A seasoned technology executive with over 26 years of experience leading enterprise IT strategy, digital transformation, AI-driven innovation, cybersecurity, cloud, and infrastructure modernization, with extensive experience in the healthcare and medical products industry. Proven expertise in delivering secure, scalable, and resilient technology solutions that accelerate product innovation, improve operational efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive business growth.

Extensive experience in leading large-scale healthcare technology and medical product initiatives, modernizing enterprise platforms, optimizing IT operations, and implementing AI-powered solutions to enhance product development, intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and data-driven decision-making. Well-versed in integrating emerging technologies with medical product ecosystems while maintaining a strong focus on cybersecurity, data privacy, quality, interoperability, and regulatory compliance.

I am IEEE Senior Member, Forbes Technology Council member, and holds CISSP, CISM and PMP certifications. My interests focus on applying practical security and governance principles to AI-enabled enterprise and public-service environments.

A seasoned technology executive with over 26 years of experience leading enterprise IT strategy, digital transformation, AI-driven innovation, cybersecurity, cloud, and infrastructure modernization, with extensive experience in the healthcare and med... Show more

Hello! I'm Nellie and I spend my time talking to people about autism. I left my job at one of the UK's leading autism charities in 2023 to pursue a career in tech, and along the way discovered that not everyone knows a whole lot about autism in the sector I was entering into. In early 2024 I started working as a sole trader, delivering training and consultancy around autism, and have so far worked with multiple tech organisations as well as delivered training to numerous health and social care staff. Talk to me about guinea pigs and you'll bring my neurospicy heart much joy. For more info, feel free to check out www.nellieallsop.com

Hello! I'm Nellie and I spend my time talking to people about autism. I left my job at one of the UK's leading autism charities in 2023 to pursue a career in tech, and along the way discovered that not everyone knows a whole lot about autism in the s... Show more

Hemant Pawar is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation and customer success across healthcare and supply chain management domains. Recently, as a Program Director at Zeal-Tech for Kaiser Permanente, Hemant led critical initiatives that transformed telehealth services during COVID-19, scaling from 1,000 to 50,000+ daily visits while maintaining 99.5% uptime.
Throughout his career, Hemant has excelled at the intersection of technology implementation and business value delivery. At Cognizant, he spearheaded pharmacy system enhancements that integrated critical NCPDP standards, improving patient safety and reducing re-ordering cycle time and prescription fulfillment costs. His leadership increased customer satisfaction scores from 45 to 75 and drove 12% year-over-year revenue growth.
Hemant's expertise spans healthcare technology, supply chain management, and SaaS product development. At the start of his career his work with e2Open Solutions involved building logistics and freight management systems for international clients like FedEx, CMA CGM and implementing the first US Customs-certified Automated Manifest System for his organization. During his leadership tenure at IBM Labs, Hemant managed global product development for IBM Watson's AI based Marketing Cloud suite, focusing on campaign optimization and customer engagement analytics. He created comprehensive training programs that increased client self-sufficiency by 27% while reducing support tickets by 40%. At BMC Software, he facilitated DevOps implementations for banking giants including BNP Paribas, RBC, and Citi.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Hemant is the founder of a private equity real estate firm (Jewelequity.com) that manages $200M in assets across nine states, creating over 20 jobs. He is also recognized for his humanitarian work supporting human trafficking victims and has performed as a volunteer at the World Culture Festival 2023 in Washington DC.
Hemant holds an Executive Master's Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management, a Master's in International Marketing from Symbiosis University, and a Bachelor's in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. He combines technical depth with business acumen to drive meaningful digital transformation that enhances both operational efficiency and human experience.

Hemant Pawar is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation and customer success across healthcare and supply chain management domains. Recently, as a Program Director at Zeal-Tech for Kaiser Perman... Show more

Founder, private equity advisor, and now senior executive: Linn Guerrero's career has given her several vantage points on how organizations grow. Today she serves CFG Health, a Mount Laurel, New Jersey correctional healthcare company, as Chief Risk Officer, partnering directly with the CEO and senior leadership team on organizational growth, strategic planning, and business development. In that role, Linn Guerrero helped grow the company from approximately $80 million to $250 million in annual revenue. Trained at the University of Tennessee College of Law, she previously worked in private equity portfolio operations and spent years building and running her own professional services business. As an executive leader, strategic advisor, and correctional healthcare professional, she has focused on government contracting, risk management, cross-functional leadership, and scaling organizations with discipline.

Linn Guerrero's experience as a business owner began in September 2019, when she founded Justice, PLLC. As Founder and Managing Principal through March 2024, she built and led the independent professional services business, advising clients on healthcare, employment, and commercial matters.

She managed the firm's full range of needs, from operations and business development to budgeting, client engagement, and strategic planning. She also directed complex litigation and risk-management matters for healthcare and business clients. Her four and a half years leading the firm gave her direct exposure to the financial and operational demands that executives face, and she has carried that perspective into each of her advisory roles.

In March 2024, Linn Guerrero became Strategic Advisor for Private Equity Portfolio Operations at Architect Equity Management, a Los Angeles-based firm. Through August 2024, she supported leadership teams at multiple portfolio companies in a private equity-sponsored environment.

