Amy Webb may not be a superhero – but she does have a powerful ability to anticipate trends and emerging technology that will disrupt tomorrow. And she can envision and help prepare for the impact they’ll have on business and society. Now she’s teaching others, including corporate leaders, innovators and governments, to do the same. Founder of the Future Today Institute, Webb is a renowned futurist and strategist. For her, it’s not simply an interest; it’s a profession and a passion. Nor is “forecasting the future” about creating fantastical scenarios. Webb doesn’t simply make speculations or predictions; her work is evidence based, drawn from mapping and modeling quantitative and qualitative data collected in the present to understand what’s coming (5-20 years from now). Named to the 2017 Thinkers50 Radar list of management thinkers most likely to shape the future – and winner of its 2017 Distinguished Achievement Award – Webb is already making an impact on today’s Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, government agencies, large nonprofits, universities and startups worldwide. Focusing on the intersection of technology, business and society, she takes a purposefully broad lens to her work. When thinking about the future, most only look at their industry and direct competitors. Webb is adamant about looking at multiple, adjacent landscapes. “You have to be able to see the top of the forest in order to see where all the trees are and how they connect,” she says.

In 2007, Dr. Michael Sorrell faced a life-altering decision. He was part of an ownership group that was on the verge of purchasing the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and he would serve as the team’s president following the completion of the deal — a dream come true for him. At the same time, he was approached by Paul Quinn College, a failing institution, to serve as the historically Black college’s president in the interim while they sought out a permanent appointment to take over the role — a search that was proving difficult as the school continued to falter. Dr. Sorrell accepted the role, hoping it would be a brief side quest on his journey to becoming an NBA executive. In reality, it marked the beginning of a transformative and innovative era for the school that continues to this day. Dr. Sorrell has spearheaded one of the great turnaround stories of our time — leading Paul Quinn’s evolution from one of the worst in the nation to a higher education powerhouse. As the longest-tenured president in the college’s history, he has instilled a “WE Over Me” mentality in students, faculty, and the community at large and has been revered throughout his historic tenure for his ability to reimagine organizations to better serve the needs of the people that depend on them. He is a testament to the power of purpose and vision. Dr. Sorrell’s talks center on why the simplest approach to leadership is often the most effective one. As he engages the audience with the experiences that led him to Paul Quinn College, and the turnaround that followed, he introduces them to his “Four Ls” for leading with impact.

A business trailblazer and industry disruptor, Josh Luber combined his passion for entrepreneurship and sneakers to co-found StockX, the world’s first “Stock Market of Things,” with partners Dan Gilbert (co-founder and chairman of Quicken Loans and majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers), Greg Schwartz, and Chris Kaufman in 2015. As CEO, Luber led StockX’s rise from idea to billion-dollar company and cemented its status as the leading marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and collectibles in under three years.

Don is a former Apple and Kodak executive and a successful and revered Silicon Valley entrepreneur. The mind behind the world's first consumer digital camera, Strickland rose from an engineer at Kodak to a top executive leading a team of 15,000. He left to become Apple's Vice President of Imaging and Publishing before founding and eventually selling his own start-up, PictureWorks Technology.

Dr. Leroy Chiao has extensive experience as a NASA Astronaut and prior to that, as a Research Engineer. Chiao is a veteran of four space missions and has logged 229 days in space, earning the honor of commanding the International Space Station. He is also one of one of only 166 people to walk in space and was one of a few Americans to ever co-pilot a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Chiao discusses how commitment, training, and teamwork can produce extraordinary achievement by sharing anecdotes from his career as an astronaut.

Ram Charan is a world-renowned business advisor, author, and speaker who has spent the past 35 years working with top companies, CEOs, and boards. He is the best-selling author of 17 books – including Boards that Lead and Execution – that have sold more than two million copies He discusses growth, innovation, corporate governance, succession planning, and leadership; and has been called a “top 10 resource for in-house executive development” by BusinessWeek. A sought-after advisor for his ability to guide boards and CEOs, Charan provides practical, take-home strategies.

Erik Qualman, a #1 best-selling author, top technology and motivational speaker, and futurist, has performed in over 50 countries and reached 25 million people this decade. Erik was voted the "2nd Most Likeable Author in the World" behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling and has been called the "Digital Dale Carnegie" and the "Tony Robbins of Tech." His entertaining, educating, and empowering style is made possible by his revolutionary video-storytelling capability. Qualman is the chairman of Equalman Studios, which has produced film and animation projects for the likes of Disney, Cartier, IBM, and many other global brands. His best-selling business books are used in over 200 universities and have been translated into eight different languages. Qualman was formerly a sitting professor at Harvard & MIT’s edX labs and has received an honorary doctorate for his groundbreaking work. NYU Stern indicated that Erik Qualman is to digital leadership what Deming is to quality and Drucker is to management.

Joel fuses his knowledge of improvisation and his experience with the corporate world to create presentations that make a difference. His humor and style create a positive and comfortable environment for his audience that allows them to take risks and explore their creativity.

Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. A nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, she is also a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, writing on health policy and public health, and an on-air commentator for CNN as a medical analyst. The author of the critically-acclaimed book on patient advocacy, When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests (St. Martin’s Press, 2013), she has a forthcoming memoir to be published July 27th, Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health (Metropolitan Books, 2021). Previously, she served as health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, where she led the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department to combat the opioid epidemic and improve maternal and child health. She has also worked as director of patient-centered care research in the department of emergency medicine at George Washington University; president of Planned Parenthood; global health fellow at the World Health Organization; consultant to the China Medical Board; and distinguished fellow at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity.