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.

Amy Walter is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment. A contributor to the PBS NewsHour, she provides weekly political analysis for the popular “Politics Monday” segment. She is also a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics, and appears frequently on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel. From 2017 until early 2021, Walter was the host of the weekly nationally syndicated program “Politics with Amy Walter” on The Takeaway from WNYC and PRX. She is the former political director at ABC News and known as one of the best political journalists in Washington. For more than 20 years, she has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. Her analysis has earned her numerous accolades, including the Washington Post’s Crystal Ball Award and being named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian. Walter addresses the electoral process, congressional culture, and the Washington political scene.

Paul Ryan served ten terms in the U.S. House of Representative and as Speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019. Known for his meteoric rise in politics and often praised for his seriousness and honesty, Ryan is a committed conservative and public servant who has spent his life advocating for real solutions that expand opportunity for Americans. Before serving as Speaker of the House, he was Chair of the House Budget Committee, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and a U.S. Vice Presidential candidate. He is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.

Jim VandeHei is a media entrepreneur and expert on American politics. He is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Axios, a new media company delivering news and insights on politics, business, media and tech. The company, whose name means “worthy” in Greek, specializes in high-quality news and analysis easily shared among the country's most influential readers and across social platforms.

Mike Allen is one of Washington’s most influential and well-connected journalists. He is the co-founder and executive editor of Axios, a disruptive media company delivering news and insights on politics, business, media, and tech. The company, whose name means “worthy” in Greek, specializes in high-quality news and analysis easily shared among the country’s influential readers and across social platforms. Axios has been recognized for its forward-thinking approach to the way people consume news in the 21st century. The approach is chronicled in Allen’s book Smart Brevity: Saying More with Less, which he co-authored alongside Axios co-founder, Jim VandeHei. In addition to starting Axios, Allen was a co-founder at POLITICO, the digital media company that upended and revolutionized political and policy journalism in Washington, New York, and Europe. He not only reported on but also drove the day’s conversations in and around the Beltway. His sharp journalistic experience and coveted insider status make him an ideal choice to discuss the latest political happenings. In presentations, he offers his nonpartisan, energetic and up-to-the-minute insider perspective on the political issues of the day, the current administration, Congress, and building a business in an unsteady economy.

Nicolle Wallace is host of Deadline: White House, chief political analyst for MSNBC and NBC News, a best-selling author, and the former White House director of communications under President George W. Bush. Her West Wing colleague, presidential political adviser Mark McKinnon, called her a “rare talent in politics.” Funny and charming, she shares insights on the biggest issues of the day paired with stories from her time in the White House and on the campaign trail. Wallace is a master storyteller as she offers audiences the rundown they need to stay in the know.

Lindsey Pollak is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s leading career and workplace experts. She was named to the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, which honors the top global management thinkers whose work is shaping the future of how organizations are managed and led. Lindsey’s next book is a response to the COVID crisis: "Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work." Her other books include "The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace," "Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders," and "Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World." Her audiences and consulting clients have included over 250 corporations, law firms, conferences and universities, including Citi, Estee Lauder, GE, JP Morgan, LinkedIn, PwC, Shearman & Sterling, Yale, Harvard, Wharton and Stanford. Often called a translator among generations, she provides a roadmap for the future of work, sharing her insights into how to navigate and thrive in the ever-changing world of work.

A.B. Stoddard is a columnist for the political news and opinion publication The Bulwark, and a contributor and guest host for SiriusXM’s POTUS channel. Prior to The Bulwark, she was associate editor and columnist for the political news site and polling data aggregator RealClearPolitics, as well as associate editor and columnist for The Hill newspaper. Her column with The Hill won first place Dateline Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. She has published articles in the Boston Globe, Congressional Quarterly, and The Federal Paper and is known for her commentary on the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Stoddard also regularly appears on Fox's Special Report with Bret Baier and CNN's New Day as well as other shows on Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, CNN, and MSNBC. She addresses politics and elections.

Renowned psychology expert and Stanford University professor Michele Gelfand is one of the leading researchers and writers on culture and the impact of culture on behavior. Gelfand uses field, experimental, computational and neuroscience methods to understand the evolution of culture and its multilevel consequences for human groups. Her work has been cited over 50,000 times and has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, National Public Radio, Voice of America, Fox News, NBC News, ABC News, and The Economist, among other outlets. Most recently, she is the author of "Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire the World."

Regarded as the “CEO-Maker,” “DEI Professor,” and the “Cubicle to Corner Office Empress,” Dethra Giles is a workplace and career optimizer who advises organizations and individuals on how to chart their unique paths to success. She is a four-time TEDx speaker who has been named a “Top 100 HR Influencer” by Engagedly, and was selected by HR Gazette’s “HRchat” podcast as one of the “Top 22 Most Influential Figures in HR.” With clients including Kaiser Permanente, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The Army Corp of Engineers, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Salvation Army, Giles shares a unique blend of advanced education and industry experience that has been described as “university-tested and industry-approved,” and can be implemented by organizations of any size, and across industries.

A passionate advocate for a more human way of working, Melissa Swift is a seasoned HR thought leader and consultant who serves as VP of workforce and organizational change acceleration at Capgemini Invent. Her work helping clients power their workforces for more innovative, higher-performing futures spans across industries and geographies and tackles issues ranging from attracting and retaining top talent to reshaping organizations for greater nimbleness and building futuristic capabilities among today’s employees. She leverages thoughtful data analytics, a humanist view, and a healthy dose of pragmatism to create extraordinary outcomes for organizations. She is the author of the book Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace, which explores practical strategies to get to a more human future of work. Her research has been published in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and her insights have been quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Economist, Axios, and more. She has been featured as one of Twitter’s “20 Digital Transformation Leaders to Follow” and named a “Top Influencer on the Future of Work” by Onalytica.

Jessica Kriegel (KREE-GL) is a workplace culture strategist. She is a Doctor of Leadership & Management and Fortune 100 Thought Leader. She is a dynamic speaker, consultant, Co-Active coach, and is author of Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit from Ditching Generational Stereotypes and upcoming book, The Culture Equation. For 15+ years, Jessica has been guiding global, national, Fortune 100 and other organizations on how to create intentional cultures that power your strategy and accelerate performance.