She focused on due diligence and growth strategy, conducting operational, commercial, and risk assessments of acquisition targets to inform investment decisions. Linn Guerrero presented her diligence findings and strategic recommendations to sponsors and leadership teams and assisted portfolio company executives with governance, growth strategy, organizational development, and operational initiatives. That period showed her how investors evaluate companies, a lens she now uses when analyzing acquisitions and corporate transactions from the company side.

Linn Guerrero of Tennessee joined CFG Health in August 2024 as its first Chief Legal Officer, establishing the company's legal department from the ground up. She held that position until May 2025, overseeing legal, compliance, governance, and enterprise risk functions across the multi-state healthcare company before moving into the Chief Risk Officer role in May 2025. Since joining CFG Health, she has partnered with the CEO and executive leadership team to define strategic priorities and back enterprise growth initiatives. In roughly two years, the company more than tripled, reaching $250 million in annual revenue from approximately $80 million. She contributed through strategic planning, government contracting initiatives, business development support, and executive leadership.

Her remit at CFG Health is wide. Linn Guerrero leads initiatives covering operations, contracting, compliance, human resources, claims management, procurement, RFP strategy, and organizational development. She weighs strategic opportunities, conducts executive-level risk assessments, and recommends actions to the leadership team. She also coordinates cross-functional teams to advance organizational priorities and improve operational performance, collaborating with Operations, Human Resources, Finance, IT, and Business Development.

Government contracting and procurement sit at the core of her contribution. Linn Guerrero applies her strong command of both to CFG Health's RFP strategy and contracting initiatives. She reached two years with the company in August 2026 and continues to apply her expertise in risk management, executive strategy, and organizational operations to help leadership teams address complex challenges and pursue sustainable growth.

Linn Guerrero completed her undergraduate studies at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and graduating from the Honors College in May 2011. She then attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned her Juris Doctor in May 2014. During law school, she served as Articles Editor of the Tennessee Law Review, concentrated in Advocacy and Litigation, and received Pro Bono Recognition.

Her legal training at the University of Tennessee gave Linn Guerrero a working command of regulation, contracts, and risk, which continues to inform her executive work. She has also earned certification as a Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).

Linn Guerrero also brings hands-on experience in human resources administration. Her executive work engages the operational side of workforce management, from leave administration and workplace accommodations to labor relations and wage-and-hour policy, helping build the people processes that sustain a growing organization.

In risk management and insurance, her expertise includes professional liability and employment practices liability coverage. She helps leadership teams balance exposure and opportunity, and she combines this with a focus on organizational growth strategy and targets. Her executive skill set encompasses CEO partnership, strategic planning and execution, organizational scaling, and executive communication.

Linn Guerrero sponsors the Knoxville Challenger tennis tournament each year, supporting the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation while connecting her giving to a personal interest. She volunteers with her son's soccer team and frequently volunteers at his elementary school, contributing through the school itself and its Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). She enjoys tennis and cooking in her time away from work.

Across three distinct roles, Linn Guerrero of Tennessee has acted on the idea that growth works best when strategy, compliance, and operations are aligned. Her contribution to CFG Health's growth from approximately $80 million to $250 million in annual revenue, her assessments of acquisition targets for private equity sponsors, and her work building an independent firm from the ground up all reflect that idea, and each strengthened her focus on aligning stakeholders, managing risk, and executing with discipline. Linn Guerrero remains focused on bringing together her experience in legal leadership, enterprise risk oversight, and organizational strategy to help executive teams navigate operational challenges, strengthen decision-making, and build resilient organizations. Linn Guerrero's foundation in law, correctional health credential, and experience across operations, finance, human resources, and government contracting equip her to turn strategic priorities into measurable results for the leadership teams she works with.

Founder, private equity advisor, and now senior executive: Linn Guerrero's career has given her several vantage points on how organizations grow. Today she serves CFG Health, a Mount Laurel, New Jersey correctional healthcare company, as Chief Risk O... Show more

Healthcare compliance should be provable on paper before anyone asks. Andrew Jonathan Hillman is a healthcare compliance expert witness and senior paralegal based in Dallas, Texas. His operating years are closed: three decades running FDA regulated businesses, starting with Hillman Ventures, founded in 1995. His expert practice is open, retained through counsel on FDA biologics pathways (Section 351(a) versus 361 HCT/P), Medicare overpayment rules and federal enforcement patterns. He will not offer legal conclusions or opinions outside his field, and he is not an attorney. He writes The Hillman Letter on Substack and hosts The Hillman Letter Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Healthcare compliance should be provable on paper before anyone asks. Andrew Jonathan Hillman is a healthcare compliance expert witness and senior paralegal based in Dallas, Texas. His operating years are closed: three decades running FDA regulated b... Show more

Aiswarya Saji is the builder behind ROSA, an AI-powered inclusive wellness platform for women, couples, and the LGBTQ+ community. Her path into AI began far from a technical track: she started medical studies in Ukraine in 2021, was displaced to Canada by the war, and retrained in Early Childhood Education, spending years caring for infants and toddlers before turning that experience toward AI product design. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Applications specializing in AI and Data Science, and previously spoke at the Southern Alberta AI Conference in Canada. Her work focuses on building emotionally safe, trustworthy AI for communities that conventional wellness tech tends to overlook.

