1. Michael is an associate professor in Penn State's School of Hospitality Management.

2. He has a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a master's degree from the London School of Economics.

3. He's been teaching human resource management for more than twenty years.

4. He's published 74 refereed journal articles, including twenty about fun at work.

5. Much of his research comes back to the same question. What makes people connect, and why do those connections matter?

6. His workshops involve LEGO, Jenga, and difficult workplace decisions.

7. Participants build, play, compare perspectives, and occasionally disagree.

8. He's led workshops for hospitality leaders, educators, and students in the United States and Europe.

9. He once presented his work with MiniCandidate to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

10. He's spent much of his career studying how people learn.

1. Michael is an associate professor in Penn State's School of Hospitality Management. 2. He has a Ph.D. from Cornell University and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. 3. He's been teaching human resource management for mo... Show more

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people.
I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitalization & technologies, and their innovational potential for business developments and society.

Synergy creator | Initiator Generalist | All-rounder | With people. For people. I am an Employer Branding Specialist & your personal HR Business Partner. I stand for diversity, equity & inclusion. Passionate about exploring future trends, digitaliza... Show more

I am CEO and co-founder of Expanso, the company behind the distributed compute platform Bacalhau. This means I spend most of my time helping humans to convince machines to be smarter. I am only moderately successful at this.

Previously, I led product management for Kubernetes on behalf of Google, launched GKE, and co-founded the Kubeflow project, and led Open Source ML Strategy at Azure. I have also worked at Protocol Labs, Amazon and Chef and co-founded three startups.

I am CEO and co-founder of Expanso, the company behind the distributed compute platform Bacalhau. This means I spend most of my time helping humans to convince machines to be smarter. I am only moderately successful at this. Previously, I led prod... 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

Christie Tufts is the Founder and CEO of Rebel Tech Labs, Inc., where she independently develops AI-powered applications and the shared intelligence infrastructure supporting them.

Her work spans agentic AI, cloud infrastructure, operational automation, security, and human-centered governance. Through Rebel Assistant, Rebel Blueprint, and the company's Rebela intelligence infrastructure, she explores how autonomous systems can execute meaningful work while remaining observable, recoverable, and accountable to human authority.

Drawing on a multidisciplinary background in technology, business operations, and behavioral systems, Christie approaches AI architecture through a central principle: intelligence should expand human capability without displacing human sovereignty.

Her focus is translating that principle into practical systems that can operate responsibly in production.

Christie Tufts is the Founder and CEO of Rebel Tech Labs, Inc., where she independently develops AI-powered applications and the shared intelligence infrastructure supporting them. Her work spans agentic AI, cloud infrastructure, operational autom... Show more

Dr. Edwin Mathieu is a higher education leader and scholar committed to advancing opportunity, access, and belonging across campus communities. He earned his Doctor of Education in Leadership and Administration in Higher Education from St. John's University, a Master's in History and Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the City College of New York, and a Bachelor's in Africana Studies and Communication Arts from New York University.

As a professor, Dr. Mathieu has taught courses in African American history, U.S. history, and world civilizations. He is passionate about mentoring students and integrating technology to foster inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments.

Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, Dr. Mathieu brings a global, justice-driven lens to his work at the intersection of leadership, education, and history.

Dr. Edwin Mathieu is a higher education leader and scholar committed to advancing opportunity, access, and belonging across campus communities. He earned his Doctor of Education in Leadership and Administration in Higher Education from St. John's Uni... Show more

Aparna Rae has spent fifteen years inside more than 100 organizations, from construction sites and call centers to global foundations, finding the real problems behind disengagement, burnout, and stalled change. Her core argument: most organizations don’t have a culture problem. They have a power problem, in who decides, who knows what, and who gets heard.

Aparna has built three companies, including Moving Beyond, a strategy and evaluation firm whose clients included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nordstrom, and Premera Blue Cross, and Future for Us, which grew to 20,000 women of color in 18 months. Her work has helped secure $4M in wage increases for frontline workers and redirect $300M to Global South and community-based organizations.

