GRAVITY SPEAKERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Former VP Engineering of Siri and Viv Labs
Aimée Mullins has excelled in multiple fields, inspiring people around the world as an athlete, actor, model, and speaker. As the first double amputee in history to compete in Division 1 NCAA track and field and for Team USA in the 1996 Paralympic Games. Over the past decade, she has acted in film and television shows, including the Netflix mega-hit Stranger Things, and has multiple feature films in development as a producer.
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO of Endeavor
- Founder & CEO of EndeavorVR
Amy Peck is the founder & CEO of EndeavorVR, a leading global VR/AR (XR) strategy & consulting firm. Amy is a recognized thought-leader in the space and speaks globally on the future of XR. She holds several Advisory Board roles and Co-chairs The VRARA Enterprise Committee. She mentors many entrepreneurs and is an active member of several Women in Tech & STEM education organizations.
Amy's passion for this technology began at Leap Motion where she launched the Enterprise division working with clients across every major vertical including healthcare, entertainment, retail, hospitality, education, and government.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & CEO of O.School, Author
Andrea Barrica, author of Sex Tech Revolution, is CEO and Co-founder of O.school, a judgment-free multimedia platform to learn about sexuality and pleasure. Previously, Andrea co-founded accounting and tax platform, inDinero.com, where she led sales and operations. She also served as a venture partner and entrepreneur-in-residence at 500 Startups.
Andrea Guendelman is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who specializes in Expansive Leadership-helping individuals and organizations unlock potential through openness. She is a leading force in creating platforms for minority professionals and the tech industry. Through her own experiences as a Harvard-trained corporate lawyer and an entrepreneur, she co-created Bevisiblelatinx, Wallbreakers, and most recently, Speak_.
Aniyia Williams is a creator, inventor, and tech changemaker. She serves as Executive Director of Black & Brown Founders, co-founder of Zebras Unite, and founded and led the fashion tech company, Tinsel. Aniyia addresses topics of diversity, equity and inclusion in tech, the economic future of creativity, self-awareness and mindfulness, alternatives to venture capital, fashion technology, hardware design, and parenting while building a startup.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Founder of the GUILD
- CEO and Founder of the GUILD, Serial Entrepreneur, and Super Connector in Silicon Valley
Anne Cocquyt, CEO and founder of the GUILD, is an inspirational speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. She speaks on how to start businesses, prototyping, building successful partnerships, and how to attract and retain winning diverse teams. She moderates and joins panels on gender bias in AI, product management, and technology trends, and teaches design-thinking workshops on building innovation ecosystems.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of Tangelo Technologies
Antonio Altamirano is the co-founder of Tangelo Technologies, a Venture Studio and Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley, California. Antonio has worked with corporations such as Intel, Facebook, Google and Intuit across multiple areas, including digital revenue growth, automation, conversational technology, and custom software applications. Antonio's entrepreneurial successes have been recognized by The Country of Israel, Accenture, The State of California, and Google, among others for driving technological innovation across corporations, underrepresented communities, and startups. Given technology's long and lasting effects on so many aspects of business and daily life, Antonio believes that technology can and must contribute to society in positive, ethical, equitable and scalable ways.
Antonio has a healthy disregard for the status quo and...
Antonio pioneered the adoption of early social media platforms at Fortune 500 companies and managed the integration of emerging technologies. Currently, he is co-founder of Tangelo Technologies, a Venture Studio and Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley where he believes that technology can and must contribute to society in positive, ethical, equitable, and scalable ways.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & CEO of Fearless Fund, Entrepreneur, Author
- Entrepreneur
- Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Arian Simone is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, best-selling author, and international speaker. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Fearless Fund, the First Venture Capital Fund built for WOC by WOC. She has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the "100 Women of Impact".
Arian Simone is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, best-selling author, and international speaker. Arian is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Fearless Fund, the First Venture Capital Fund built for WOC by WOC with a focus on investing in pre-seed, seed level, and series A financing which includes institutional investors such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Mastercard, Ally Bank, and more. She received her MBA from Florida A&M University.
A pioneer in her field, Arian grew a successful public relations and marketing firm with a portfolio of billion-dollar corporate clients such as Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Universal, and other Hollywood studios. Possessing an innate ability to guide strategic growth and enhance company value, Arian's resilience has led to her appointment to the Board...
Job Titles:
- Founder at Backstage Capital and HireRunner.Co, Is a Serial Entrepreneur, Author, and Master Multi - Tasker.
- Founder Backstage Capital & Runner, Author, and Venture Catalyst
Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a VC firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT.
Arlan Hamilton, founder at Backstage Capital and HireRunner.co, is a serial entrepreneur, author, and master multi-tasker.
She founded Backstage Capital in 2015 to invest in founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBTQ. Since its founding, Backstage has raised nearly $30 million and invested in 200 startups led by underestimated founders. Arlan is also the founder of HireRunner.co, a startup that connects outstanding employee talent with inclusive companies.
Aubrey Blanche is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), Director of Equitable Design & Impact at Culture Amp, and a startup investor and advisor. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine, and redesign the systems and practices that surround us to ensure that all people can access equitable opportunities and build a better world. Her work is undergirded by her training in social scientific methods and grounded in the fundamental dignity and value of every person.
Her professional expertise covers a broad range of equitable enterprise operations, from talent lifecycle programs and accessible product development to event design and communications & media. She is the inventor of the balanced teams approach to building proportional representation and a culture of belonging in the...
Aubrey Blanche is The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), Director of Equitable Design & Impact at Culture Amp, and a startup investor, and advisor. She questions, reimagines, and redesigns the systems that surround us to ensure that all people access equitable opportunities.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- CEO of Nēdl, Serial Entrepreneur
Ayinde Alakoye is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of nēdl, his third live broadcast radio streaming venture. Ayinde was also the creator of the original iheartradio app served as a Speechwriter, Staffer, and Senior Message Advisor for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, during both elections.
Job Titles:
- Bestselling Author, Leadership Coach, Professor
Barry Posner is the Michael J. Accolti, S.J. Chair, and Professor of Leadership at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, where he served for 12 years as Dean. Barry has received the Association for Talent Development's highest award for Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance, recognized as one of the Top 50 leadership coaches in America, ranked among the Most Influential HR thinkers in the world by HR magazine, listed among the Top 75 Leadership and Management Experts in the world by Inc. magazine, and among Global Gurus Top 25 Leadership Gurus!
He is the co-author (with Jim Kouzes) of the award-winning and best-selling leadership book The Leadership Challenge. With over 2.5 million copies, the book is...
