where Superman and Batman finally meet Plato and Aristotle. Morris' is also author of the best-selling book about life and business is entitled, If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards. In his book, The Oasis Within, a prelude novel to the series Walid and the Mysteries of Phi, Morris takes readers on journey shared between a boy and his uncle across the Egyptian dessert during the 1930's. The lessons shared between the uncle and his nephew are packed with insights for life and work today. In his latest book, Socrates in Silicon Valley (2017), Morris digs deep into one of the most unlikely and expansive success stories and provides a revolutionary, practical look at what we can adapt from the strange, charismatic and compelling character that is Steve Jobs, offering fresh guidance to leaders at all levels in organizations.
Morris' work has been featured, noticed, commented on, or covered by such diverse news outlets and media as CNN, NBC, CNBC, The Learning Channel (TLC), NPR's Morning Edition, NPR's Talk of the Nation, The New York Times, Fast Company, The New York Times Magazine, USA Today, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post, The Las Vegas Sun, USA Weekly, The Economist, Readers Digest, The Globe and Mail, Die Zeit, German Elle, Voce:SA, L'Agefi, ABC.com, The Leaky Cauldron, and many other magazines, newspapers and websites across the globe.
Morris has also appeared as the philosopher he is in "Special Features" on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: DVD Collection presented by Lucas Film, and on The Complete Superman Collection DVD, presented by Warner Home Video. You will often see The Sage of Steel wherever wisdom is to be found.