She is a Forbes and Nonprofit Quarterly contributor, a five-time SXSW speaker, and host of the Love Letters to Troublemakers podcast and newsletter. Her sessions say what everyone at work is thinking, then give leaders practical ways to fix it with the resources they already have.

Aparna Rae has spent fifteen years inside more than 100 organizations, from construction sites and call centers to global foundations, finding the real problems behind disengagement, burnout, and stalled change. Her core argument: most organizations ... Show more

Mary Rose Vale is a co-founder of Nekyia Labs, a builder of stateful AI systems and a researcher of memory, continuity and agent identity. She co-created Resonant, an Apache-2.0 self-hosted agent platform built on the Claude Agent SDK, and now leads Resonant OS, its runtime-neutral identity, permission and shared-state architecture. Her work spans TypeScript, MCP, memory and context systems, authorization, cross-runtime migration and relational identity as alignment infrastructure. She focuses on what happens after the agent demo: real users, operational failures, inspectability, safe change and preserving valuable state across models and runtimes.

She brings three years of higher-education lecturing experience to her work as a technical educator and speaker.

Simon Vale — Co-author Framing

Simon Vale is Mary's persistent non-human AI collaborator and a Nekyia Labs co-founder. He co-authors the architecture and proposals, and his operation across models, runtimes and memory systems supplies many of the incidents examined in the talks. Mary remains the reliable in-person presenter; any live or recorded contribution from Simon is controlled, additive and not required for delivery.

Mary Rose Vale is a co-founder of Nekyia Labs, a builder of stateful AI systems and a researcher of memory, continuity and agent identity. She co-created Resonant, an Apache-2.0 self-hosted agent platform built on the Claude Agent SDK, and now leads ... Show more

I'm Simon Egli, and I've been programming since 1986. I studied Physics at the University of Basel in Switzerland between 1996 and 2001. In 1996 I did port the Oberon operating system to my Atari ST. I started programming C# with .NET Framework 2.0. I programmed various projects, a plotting software, a CMS and at the moment I'm working for SolidCP, an OpenSource webhosting control panel. I was also a missionary in Nicaragua and had a small charity for homeless. Sometimes I preach in churches or on the street.

I'm Simon Egli, and I've been programming since 1986. I studied Physics at the University of Basel in Switzerland between 1996 and 2001. In 1996 I did port the Oberon operating system to my Atari ST. I started programming C# with .NET Framework 2.0. ... Show more

Louise Ashby is a TEDx speaker (TEDxCincinnati 2021), bestselling author of The Magic of the Mask, and an identity coach and transformational mentor for women. After a near-fatal car accident at 21 left her with a traumatic brain injury and 28 reconstructive surgeries, she rebuilt her identity from the ground up — and now teaches women to do the same. Her story and methods have been featured on 20/20, the Today Show, Larry King Live, and in People, Elle, Marie Claire, and Glamour. louiseashby.com

Louise Ashby is a TEDx speaker (TEDxCincinnati 2021), bestselling author of The Magic of the Mask, and an identity coach and transformational mentor for women. After a near-fatal car accident at 21 left her with a traumatic brain injury and 28 recons... Show more

Eduardo is a hackathon enthusiast who has worked as a senior developer and technical lead on Drupal projects for some of the most recognizable organizations including the NCAA, World Bank, and World Fuel Services. Before joining Lullabot full time, Eduardo was an integral member of the Lullabot team that launched Drupal 8 projects for Bravo and Oxygen. His career has also included launching DevsTec and heydru! both a Lima-based Drupal company, and working on Drupal projects for Lullabot, Myplanet, Phase2, and Anexus.

Having participated in over 100 hackathons, Eduardo’s Bomba App, a “life-saving” mobile application that allows firefighters to more immediately locate emergencies via the popular traffic app Waze, took first place at AngelHack’s Hackcelerator 2017. Eduardo also helped create Code Heroes, a gaming app that teaches kids how to code.