Barry Posner has received countless awards and has been ranked among the most recognized and influential Leadership Coaches, Most Influential HR thinkers, and among the top Leadership and Management Experts in the world.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures
- Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, Author, Mentor
Bill Reichert is co-founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, a well-known seed and early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Bill travels around the world giving presentations and workshops on innovation, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and technology trends.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur & Innovator, Co - Founder of Fast Company, Bestselling Author
Bill Taylor shows business leaders a path to go from now to next in a world filled with nonstop disruption. As a young entrepreneur, Bill co-founded Fast Company, the bold business magazine that redefined the genre and chronicled the tech-fueled revolution that transformed business and work. Highlighting free-thinking leaders and companies that are upending their organizations and industries is Bill's passion - and he had a front-row seat. After selling the magazine, Bill has continued to inspire a generation of executives and company-builders to think differently about leadership, change, culture, and the new world of work. He's written three bestselling books filled with examples of new ways to innovate and succeed: Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways,
Brad Montgomery is convinced that work doesn't ALWAYS have to be a bowl full of cherries. But in the end, we should be happy because of - and at - work.
Brad Montgomery teaches people how to use happiness to boost productivity, creativity, innovation, and profits. He specializes in using humor, interactivity, music, and visuals to ignite audiences so that they can use happiness as a tool to improve their lives and their jobs.
Job Titles:
- Venture Investor, Startup Advisor
As a brand marketer, venture investor, and startup advisor, Dave Knox bridges the worlds of the Fortune 500 and entrepreneurship and is widely recognized as an industry thought leader.
Job Titles:
- National Business Journalist
Brian Banmiller is a national business journalist and public speaker who has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his "Banmiller on Business" reports and speeches are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.
Job Titles:
- General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati
- General Partner, Lightship Capital
Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati-based VC firm dedicated to backing underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest. As General Partner, Brian oversees fund operations, leads the AI development team, and serves on the investment committee.
Prior to Lightship, Brian founded the Miami-based face recognition innovator, Kairos. His leadership saw the company selected by Wall Street Journal as one of the top 25 startups in the country and positioned Kairos alongside tech giants like Microsoft and Face++ as one of the world's foremost face recognition software providers. Kairos has processed nearly a billion faces and has raised more than 15 million dollars from investors. Under Brian's leadership, Kairos took a strong stand against the government's use of facial recognition and worked...
Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati-based VC firm dedicated to backing underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest. Brian lectures extensively around the world on entrepreneurship, code, the digital economy, AI and machine learning - and participates in mentorship programs for organizations like Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code and The School District of Miami.
Britteny Floyd-Mayo, affectionately known as "Yoga Bae", is the mastermind behind one of the most diverse and inclusive wellness spaces across the globe. In her untouchable lane, she's curated an innovative yoga experience designed to affirm lifestyles of wellness and total self-care.
Wellness coach Britteny Floyd-Mayo takes you on an experiential journey of self-exploration. Join her as she teaches her 5-step method for turning your negative experiences into stepping stones to your higher self.
Britteny Floyd-Mayo wants everyone to stop settling and learn to release "good enough" and make room for better. Sharing her life experiences, Britteny will equip you with tools to put yourself first, positively and unobtrusively.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Award Winning Marketing Executive
Bruce Himelstein is the Ritz-Carlton executive who transformed customer service for one of the world's most recognizable luxury brands. He is credited with leading some of the travel and hospitality industry's most prestigious domestic and global brands during a 30+ year illustrious career setting the global standards in hospitality, marketing, and C-level executive management.
Job Titles:
- General Partner at Lightship Capital
Candice Matthews is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, where she finds and funds high growth, minority-led companies operating in underserved ecosystems throughout the Midwest. Launched in 2020, Lightship Capital is raising a $50MM fund for investment into underrepresented founders operating in the CPG, E-Commerce, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, and Healthcare spaces. Candice is also the Founder and CEO at Lightship Foundation, the inclusion-focused entrepreneur enrichment program guiding minority founders with instruction in product development, brand building, leveraging artificial intelligence for business and fundraising.
Candice expands upon her work driving representation in innovation with her role on the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium for NASA, where she leads diversity of thought as...
Job Titles:
- CEO & Co - Founder Likeable Media, Host of "All the Social Ladies", Author
Carrie Kerpen an author, columnist, host of the popular podcast "All the Social Ladies", and the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, a digital agency that was named Crain's sixth Best Place to Work in NYC.
Job Titles:
- Head of Venture Growth & Partnerships at Republic, Co - Founder of VCFamilia, Actress
- Head of Venture Growth and Partners
- Hispanic Executive
Cheryl Campos is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and social impact. She is the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, an investment platform that democratizes access to private markets. As full-time employee #10, she started on the investment team in 2018 before finding her passion in venture partnerships and brand growth. Over the last two years, she has been instrumental in Republic's growth to unicorn status ($1 billion valuation).
Cheryl Campos is the Head of Venture Growth and Partnerships at Republic, an investment platform for founders to raise capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors. Cheryl is also co-founder of VCFamilia, the largest Latinx community in the venture, supporting over 300 VCs throughout their careers - from breaking into venture all the way to creating their own funds.
Job Titles:
- Master of Transformation, Author
Chris is a master of transformation. His unique energetic approach challenges businesses to embed a dynamic creative culture within their company ethos. Brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Unilever, Sony, and WPP come back time and again as his results produce tangible returns on investment.
Chris Bertish is a man of many passions. He has set world records, Stand up paddled solo across the Atlantic, surfed monster waves, presented keynote talks to hundreds of thousands across the globe, written best-selling books and directed motion picture documentaries. Somehow, he has still managed to grow multiple entrepreneurial businesses in South Africa and across the world, and to fight for our youth, our planet and our future. A man of many passions, indeed. And one who doesn't believe in iMPOSSIBLE!
Job Titles:
- Co - CEO of US Market Access & A3 Global Collider
Chris is a serial entrepreneur with global experience. Since 2010, he has focused on bringing the lessons of Silicon Valley to entrepreneurs around the world. He is the co-founder of the US Market Access Center and the A3 Global Collider. Through USMAC, Chris has trained and mentored more than 1,000 startups from 25+ countries.
Job Titles:
- Early Stage Investor at Backstage Capital, Inventor
- Investor at Backstage Capital
Christie Pitts is an experienced early-stage investor at Backstage Capital, where she has invested in more than 200 companies led by underrepresented (women, people of color, and LGBTQ) founders. Christie leads company sourcing, diligence, portfolio management, and investor relations for the firm.
Additionally, Christie led the launch of the first global accelerator for underrepresented founders. Backstage Capital's Accelerator operated in London, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Detroit. In partnership with Microsoft, Mailchimp, and other large corporate sponsors, Backstage invested in and supported 24 companies after reviewing hundreds. Christie and her team were responsible for Accelerator operations, program facilitation, company selection, and investment.
Christie is a high-achieving mom, and hosts the live show Moms at Work, where she speaks on a weekly basis...
