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.

Ambassador Ron Kirk is the former United States trade representative (USTR) who was a pivotal member of the president’s economics team. With nearly 20 years in politics, he has been a Dallas mayor, U.S. Senate candidate, a lawyer with international reach. Boisterous and entertaining, Kirk analyzes the current political environment and offers audiences a glimpse behind the curtain in Washington and into what the president is really thinking. He also addresses trade, jobs, the economy, and doing business in China.

Denise Hamilton is a nationally recognized Diversity & Inclusion leader, specializing in Ally training. Denise is Founder and CEO of WatchHerWork, a digital learning platform for professional women. She is a highly requested speaker and trainer as well as media personality whose platform has reached and served people all over the world. Denise leverages her 25 years of executive experience with Fortune 500 organizations like AOL and CBRE to provide solutions that support the employees and the bottom line. Clients have said Denise’s superpower is the ability to have the most challenging discussions and come out the other side with solutions and a positive direction. She uses this gift to lead workshops, design education programs, and coach senior leaders. The goal is to empower individuals and teams to mine and close the gender gap, understand differences, resolve conflict, and become better allies.

Tessa Todd Morgan is a mindfulness expert, personal growth coach and accredited trainer in Emotional Intelligence. As the Founder and CEO of TRIESSENCE, Tessa has coached hundreds of individuals and organizations to achieve a balance of physical, mental and spiritual wellness. In 2003, Tessa began in the professional speaking industry, and was privileged to work with famous keynote speakers and celebrities such as Dr. Oz, Geena Davis, Sir Ken Robinson and Suze Orman. Today, she speaks, trains and consults professionally, coaching contributors to become leaders, and helping leaders to become steadfast, calming influencers in stressful corporate environments. In her programs, Tessa leads people to recognize the invisible barriers that exist between them and their goals, and helps them to develop strategies for achieving those goals by recognizing and neutralizing various forms of stress using personal growth, optimism and mindfulness techniques.

Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, spent over a decade at Harvard University where he won numerous distinguished teaching awards for his work. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and earned a Masters from Harvard Divinity School in Christian and Buddhist ethics. In 2006, he was Head Teaching Fellow for "Positive Psychology," which eclipsed “Intro Economics” as the most popular course at Harvard.

Vincent K. Brooks is a retired four-star general who was in command of all US Forces in Korea, where he concurrently commanded United Nations Command as well as the Republic of Korea. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he led the 4,000 cadets as the cadet brigade commander or “First Captain.” A history-maker, Brooks is the first African American to have been chosen for this paramount position. He is also the eighth African American in history to attain the military’s top rank—four-star general in the United States Army. Widely respected as a speaker and leader of cohesive, innovative organizations, within and beyond the military, his areas of expertise are: leadership in complex organizations, crisis leadership, and building cohesive trust-based teams, national security, policy, strategy, international relations, military operations, combating terrorism and countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as diversity and inclusion.

With an unwavering commitment to public service, The Honorable Gina Ortiz Jones has continually pushed boundaries, shattered glass ceilings, and left an enduring impact in the realm of national security, politics, and beyond.  She has held several high-ranking titles throughout her career, including becoming the first woman of color and first out lesbian to serve as the under secretary of a military department when she was appointed by President Joe Biden as the 27th Under Secretary of the Air Force in July 2021. Unanimously confirmed by the Senate, the appointment made her the second-highest ranking civilian in the Department of the Air Force, which includes the Air Force and the Space Force. She is a name synonymous with trailblazing leadership and an unyielding commitment to creating positive change.

After battling depression, suicide, and drug addiction, Justin experienced a life-changing journey living with the Mbuti Pygmy people of the Congo Basin Rainforest. When he returned he founded Fight For The Forgotten, to knockout the world water crisis, which today has expanded its impact to serve the Batwa Pygmies of Uganda. Justin has a deep-seated belief & ability to empower people to stoke the fire that is within us all. Justin "The Big Pygmy" Wren is a national champion wrestler, UFC veteran, inducted Into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame. As a humanitarian he's the founder/CEO of the non-profit Fight for the Forgotten, also authoring a bestselling book with the same name through Simon & Schuster publishing. Justin's transformative storytelling Ignites a fire In the human soul that inspires and empowers us to take action that leads deeper purpose, high performance, and long lasting change. Justin has inspired millions through his appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience (9x), Mike Tyson's HotBoxin', the Ed Mylett Show, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and TEDx Talks, along with his book, Fight for the Forgotten. Today he is the host of his own inspirational podcast, Overcome with Justin Wren and a globally recognized keynote speaker.

Three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Darren Woodson is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Dallas Cowboys uniform. The vocal leader of the defense during the Cowboys 1990’s Super Bowl teams, Woodson was one of the most popular players both inside the clubhouse and as an ambassador in the community. Upon retirement, Woodson joined ESPN as an NFL analyst. He appears on NFL Live and SportsCenter, as well as other ESPN platforms throughout the year. Woodson earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitters and most ferocious strong safeties in the NFL during his 13 seasons (1992-2004), all with the Dallas Cowboys. The quarterback of the team’s defense during its three championship runs in the 1990s (Super Bowl’s XXVII, XXVIII and XXX), Woodson registered career totals of 11 sacks, 23 interceptions and 1,350 tackles, the most in Cowboys franchise history at the time of his retirement in 2004. A native of Phoenix, Woodson was a second-round pick in the 1992 NFL Draft (37th overall) from Arizona State University, where he was a converted linebacker. He earned a bachelor of science from ASU in Justice Studies. In addition to his analyst work for ESPN, Woodson is involved in several businesses, and he remains active in the Dallas community, most notably as a board member for the North Texas Chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

With a mission to use his battle-tested experience to help others lead lives of impact, service, and health, Dr. Sudip Bose is a world-leading emergency medicine physician, combat veteran, professor, and entrepreneur. From his experiences in the ER and on the battlefield, he has learned the keys to staying grounded in the face of overwhelm and tackling any challenge with skill and agility. In speeches, Dr. Bose shares stories from his humbling and transformational service in the Army and uses lessons-learned on the front lines from combat to the ER to demonstrate the battle-proven strategies to stay grounded in the face of overwhelming circumstances, lead under pressure, make tough decisions, and achieve peak performance in even the most unconventional environments.

Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, nationally known keynote speaker and best-selling author (with best-selling author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon) of The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change. His first book and autobiography, The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World, was published just three years after his release from a Texas maximum-security prison. At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career ending injury. He turned to hard core drugs to cope with the disappointments of life. After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress, was a national fundraiser on a U.S. Presidential campaign and eventually trained to be a stock-broker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit. After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man. His story of redemption, grit and determination continues to inspire audiences. today.

In 2010, Susana Martinez was elected governor of the State of New Mexico. She became New Mexico’s first female governor and the first minority (Hispanic) female governor in the history of the United States. Prior to being elected governor, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years along the nation’s southern border and served as Doña Ana County’s elected district attorney for almost half that time. As governor, she prioritized keeping New Mexico’s communities safe, ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, and diversifying and growing the state’s economy.