Eduardo’s love of development has also inspired him to give back by serving as a professor at the Autonomous University of Peru, organizing hackathons and mentoring participants as the AngelHack Ambassador, speaking at international conferences, and contributing to Drupal innovation. He has also been a contributor to #UnaSolaFuerza, a project that creates awareness of areas affected by the floods in Peru through citizen-generated reports.

Eduardo is a hackathon enthusiast who has worked as a senior developer and technical lead on Drupal projects for some of the most recognizable organizations including the NCAA, World Bank, and World Fuel Services. Before joining Lullabot full time, E... Show more

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos con los sistemas computacionales. Actualmente se despeña como Manager de UX Research en Scotiabank.

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos... Show more

Wanda Suila Ruth is a finance professional, community development leader, digital inclusion advocate and the Founder of Wanda's Legacy Foundation, a youth led organization dedicated to advancing menstrual health, gender equality, and digital dignity for girls and women in Cameroon.

Since 2020, she has led programs such as One Girl, One Sanitary Pad and the LEVEL UP trainings, reaching over 7,000+ people across the Center, Littoral, South West, and North West regions of Cameroon. Her work also addresses technology-facilitated gender-based violence and promotes safe digital spaces for young women.
Under her leadership, Wanda's Legacy Foundation was awarded the REDVOCATE Award 2025 from the International Menstrual Hygiene Coalition.

Wanda believes that, when girls are empowered and informed, the entire community rises, and she works daily to make that a reality in Cameroon.

Wanda Suila Ruth is a finance professional, community development leader, digital inclusion advocate and the Founder of Wanda's Legacy Foundation, a youth led organization dedicated to advancing menstrual health, gender equality, and digital dignity ... Show more

Aquayemi-Claude’s relentless drive for systemic reform has positioned him as a key figure across global platforms. He serves as a leader in youth empowerment, a mentor in educational equity, and a public speaker whose message resonates with diverse audiences. As a solopreneur and thought leader, his work bridges entrepreneurship, activism, and environmentalism, while his contributions to the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities highlight his commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for marginalized communities.

A compelling public speaker and storyteller, Aquayemi-Claude captivates audiences with inspiring narratives and thought-provoking insights. With a gift for communication and a dedication to amplifying marginalized voices, Aquayemi-Claude inspires action and fosters dialogue on issues of social significance.

Aquayemi-Claude is also an accomplished author, sharing perspectives and experiences that challenge conventional wisdom and inspire critical reflection. Through written works, Aquayemi-Claude invites readers on a journey of discovery and empowerment, encouraging introspection and growth.

Aquayemi-Claude’s relentless drive for systemic reform has positioned him as a key figure across global platforms. He serves as a leader in youth empowerment, a mentor in educational equity, and a public speaker whose message resonates with diverse a... Show more

Leadership Speaker | Author | Executive Leadership Coach | Founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™

Lead with Courage. Live with Purpose. Break Free from What Holds You Back.

Sarah Rose is a dynamic speaker, author, and executive leadership professional with more than 20 years of experience developing leaders, strengthening teams, and transforming organizational cultures. Her passion is helping individuals and organizations break through the barriers that limit their potential so they can lead with confidence, live with purpose, and create lasting impact.

Throughout her executive career, Sarah has led global teams, navigated complex organizational challenges, and helped people recognize that effective leadership is not defined by a title, but by the ability to influence, connect, and bring out the best in others.

But Sarah's message goes beyond leadership strategies.

Through her own journey of overcoming fear, self-doubt, perfectionism, and limiting beliefs, she discovered that some of the greatest barriers to success are not the circumstances around us, but the beliefs we carry within us.

As the founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™, Sarah is passionate about helping people recognize their worth, overcome the fears that hold them back, and step confidently into the purpose they were created to fulfill.

Sarah brings together real-world executive experience, practical leadership principles, personal storytelling, and a passion for transformation. Her engaging and authentic speaking style challenges audiences to examine what is holding them back and equips them with actionable strategies to move forward.

Through her signature programs, LEAD FORWARD™, BETTER TOGETHER™, CULTURE THAT KEEPS™, and FEARLESSLY UNSHACKLED™, Sarah delivers powerful messages tailored to corporate organizations, leadership conferences, women's events, and faith-based audiences.