Christie Pitts is an experienced early-stage investor at Backstage Capital and co-founder of Backstage Studio. Additionally, Christie led the launch of the first global accelerator program for underrepresented founders. She identified a passion for working with early-stage companies while working as Venture Development Manager at Verizon.
Job Titles:
- First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Fighter Squadron Commander, Indomitable Spirit
Col. Nicole Malachowski (USAF, Ret.) defies stereotypes. She was a jet fighter pilot, a combat veteran, and the first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron. But her distinguished 21-year Air Force career came to an end when a devastating tick-borne illness left her unable to speak or walk for ten months leaving Nicole's indomitable spirit to fight back against overwhelming odds and prevail.
Job Titles:
- PHN Speaker Award Winning Author Business Professional
Connie Merritt, BSN, RN, PHN, has more than 25 years experience of speaking nationally with leading companies, organizations, and associations in Business and Healthcare industries.
Job Titles:
- Cofounder
- COO
- Cofounder & COO of ShearShare
Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & COO of ShearShare, the first on-demand salon and barbershop space rental app. She is also an award-winning entrepreneur and tech founder and has spent two decades building winning teams in tech marketing.
Courtney Caldwell is the Cofounder & COO of beauty-tech startup, ShearShare, the largest provider of on-demand salon and barbershop space rentals. The ShearShare app gives licensed beauty and barbering professionals the freedom and flexibility to rent workspace by the day in cities all over the world, while salon and barbershop owners make money on unused space.
Prior to cofounding ShearShare, Inc., Google Demo Day winner 2018, Tech. Co's Startup of the Year, and a YC Fellowship and 500 Startups alum, Courtney managed an award-winning salon with her husband and cofounder, which was the genesis behind ShearShare. Before that, Courtney ran a boutique consulting firm where she fast-tracked international sales and marketing success for brands such as Zendesk, Zenefits, and Qualtrics.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Co - Founder of Revry
Damian Pelliccione is the CEO and Co-Founder of Revry, the world's first LGBTQ Global Content Streaming Network. With over 15 years of experience in the digital and new media world and as an avid speaker, passionate about supporting the LGBTQ community in both authentic representation and entrepreneurship, Damian has spoken at more than over 250 conferences and film festivals around the world.
Job Titles:
- Business Strategist
- Writer
Daniel Burrus is considered one of the World's Leading Futurists on Global Trends and Innovation. The New York Times has referred to him as one of the top three business gurus in the highest demand as a speaker.
He has delivered over 2,800 keynote speeches worldwide, and is a strategic advisor to executives from Fortune 500 companies, helping them to develop game-changing strategies based on his proven methodologies for capitalizing on technology innovations and their future impact. His client list includes companies such as Microsoft, GE, American Express, Google, Deloitte, Procter & Gamble, Honda, and IBM.
Burrus is also a featured writer with millions of monthly readers on the topics of innovation, change and the future for CNBC, Huffington Post, and Wired Magazine to name a few.
Daniel Burrus is considered one of the world's leading technology forecasters and innovation experts helping clients profit from technological, social and business forces that are converging to create enormous, untapped opportunities. The New York Times has referred to him as one of the top three business gurus in the highest demand as a speaker.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & CEO of Apprentice and Remembering Live, Bestselling Author, Serial Entrepreneur
Dave is a serial entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, Co-Founder & CEO of both Apprentice and Remembering Live. He is also the Executive Chairman of Florence Health. Previously in his career, Dave was the Founder and Chairman of Likeable Local, as well as the chairman and co-founder of Likeable Media.
As a brand marketer, venture investor, and startup advisor, Dave Knox bridges the worlds of the Fortune 500 and entrepreneurship and is widely recognized as an industry thought leader.
Job Titles:
- Educator, Author, Leadership Expert
- Founder of the Project Moon Hut
- President and Co - Founder of the Goldsmith Organization
David Goldsmith is President and Co-founder of the Goldsmith Organization (New York and Hong Kong), a consulting firm servicing executive clients worldwide in commerce, nonprofits, governments, militaries, and education; Co-founder of Buzd, LLC (San Francisco), a firm in which he is a patent holder for technological applications and products related to artificial intelligence, cell phone applications, battery technologies, and consumer products; Co-founder of ecosystem.AI (San Francisco), a predictive analytics and visualization company that finds hidden value in market and organizational complexity relation-ships through identified patterns and spatial trends to reveal how business and organizational ecosystems change over time; Co-founder and Partner with Jay Abraham of Intellectual Capital Investors (Los Angeles), an equity-alliance based exponential growth business stimulator that drives rapid, notable organizational growth and profitability; Co-founder and CEO of...
David Goldsmith-founder of the Project Moon Hut Foundation, veteran businessperson, global executive consultant, award-winning speaker, and author of Paid to THINK: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future-inspires, engages, and motivates with perspectives, paradigms, and practical takeaways that produce immediate improvements in strategy, innovation, and leadership through this unforgettable program.
David Goldsmith - Paid to Think - Stand Out from the Crowd in a World of Vanilla
David is the author of Paid to THINK: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future, a work for which he has earned comparisons to Peter Drucker, the father of modern-day management. Considered by some to be the "Thought Leaders' Thought Leader", he is known for replacing common leadership thinking with bold, proven, and sometimes counter-intuitive approaches to address leadership challenges and opportunities.
Job Titles:
- Business Growth Strategist, Entrepreneur, VC Strategic Partner, Bestselling Author
helps companies and organizations generate attention and grow business in a real-time world. He spotted the online content revolution in its infancy and wrote five books about it including The New Rules of Marketing & PR, the definitive book on the topic, translated into 29 languages. David's ideas have captured the attention of respected firms and organizations all over the world - having spoken in over 40 countries and on all seven continents.
Job Titles:
- Serial Entrepreneur & Inventor
Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology, marketing and business development. Dawn is the Founder and CEO of PopCom, the company has built an automated retail technology platform for vending machines and kiosks that allows retailers to engage and understand their customers, sell more products, and learn from big data.
Dawn has received numerous awards and accolades including being recognized on the inaugural Forbes Next 1000 List, listed among INC Magazine's 100 top Female Founders, and being named the 2020 OBWS Black Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Snapchat. Dawn has been featured in countless media outlets including the cover of Black Enterprise magazine, Fortune, Fast Company, Venture Beat, Huff Post,...
Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology, marketing, and business development. Her most recent ventures are Flat Out of Heels and PopCom. Dawn is a seasoned professional speaker, business advisor, and angel investor. She continues to be recognized as one of the nation's top retail tech entrepreneurs.
Daymond John has been a phenomenally successful business person for over 25 years. Along his entrepreneurial journey, through his many successes as well as failures, he has learned a few things about getting the best out of business and life. He believes the keys to his success include establishing the right mindset and following a few fundamental principles, which he calls his five "S.H.A.R.K points."
