Our Speakers
Richard Leider
Author
Richard’s work has been recognized with awards from the Bush Foundation, from which he was awarded a Bush Fellowship and the Fielding Institute’s Outstanding Scholar for Creative Longevity and Wisdom award. He was named a “Distinguished Alumni” by Gustavus Adolphus College, and to the “Hal...
Anne Emerick
Author
Someone who has always loved books. I love the connections that books make, whether it is reading them aloud with family or silently reading words that I could never say, but now know someone else feels too. The pictures I've posted include evidence of my life-long love affair with books....
Patty Azzarello
Author
Patty Azzarello is an executive, best-selling author, speaker, and CEO/Business Advisor. She has more than 25+ years of experience working in high tech and business. She has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales. She has been successful in run...
Dave Gowel
Author
Dave Gowel is the CEO of RockTech, a tech company with a platform that’s making the business web easier to use. Dave is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and of the U.S. Army Ranger School and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dave honorably completed his active du...
Adam Markel
Author
Adam is a self-described reinvention expert -- having successfully pivoted from workaholic attorney to purpose-driven social enterprise entrepreneur, business strategist and consultant, best selling author, CEO of one of the world's largest personal growth and business development companies. Adam en...
David Fisher
Author
David J.P. Fisher lives in Evanston, Illinois, next to a beautiful cemetery, which acts as a reminder every morning to not take life for granted. He is an entrepreneur, coach, salesman, writer, meditator, marketer, musician, son, friend, brother, slam poet, clairvoyant, comedian, salsa dancer, lover...
Michael Haubrich
Author
Michael is known for creatively blending traditional financial planning with contemporary thinking and tools to meet the work and life realities of today’s clients. Since starting Financial Service Group in 1983, Michael has been a relationship-focused industry innovator who is passionate about hi...
Bruce Tulgan
Author
Bruce Tulgan is an adviser to business leaders all over the world and a sought-after keynote speaker and seminar leader. He is the founder and CEO of RainmakerThinking, Inc., a management research and training firm, as well as RainmakerLearning, an online training resource. Bruce is the best-selling...
Jane Finkle
Author
Jane Finkle is a career coach and a consultant with over 25 years of experience. She has successfully helped clients to envision and achieve careers that are fulfilling and personally enriching. Previously, Jane served as Associate Director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania where,...
April Rinne
Author
April Rinne is a "change navigator," speaker, investor, and adventurer whose work and travels in more than 100 countries have given her a front-row seat to a world in flux. She is one of the 50 leading female futurists in the world, a Harvard Law School graduate, a Young Global Leader at the World ...
Federico Pistono
Federico Pistono is social entrepreneur, computer scientist, award-winning journalist, author, scientific educator, activist, and public speaker. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Verona, and in 2012 he graduated from Singularity University, NASA Ames Research Park. His rese...
Floyd Woodrow
Author
Floyd Woodrow is the Managing Director and founder of Chrysalis Worldwide, a world leading values-based organization. Floyd has an excellent track record of success as a Military Leader, Director, Non-Executive Director, Consultant and Negotiator. Floyd is challenging, supportive and totally commit...
Elaina Zuker
Author
A seasoned businesswoman, educator, author, and consultant, Ms. Zuker has held executive positions in publishing, higher education and communications. As a keynote speaker, she has addressed meetings and conferences in the industry, government and professional associations....
Tobin Porterfield
Author
My classes integrate hands-on experience and industry guest speakers. Outside the classroom, I encourage my students to engage with industry through site-visits, professional groups, research projects and case competitions. My research keeps me engaged with business technology and analytics in pr...
Michael Gelb
Author
Michael J. Gelb is the world’s leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. He is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership. Gelb leads seminars for organizations such as DuPont, Merck, Micro...
Debra Fine
Author
Debra researched and studied strategies for starting conversations, keeping them going, remembering names, “actively” listening, exiting with grace and generally making a positive impression on those with whom she struck up a conversation. The result is THE FINE ART OF SMALL TALK—a book handy ...
Carole Martin
Author
As a Human Resources Manager for many years, I interviewed thousands of people and watched them make major mistakes - and lose the job to someone else. Although I wanted to help them, I couldn't because I was on the other side of the desk. After I received my Master's degree in Career Counseling, I ...
Carol Kaemmerer
Author
I love to tell a good business story. I’ve been doing so in various ways most of my career. Since 2011, I’ve focused my marketing communications expertise on helping businesses and senior executives tell their stories with passion and authenticity. My passion-- is teaching executives how to o...
Karen Gurney
Author
Karen has 20 years of combined experience in executive search consulting, career coaching, and human resources. As the Director of Strategic Development of Career IQ, she leverages a Doctorate in Economic and Workforce Development and a Masters in Business Administration. Dr. Gurney’s work has b...
Alfred M Smith
Author
Al Smith, “the HIRED! guy,” is author of the job search manual “HIRED! Every Employment Method” and co-author of “HIRED! Paths to Employment in the Social Media Era,” which was an Amazon Best Seller and Amazon #1 Top Rated by Readers in all three of its categories. ...
Evelyn Salvador
Author
Evelyn Salvador, entrepreneur and founder of Creative Image Builders.com, a self-promotion and career management firm in Coram, NY, believes that whenever there is a real need to be met and challenge to be solved, vision, strategy, and creativity are key to success in maximizing personal or busin...
Patricia Troy Brooks
Author
Pat is a highly acclaimed workforce strategist, motivational speaker and published author, with over 30 years of empowering people to create the lives they imagine through purposeful living, job readiness training, and life transitioning strategies....
Mary Eileen Williams
Author
Mary Eileen Williams, M.A., NCCC, is a job search expert, author, blogger, speaker and radio host. As a Nationally Board Certified Career Counselor with a Master's Degree in Career Development, she has over twenty years’ experience as a career strategist working with jobseekers and career changers...
Nancy Bearg
Author
Nancy Bearg has had a long career in international security policy, including as National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States. Today she is a consultant focusing on national security reform, conflict prevention and post-conflict peace building, and teaches a university gradu...
David McKnight
Author
JDavid McKnight graduated from Brigham Young University with Honors in 1997. David is a nationally recognized speaker and his popular workshop “The Power of Zero” has been seen by thousands of Americans from coast to coast. This workshop was recently showcased on the main platform at Forum 400, ...
Mary Sterk
Author
Mary Sterk, CFP ®, is the owner of Sterk Financial Services in Dakota Dunes, SD. Mary’s inspirational story of fighting her way from Welfare to Wealth Management has motivated many people to believe that anything is possible. She built a better future despite a teenage pregnancy, living in low-in...
Rick and Wendy Walleigh
Author
Ms. Walleigh left the high-technology world and joined Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley where she held the position of Vice President of Marketing and Development until 2006 when she and her husband moved to Africa to do volunteer work for TechnoServe, an international economic development NGO (...
Hans Scheil
Hans E. Scheil, CFP®, is the CEO of North Carolina-based Cardinal Retirement Planning, Inc., and the author of “The Complete Cardinal Guide to Planning for and Living in Retirement.” Scheil is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional as well as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), Charte...