Aiswarya Saji is the builder behind ROSA, an AI-powered inclusive wellness platform for women, couples, and the LGBTQ+ community. Her path into AI began far from a technical track: she started medical studies in Ukraine in 2021, was displaced to Cana... Show more

Focus areas: Artificial Intelligence & Ethics, AI Safety & Governance, Voice AI & Synthetic Trust, Human-AI Interaction, AI Bias & Inclusion, Leadership under Pressure, High-Stakes Decision Making, Negotiation & Influence, Crisis Communication, Autonomic Resilience & Regulation

Member of Global Health HUB Berlin, Global Institute for Negotiation (Zurich) and Women in AI Germany. Has worked with parliamentary groups, politicians and internationally recognised entrepreneurs.

Mareike Kroschel explores the interaction between AI and human voices. Her concept of Subcortical Contact Bias describes why the body trusts AI voices before the mind decides, and what that means for leadership, communication and trust when we can no longer reliably tell voices apart. She also asks how AI voices change the way we listen and speak, and who decides how AI sounds.

Voice is identity. With this idea, Mareike Kroschel founded VoiceDoula Concept. It is not a training but an accompaniment: people listen, pause and let their voice emerge.

Her work rests on three principles. Cognitive: how voice, identity and leadership shape each other. Somatic: breath, body and nervous system as the ground of the voice. Artistic: sound, image and play as a space where the voice can appear. Her work is grounded in her training as a state-certified breath and voice therapist, many years of work in federal health care, and her career as a singer and composer in contemporary and avant-garde music.

She works with leaders (Grounded Voice), organisations (Living Cycles) and founder teams (Pitch Lab), and hosts “The Breath Room”, a space to breathe, listen and arrive.

Focus areas: Artificial Intelligence & Ethics, AI Safety & Governance, Voice AI & Synthetic Trust, Human-AI Interaction, AI Bias & Inclusion, Leadership under Pressure, High-Stakes Decision Making, Negotiation & Influence, Crisis Communication, Auton... Show more

Rupinder Pal Singh is a security and governance leader with over fifteen years of experience across cybersecurity, risk management, audit, compliance, and privacy. He currently serves as Manager of Information Security Audit and Compliance at NICE, where he leads global teams and oversees enterprise programs spanning FedRAMP, ISO 42001, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and sovereign cloud compliance.
His work spans incident response, third-party risk management, audit readiness, privacy programs, and AI governance across industries including cloud services, financial services, healthcare, telecom, and e-commerce. He regularly partners with engineering, legal, and business teams to align security controls, risk decisions, and compliance obligations with real-world operational constraints.
Rupinder holds master's degrees in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance and another one in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, bringing a systems-level perspective on how technical controls, governance structures, and human behavior interact in complex security environments.

Rupinder Pal Singh is a security and governance leader with over fifteen years of experience across cybersecurity, risk management, audit, compliance, and privacy. He currently serves as Manager of Information Security Audit and Compliance at NICE, w... Show more

I am a Senior Data Architect at ATC Drivetrain and the Founder of two ventures—Unimonk, an AI-powered education platform, and GoICure, a digital-first medical tourism solution. I’ve spoken at KCD Washington 2025 and will also be presenting at BazelCon, sharing my experiences in cloud-native engineering and secure data systems. At ATC Drivetrain, I design hybrid cloud architectures that integrate AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, and big data pipelines for mission-critical shopfloor operations, driving improvements in governance, scalability, and predictive maintenance. Through GoICure, I’m building intelligent, compliance-ready platforms for cross-border healthcare, while Unimonk is focused on transforming education and university admissions through automation and AI. With a Master’s in Data Science from the University of Texas at Dallas and a strong foundation in distributed systems, MLOps, and secure data engineering, I bring both enterprise experience and entrepreneurial innovation to solving real-world problems at scale.

I am a Senior Data Architect at ATC Drivetrain and the Founder of two ventures—Unimonk, an AI-powered education platform, and GoICure, a digital-first medical tourism solution. I’ve spoken at KCD Washington 2025 and will also be presenting at BazelCo... Show more

K. Miller is a speaker, wellness educator, host of The Harmony Principle Podcast, and founder of Kimemeki, a wellness ecosystem rooted in Generational Health.

With over a decade of experience in health and coaching, she helps women better understand their bodies, recognize their natural rhythms, and rebuild the energy, clarity, and capacity to thrive.

Her work grew from her own experiences navigating severe fatigue and health challenges, which led her to question the conventional approaches to health and the expectation that we should simply keep pushing through.

As a homeschooling mother of five, K understands that real life doesn't always fit into neat routines. Through The Harmony Principle, she challenges the pursuit of work-life balance and teaches a more personal approach to health that considers our biology, daily rhythms, and changing seasons of life.

Her mission is to help women create lasting change in their own lives and families, because Generational Health, just like generational wealth, is something worth building and passing down.