Get ready! Daymond John is going to share his unique goal-setting and achievement strategies, which will empower audience members to make positive changes in every aspect of their lives.
From his wildly successful role on ABC's smash hit, Shark Tank, to his distinguished status as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, Daymond John has become globally recognized for his relentless commitment to promoting and supporting entrepreneurs.
Job Titles:
- Digital Transformation & Corporate Innovation Expert
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Expert on Brand Leadership
Denise Lee Yohn is the go-to expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand speaker and consultant, and an influential writer, authoring the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest.
Denise Love Hewett founded an entertainment tech company to help Hollywood streamline and democratize their business. Her startup journey was arduous and tumultuous which led her to come to some hard truths. During her keynote, Denise will dive into her startup journey, tell the story of her great professional heartbreak, and how it led to transformation and resilience.
Denise Love Hewett is the host of the podcast, Do the Work, which focuses on redefining leadership to be more holistic. This was birthed out of her time as a founder of Scriptd, an entertainment tech company working to dismantle the inefficient and exclusionary practices of Hollywood. She comes from the world of entertainment, fashion, and hospitality, starting her career as the Director of Sales and Marketing at famed nightclub The Box and working for cultural trailblazers like Patricia Field (Sex and the City, Ugly Betty), Marvin Jarrett (NYLON), Tyra Banks, Courtney Love, Simon Hammerstein, and Randy Weiner before creating content at MTV and Endemol. She is a seasoned television and digital producer who lives at the intersection of activism, entrepreneurship, and entertainment. She moonlights as a DJ who has...
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of Re
- Co - Founder and CEO of ReBoot Accel
- Cofounder & CEO of Reboot Accel, Author, Executive Coach
Diane Flynn is co-founder and CEO of ReBoot Accel, designing work cultures that support and promote women. She consults with Fortune 500 companies on diverse and inclusive cultures, and co-authored The Upside, presenting the business case for diverse workplaces and best practices for tapping the potential of women. She facilitates workshops on professional presence and impact and coaches leaders on maximizing results and finding personal fulfillment.
Diane previously served as Chief Marketing Officer of GSVlabs, a marketing executive at Electronic Arts, and an associate consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. She has spoken on Diversity, Ageism, and the Future of Work at venues including SXSW, Stanford GSB, and the Modern Elder Academy. She earned a BA in Economics from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard.
Diane Flynn is co-founder and CEO of ReBoot Accel, designing diverse work cultures where every employee thrives. She is co-author of The Upside, resenting the impact of diversity on business performance and 5 levers that work.
Job Titles:
- Director of Tech for Microsoft Accessibility
- Director of Technology for Microsoft Accessibility, Author, BIPOC Woman in Tech Leader
Dona Sarkar is the Director of Tech for Microsoft Accessibility, a BIPOC woman in tech leader, Multi-published author, and Owner of the ethical luxury fashion brand Prima Dona Studios. She was recently named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Productive People and Cosmopolitan magazine's Businessperson of the Year.
Job Titles:
- Serial Entrepreneur in Social Innovation & Systems Change
Dr. Astrid J. Scholz is a serial entrepreneur in social innovation and systems change. As a recovering nonprofit executive turned tech entrepreneur, Astrid is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Armillaria, and Co-Founder and Capital Lead of Zebras Unite. Astrid's work focuses on democratizing innovation and capital to solve today's wicked problems.
Job Titles:
- Lead Change With Confidence
- the Change Doctor
As a well-respected authority on the psychology of change, Dr. Michelle is a frequent guest expert on NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX News, and many more media outlets.
Dr. Michelle is the author of three books, a Huffington Post writer, and has been featured on NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX News and many other media outlets discussing change, motivation and how the human mind works to become exceptional in every area of our lives, personally and professionally. She is one of the most sought after change management motivational leadership speakers nationwide as well as internationally.
Job Titles:
- Chief Vision Officer at Opie Consulting Group, Professor, Author
Whether as a keynote speaker or interactive workshop leader, Tina's focus is on creating more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces. Using her Shared Sisterhood framework and proven approaches for unearthing blind spots within individuals and organizations. Tina serves as a catalyst for new thinking and needed change.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Novoron Bioscience
Dr. Travis Stiles is the founder of Novoron Bioscience, which is developing therapeutics to reverse damage of the brain and spinal cord. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Dr. Stiles is a passionate advocate for diversity, equality, science and informed solutions to the world's problems and speaks across the spectrum from innovators to policymakers to encourage the ideas and policies that will shape the future.
Job Titles:
- Cofounder & CEO of ShearShare
Dr. Tye Caldwell is the Cofounder & CEO of ShearShare. Recognized as a tech visionary and industry pioneer, Dr. Caldwell's mission is to help beauty and barbering professionals around the world maximize their earnings potential. He has worked in beauty for 25 years as a master barber-stylist, educator, and small business coach, offering his 20+ years of industry knowledge as a proven roadmap.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Seed
- Founder and CEO of Seed & Spark
Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark. An advocate for equity inclusion in the entertainment industry (and the entire working world), Best regularly speaks at conferences and events about leveraging entertainment to build equity and sustainability for everyone, crowdfunding, and pitching, building equitable startups, and serves as an advisor and mentor to dozens of early-stage companies.
Eric Termuende is a globally-recognized thought leader, author, and keynote speaker on the future of work and building teams that thrive. Eric is helping leaders build incredible teams and tomorrow's greatest places to work. His one-degree shift methodology enables leaders to build trust, remove friction, and create a culture of experimentation. Eric has delivered over 400 keynotes to organizations including IBM, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Zoom, TD, BMO.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Future Hunters
Erica is Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world's leading futurist consulting firms. She evaluates emerging social, technological, economic, political, demographic and environmental trends - and identifies the strategic implications (the "So what?") of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and public sector clients. Erica's ability to identify patterns, think critically and analytically, and translate that into actionable strategies is what has made her an invaluable asset to clients.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Executive Creative Director of Sarofsky
Erin Sarofsky is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Sarofsky, her own design-driven production studio. Her work with a Who's Who list of top-level marketing and entertainment industry executives has her collaborating on main titles for the Marvel blockbusters, among others.
Job Titles:
- Senior Editor
- Senior Editor - at - Large, Fortune and Bestselling Author
As Fortune magazine's senior editor-at-large, Geoff Colvin is now in his fourth decade at Fortune. He is one of business journalism's sharpest and most respected commentators on leadership, management, globalization, government regulation, corporate governance, competition, the economy, the InfoTech revolution, human performance and related issues.
Greg Schwem is more than just a business humor keynote speaker and sought after corporate emcee, Greg is also an author, nationally syndicated humor columnist for the Chicago Tribune, award-winning greeting card writer and creator of funnydadinc, voted one of the top Dad humor sites of 2016.
