A NASA astronaut, Joan Higginbotham is a trailblazing electrical engineer who in December 2006, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to become the third African American woman to travel into space. Over the nearly 13-day mission, she joined the seven-member crew to continue construction of the International Space Station (ISS), embarking on four space walks and operating the station’s robotic arm. Sharing captivating insights from her 20-year distinguished career with NASA, Higginbotham inspires audiences with her personal journey of breaking barriers into space and beyond. Taking groups aboard the International Space Station and sharing her lessons-learned along the way, she highlights the keys to succeeding in her missions – including preparation, perseverance, and never giving up – and how these tactics can be applied to any endeavor.

Rear Admiral Scott Moore is the former deputy commander of Naval Special Warfare. From the mountains of Afghanistan to briefings in the Oval Office, he is the man our nation’s leaders trust when failure is not an option. Whether leading a group of men or interfacing with Pakistani military leaders, he directed more than 2,000 missions and was involved in the marquee moments of our nation’s history. His presentations are a nail-biting, adrenaline-pumping glimpse into what it takes to create and lead high-performing teams.

Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler is an innovator, strategist, investigator, and leader who has broken barriers, led diverse teams, and built cultures of motivational leadership and inclusivity at some of the world’s most important organizations, including Bank of America and the FBI. In a career that has included many “firsts” across the U.S. government and financial services industries, she served as the FBI’s first African American female special agent assistant director as well as the Bureau’s first female national spokesperson and director of public and community affairs. In addition to defining the tools motivational leaders need to mindfully build more high-performing cultures, Chandler provides actionable insights on how to move the needle while leading with empathy.

Rear Admiral Mike Studeman is a decorated military leader and former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence who stands as one of the United States’ preeminent national security officials. His distinguished 35-year career has taken him to assignments around the globe and positioned him as one of the most influential voices on intelligence, foreign policy, and defense matters. He is an internationally recognized authority on Asian affairs with deep expertise on China. Studeman has led intelligence operations at every level — from the tactical to the strategic, through crises and war – and is an accomplished foreign policy practitioner with a track record of geostrategic impact.

A globally recognized brand-building innovator and a champion both of creativity and challenging the status quo in the workplace, Marisa Thalberg is 1 of only 18 to be inducted into the Forbes CMO Hall of Fame. She is considered one of the most dynamic and versatile marketing executives in the field, displaying versatility and adaptability that has led to her being an exceedingly successful leader in a diverse portfolio of industries, ranging from luxury beauty (The Estée Lauder Companies) and fast food (Taco Bell) to big box retail (Lowe’s Home Improvement) and theme parks and entertainment (SeaWorld/Busch Gardens). Her passionate advocacy for women at work led her on the path to social entrepreneurship as the founder of Executive Moms, an organization created to connect and support accomplished women who are both professionals and moms. In this capacity, Thalberg became an early leading voice and supporter for women, and particularly mothers, in the workplace, appearing across a range of media outlets including The TODAY Show, FOX, CNN, NBC News, and many more.

From Navy SEALs to legislative and policy experts, the McChrystal Group brings a wealth of practical leadership experience in running multi-national, multi-agency, culturally diverse, and geographically dispersed organizations. From the battlefield to the boardroom, McChrystal Group has assembled the best leadership practices into a transformational leadership system called CrossLead

Darren McBurnett (SEAL) Ret. is a combat veteran and diverse, multi-faceted operator. As a SEAL platoon leader and senior enlisted advisor, he deployed numerous times into combat zones in four U.S. operational theaters. His message is not only motivational and inspiring on a corporate level, but also promotes individual and personal growth navigating in our ever changing adverse environment where critical decision-making and leadership skills are absolutely vital for success. His visually breathtaking multimedia presentation highlights the untapped potential and Never Quit intestinal drive that is the cornerstone of Navy SEAL success and shares the defining characteristics that promote leadership and sacrifice in the SEAL Teams.

On a crusade to reduce stress, improve communication, and put the heart back into business, Amanda Gore helps her clients get more out of life. Stressing the importance of creating joyful corporate communities that bring people together productively and profitably, Gore discusses how to develop relationships that work at work.

Rear Admiral Paul Becker is a strategic planner, operational innovator, global risk manager and cyber security professional. He served three decades as a Naval Intelligence Officer where he built and led large, successful, interagency and international teams around the globe in peace, crisis and combat.

Jack Becker is a teamwork, human performance, and safety professional whose years of expertise drove him to found Flight Level Solutions. Jack has dedicated his career to helping teams and individuals reduce human error and perform at peak levels every day. He has served as a carrier-based F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet pilot, instructor pilot, landing signal officer, quality assurance officer, budget operations officer, and crew resource management instructor. Jack is a decorated combat veteran having flown strike missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and has graduated from the U.S. Navy Crew Resource Management School. In addition to leading FLS, Jack serves as an officer in the US Navy Reserve. Not only is Jack Becker a Navy fighter pilot, he’s also a professional musician. He plays the guitar, piano and signs at venues up and down and the East Coast when he’s not on stages speaking. Have Jack play the guitar or piano and sing along at your opening or closing reception - he knows over 1,800 songs by heart and the attendees can make requests and sing along with him to add some fun - just like in the TOPGUN movies!

Cy Wakeman is a dynamic international keynote speaker, drama researcher, New York Times best-selling author, and global thought leader and business consultant with over 25 years of unparalleled experience who is recognized for cultivating a counter-intuitive, reality-based approach to leadership. Grounded in reality, Wakeman’s philosophy has helped organizations and individuals all over the world learn to ditch the drama and turn excuses into results. Named one of the “Top 100 Leadership Experts to Follow” on Twitter for seven years in a row, Wakeman’s influence continues to build. She was also recognized as #23 on the Global Gurus 2019 list of the World’s Top 30 Leadership Professionals around the world for 2019. Her programs are consistently ranked by participants as the single most impactful training they have ever received.

Serving more than 36 years on active duty, Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley, Jr. is a career Army intelligence officer who has served at the highest level of U.S. national security and intelligence. His final assignment was as the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) – reporting directly to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security and the Secretary of Defense. Prior to the DIA, Lieutenant General Ashley served as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, where he was the senior advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff for all aspects of intelligence, counterintelligence, and security. Through engaging insider stories and insights from his extensive career at the center of intelligence and security, Lieutenant General Ashley examines the current geopolitical landscape, the intelligence community’s role in national policy, as well as the threats and challenges facing the nation today and in the future. Drawing on more than 36 years of military service, he combines study, personal experience, and observation to share lessons-learned from our most consequential military leaders, present and past, and breaks down how to apply these leadership insights at any organization.