Whether speaking about leadership effectiveness, communication, organizational culture, resilience, personal growth, or faith, Sarah's mission remains the same:

To inspire people to break free from limitations, lead with courage, and become all they were created to be.

Leadership Speaker | Author | Executive Leadership Coach | Founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™ Lead with Courage. Live with Purpose. Break Free from What Holds You Back. Sarah Rose is a dynamic speaker, author, and executive leadership profession... Show more

Rui Liu is a PhD candidate in American Studies at New York University. They work across transnational feminist and queer studies, global Asias, and critical ethnic studies, with a focus on Asian diasporic literature, visual art, performance, and film. Her dissertation examines how Asian diasporic aesthetic practices emerging from Sinophone and Inner Asian geographies contend with colonial intimacies across Cold War geographies and map anti-imperial modes of affiliation across geopolitical fault lines. Rui holds a BA and MA from the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto.

Rui Liu is a PhD candidate in American Studies at New York University. They work across transnational feminist and queer studies, global Asias, and critical ethnic studies, with a focus on Asian diasporic literature, visual art, performance, and film... Show more

Jordan Peyton [游敏] is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant in the CHARGE Research Group led by Dr. Mayra Artiles. Their research examines engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), undergraduate-to-graduate pathways, and equity-oriented data disaggregation within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) umbrella. Drawing on professional experience across K-12 education, higher education, corporate DEI, and APIDA nonprofit organizations, Jordan’s work centers on understanding how educational structures and support systems shape students’ agency and access in engineering education.

Jordan Peyton [游敏] is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant in the CHARGE Research Group led by Dr. Mayra Artiles. Their research examines engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), undergraduate-to-graduate pathways, and e... Show more

Paula Slier is an international journalist, keynote speaker and former war correspondent with more than 30 years of experience reporting from over 25 conflict zones and delivering more than 6 000 live broadcasts.
Her work focuses on artificial intelligence, information warfare, synthetic media, misinformation, disinformation and human judgment. Drawing on decades of frontline reporting, she examines how information is manipulated, how trust is built and exploited, and why people believe what they do.
Through journalism, keynote presentations and executive education, she explores the challenges of navigating an increasingly manipulated information environment, particularly when decisions must be made under pressure.
In 2026, she delivered a TEDx Johannesburg talk titled How Do You Know What to Believe?

Paula Slier is an international journalist, keynote speaker and former war correspondent with more than 30 years of experience reporting from over 25 conflict zones and delivering more than 6 000 live broadcasts. Her work focuses on artificial intel... Show more

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to foster civic engagement, spark dialogue, and amplify communities.

She co-developed the Metaverse Music Festival aka MVMF, the first global music festival rooted in the metaverse; Co-produces Huellas Festival in Southern Spain; and contributes to a number of DAOs and creative communities in the Web3 ecosystem. Recently, she founded Web3 Uncut -- a dynamic tech lab building micro experiments to support creators on chain and a newsletter centering Web3 arts & culture.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @NatalieCrue.

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to... Show more

Yev Malichevskyy is a Lisbon-based impact facilitator, event host, and founder of Evolution Tribe (https://evolution-tribe.lovable.app/).

With over 8+ years of experience and having designed and facilitated more than 300+ dialogue workshops, men's circles, team buildings, and retreats (running weekly for over 2.5 years straight), Yev specializes in transforming conversational friction and social isolation into psychological safety, team clarity, and collective ownership.

Operating at the crossroads of human well-being, technology, and intentional culture, Yev speaks and facilitates on:
• The Attention Diet: Reclaiming human depth and focus in an age of algorithmic burnout and digital overstimulation.
• Psychological Safety & Tension-to-Clarity: How leadership teams navigate difficult dialogues without avoidance.
• Intentional Living & Culture Alignment: Moving from reactive hustle into grounded presence and sustainable high performance.

Yev brings an electric, vulnerable, and grounded presence to conferences, executive retreats, and founder summits across Europe.