Job Titles:
- Chief Evangelist of Canva, Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Bestselling Author
Guy Kawasaki is a bestselling author, former chief evangelist of Apple, and a former trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. Today, he is the chief evangelist of Canva (an online graphic design tool), brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, and is also an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley).
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO of Bandwagon
Harold Hughes is the founder & CEO of Bandwagon - a venture-backed identity infrastructure company that helps its customers transparently manage, aggregate, and store valuable consumer identity data. A rising star in data, identity, and experience space, Harold has had his ideas validated as a graduate (and now mentor) of the Founder Institute Greenville chapter; graduate of Capital Factory - Austin, one of the inaugural companies in Google for Startups Black Founders Exchange Program, and most recently the inaugural cohort of the IBM Blockchain Accelerator in 2019.
A man of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Harold is actively involved in his community participating on the Board of Directors for Rebuild Upstate and Visit Greenville. He also serves as a board member for...
Harold Hughes is the founder & CEO of Bandwagon - an analytics and identity management company that uses Blockchain technology to help teams & entertainers create more personalized fan experiences while eliminating ticket fraud. He has become a leader in the growing startup community in Greenville, South Carolina, speaking with entrepreneurs, youth, and his peers.
Job Titles:
- Executive Coach and Strategy Expert, Former Salesforce VP
- Technology Executive
Heidi Connal is a seasoned technology executive with over twenty years of experience building collaborative, compassionate, and high performing individuals and teams. She works with visionary leaders to identify new opportunities within themselves for growth, learning, and contributions. Her techniques cultivate emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and courageous introspection.
James Norman is a serial entrepreneur who at the age of 16 built his first online company, an aftermarket automotive e-commerce site called MJH Sound.com. While previously he may have been known as a visionary in automotive product planning, over the past 10 years in the media and entertainment industry he has become a thought leader in over-the-top media and consumer video consumption behaviors.
In 2008, James founded Ubi Video, one of the first aggregators of all things streaming video. After a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) offered to acquire Ubi's technology, he moved on to develop GroupFlix, an a-la-carte streaming service. By cleverly bundling electronic sell-through (EST) content, allowing users to select the shows they love in a low monthly subscription, GroupFlix was...
James Norman is a serial entrepreneur who at the age of 16 built his first online company. While previously he may have been known as a visionary in automotive product planning, over the past 10 years in the media and entertainment industry, he has become a thought leader in over-the-top media and consumer video consumption behaviors.
Job Titles:
- Author, Change Agent, Defiance Catalyst
Jared Weiner - Chief Strategy Officer, EVP
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- EVP
- Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of the Future Hunters
Jared is Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of The Future Hunters, one of the world's leading futurist consulting firms. He looks at emerging global trends - and helps identify the strategic implications (the "So what?") of those trends for several of the most influential Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and public sector clients. His work is industry-agnostic, and covers trend activity in the realms of science & technology, economics, politics, demographics and environmental issues.
Job Titles:
- Author
- Millennial Generation Expert and Technology Speaker on CBT News
Jeff Butler is an author and workplace strategist who explores human behavior within the working world. His experience spans over 40 industries in 4 continents on how different cultures and employees interact with each other. He studies common threads of behavior in industries such as IT professionals, underground utility workers, and police officers to clothing retail chains. In addition, companies like Google, Amazon, John Deere, and Coldwell Banker. As a researcher and practitioner, he also runs a consulting company and a tech company, TrinityFix where he is able to test his ideas in different workplace environments. His ideas have made it to TEDx twice and appeared in dozens of media outlets including two books on human behavior:- The Authentic Workplace and The Key To The New You. Currently, he lives in Dallas,...
Jeff Butler is a speaker, author, and international consultant who helps organizations improve their relationships with millennial employees. Unlike other experts on millennials, Jeff has been in the trenches of what it means to be a millennial and what it takes to retain and keep them engaged. You may have seen him on Forbes, USA Weekly, or on the TED stage.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Co - Founder of Hearken, Award - Winning Journalist, Serial Entrepreneur, Innovator
Jennifer Brandel is an award-winning journalist, founder and organizer whose work spans journalism, civic engagement, democracy and entrepreneurship. She's a dynamic, sought-after keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. Brandel began her career in journalism reporting for outlets including NPR, CBC, WBEZ, The New York Times, and Vice. She is the founder of Hearken, which helps institutions better listen and respond to their stakeholders.
Jennifer Cassetta is a nationally recognized speaker, empowerment coach, and self-defense expert. She has worked with tens of thousands of professional women around the country to help them unleash their inner badass. Equipped with her 3rd-degree black belt in HapKiDo, Master's degree in Nutrition, and health coaching certification, she develops programming that helps women feel strong, safe, and powerful from the streets to the boardroom.
Job Titles:
- Head of Design at Clutter
- Head of Design at Clutter, Former Director of UX at VICE
Jessica Brown is the head of design at Clutter. Fascinated by the co-evolution of culture and technology, she loves leading teams to find simple design solutions to complex problems. Jessica speaks on executing redesigns at scale and common philosophies and practices guiding creative people of all disciplines. She has established design and research practices that brought users' stories to the heart of the product.
Jim Harris is one of North America's foremost thought leaders, management consultants, and authors on disruptive innovation. With 20 years experience as a professional speaker and consultant, Jim Harris speaks internationally at more than 40 conferences a year on and is ranked as one of the nation's top ten speakers by Association magazine.
Olympic bobsledder Johnny Quinn is a highly sought-after speaker for businesses and organizations of all sizes. Known for his thought-provoking and action-packed speeches, Johnny has been featured on: ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, ESPN, FOX, NBC, TIME, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Johnny's newest book, "PUSH: Breaking Through The Barriers" ushers readers through the valleys of life to the thrills of rocketing down icy mountains at 80+ mph with no seat belts.
Jonas Koffler is the New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestselling coauthor of HUSTLE: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum (Rodale, Penguin Random House Books), which Fortune called "a must-read." It has been published in more than 10 countries. Having recovered from a stroke in his 20s, Jonas is a leading voice in enhancing human potential around how we work, live, learn, and play.
Jones Loflin equips individuals and organizations with real tools to conquer today's tsunami of work and life challenges. Jones' innovative solutions on leadership, change, and time management have attracted the attention of organizations around the world.
Joseph Kopser serves as an Executive-in-Residence at the McCombs School of Business. Prior to that his company, RideScout, was acquired by Mercedes. He served in the Army for 20 years after graduating from West Point and Harvard. He was recognized as a White House Champion of Change in clean energy and won the U.S. DOT Data Innovation Award. Co-author of, Catalyst, he is an advisor for CleanTX.
Job Titles:
- Executive Coach, Consummate Storyteller
Joseph is a thought leader in business agility and uses that expertise to motivate his audience to think of breakthrough ideas in their industries. Integrating startups with legacy corporations, running technology operations for the world's largest payment processor, building a nationwide franchise organization has given Joseph the breadth and depth required of any executive.