K. Miller is a speaker, wellness educator, host of The Harmony Principle Podcast, and founder of Kimemeki, a wellness ecosystem rooted in Generational Health. With over a decade of experience in health and coaching, she helps women better understa... Show more

Dr. Kasouhas Dental Office in Athens offers expert cosmetic dentistry, including porcelain veneers, dental implants, and hollywood smile makeovers. We focus on precision, innovation, and patient comfort to create natural, confident smiles. Book the consultation at https://drkasouhas.gr/

Dr. Kasouhas Dental Office in Athens offers expert cosmetic dentistry, including porcelain veneers, dental implants, and hollywood smile makeovers. We focus on precision, innovation, and patient comfort to create natural, confident smiles. Book the c... Show more

Suresh Reddy Mallepalli is a Data Engineering Manager and Senior Azure Data Engineer with over 10 years of experience designing, modernizing, and supporting enterprise-scale data platforms across healthcare, finance, and operational domains. His expertise spans Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Azure SQL, Delta Lake, Delta Live Tables, Lakehouse architecture, ETL/ELT orchestration, metadata-driven pipelines, and enterprise analytics. Throughout his career, he has focused on building scalable, governed, and high-performance data solutions that enable reporting, regulatory compliance, and data-driven decision-making.
Currently serving as Manager, Data Engineering at BrightSpring Health Services, Suresh leads and mentors a team of approximately 10 data engineers responsible for delivering enterprise analytics and data platform solutions. He architects Azure Databricks Lakehouse environments using Bronze, Silver, and Gold data layers while implementing metadata-driven ingestion frameworks and reusable orchestration patterns that simplify onboarding of new datasets. He also oversees production deployments, environment migrations, and operational support for Azure Data Factory pipelines, Databricks workloads, and Azure SQL environments. His work has contributed to approximately 8% performance improvement and 5–10% cost reduction through SQL optimization, workload tuning, batching strategies, and platform standardization.
Prior to his current leadership role, Suresh worked as an Azure Data Engineer at BrightSpring Health Services, where he developed Azure Data Factory pipelines integrating data from APIs, Snowflake, Oracle, Azure SQL, SQL Server, CMS, and SFTP sources. He also automated external data ingestion using UiPath, optimized Azure SQL environments, and supported enterprise analytics through production support, validation, and release coordination. Earlier in his career at Elan Technologies, he specialized in migrating enterprise data platforms from on-premises infrastructure to Azure IaaS and PaaS environments while designing ETL solutions, implementing high-availability and disaster recovery architectures, developing SSIS packages and SSRS reports, and performing advanced SQL performance tuning. He also gained experience as an Oracle SOA Developer, supporting enterprise database integration and migration initiatives.
Over the course of his career, Suresh has contributed to several enterprise-scale initiatives, including Kronos UKG Data Migration and Lakehouse Platform modernization, Delta Live Tables framework implementation, Universal Master Person Index (UMPI) data integration, Survey Deficiency Analytics Platform, CMS Provider Data Automation using UiPath, and Mediware Multi-Model Analytics Platform. These projects involved developing governed Lakehouse architectures, metadata-driven processing frameworks, scalable incremental pipelines, healthcare data integration, compliance reporting, patient identity resolution, and enterprise analytics solutions using Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, and SQL technologies.
Suresh holds a Master's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnic University, California, and a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India. He is also Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (DP-900) certified. His technical expertise includes Microsoft Azure, Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Azure SQL, Delta Lake, Delta Live Tables, Unity Catalog, Snowflake, SQL Server, Oracle, Power BI, UiPath, Python, PowerShell, and advanced data engineering concepts such as ETL/ELT, dimensional modeling, SCD Type 2, metadata-driven pipelines, RBAC, and performance optimization.

Suresh Reddy Mallepalli is a Data Engineering Manager and Senior Azure Data Engineer with over 10 years of experience designing, modernizing, and supporting enterprise-scale data platforms across healthcare, finance, and operational domains. His expe... Show more

Maxwell Tran is a student innovator, researcher, and advocate at Corona del Mar High School whose work focuses on education, healthcare innovation, assistive technology, and student voice. Shaped by his lived experience as a person who stutters, Maxwell is committed to creating more accessible and inclusive environments for students with communication differences.

As a CHOC/Rady Children’s Mi4 intern, Maxwell developed AI-powered augmented-reality glasses designed to support people who stutter through predictive, real-time speech cues. His work reflects a broader interest in using technology not simply for innovation, but to address meaningful human needs.

Maxwell is passionate about helping educators and leaders recognize students as active contributors to the systems that support them. As a speaker, he brings a perspective grounded in personal experience, research, and a strong belief that accessibility should be understood not only as accommodation, but as a culture of belonging.

Maxwell Tran is a student innovator, researcher, and advocate at Corona del Mar High School whose work focuses on education, healthcare innovation, assistive technology, and student voice. Shaped by his lived experience as a person who stutters, Maxw... Show more

Kyle McGuire is a healthcare operations executive and leadership coach, and founder of Dogwood Enterprises, a consulting firm that helps medical and allied health practices build operations that work for patients and for the people who care for them.

Kyle's career began on the clinical floor. He worked as a medical assistant and then as a DAANCE-certified oral surgery assistant before moving into operations and HR management, and that perspective shapes everything he teaches: decisions made in the boardroom land on the clinical team first.

Most recently, Kyle served as Chief Operating Officer of a 12-location oral and maxillofacial surgery group in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. There, he led the design and launch of the group's prosthodontics and dental lab divisions, and built an accredited continuing education program that enrolled more than 100 practices. He was a regular presenter on its practice management webinar series, covering compensation plans, revenue cycle management, onboarding, performance management, and team building.

Along the way, Kyle came to believe that the healthiest patients come from the healthiest practices. When a care team is cohesive and cared for, patients feel it. When a practice shows up for its community, the community shows up for it. It's all reciprocal, and it's the conviction behind everything he builds.