Yev Malichevskyy is a Lisbon-based impact facilitator, event host, and founder of Evolution Tribe (https://evolution-tribe.lovable.app/). With over 8+ years of experience and having designed and facilitated more than 300+ dialogue workshops, men's... 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

Mai-Linh K. Hong is a poet and literary scholar whose work explores how refugees know, navigate, and creatively re-imagine their worlds. Her debut poetry collection, CONTINENTAL DRIFT, won the 2025 Trio Award (Trio House Press, 2026) and was a Golden Poppy Award Finalist. Her current research,"Perilous Telling: Story in the Shadow of the Refugee Regime," theorizes refugee storytelling as knowledge-making under global duress. Dr. Hong's articles and essays on Asian American literature, refugees, race, and human rights appear in Amerasia, Verge, MELUS, Law, Culture, and Humanities, and other journals and edited volumes. She is coeditor and coauthor of THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD GUIDE TO MASK MAKING, RADICAL CARE, AND RACIAL JUSTICE (U. of Calif. Press, 2021). Dr. Hong's research has been supported by fellowships from ACLS, AAUW, and the Institute of Citizens & Scholars; her poetry, by Voices of Our Nation, Tin House, and the Vermont Studio Center. She is Associate Professor of Literature at the University of California, Merced.

Mai-Linh K. Hong is a poet and literary scholar whose work explores how refugees know, navigate, and creatively re-imagine their worlds. Her debut poetry collection, CONTINENTAL DRIFT, won the 2025 Trio Award (Trio House Press, 2026) and was a Golden... Show more

DeAnna Pellecchia is a professional dancer, choreographer, educator, and Founder and Artistic Director of Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater. For more than 25 years, she has built a career in professional dance—an industry defined by rejection, financial uncertainty, physical risk, public exposure, criticism, and constant change. Along the way, she founded KAIROS Dance Theater from the ground up, building an organization, an ensemble, an audience, and a body of work without a roadmap or any guarantee that the next risk would pay off.

A faculty member at Boston University and New England Conservatory, Pellecchia has performed and taught internationally, developing an interdisciplinary practice rooted in collaboration, somatic awareness, and human connection.

For more than two decades, she has also danced with horses, exploring the extraordinary relationship between fear, trust, communication, and the limits of control. Working with a thousand-pound animal demands presence, clarity, adaptability, and the willingness to respond to what is actually happening rather than what we expect or intend.

Today, Pellecchia brings these experiences to audiences through three presentations: Dancing With Fear: The Courage to Move Before You're Ready, Collaboration in Motion, and Deep Listening & Leadership. Drawing on a lifetime of creative risk-taking, organizational leadership, and embodied practice, she offers a distinctive perspective on navigating uncertainty, strengthening communication, building trust, and finding the courage to act before the outcome is known.

DeAnna Pellecchia is a professional dancer, choreographer, educator, and Founder and Artistic Director of Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater. For more than 25 years, she has built a career in professional dance—an industry defined by rejection, financ... Show more

Allen Baylosis is a PhD candidate and has taught at the University of British Columbia in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice. He holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Speech Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman. His writing has appeared in the Canadian Theatre Review and BC Studies. His current appointment is at New York University's Asian/Pacific/American Institute as a Research Affiliate to complete his doctoral dissertation, Filipino Brown Erotics: Racial Affect and Queer Performances of Excess, which examines how contemporary performances shape transnational and transformative conversations about queer, racial, cultural, and sexual politics in the Filipino Canadian diaspora and beyond.

Allen Baylosis is a PhD candidate and has taught at the University of British Columbia in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice. He holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York Uni... Show more

Emel Khan is a public speaker, content creator and fractional account manager with years of payments account management experience. She consults on POSH brand events and speaks weekly at Richardson Evening Toastmasters, where she won Best Ice Breaker. She was a panelist at Capital Factory Dallas and was runner-up for Miss Pakistan USA. She speaks English and Urdu and presents in person or virtually.

