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.

Tall and thin, with remarkable onscreen energy and ease, the actor possessed intense malleable features that he used to good effect in both dramatic and comedic roles. Despite this gift, he surprisingly began his career with off-screen pursuits. Jones worked as writer and story editor for NBC's college-set comedy "A Different World" from 1991 to 1992. In 2000, he took on a role in a sports-themed feature set in the recent past in "The Replacements" and in 2002, Jones portrayed a band director out to prove that he has the best band/drumline that the historical black colleges and universities have to offer in the drama "Drumline." Jones has appeared in numerous television series including "Rules of Engagement," "Necessary Roughness," "House M.D." and "Pushing Daisies."

A fellow with the London-based Royal Society of Arts, Boinodiris has focused on inclusion in technology since 1999. She currently leads IBM Consulting’s Trustworthy AI Practice, she is the AI ethics board focal for all of consulting, and leads IBM’s Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence. She is the co-author of the book ‘AI for the Rest of Us’. Boinodiris is a co-founder of the Future World Alliance, a 501c3 dedicated to curating K-12 education in AI ethics. In 2019, she won the United Nations Woman of Influence in STEM and Inclusivity Award and was recognized by Women in Games International as one of the Top 100 Women in the Games Industry as she began one of the first scholarship programs in the United States for women to pursue degrees in game design and development.

As a professional speaker, Colonel Mullane has thrilled tens of thousands of adults and a half-million children with his inspirational, motivational and humorous descriptions of the astronaut experience.

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.