Marci Rossell is a world-renowned economist and financial expert known for her ability to take complex economic issues, often dull in the button-down press, and make them relevant to people’s lives, families, and careers. Her animated style was honed when she served as the popular and lively Chief Economist for CNBC and Co-Host of Squawk Box, where she became a household name and a must-watch source of financial news. An expert on investing, globalization, and trade, she uses her media and courtroom experience coupled with her expertise in business and government to address the current state of our economy, including economic recovery, restructuring, and revitalization.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Steve Robinson served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A, the nation’s most profitable food chain, from 1981 to 2015. Responsible for overseeing all of the brand’s traditional marketing support, advertising, brand development innovation, menu innovation, and hospitality strategies, he was integrally involved in the company’s incredible growth trajectory. Robinson helped take the chicken chain from 184 stores and $100 million in annual revenue when he assumed his position, to more than 2,100 stores and $6.8 billion in annual sales upon his retirement. He is credited with identifying and rolling out the company’s “Eat Mor Chikin” branding and campaign, which is now recognized worldwide. He is also the author of the new book, Covert Cows and Chick-fil-A: How Faith, Cows, and Chicken Built an Iconic Brand, due out in Spring 2019. He offers insights on building brand loyalty, creating a unique brand culture that stands out in a crowded global marketplace, and why success and culture are often so tightly linked.

Tim Alberta is the former chief political correspondent for POLITICO Magazine, where he covered the Donald Trump presidency, Capitol Hill, the ideological warfare between and within the two political parties, demographic change in America, the evolving role of money in elections, and what lies ahead for the current administration. He is now a staff writer for The Atlantic and the author of the best-selling book, American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Donald Trump, as well as The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in the Age of Extremism.

A beauty industry vanguard, Jessie Hayes-Stallings is the founder and CEO of Skinphorea Facial Bar & Acne Clinic who took her passion for skincare and manifested it into the first facial bar and acne clinic in Metro Detroit — a concept that has made waves in the industry. She has set Skinphorea apart by providing customers with medical-grade skin treatments while creating an elevated and personalized, yet convenient relaxation experience. Not only does she create experiences for Skinphorea’s skincare clients, she also creates opportunities for beauty industry hopefuls. As an investor and a mentor, she has partnered with the state to develop an apprenticeship program that offers aspiring estheticians the opportunity to train to earn their esthetic license at Skinphorea before being offered a full-time position at the company.

Have you ever wondered why more salespeople buy BMWs than other cars? Or why a name’s popularity grows after a hurricane of that name hits? Jonah Berger has the answers. A marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the New York Times best-selling author of the books "Contagious: Why Things Catch On" and "Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior," Berger has spent the last decade studying how social influence works, why certain ideas and products catch on, and what we can do to make ourselves more influential. He shares with audiences the keys to harnessing this “influence” to forge great partnerships, sell slow-moving products, and be more intentional with business strategies. His work is regularly published in top-tier journals, he consults for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, and popular outlets like Harvard Business Review often cover his work.

A highly respected political journalist, Jonathan Martin provides sought-after coverage and regularly drives the news by delivering the inside story from the White House and Capitol Hill to the campaign trail well beyond the beltway. As bureau chief and senior political columnist for POLITICO, Martin is among the most trusted reporters in the country with deep connections to the political leaders, power players, and movers and shakers in Washington, D.C. — and across the country. With vast array of sources in both parties and his keen analytical mind, he reveals what’s really happening at the highest levels of American politics.

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.

David Nico, PhD, is a passionate advocate for health and wholeness, a top peak performance strategist, a media personality, and best-selling author of the upcoming Dr. Healthnut Series books. As a leadership and well-being expert, keynote speaker, and certified wellness coach, his passion is to help leaders live well so they can model vitality, inspire vision, and create a legacy. A talented and versatile speaker, David captures and speaks to the heart of your event and he will invest quality time to make the most impact for your audience. His desire is for participants to not only learn valuable insights, but walk away with transformational action steps.