Josh Linkner, who started his career as a jazz guitarist, has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He is also a deeply experienced business leader, venture capitalist, top-rated keynote speaker, and author of four books which include the New York Times bestsellers: Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Culture Creative
- Founder and CEO of Culture Creative, Anthem Award Winning Diversity & Inclusion Leader, Author
Julian Newman is the founder and CEO of Culture Creative, an international award-winning leadership development and diversity & inclusion consulting firm. Julian is a certified and Anthem Award-winning Diversity & Inclusion leader based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a cultural intelligence strategist, author, and motivational speaker, Julian has spoken to more than 100,000 people nationally and internationally during the past 20 years.
Job Titles:
- ECommerce Business Expert, Influencer, Coach, Author
Karl Lillrud is a best-selling author of 6 books, two times TEDx speaker. Also, He has been honored as one of the world's Top 50 eCommerce experts, Top 30 eCommerce influencers, Top 50 speakers on online growth and eCommerce. Karl Lillrud educates and inspires his audience on subjects related to online consumer behavior, internet-based business, e-commerce, and online strategies.
Job Titles:
- Director of Growth and Campus Operations at Course Hero
- Employee of Airbnb
As an early former employee of Airbnb, Kati Schmidt worked on launching and scaling Airbnb's operations in Europe, starting Airbnb's public policy efforts globally and launching Airbnb Experiences. Kati is passionate about female entrepreneurship, immigration, and the transatlantic relationship.
Katica Roy is an ambassador for gender equity in the workplace and beyond. She is a gender economist and the CEO and founder of Denver-based Pipeline, an award-winning SaaS platform that leverages artificial intelligence to drive economic gains through closing the gender equity gap.
Keith Ferrazzi is a bestselling author, speaker, investor, philanthropist, and executive team coach who helps teams transform enterprises. As Founder and Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight, he coaches executive teams in top organizations to achieve extraordinary outcomes. He formerly served as CMO of Deloitte and Starwood Hotels.
Kelly Charles-Collins, is a Keynote & Award-Winning TEDx Speaker, Speaker Mentor, Retired Law Partner & Trial Attorney, and Author. She's sought-after authority specializing in courageous conversations, unconscious bias, and bystander intervention. As a transformative keynote speaker and mentor, Kelly has been featured in some of the biggest media publications and outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, Time.com, Forbes, Fast Company, Authority Magazine, Women's Wear Daily, Thrive Global and more.
Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, author of five books, international speaker, strategist, and advocate for maternal and infant health. A former senior editor at Essence and writer at Fortune magazine, Kimberly is a leading commentator on birth, breastfeeding and motherhood and the intersection of race, policy, and culture.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Urbangeekz, Award - Winning Journalist
Kunbi Tinuoye is an award-winning British-born journalist and broadcaster based in the United States. She is the founder of UrbanGeekz, a groundbreaking video-centric African-American, Latinx, and multicultural digital news platform focused on technology, science, business, and startups.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Chairman of the Black Star Fund
Kwame Anku is the CEO and Chairman of the Black Star Fund, an early-stage innovation fund. Kwame has worked extensively in business development and media marketing for over two decades, entering into the tech industry after being personally recruited by the late legendary rock star Prince to develop his mobile app, overseeing business and development teams on Africa, Asia, and the US.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Amplify, Author, Writer, Host of the Redefining HR Podcast
Lars Schmidt is the Founder of Amplify, an HR executive search and consulting firm that helps companies build progressive people teams and capabilities. He was named a Top 100 Influencer by HR Examiner and included in The Huffington Post's Top 100 Most Social HR Experts on Twitter, and named a top 50 recruiting influencer by LinkedIn.
Job Titles:
- CTO of Wallbreakers
- Technical Founder, CTO of Wallbreakers
Leah La Salla is the CTO of Wallbreakers, an AI-powered platform that enables companies to identify, evaluate, recruit, and retain the next generation of software engineers. As an inventor, she is best known for "hacking NASA" with a toaster (a toaster-sized neuromechanical unmanned aerial vehicle, that is!). La Salla gained a decade of experience in software engineering while teaching herself to program in an additional 9 languages becoming a polyglot software architect.
Dr. Chiao began his professional career as a chemical engineer, and his passion for space exploration led him to NASA. Following a stellar 15-year astronaut career, he moved on to leadership positions in entrepreneurial startups, applying his space experience to the business world.
Job Titles:
- Economist, a
- Economist, Futurist, Author
Linda Nazareth is an economist, a futurist and a respected authority on the future of work. As a newspaper columnist and an author, she knows how to frame things in ways that both educate and entertain, and as the Senior Fellow for Economics and Population Change at think-tank the Macdonald Laurier Institute she knows what she is talking about.
Lolita Taub is a GP at Ganas Ventures where she invests in pre-seed and seed community-driven companies in the US and Latin America. She is a woman of color with 13 years in tech, micro-influencer, an international keynote speaker, 2x TEDx speaker whose work in venture capital and tech has been recognized on Forbes, Inc.com, The Huffington Post and Entrepreneur.com among other publications.
Madison Butler is a Black, queer woman, and a survivor. Her work is focused around designing spaces and creating scalable strategies to achieve psychological safety. An outspoken advocate for mental health, she is passionate about facilitating hard conversations through storytelling, data, and tough empathy, and removing stigma around trauma, and advisor for being "human at work".
Job Titles:
- Columnist, Author, Tech Entrepreneur
- Columnist, Founder
A sought after voice of inspiration, Mandy is a columnist, founder, and prolific influencer. Her breadth of work in mind+body connection and unwavering optimism has earned her global attention and positioning alongside elite social leaders and sports figures around the world. Mandy now travels the globe inspiring resilience through her recent and personal triumph in mental and physical wellness.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Director of Zebras Unite, Serial Social Entrepreneur
Mara Zepeda is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Zebras Unite. Prior, she was the founder of a venture-backed software company "Switchboard" (now Hearken). She is a systempreneur and serial social entrepreneur. She speaks about and leads workshops on education, trust, social networks, and the future of business internationally.
Job Titles:
- CMO of Watty, Self - Made Marketer, Influencer
Maral, also known as, ‘Maral from Twitter', ‘Powerhouse', ‘energy pack' or ‘Curly' is one of the most familiar faces in the Nordic tech scene. Maral is the CMO at Watty, one of the hottest startups in Europe. She is also the co-founder of Peppy Pals, an active ambassador for diversity in tech. Former StartupGrind chapter director and SUP46 Femtech co-organizer.
Marc Randolph is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. Although best known as the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, Marc's career as an entrepreneur spans more than four decades. He's founded or co-founded six other successful startups, mentored rising entrepreneurs, and invested in numerous successful tech ventures. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, serving variously as a board member, mentor, or executive coach.