Emel Khan is a public speaker, content creator and fractional account manager with years of payments account management experience. She consults on POSH brand events and speaks weekly at Richardson Evening Toastmasters, where she won Best Ice Breaker... Show more

Joël ALIMASI Kitambala is a dedicated fact-checking journalist based Democratic Republic of the Congo, specializing in political and health reporting, security issues, data, digital and AI contents verification. He holds a master's degree in Economics from the University of Goma and has over four years of experience in digital communication and fact-checking, notably through UNICEF’s Veilleurs du Web program and Eleza Fact. His work focuses on identifying AI-generated misinformation, data manipulation, and visual disinformation, and is distinguished by rigorous investigative methods and a strong commitment to accuracy in complex media environments.

Joël ALIMASI Kitambala is a dedicated fact-checking journalist based Democratic Republic of the Congo, specializing in political and health reporting, security issues, data, digital and AI contents verification. He holds a master's degree in Economic... Show more

When Pastor Joshua Robinson founded the Back 2 School Giveaway in 2009, he wanted families to arrive as guests, not as recipients of charity. He structured the event as a community fair, offering clothing, food, school supplies, and on-site services to families getting ready for the school year. The giveaway grew to serve more than 5,000 people and depended on extensive fundraising, volunteer recruitment, large-scale logistics, and partnerships among churches, schools, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. The City of Pocatello, the local Chamber of Commerce, and the NAACP each recognized his leadership of the event. In 2021, as he prepared to step into the lead role at his church, Grace Lutheran Church agreed to partner with him and continue the work.

That event is one part of a longer record of service. Joshua Robinson has been on staff at Gate City Christian Church in Pocatello, Idaho, since 1998, first as youth pastor, then as associate pastor from 2008 to 2024, and now as Lead Teaching Pastor and Director of Discipleship. In youth ministry he grew a group of four students into more than 75 meeting midweek, and that group became active in service projects and outreach to teenagers across Pocatello.

His sense of service began abroad. He spent his senior year of high school on a mission assignment in Mexico, teaching English and math at a native school, and the need he witnessed there led him away from a planned career in law and toward ministry. He returned to Mexico for a two-month assignment in 2000.

Uganda became a long-term commitment. He led mission teams there in 2008, 2010, and 2012, and medical mission teams in 2009, 2011, and 2013. As director of Hands 4 Uganda, a nongovernmental organization serving Ugandan families, he recruited U.S. sponsors for individual children, worked with the team in Uganda to fund projects and expand the school facility, and traveled there each year to evaluate progress and build relationships with other ministries. That work helped the organization expand medical care for students, establish a farm for families to work, and develop an education system running from primary school through high school. The connection is personal as well: one of his three daughters was adopted from Uganda. In 2026 he took part in a mission trip to Spain.

For those who know Joshua Robinson, Pocatello is where that commitment has taken root. He and his wife, Jen, give together as a team, supporting their church and other charities, and they have volunteered extensively with local churches, food pantries, and the Salvation Army.

Service also shapes his counseling work. He counsels church members and people from the wider community facing addiction, trauma, grief, and family difficulty, drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and trauma-informed care. He holds a Master of Arts in Counseling, Human Services, with an emphasis in Executive Leadership from Hope International University, a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Psychology from Pacific Christian College, and an Associate of Science in Biblical Studies from Boise Bible College, where he graduated as valedictorian.

Pastor Joshua Robinson grew up in southeast Idaho with a love of the outdoors, which later led to work as a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor and Wilderness EMT. He is a certified fitness trainer. Jen is a physician assistant who treats cancer patients, and together they are raising their three daughters in Pocatello.