Kyle works with practice owners and leadership teams as an executive coach and fractional operations leader: with medical and allied health practices through Dogwood Enterprises, and with dental practices through the Dentist Entrepreneur Organization (DEO). He leads practices as they build the systems, leaders, and teams that make them operationally and financially sustainable, so they can keep caring for their communities long after his time with them ends.

Kyle helps doctors and clinical leaders step out of the daily firefighting that wears them down, so they can lead with confidence, practice with less strain, and reclaim time and energy for life outside the practice. The tools he brings, such as compensation plans that reward the right things, onboarding that keeps good people, performance systems that replace dread with clarity, and exceptional patient and employee experiences are shaping healthcare and dental practices beyond the traditional focus on the bottom line and efficiency.

Kyle's top speaking topics include, "Healthy Practices, Healthy Patients: Building Practices That Last", "Beyond the Annual Review: Performance Management for Busy Practices", and "From Chairside to C-Suite: Leading Healthcare Teams People Want to Stay On and Be Treated By".

Kyle holds an MBA from Rivier University and a BS in Biology from Salve Regina University. He is based in the Greater Boston area.

Kyle McGuire is a healthcare operations executive and leadership coach, and founder of Dogwood Enterprises, a consulting firm that helps medical and allied health practices build operations that work for patients and for the people who care for them.... Show more

Maheshkumar Umbarkar is an open-source software developer at Bristol Myers Squibb with 9+ years of experience and a strong focus on data science, automation, and the application of modern AI/LLM technologies to real-world pharmaceutical workflows. Holding a Master of Science in Statistics from North Maharashtra University, India, he brings deep expertise in Shiny app development, REST APIs using Plumber, and R package development. He is the author of the hcruR package, available on CRAN. With deep expertise in both R and Python, Mahesh works at the intersection of clinical data science and software engineering, building open-source tools that improve the reliability, reproducibility, and scalability of analytical pipelines in drug development.

Maheshkumar Umbarkar is an open-source software developer at Bristol Myers Squibb with 9+ years of experience and a strong focus on data science, automation, and the application of modern AI/LLM technologies to real-world pharmaceutical workflows. Ho... Show more

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Nicholas Kavouklis.
A 1986 UF graduate, practicing general dentistry and a member of this organization for over 40 years. He is founder of Dr. Nick’s White & Healthy in Tampa, Dr. Kavouklis has built and sold multiple successful dental practices and led major dental and vision benefit companies, including Argus Dental & Vision and Paramount Dental, both acquired by public companies, Safeguard Life & Health in 2004 and AFLAC in 2019.
He has served in numerous leadership roles in organized dentistry, the Florida Board of Dentistry, Expert Witness for the Florida Department of Professional Regulation, and long-time Peer Review Chairman for the West Coast Dental Association.
Deeply committed to elevating standards of care, Dr. Kavouklis acquired Surgically Clean Air in 2024 to bring best-in-class medical-grade air purification technology to dental offices, healthcare settings, industrial applications, and consumers.
Please give a warm welcome to Dr. Nick Kavouklis.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Nicholas Kavouklis. A 1986 UF graduate, practicing general dentistry and a member of this organization for over 40 years. He is founder of Dr. Nick’s White & Healthy in Tampa, Dr. Kavouklis has built and sold multiple... Show more

From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest: Turning Pain Into Purpose and Adversity Into Success

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown is a dynamic motivational speaker, mental health leader, accomplished entrepreneur, author, and founder and CEO of Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC, a nationally accredited mental health services organization based in North Carolina.

Her extraordinary journey from poverty, single motherhood, and humble beginnings on a dirt road to becoming a successful business owner, author, and real estate investor is a powerful example of resilience, faith, determination, and personal transformation.

With more than 14 years of leadership in the mental health industry, Dr. Brown has dedicated her career to helping individuals overcome emotional challenges, identify barriers to success, establish meaningful goals, and restore their lives. Under her leadership, Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC has maintained national accreditation since 2013, providing services that promote mental wellness, recovery, personal independence, and community integration.

Beyond the mental health industry, Dr. Brown has built an impressive entrepreneurial portfolio that includes ownership of more than 15 real estate properties. She is also the author of seven books, including Secrets of a Crazy Mental Health Counselor and Restoring Bodies and Minds: By Identifying the Issues and Setting Goals. Through her writing, she explores mental health, family relationships, personal struggles, spiritual healing, and the importance of setting goals to achieve lasting success.

As a speaker, Dr. Brown combines personal storytelling, professional mental health experience, humor, authenticity, and practical strategies to inspire audiences to transform their lives. Her signature presentation, "From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest," reveals how she overcame financial hardship, societal expectations, family challenges, and personal adversity to build a meaningful career and lasting legacy.

She is especially passionate about empowering women, single mothers, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals, and individuals who have experienced rejection, setbacks, or difficult beginnings.

Her presentations challenge audiences to move beyond survival, recognize their worth, strengthen emotional resilience, develop confidence, and take intentional steps toward personal and professional achievement.

Dr. Brown is available for keynote presentations, mental health conferences, women's leadership summits, corporate wellness events, entrepreneurship conferences, educational institutions, and community empowerment programs.

