Bruce J. Himelstein was previously the SVP, Sales & Marketing at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC and is currently Himelstein is Executive Vice President at Zimmerman Advertising and heads their new Hospitality, Travel and Tourism group. An award- winning 30 year veteran of the hospitality industry, Bruce J. Himelstein is a recognized authority on innovative brand marketing and creation of a luxury lifestyle image for the highest quality services and consumer products. As a speaker, his range of experience qualifies him to cover a range of topics from the importance of developing a culture of service, sales intensity and brand innovation.

Barrier-breaker, transformational leader, a force to be reckoned with — these are just some of the words to describe Daphne E. Jones, an accomplished and seasoned Fortune 50 executive whose forward-looking vision played a key role in unlocking growth within various multinational corporations. Through the course of her illustrious 30-year career, she held executive roles at IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Hospira, Inc. (now Pfizer) — where she shattered the ‘concrete’ ceiling by becoming the first woman and first person of color to report to the Chairman of the Board and CEO, and General Electric, where she became the highest-ranking African American woman in GE IT. Jones is widely regarded as a power player in her field and draws upon her extensive experience using digital technologies strategically, entrepreneurially, and globally to advise organizations in every industry on the way forward for their businesses.

Keynote speaker John Jacobs is co-founder and CCO (Chief Creative Optimist) of Life is Good, which spreads the power of optimism through inspiring art, a passionate community, and groundbreaking nonprofit work. John and his brother Bert launched their business with $78 in their pockets, selling T-shirts in the streets of Boston and at college dorms up and down the East Coast. Today, Life is Good is a $100 million positive lifestyle brand sold by over 2,000 retailers across the US and Canada. John provides the creative vision to guide the art and messaging direction of Life is Good to inspire optimism in everyone the brand touches. To inspire others to choose optimism and grow the good in their lives, John and Bert wrote Life is Good: The Book/ How to Live with Purpose and Enjoy the Ride, published by National Geographic in September 2015. 

As the president and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation, Alex Amouyel leads the organization on its mission to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity. Previously, Amouyel served as the founding executive director of MIT Solve, where she oversaw a community of leaders across multiple industries who are committed to discovering and promoting innovative solutions to practical challenges through open innovation. Before that, Alex served as the Director of Program at the Clinton Global Initiative, where she was responsible for organizing the Annual Meeting's content. Her previous professional experience includes working for Save the Children International in locations such as London, Asia, the Middle East, and Haiti, as well as at the Boston Consulting Group. Alex earned a dual master's degree from Sciences Po in Paris and the London School of Economics, as well as a bachelor's degree from Trinity College, Cambridge.