When the world’s top companies want to understand what’s next for their businesses and how they can create the next big breakthrough in their industries, they turn to world-renowned futurist Sheryl Connelly. Connelly is a global trends and consumer expert whose mastery at identifying what’s coming around the corner and the potential influences on customer attitudes and behavioral patterns that directly impact business strategy is unparalleled. From 1996-2023, she was a cornerstone presence on Ford Motor Company’s global trends and futuring team, working her way up the ranks at the automotive juggernaut and becoming the company’s chief futurist. Connelly draws upon her business foresight expertise and experiences at Ford to help organizations in any industry identify and analyze global consumer trends in order to lay the groundwork for long-term, future-focused planning and strategy across the entire company, and anticipate the ever-evolving needs and desires of the people they serve.

Ron Fournier is an award-winning and nationally-acclaimed political columnist formerly of National Journal and The Atlantic. He is a 20-year veteran of the Associated Press who served as their Washington bureau chief. Called “a consistent news-breaker” and “one of the savviest political journalists of his generation,” he is also the author of the best-selling book Applebee's America: How Successful Political, Business, and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community. A familiar voice around the Beltway and widely respected by his peers, he is known for his hard-hitting reporting on Congress, the White House, and actions of both major parties. He is currently President at Truscott Rossman.

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.

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.

Shayla Rivera is an aerospace engineer and former NASA rocket scientist turned salesperson, corporate trainer, and now international keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, radio host, emcee/host, comedian, actor, writer, producer, seminar facilitator, panel moderator and, as of 2017, director of the ENGR[x] program and Professor of Practice with the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. However, none of these labels tells you much about her. She best describes herself as a spiritually irreverent mystic and awareness expert. What many would call a Renaissance Woman.

For the past decade, Matt has been at the forefront of generational issues, working in various leadership roles at a Fortune 50 company in areas as diverse as marketing, employee retention, and management. Because of this expertise, Matt created his new keynote presentation on generational issues in the workplace, Stop Acting Your Age! An Entertaining Keynote to Help You Avoid Generational Warfare. Matt has quickly become a must-have for any event where audiences want to learn something new while laughing at the same time. You’ll soon learn why one of Matt’s clients has called him “both the funniest and most informative speaker I have ever heard in my life.”