Her message is powerful and universal:

"Your past may explain where you started, but it does not have the authority to determine where you finish. Identify the issue, set the goal, and restore your life."

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown — Credentials, Honors & Speaking Experience

Academic and Professional Credentials

Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology

Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Qualified Professional (QP) — Mental Health

Mental Health Leader and Life Transformation Coach

Founder and CEO, Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC

Leadership of a CARF International-accredited behavioral health organization

Awards, Honors and Recognition

2019 Women Worth Watching Award Winner — Healthcare Leadership

2026 P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) — Mental Health Care recognition and membership

2026 VoyageRaleigh Magazine — Featured Entrepreneur and Mental Health Leader

Recognized in a published mental health coaching industry feature

Selected Speaking Engagements

Girls Who Brunch — Guest Speaker

Everything Girls — Guest Speaker

She Rises for Women — Women's Empowerment Speaker

Fat Girls Conference — Confidence and Empowerment Speaker

The BookFest, Spring 2021 — Mental Health and Physical Wellness Panelist

Professional Accomplishments

Founder of Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC, established in 2011

Mental health service experience dating to 2003

Author of seven books

Founder of the Confident Fat Girls Movement

Entrepreneur and real estate investor with a portfolio of more than 15 properties

Areas of Speaking Expertise

Mental Health and Wellness | Women's Empowerment | Leadership | Entrepreneurship | Body Confidence | Resilience | Personal Transformation | Healing and Goal Setting

From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest: Turning Pain Into Purpose and Adversity Into Success Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown is a dynamic motivational speaker, mental health leader, accomplished entrepreneur, author, and founder and CEO of Restoring Bo... Show more

Justin Beal is a flight nurse, paramedic, and EMS educator with more than 25 years of experience in emergency services. He currently serves as an Education Coordinator and Flight Nurse with STAT MedEvac, where he focuses on clinical education, provider development, and quality improvement. In addition to flight medicine, Justin remains active in rural EMS in Greene County, Pennsylvania, through his volunteer fire company. He is also involved in EMS education and leadership at both the state and national levels and is dedicated to helping clinicians build confidence, strengthen critical thinking, and succeed in the profession.

Justin Beal is a flight nurse, paramedic, and EMS educator with more than 25 years of experience in emergency services. He currently serves as an Education Coordinator and Flight Nurse with STAT MedEvac, where he focuses on clinical education, provid... Show more

Patrick R. Coyle is a pharmaceutical commercialization and Gross-to-Net advisor with more than 25 years of finance leadership, 18 of them in the pharmaceutical industry at companies including Bayer, Novartis, Insmed, Eisai and IQVIA. He served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Eisai Americas and led Gross-to-Net risk advisory at Baker Tilly.

He is founder and CEO of Novus Proximus, a healthcare commercialization advisory firm, and the creator of Patients + Profitability™, the philosophy that patient outcomes and sustainable profitability depend on each other. His frameworks include The 10 Exits of Therapy™, the ten points where a patient can delay or stop between diagnosis and a sustained start on therapy, and The 5 Layers of GTN™, taught through NextGen GTN™.

Patrick has spoken, moderated or served on panels at more than 25 industry conferences and hosts the Patients + Profitability™ podcast. More at patrickrcoyle.com.

Patrick R. Coyle is a pharmaceutical commercialization and Gross-to-Net advisor with more than 25 years of finance leadership, 18 of them in the pharmaceutical industry at companies including Bayer, Novartis, Insmed, Eisai and IQVIA. He served as Vic... Show more

Adil Lazar is a digital entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and the founder of UtahBoost and the Adil Lazar Digital Marketing Agency. Based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, he brings over 18 years of cross-industry experience in scaling local businesses, engineering high-impact SEO frameworks, and managing healthcare Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) operations. Having influenced substantial growth across hundreds of global brands, Adil specializes in bridging the gap between innovative digital strategies and measurable revenue generation.

Adil Lazar is a digital entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and the founder of UtahBoost and the Adil Lazar Digital Marketing Agency. Based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, he brings over 18 years of cross-industry experience in scaling local businesses,... Show more

Carl Kho builds local-first AI systems and researches silent-speech sensing in San Francisco. He is the author of Pareto-Optimal Model Selection for Low-Cost, Single-Lead EMG Control in Embedded Systems (arXiv:2601.06516), which benchmarks 18 architectures for embedded EMG control. His on-device medical document app, Health Passport, won the Qualcomm and Nexa on-device AI competition and is published on Google Play. He previously worked on storage fault injection at Dell.

Carl Kho builds local-first AI systems and researches silent-speech sensing in San Francisco. He is the author of Pareto-Optimal Model Selection for Low-Cost, Single-Lead EMG Control in Embedded Systems (arXiv:2601.06516), which benchmarks 18 archite... Show more