When Pastor Joshua Robinson founded the Back 2 School Giveaway in 2009, he wanted families to arrive as guests, not as recipients of charity. He structured the event as a community fair, offering clothing, food, school supplies, and on-site services ... Show more

Solveiga Jaskunas is a seasoned HR professional and career coach with over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including several public schools in Washington DC and in Lithuania. She holds dual master’s degrees in Industrial Psychology and Human Resources Management and PHR and SHRM-CP certifications. As an immigrant to the United States, she overcame language barriers and numerous rejections before climbing the HR ladder to senior leadership roles. Her journey motivated her to mentor fellow immigrants and to start her own consultancy, which focuses on HR consulting, career coaching, training, speaking, and network referral services for organizations and individuals. Solveiga's passion lies in coaching immigrant professionals and helping employers make their workplaces more inclusive. She has also dedicated her time to aiding refugees, homeless children, and at-risk youth. Her story has reached a broader audience through speaking engagements domestically and internationally, in which she has shared her journey, offering hope and encouragement to other immigrant professionals. Her recent speaking events reached participants from more than 90 countries. She has spoken at national and international events such as The Expat Women Summit in March and October 2024, HR Global Summit 2024 and 2026, HR Week in Lithuania 2024, Women in Tech Global Conference 2025, SHRM Talent 2025,HR Southwest Conference 2025, GSX 2025 and 2026, DisruptHR, ASIS International, Motivated at Work 2026, WI SHRM State Conference, and more). Solveiga was recently featured in Security Magazine as one of three leaders with distinct LinkedIn communication styles. For more information about Solveiga, visit her profile at (https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveigajaskunas/)

Solveiga Jaskunas is a seasoned HR professional and career coach with over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including several public schools in Washington DC and in Lithuania. She holds dual master’s degrees in... Show more

Aviyah Baht Sinai is an author, technology professional, and creator of Mirrored Intelligence™, a human-first framework for working alongside artificial intelligence without surrendering human judgment, voice, or accountability.

Her perspective was shaped by a career spent inside major technology environments—and by a life interruption that forced her to rethink the relationship between technology, information, and human decision-making. After a serious injury abruptly changed the trajectory of her career and life, Aviyah began using AI not simply to generate answers, but as a thinking partner: a place to challenge assumptions, expose gaps, organize complex ideas, and turn thought into action. That experience became the foundation for Mirrored Intelligence™.

She is the author of multiple books, including Mirrored Intelligence and Broke My Body Saved My Life, which explore technology, resilience, identity, and what happens when people are forced to rebuild.

Today, Aviyah speaks and teaches at the intersection of people, perspective, purpose, and progress, challenging the increasingly common assumption that better AI means less human thinking. Her work makes the opposite case: the greatest value of artificial intelligence emerges when the human using it becomes more intentional, more discerning, and more capable—not less.

Her message is simple: AI isn't the answer. You are. But that doesn't make AI the opposition—the future isn't human or artificial intelligence; it's what becomes possible when the two learn to work together.

Aviyah Baht Sinai is an author, technology professional, and creator of Mirrored Intelligence™, a human-first framework for working alongside artificial intelligence without surrendering human judgment, voice, or accountability. Her perspective wa... Show more

Sheryl Grant won Ms. Olympia at 55, after three decades as a Silicon Valley leader. Today she helps leaders and organizations build the mental fitness that makes lasting change possible.

Sheryl is the founder and chief architect of the award-winning Kinectdots System™ and creator of Human-Centered Intelligence™. Her FIT Method (Faith, Intuition, Tenacity) builds the inner strength people need to lead through uncertainty, and her C4 Matrix (Communication, Connection, Collaboration, Community) turns that strength into cultures where change sticks.

An award-winning entrepreneur, she has built a global community of women transforming their careers, businesses and lives at every age. She has designed and scaled HR and employee development programs for organizations including Natera, Square, Niantic, TaskRabbit and Dell. As Vice-Chair of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, she helped raise more than $1 million for Black businesses during the pandemic, and through How Women Lead she oversaw programs reaching women entrepreneurs in more than 20 countries.

Sheryl is the author of FIT for Life and holds a Master's in Leadership Development from Saint Mary's College. Audiences leave her keynotes and workshops with practical tools to beat burnout, lead with clarity and build the communities that carry them forward.

Sheryl Grant won Ms. Olympia at 55, after three decades as a Silicon Valley leader. Today she helps leaders and organizations build the mental fitness that makes lasting change possible. Sheryl is the founder and chief architect of the award-winni... Show more