James Hewitt is a performance scientist, author and speaker whose works focuses on relationships between wellbeing, working patterns and performance in knowledge workers. His research also focuses on the influence of sleep, stress and technologies on the wellbeings of human and how the affects their productivity in the workplace. Hewitt has previously earned his Bachelor’s in sport and exercise science... read full bio
Anusha Wijeyakumar is a health and wellness speaker, author, and consultant who is the founder of Shanti Within, a holistic wellness organization based out of Orange County, California. Wijeyakumar has earned her B.A. from the University of Auckland and went on to earn her M.A. in Transnational Communications and Global Media from Goldsmiths College, U. of London. She is a... read full bio
Alfred A. Edmond Jr. is a business and financial journalist, entrepreneurship expert, executive, and public speaker and event moderator. Alfred is currently the SVP and Executive Editor-at-Large at Black Enterprise. Through his role, Alfred is responsible for brand, marketing, and content leadership. With Black Enterprise, Alfred began working as an associate editor working his way up to Senior VP/Editor-in-Chief and... read full bio
Patrick Awuah is an educator, engineer, and entrepreneur who is working on building new ways of higher education in Ghana, where he is from. Awuah has founded Ashesi University, which has gone on to earn him several awards and honors some of which include The Order of the Volta, John. P. McNulty Prize, MacArthur Fellowship and the Wise Prize of... read full bio
Dennis F. Hightower is a former Army Officer, a retired business executive, a college educator, and public servant who has previously been the 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce under President Barack Obama. Hightower was born in Washington, D.C., and he graduated from high school at 16 years old as class president. He immediately went on to study at... read full bio
David Ikard is a diversity speaker, author, and Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. Ikard’s research and teaching includes African American Literature, hip-hop culture, black feminist criticism, black masculinity and whiteness studies. Ikard has earned his B.A. from North Carolina State University, has earned his M.A. from North Carolina State University, and has earned his Ph.D.... read full bio
Talonya Geary is an author, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur who has worked for over 20 years in business and personal development. Geary has been the co-founder of the digital and print media publisher, Flawles Media, a company that is dedicated to queer lifestyle and entertainment. After a year of forming, Flawles began releasing the Flawles Magazine, which gained attention and... read full bio
Jessica Shortall is a speaker, writer, consultant, advocate, author, and strategist on business engagement in social impact and social and political issues. She is known for being the author of the book “Work, Pump, Repeat: The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work” and for her TED talk at TEDxSMU that is entitled, “The American Case... read full bio
Scottie Madden, born Scott James, is an author, writer, director, speaker, and showrunner. Madden was a late-stage trans women and has previously been in the television production industry for over 30 years. Scottie had been an alpha male that worked in male productions that would take people through jungles, glaciers, and deserts all over the world and Scottie worked as... read full bio
J.D. Schramm is a communication speaker, educator, author, advocate, and academic leader. Schramm is the Director of King Global Leadership Development Program, and a lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford University. Schramm has earned his BFA in Theatre from Emporia State University and went on to earn his MBA from New York University – Leonard N. Stern School of Business... read full bio
Lou Wilson is an up-and-coming actor and comedian who has most recently gained attention playing Richie in the Judd Apatow film “The King of Staten Island.” As a comedian, Wilson performs with UCB Harold Team ‘Yeti,’ and also performs in the monthly sketch showcase ‘Atlantic City.’ Wilson made his acting debut playing Dusty DelGrosso in the Funny or Die television... read full bio
Melissa Ambrosini is an Australian best-selling author, podcast host, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and self-love teacher. She is one of the most sought-after motivational speaker in Australia and has spoken in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and more. Ambrosini gives her audience members the skills to take ownership of their lives to unlock their full potential and talks on topics... read full bio
Atul Butte is a researcher in biomedical informatics and biotechnology entrepreneur. He has been head of the Institute for Computational Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and has been the executive director of clinical informatics for the University of California’s Health Sciences and Services. Butte has earned his A.B. with Honors in Computer Science from Brown University... read full bio
Max Lugavere is a filmmaker, journalist, and author who is known for his New York Times best-seller “Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life.” Since the release of Genius Foods, the book has gone on to be published in eight different languages. As a journalist, Lugavere focuses on health and science and has... read full bio
Elise McRoberts is a cannabis entrepreneur, consultant, creator, content producer, and activist who works to change and educate people on the way they view cannabis. As a consultant, McRoberts has worked in marketing, media relations, business development, brand strategy, and has been a top advisor for emerging and established cannabis brands. She has also worked with entertainment, lifestyle, and technology... read full bio
Heather Cabot is an award-winning journalist, keynote speaker, author, and former ABC News correspondent and anchor. As a journalist, Cabot has worked in digital, television, and print all over the country and has also been a television reporter and anchor for several years before being hired by ABC News to report on news from Washington, DC. This led her to... read full bio
Joel Selanikio has made important contributions to the fields of technology and healthcare. He is a visionary leader and compassionate doctor. He is a physician at Georgetown University and the co-founder and CEO of Magpi, a groundbreaking mobile data collecting platform. He is a prime example of how innovation can improve healthcare results and access. Joel started his career as a... read full bio
Jim Curtis is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, consultant, health advocate, and student of human engagement who is currently the Global CRO, CMO and Head of Brand at Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a company that creates a wellness ecosystem from information, to education, to practice. Curtis has earned his business degree from the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College... read full bio
Jess Ekstrom is the founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope and is also author of “Chasing the Bright Side.” As founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope, Ekstrom started the company when she was in college and sold headbands with every headband being sold, a headband was donated to a child with cancer. Since founding the company, it has... read full bio
Dr. Bill Thomas is an aging and healthcare expert, author, entrepreneur, musician, teacher, physician and farmer. He is best known for being the co-founder of the non-profit The Eden Alternative, which improves care for older people. He has also been the creator of The Green House Project and has co-founded ChangingAging.org. ChangingAging is a live and digital platform that address... read full bio