Marilyn Sherman is dedicated to training people to let go of obstacles and live and work with courage, commitment, and confidence. For the last 22 years, she has motivated audiences all over the country, and internationally with topics about hope, inspiration, and practical tools to implement immediately.
Mark Coopersmith is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, Fortune 500 executive, and educator. Mark has mentored hundreds of startup teams which have launched groundbreaking new ventures in sectors as varied as web services, consumer electronics, medical devices, internet-of-things, education, cleantech, fintech, and fashion.
Job Titles:
- the Change Specialist, Award Winning Consultant, Author
Three-time Top 25 Speaker Award recipient, change-consultant for the NASA Space Shuttle Program and transition-advisor for $50 billion mergers and acquisitions, Mark DeVolder distinguishes himself as a change management specialist and is one of today's original thinkers on transitions.
Job Titles:
- Employee Experience Pioneer, Globally Minded HR Leader
Mark Levy is a seasoned globally-minded Employee Experience Leader who has chosen to work for big-hearted companies and focus on how he can unleash the talents and passions of a company's employees. Mark was the pioneer of designing the Employee Experience at Airbnb and most recently at Allbirds, showing organizations what is possible when you empower employees and rethink HR.
Job Titles:
- Performance Expert, Former NFL Linebacker
Matt Mayberry, a former NFL linebacker for the Chicago Bears, is currently one of the most-read columnists for Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as an acclaimed keynote speaker, author, and peak-performance strategist. Using a real-world approach, He specializes in maximizing the performance of organizations, teams, and individuals all over the world.
Job Titles:
- Founder & Executive Director at Holistic Underground
Mazin Jamal is the founder of Holistic Underground: a leadership & organizational development agency for social movements & businesses. He honed his craft working with leaders and teams around the world. He has coached, consulted, and presented for executive leaders and teams from Apple, Google, Postmates, Atlassian, and more. He is also the creator of the PurposePlace™ Methodology.
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO of Change Catalyst, Author on Allyship
Melinda Briana Epler, author of "How To Be An Ally", has over 25 years of experience developing business innovation and inclusion strategies for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and global NGOs. As CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda currently works with the tech industry to solve diversity and inclusion together. Using her background in storytelling and large-scale culture change, she is a strategic advisor for tech companies, tech hubs, and governments around the world.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Founder of Allée Creative, Stra
Melissa Harrison is the CEO and founder of Allée Creative, strategic content and experiential marketing agency in the Twin Cities. Melissa is a four-time recipient of the Hermes Creative Award and a nationally recognized speaker. In 2015, she was named one of 100 women to watch in the U.S. as part of the Inspirational Woman Project
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Win - Win, Former Pro - Athlete
Job Titles:
- Award Winning Author and Speaker
Mike has developed a unique perspective from 20+ years working alongside world-renowned thought leaders. He is a leading authority on unleashing personal and organizational accountability. Clients rely upon Mike's solutions to accelerate change, shape their optimal culture, flawlessly execute key strategies, ignite leadership capacity at all Levels, amplify employee engagement, and cultivate peak performance.
Milagros Phillips designs strategic learning initiatives for clients seeking to enhance their diversity and inclusion programs by adding race literacy to their initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience in learning and development, Milagros has consulted with, designed and delivered customized programs across many industries and services, including financial/insurance, healthcare, higher education, and national and political leaders.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Technologist
- Founder of Thurst
Morgen Bromell is a founder and technologist working to make tech more accessible to people of color through justice-based initiatives and tech activism. Apart from being the founder of Thurst, a dating app for the LGBTQIA+ community, they are also deeply invested in community building and documenting queer histories, particularly how queer and trans people use digital resources and online platforms to navigate our world.
Born in Singapore, emboldened in California, and a vocational media practitioner with turns in mortgage banking and addiction treatment, Nausheen is not one to fit into a single checkbox. To her, being a maverick is a full-time job, ideas should be a dietary staple, diversity is a verb, and curiosity is the only compass the world needs. You can't help but agree with this caped crusading savant.
Job Titles:
- IBM Master Inventor, AI & Technology Expert, Author
Neil Sahota (萨冠军) is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) Advisor, Artificial Intelligence (AI) subject matter expert, Faculty at UC Irvine, and author of Own the A.I. Revolution. With 20+ years of business experience, he works with organizations to create next-generation products/solutions powered by emerging technology.
Nicholas Webb is one of the world's top innovation strategists and futurists. As a professor, successful inventor, bestselling author and world-renowned innovation strategist, Nicholas brings the perfect pedigree and the best research to each and every one of his customized talks on the future, innovation, business, and healthcare.
Job Titles:
- Strategist, Author, Advisor on Emerging Technologies
Paul Armstrong is an in-demand speaker on emerging technologies, social technologies and strategy, and regularly advises brands like Coca-Cola, Experian, Sony Music, P&G, PwC and several technology start-ups. He writes a column for Forbes and also advises the UK Government on digital strategy.
Job Titles:
- Internationally Recognized Speaker, Generational Expert
Pierre Khawand has more than twenty years of experience in the software industry. He has helped leaders develop the awareness and behaviors needed to focus on results and develop people in the midst of the information overload.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of Management Lab, Founding Writer of Fast Company, Author
Polly LaBarre arms leaders with a Maverick Manual to hack the status quo and ramp up originality, invention and game-changing disruption. Co-author of Mavericks at Work and founding team member of Fast Company magazine, Polly is co-founder of Management Lab, the think-and-do tank where she consults with top global brands.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & CEO of WeUp, TEDx Speaker, Author, Producer, and Philanthropist
- Co - Founder and CEO of We
- Co - Founder and CEO of WeUp
Ramona Wright is the co-founder and CEO of WeUp, a gamification goal achievement platform for social good and solving social problems. She is a TEDx speaker, author, producer, and philanthropist, who has more than 15 years of strategic communication expertise. She's worked with Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Award-winning talent. Ramona is an accomplished speaker who has spoken on behalf of the American Heart Association, Google, and Microsoft.
TEDx Speaker, writer, and life coach Ranbir Puar helps adults and children break free of their limiting beliefs by providing the tools to tap into their inner strength and silence their inner critics.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder Tangelo Technologies, Author
Like most middle children, Ricky enjoyed an uncommon vantage point in sociology, directly observing how people navigated the politics of community, culture, and change. Naturally, he has grown to become a consummate opportunist, passionate about reconciling people with ideas that accelerate their personal growth. Bringing this agility to his own speakers bureau seems like the thing he was literally born to do.