Rambabu Bolineni is a Senior Software Engineer and Data Engineer with over 14 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale data solutions across financial services, banking, insurance, and healthcare domains. Based in Hartford, Connecticut, he has built a strong reputation for modernizing legacy systems, implementing scalable data architectures, and ensuring regulatory compliance in highly controlled environments. His expertise spans Python, AWS, Snowflake, Airflow, and enterprise ETL frameworks, enabling him to develop efficient, reliable, and auditable data pipelines that support critical business operations.
Throughout his career, Rambabu has demonstrated deep proficiency in building and optimizing data platforms that process high volumes of complex data. At LPL Financial, he played a key role in developing a Commission Transformation Platform, where he designed scalable ETL pipelines, implemented intricate business logic for compensation systems, and ensured compliance with FINRA and SEC regulations. He has consistently focused on improving data quality, automating validation processes, and enhancing transparency through robust monitoring and governance frameworks. His work reflects a strong ability to translate complex business requirements into technical solutions that drive operational efficiency.
Prior to this, Rambabu contributed to healthcare and banking projects at organizations such as Sharecare, Santander Bank, and Citibank. He developed HIPAA-compliant data pipelines, supported FDIC regulatory initiatives, and built large-scale data integration systems for enterprise reporting. His experience includes working with diverse datasets such as biometric health data, depositor records, and financial transactions, where accuracy, compliance, and performance are critical. He is also experienced in collaborating with cross-functional teams, including compliance, risk, and business stakeholders, to deliver reliable and scalable data solutions.
Rambabu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering and brings a strong foundation in data engineering principles, combined with hands-on expertise in modern cloud technologies. He is recognized for his analytical approach, problem-solving skills, and commitment to building high-quality, production-ready data systems.

Rambabu Bolineni is a Senior Software Engineer and Data Engineer with over 14 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale data solutions across financial services, banking, insurance, and healthcare domains. Based in Hartford, Conne... Show more

Kerri Lynn Majors is an educator, published author, life coach, advocate, and inspirational speaker dedicated to helping people overcome adversity, discover purpose, and transform their lives through knowledge, hope, and personal growth.

She holds a Master of Education in Special Education and a BA in Criminology, with professional experience spanning public education, counseling, social work, including work in substance abuse and correctional rehabilitation.

As founder and CEO of Beauty in Human Growth, LLC, Kerri integrates a spiritual, biological, psychological, and social perspective to understand the whole person and inspire lasting change. Her personal journey, marked by profound challenges, perseverance, and a deep commitment to truth and dignity shapes her powerful message, that no one should be defined solely by mistakes, limitations, or circumstances. Whether speaking to educators, students, faith-based or professional audiences, Kerri bridges education, human behavior, and lived experience to deliver a message that is both challenging and deeply hopeful. Her mission is simple: "Know Hope when you feel no Hope, because your story isn't over.

Kerri Lynn Majors is an educator, published author, life coach, advocate, and inspirational speaker dedicated to helping people overcome adversity, discover purpose, and transform their lives through knowledge, hope, and personal growth. She hold... Show more

Melanie Warrick works in AI developer relations engineering at Temporal, with a focus on reliable AI systems and agents. She is co-founder and CTO of Fight Health Insurance, an AI platform for appealing denied health insurance claims. Her AI experience spans more than a decade, including open-source neural network software at Skymind, domain-model fine-tuning at Fight Health Insurance, and deploying AI applications in production. Her background also includes Google Cloud and leading engineering teams at startups, with experience across distributed systems, developer infrastructure, and health technology.

Melanie Warrick works in AI developer relations engineering at Temporal, with a focus on reliable AI systems and agents. She is co-founder and CTO of Fight Health Insurance, an AI platform for appealing denied health insurance claims. Her AI experien... Show more

Dawn A. Grimes, DDS is a Michigan dentist, practice owner, speaker, and advanced meditation teacher. After experiencing professional burnout, she developed a dedicated mindfulness practice and went on to complete 520 hours of accredited meditation-teacher training. She also holds Cornell certifications in Wellness Counseling and Psychology of Leadership and has completed Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Training Program. Her work focuses on mindfulness, emotional intelligence, stress management, and greater awareness in professional life.

Dawn A. Grimes, DDS is a Michigan dentist, practice owner, speaker, and advanced meditation teacher. After experiencing professional burnout, she developed a dedicated mindfulness practice and went on to complete 520 hours of accredited meditation-te... Show more

James Lesly didn't find yoga in a studio. He found it stretching on a cell floor, copying poses out of library books before he knew what they were called.

Four years inside, 46 days in solitary, and a body that never got the memo when the danger was over. When he got out, he put a 200-hour yoga teacher training on an old credit card. Then came a 200-hour trauma-informed training through the Prison Yoga Project, where he's now an Ambassador.

Since then he's taught corporate teams (Innergy Corporate Yoga), YMCA Montreal members, Club Med guests, older adults with Parkinson's and post-stroke clients, and yoga teachers in Bella Prāna Collective's 300-hour Advanced Studies training.

He founded Not Your Average Yogi, a Black-led Montreal nonprofit bringing trauma-informed yoga and breathwork to Black men, men coming home from prison and at-risk youth, and built Black Man. Breathe., a 10-week peer-led breathwork program. His memoir, Not Your Average Yogi: From Violence to Service, came out in 2026.

Every session is part story, part live practice. People leave with breathing tools they can use in their next meeting, shift or hard conversation.

In person across Canada (based in Montreal) · Virtual worldwide.

James Lesly didn't find yoga in a studio. He found it stretching on a cell floor, copying poses out of library books before he knew what they were called. Four years inside, 46 days in solitary, and a body that never got the memo when the danger w... Show more

Sarah Greenwood is Principal Product Manager for AI at Centric Software, where she went from junior to head of a region in five years and now leads one of the company's most visible AI products. Since entering the workforce she has multiplied her salary 6.7x, and she teaches the methods behind that openly, because fewer than 1 in 5 of the UK's top earners are women and she wants that changed. She started as a lingerie designer. She is the founder of Track & Thrive, a health-data platform she designed and built herself using AI, and runs Portobello Mornings, AI workshops for non-technical professionals.

