A leading expert in robot ethics, Dr. Kate Darling is a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction. Forever interested in how technology intersects with society, Kate has a background in law & economics and intellectual property, she explores the emotional connection between people and life-like machines, seeking to influence technology design and policy direction. Her writing and research anticipate difficult questions that lawmakers, engineers, and the wider public will need to address as human-robot relationships evolve in the coming decades. Dr. Darling’s work has been featured in international media, and she has authored multiple academic publications and contributed to industry publications from Vogue to Die Zeit to the BBC, and in 2017, the American Bar Association honored her legal work with the Mark T. Banner Award in Intellectual Property.

Two-time New York Times bestselling author and sought-after leadership expert Ashley Merryman finds the science essential to understanding what makes people tick — what motivates us, what inspires us. Then she explains how to use these insights to help people discover new ways to succeed. Merryman has taught Olympians and professional athletes how to perform under pressure, advised Fortune 100 executives on building winning cultures, and coached military leaders on institutional change. In her speeches, she offers evidence-based techniques and real-world strategies that leaders can apply at every level of their organization. Her talks are filled with fascinating anecdotes and cutting-edge research. Her presentations are always thought-provoking and inspiring, as she makes complex concepts accessible to a wide audience.

Dominique Dawes spent years breaking barriers and breaking records in the sport of Gymnastics and is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games. She was a member of the gold-medal-winning "Magnificent Seven" team at the 1996 Atlanta Games. After much dedication to the sport, Dominique retired to focus on her passion to encourage, educate and motivate others. Currently the Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, she works closely with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s Council to help promote the Let’s Move! Initiative, educating children on fitness and nutrition while motivating them to get moving.

Retired Marine Sergeant and Paralympic Bronze Medalist, Rob Jones’ life is synonymous with fearless perseverance. In 2010, he was struck and injured by a land mine, resulting in a double above-the-knee leg amputation. Despite the injury, Rob’s incredible spirit remained intact. He went on to win bronze in the 2012 Paralympics, place fourth in the 2013 World Rowing Championships, and bike across the country for charity in 2015. In the fall of 2017, Rob completed a month long, back-to-back marathon challenge, running 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different major cities. The incredible undertaking raised awareness and funds for wounded veteran charities.

Erik Peterson sits at the intersection of global economics, geopolitical changes, and future trends. His riveting presentations are eye-opening glimpses into how we can and should address some of the most challenging global issues of our time. He maps the key long-range trends transforming the opportunities and risks and traces the simultaneous and significant global shifts in the areas of population, resources, technology, economy, security, and geopolitics. He untangles these complex trends for audiences and examines the real-world implications—both present and future.

Dr. Michael S. Piwowar served as a Commissioner at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from August 15, 2013 to July 6, 2018. Previously, Dr. Piwowar was the Republican chief economist for the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he was the lead Republican economist on the four SEC-related titles of the Dodd-Frank Act and the JOBS Act. He also worked on a number of important SEC-related oversight issues under the jurisdiction of the Committee, such as securities, over-the-counter derivatives, investor protection, market structure, and capital formation. During the financial crisis and its immediate aftermath, Dr. Piwowar served in a one-year fixed-term position at the White House as a senior economist at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama Administrations. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Dr. Piwowar is an economic outlook and financial policy keynote speaker, addressing fiscal trends, investments, and regulation.

As a motivational keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Laura Gassner Otting helps innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts get “unstuck”, increase confidence, and achieve extraordinary results. Laura inspires change agents, entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and donors to push past the doubt and indecision that keeps great ideas in limbo. She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and catalytic perspective informed by decades of navigating change across the start-up, non-profit, political, and philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares listeners to find their voice, and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges, and ultimately leads them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others. Excited by the audacity of The Big Idea and the larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake, she's an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like.

Retired Colonel Greg Gadson is a 25-year career United States Army officer. Although a bilateral above-the-knee amputee, he has not been defeated by unfortunate circumstances, instead, his life is a portrait of courage in the face of great adversity. Greg communicates his passion for service, teamwork, and leadership in his moving and inspirational message made relevant for individuals, teams, and organizations of all sizes. He applies the poignant lessons of pride, poise, and team that he learned as a West Point football player to every aspect of his life and credits those same lessons as the underlying principles that saved his life when he was serving as a battalion commander in Iraq.

Peter Singer is a best-selling author and a senior fellow and the director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. A noted expert on technology and war, he looks at cyber security issues now affect us all, whether you are in business, politics, military, or law. Filled with engaging stories and illustrative anecdotes, his work is structured around the key question areas of cyberspace and its security: how it all works, why it all matters, and what we can do.

Victoria was 11 years old when she came down with a rare viral disease, Transverse Myelitis, with which she battled for five years including four years in a vegetative coma. The disease left her without the use of her legs for nearly a decade. A lifelong swimmer and athlete, Victoria never gave up her childhood dream of competing in the Olympics Games. In June of 2010 she returned to the pool for the first time since her illness and in the spring of 2012 she qualified for the London Paralympic Games in four events. There she won a Gold Medal, and three Silver Medals. Despite missing five years of school during her illness, Victoria graduated on-time with her triplet brothers, from Exeter High School (New Hampshire) in June of 2013. Victoria is now an on-air TV personality with ESPN reporting for numerous programs including X-Games, Invictus Games, The ESPY Awards, espnW, Frozen Four, Special Olympics World Games and Sportscenter.

In his instant Wall Street Journal bestselling book Loonshots, SAFI BAHCALL reveals a surprising new way of thinking about innovation and group dynamics, challenging everything we thought we knew about radical breakthroughs. In talks based on his book—which Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman calls “Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world”—Bahcall shows how we can stoke innovation, create better leaders, and support “loonshots”: the imperfect but ingenious ideas that have the potential to change the world. As a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and co-founder and CEO of Synta Pharmaceuticals, Safi Bahcall spent nearly two decades of his life bringing big, innovative ideas to fruition. Frequently, this meant assessing and developing loonshots—the widely dismissed ideas whose champions are often written off as crazy. Along the way, he noticed the obstacles that innovators came up against, which seemed to stem from “the mysteries of group behavior.” As he dynamically explains in his book Loonshots, small changes in the structure of a company, rather than in its culture, can transform the behavior of the distinct groups involved, allowing innovation to flourish. Already a Wall Street Journal bestseller, Loonshots was recently dubbed a must-read “for people and organizations who are trying to increase their ability to catalyze more innovation” by Forbes magazine. In his talks, Bahcall shows how the science of phase transitions—think water becoming ice—suggests a useful new way of nurturing radical breakthroughs. He explains the mystery of why good teams—even those with excellent people and the best intentions—can kill great ideas. With humor, history, and a dash of physics, Bahcall offers audiences the tools to become initiators of innovative surprise rather than witnesses to it.

Patrick Sweeney is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and world-record holder. He comes from the blue-collar suburbs of Boston and paid his way through state school, where he discovered rowing. He finished 2nd in the Olympic trials and earned a Top 5 MBA near the top of his class where he caught the entrepreneurial bug. He started three technology companies, sold them for millions, and left it all behind after battling a rare form of leukemia. He has used research to unlock the secrets of feat and peak performance, creating a framework to teach anyone how to achieve the life of their dreams. His mission now is to help people use fear to transform their lives and their organizations. Sweeney’s speeches demonstrate this framework with inspirational examples and actionable tips to power positive change using neuroscience, entrepreneurship, and adventures.