Job Titles:
- Author and Award Winning Global Sales Enablement Thought Leader
For over twenty years, Roderick, has built award-winning sales enablement organizations within some of the world's most successful Fortune 1,000 companies. Roderick has won numerous awards including a Sales Enablement Lifetime Achievement. He was also selected as a 2020 Sales and Marketing Influencer by LinkedIn and the 2015 Sales On-boarding Program of the Year by SiriusDecisions.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Opportunity Hub, Inclusive Startup Ecosystem Builder, Venture Capitalist, Economist
Rodney Sampson, of Opportunity Hub, is heralded as the leading inclusive startup ecosystem builder and is passionate about reducing poverty and wealth gap by advancing the cause of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and investment as a way of life for all, with an emphasis on socially disadvantaged and under-estimated and sponsored communities in America and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Engagement Expert, Author
helps to make meetings, organizations, and individuals be more engaging. In his award winning career as a speaker, actor, emcee and entrepreneur, Roger developed a unique formula for maximizing audience engagement and influencing employees, members, participants, and everyone he meets to be more engaged and authentic individuals.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Drop, Creative Technologist
- Creative Technologist
Russell Ladson is a creative technologist whose work sits at the intersection of emerging technologies, purposeful design, and visual art. His work investigates the use of emerging technologies like AR/VR (XR) to heighten the human-to-human experience through experimental concepts around information discovery in a post-smartphone world.
Job Titles:
- Founder, Political Activist, Miss Black America
Ryann Richardson made history when she became the 50th Anniversary Miss Black America. The tech marketer-turned-founder and Diversity & Inclusion advocate spent 10 years building brands and culture for companies spanning early-stage startups to billion-dollar "unicorns" to the Fortune500. Her work earned her a spot as the youngest honoree on Savoy Magazine's list of Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, and set her on the path to discovering her unique purpose as a champion for underrepresented voices.
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Branding Strategist
Sandra Garcia is a Marketing and Branding strategist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant. Now the founder of Encounter Your Potential, she develops and executes strategies that use marketing as the pillar for achieving business goals and driving revenue.
Job Titles:
- Communication Expert, Author, TEDx Speaker
Sarita Maybin is a communication expert, author, TEDx speaker, and international keynote speaker with more than 20 years of experience providing audiences with strategies to stay positive, constructively confront tough communication situations, and work together better.
Scott offers an unusual mix of experience, having worked as a research scientist, HR director, business consultant, rock musical producer, writer, keynote and TEDx speaker. His delivery style, which he has developed across the sectors in over 20 years, is humorous, well-crafted, inspiring and direct.
Job Titles:
- Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author, Strategic Consultant
- Strategic Adviser to CEOs
A strategic adviser to CEOs and four-star generals, firms like IBM, PwC, and the US Dept. of Defense regularly seek his insight. As the CEO of BIZDEV: The International Association for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, and management consulting + market research firm FutureProof Strategies, he helps partners stay one step ahead of emerging trends - and drive growth around them.
Job Titles:
- Generational Expert, Gen X Speaker
Scott Zimmer has developed a uniquely personable style and uses insight, humor, and data to foster an environment where every generation feels valued and understood.
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur, Author
- Founder of Capway, Author
Sheena Allen is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and creative architect. She is the founder of Capway, a neobank for those who do not fit into the traditional banking system, which gave Sheena the title of the youngest female in America to own and operate a digital bank. Sheena has been featured in various documentaries and publications, including Inc Magazine and Forbes.
Shontavia Johnson serves as a highly acclaimed writer, speaker, and commentator thriving at the intersection of law, innovation, and pop culture. She is host of The Shontavia Show and creator of the Brand+Business academy, teaching working professionals how to grow and operate businesses and build personal brands. She was the first African-American woman to receive full tenure at Drake University Law School and is the Associate VP for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Clemson University.
Sky Kelley is the founder & CEO of Avisare, an enterprise software marketplace simplifying the government RFP process to foster an inclusive ecosystem for small businesses. Sky found a need to help non-technology companies use technology to innovate their products and services. Her focus is on making technology simple and user-friendly with the ability to grow the bottom line.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Please Assist
- Founder of Please Assist Me
Stephanie Cummings is the founder of Please Assist Me, an all-inclusive home management app. She is an experienced entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist, priding herself in being a minority tech founder promoting the importance of STEM education.
Tara Carter is a highly driven COO/Partner at Tangelo and a Partner at Backstage Capital, providing full circle guidance to startups and larger. She has over 25 years of experience in mentoring, growing and advising startups, investor relations, omni-channel marketing, business strategy, deep technology, and product development, diversity and inclusion, predictive analytics, data visualization, business intelligence, and activism.
Job Titles:
- High - Performance Leadership, Team Building, Motivational Speaker
Ted Ma is a leadership development expert. As an entrepreneur, he built an international sales team of over 6,000 agents, had been featured in Success From Home magazine and helps organizations develop high-performance leaders and create a collaborative team culture.
Job Titles:
- Futurist and Bestselling Author
Job Titles:
- Global Leader
- Professor
- Professor & Global Leader in Tech, IP, Crypto Innovation
Professor Tonya M. Evans is a global leader, accomplished academic and administrator, and world-renowned speaker with over twenty years of experience in law, innovation, academia, and entrepreneurship. She writes, speaks and teaches primarily in the areas of intellectual property, blockchain and crypto assets, tech and innovation, information privacy, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment.
Job Titles:
- Franchise Expert, TV Host, Global Business Leader
The entrepreneurial genius, Troy Hazard, has founded and nurtured twelve businesses over two decades, has turned around businesses that were making enormous losses, and has consulted to countless successful companies including Goodyear, Baskin Robbins, Subway, Fisher & Paykel and many more.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of SHYFT Power Solutions
Ugwem Eneyo is co-founder and CEO of SHYFT Power Solutions, specializing in the use of IoT software and big data to improve access to clean, reliable and affordable energy solutions in markets that struggle with grid resiliency. Ms. Eneyo explores how we use tech to create ‘grids of the future' but particularly in emerging markets. She's given talks on the nexus of energy and sustainable development to global thought leaders, including the World Bank.
Job Titles:
- Interview With Jeff Butler, Founder, and CEO at JButler International
Job Titles:
- Internationally Acclaimed Inspirational Performing Artist
With over 20 years in the Performing Arts - from Broadway to comedy clubs to high-profile television to commercials including a Super Bowl spot - Victoria Labalme helps people perform at their highest levels by awakening their hidden genius.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Executive
- Business Leader
- Executive Coach, Author and Yogi
Vish Chatterji is an accomplished business leader turned executive coach with a twenty-year business track record spanning multiple industries. In parallel, he has studied and practiced yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda (mind-body medicine). Vish coaches business leaders enabling more of their greatness to show up at work.
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO of Healthy Roots Dolls
Yelitsa Jean-Charles founded Healthy Roots after recognizing a need for more diverse toys and representation in children's publishing. She has been recognized as Essence's 50 Founders to watch and frequently speaks about entrepreneurship, social justice, and cultural competency.