Sarah Greenwood is Principal Product Manager for AI at Centric Software, where she went from junior to head of a region in five years and now leads one of the company's most visible AI products. Since entering the workforce she has multiplied her sal... Show more

Klaus Peter Rentrop is a pioneering cardiologist whose work has had a transformative impact on treating heart disease. In 2023, two key milestones underscored his lasting contributions: the 45th anniversary of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which he first performed in 1978, and the 30th anniversary of the American Society for Nuclear Cardiology, which he co-founded in 1993. These milestones reflect his significant role in shaping the landscape of modern cardiology.

Originally from Cologne, Germany, Dr. Klaus P. Rentrop now resides in New York, where he has built a distinguished career in cardiology. His medical education includes training at leading institutions in Germany and the United States, culminating in a Cardiology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in 1973. This experience provided the foundation for his pioneering work in heart disease treatment and cardiac research.

Klaus Peter Rentrop MD’s career is defined by his introduction of PCI in 1978. This groundbreaking procedure, which uses a catheter to open blocked coronary arteries, revolutionized the treatment of heart attacks. PCI quickly became the gold standard for treating heart attacks, improving survival rates, and shortening patient recovery times. In 1979, he also contributed to the establishment of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction, further enhancing the ability to treat heart attacks effectively in their early stages.

In 1985, Klaus P. Rentrop introduced the Rentrop Collateral Classification, a system designed to assess the collateral circulation in the heart. This classification has become essential in diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease, allowing healthcare providers to evaluate blockage severity better and determine the most appropriate treatment strategies.

Beyond his work in acute care, Klaus Peter has significantly contributed to treating chronic cardiovascular conditions. He holds a patent for the 0.8mm Spectronetics Laser catheter, which removes plaque from coronary and peripheral arteries. Additionally, he introduced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for cardiac imaging in the New York area. This diagnostic technology has become the standard for assessing coronary artery disease and guiding treatment decisions.

Klaus P. Rentrop is also dedicated to expanding access to advanced healthcare. He invested over $8.5 million from his patent royalties and seven-year salary to help bring cutting-edge cardiac care to underserved populations.

Klaus Peter Rentrop’s contributions to cardiology have saved lives and advanced the field. His work continues to inspire future cardiologists and improve patient care worldwide.

Klaus Peter Rentrop is a pioneering cardiologist whose work has had a transformative impact on treating heart disease. In 2023, two key milestones underscored his lasting contributions: the 45th anniversary of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)... Show more

Every dentist worries about it — the trusted employee who isn’t quite as trustworthy as they seem. That’s where David Harris comes in.
David may have the coolest job in dentistry — he helps dentists protect what they’ve worked so hard to build by tracking down the people who steal from them.
As CEO of Prosperident, the world’s largest firm devoted exclusively to investigating embezzlement in dental practices, David and his team have helped countless dentists uncover and recover from financial betrayal. His mission is simple: to ensure dentists stay focused on patient care, not on internal theft.
A Licensed Private Investigator, Forensic Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Fraud Examiner, David brings rare expertise and a deep understanding of how dental practices operate — and how to keep them safe.
He’s also the author of the definitive guide, Healers versus Stealers: How to Outsmart the Thief in Your Dental Practice, and his insights have been featured in virtually every major dental publication.
Dentists across North America have learned from David through his lively and informative presentations. His mix of real-world experience, sharp wit, and genuine care for the profession make him an audience favorite at dental conferences worldwide.
In recognition of his long service to dentistry, David is one of only a few non-clinicians to receive a Fellowship in the International Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics.
When David speaks, dentists walk away smarter, safer, and far better prepared to protect their practices.

Every dentist worries about it — the trusted employee who isn’t quite as trustworthy as they seem. That’s where David Harris comes in. David may have the coolest job in dentistry — he helps dentists protect what they’ve worked so hard to build by tr... Show more

Sri Charan Reddy Pennaka is a Senior Salesforce Business Analyst at Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., where he leads CRM and Sales Cloud operations for one of the world's largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturers. His work sits at the intersection of commercial strategy and enterprise technology: sales pipeline governance, low-code automation, data quality and compliance, and the executive reporting leadership depends on.

With over Four years in enterprise technology, he has built automation using record-triggered Flows and approval processes, designed security and access models for large user bases, and led data migration and governance initiatives in highly regulated environments. Earlier in his career he led the consolidation of 40 legacy applications onto a single unified Salesforce platform.

He is the published author of "Sales Pipeline Governance in Generic Pharmaceutical Companies: A Salesforce-Enabled Approach," and holds Salesforce Administrator, Platform Developer I, and Platform Developer II certifications.

Sri Charan Reddy holds a B.Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration. He speaks on enterprise CRM, data governance in regulated industries, and the practical realities of adopting AI inside compliance-heavy organizations.

Sri Charan Reddy Pennaka is a Senior Salesforce Business Analyst at Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., where he leads CRM and Sales Cloud operations for one of the world's largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturers. His work sits at the intersection of com... Show more