Mark Bowden is the keynote speaker for organizations worldwide whose work depends upon winning the hearts and minds of others. Mark entertainingly trains any audience in the most cutting edge techniques to stand out, win trust and profit every time they speak. His keynote presentation takes everyone on an exciting and humorous journey to understand how, with the right body language “It’s often not what you say—but how you say it, that gets results!” Expert in human behaviour and body language, keynote speaker Mark Bowden is the creator of TRUTHPLANE®, a communication training company and unique methodology for anyone who has to communicate with impact to an audience. Mark’s highly entertaining keynote speeches and training seminars teach audiences around the world how to use the most influential verbal and nonverbal language to stand out, win trust and gain credibility every time they speak.

Crystal Washington, CSP works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity! As a technology strategist and certified futurist, Crystal takes complex social media, app, and web topics, and makes them easy to understand and accessible for everyday people. Crystal’s clients comprise Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, and GE and as a sought-after keynote speaker, she has entertained and educated audiences around the globe. She has appeared in numerous publications including Entrepreneur, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Forbes and is regularly called on by major television networks as a tech expert. Crystal is the author of the books One Tech Action and The Social Media Why.

In 2007, Dr. Michael Sorrell faced a life-altering decision. He was part of an ownership group that was on the verge of purchasing the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and he would serve as the team’s president following the completion of the deal — a dream come true for him. At the same time, he was approached by Paul Quinn College, a failing institution, to serve as the historically Black college’s president in the interim while they sought out a permanent appointment to take over the role — a search that was proving difficult as the school continued to falter. Dr. Sorrell accepted the role, hoping it would be a brief side quest on his journey to becoming an NBA executive. In reality, it marked the beginning of a transformative and innovative era for the school that continues to this day. Dr. Sorrell has spearheaded one of the great turnaround stories of our time — leading Paul Quinn’s evolution from one of the worst in the nation to a higher education powerhouse. As the longest-tenured president in the college’s history, he has instilled a “WE Over Me” mentality in students, faculty, and the community at large and has been revered throughout his historic tenure for his ability to reimagine organizations to better serve the needs of the people that depend on them. He is a testament to the power of purpose and vision. Dr. Sorrell’s talks center on why the simplest approach to leadership is often the most effective one. As he engages the audience with the experiences that led him to Paul Quinn College, and the turnaround that followed, he introduces them to his “Four Ls” for leading with impact.

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.

Don is a former Apple and Kodak executive and a successful and revered Silicon Valley entrepreneur. The mind behind the world's first consumer digital camera, Strickland rose from an engineer at Kodak to a top executive leading a team of 15,000. He left to become Apple's Vice President of Imaging and Publishing before founding and eventually selling his own start-up, PictureWorks Technology.

Dan Bartlett, the former counselor and key advisor to President George W. Bush, was responsible for strategic communications, policy formulation, and the implementation of the administration’s agenda. His experience serving in the highest levels of state and federal government and helping lead two successful presidential campaigns gives him a unique perspective in shaping public opinion and reputation management. Currently the executive vice president of corporate affairs for Walmart, Bartlett addresses politics, strategic communications, and life in the West Wing.

The Right Honorable Jean Chrétien is the former prime minister of Canada and is one of the most respected world leaders of the last 25 years. His career spans more than 40 years in public service, and under his leadership, his party won three consecutive majorities in the House of Commons. Queen Elizabeth appointed Chrétien to the Order of Merit, an award given to “individuals of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences, and other areas such as public service.” He addresses global / geopolitical matters, such as globalization, the economy, security, and social issues.

Matthew Dowd is a well-known and respected cultural commentator and strategist. For the past 30 years, he has helped shape strategies and campaigns for CEOs, corporations, foundations, governments, candidates, and presidents. Most recently, he served as chief political analyst for ABC News where he appeared on This Week, Good Morning America, and Nightline. He was the chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, earning the title “strategist of the year.” He is also the author of the best-selling Applebee’s America. Dowd addresses politics; running winning campaigns; and demographic, commercial, and political patterns.

Ram Charan is a world-renowned business advisor, author, and speaker who has spent the past 35 years working with top companies, CEOs, and boards. He is the best-selling author of 17 books – including Boards that Lead and Execution – that have sold more than two million copies He discusses growth, innovation, corporate governance, succession planning, and leadership; and has been called a “top 10 resource for in-house executive development” by BusinessWeek. A sought-after advisor for his ability to guide boards and CEOs, Charan provides practical, take-home strategies.

Internet pioneer, business expert, and best-selling author of five books, Tim Sanders advises Fortune 500 executives on leadership, marketing, and new media strategies to grow their business. Building on his belief that that happy employees and satisfied customers drive business, he focuses on how to build relationships with knowledge, networking, and compassion. Tim is one of the top-rated keynote speakers on the speaking and lecture circuits due to his expertise, passionate delivery, and extensive pre-event preparation process. His highly-customized speeches on leadership development, sales success and collaboration deliver take away value for audience members as well as reinforcing event themes.

One of the stars and key investors on ABC's hit show, Shark Tank, Robert Herjavec is one of North America’s most recognizable business leaders. A serial entrepreneur, he has started a number of technology companies that have been successfully acquired. Robert is the founder and CEO of The Herjavec Group—Canada's #1 Security Company and one of the fastest growing technology Companies. In a short 10 years, The Herjavec Group has grown from sales of $400K with three people to over $150 million in revenue and 175 employees. He is a best-selling author of two books, Driven and the newly published Will to Win, which is the current # 1 Canadian book on the Globe & Mail best-seller list.

Throughout his career, Mr. Oczkowski has worked at the intersection of where product development meets data science to forecast, predict, and analyze commercial markets and American elections. Prior to his work at Data Propria, Mr. Oczkowski also served as Head of Product for Cambridge Analytica where he most notably ran the team of embedded technical specialists inside the Trump Campaign that led to the scientific understanding of the eventual outcome of the election - a scenario that pundits missed. Using tactics from the worlds of: behavioral science, growth hacking, machine learning, sentiment analysis, and NLP, Mr. Oczkowski successfully connects behavioral dots together to make informed decisions about groups of people.