As an internationally recognized graffiti artist, author and entrepreneur, Erik redefines the term “keynote speaker.” Pulling from his history as both a businessman and an artist, he has grown to become one of the most sought-after corporate speakers available today. Erik’s on-stage painting seamlessly becomes a visual metaphor to the core of his message, encouraging organizations toward profitability through innovations and superior levels of performance. His list of clients includes AT&T, Disney, London School of Business, Microsoft, FedEx, Exxon Mobil, Ernst & Young, and XPrize; Erik has even been featured as a TED presenter. The responses received have been nothing short of incredible, with standing ovations to prove it.

Bob Ballard shares amazing stories with incredible enthusiasm and energy about the treasures of the ocean and how new discoveries could solve the world’s toughest problems. The man who discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck, and life at the bottom of the sea is an enthralling presenter who inspires curiosity and adventure through science and education. He weaves in his own discoveries to illustrate his points and uses incredible pictures to bring his adventures to life.

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.

Steve Baskis is an inspirational blind veteran and adventurer. Just eight months into his deployment to Iraq, his squad was attacked. A roadside bomb severely wounded Baskis, but, despite his injuries, he amazed his doctors with his recovery and attitude. An “adrenaline junkie,” he was eager to test his potential and push the boundaries of what disabled people are perceived capable of doing. He has since competed in athletic competitions and summited mountains. Baskis addresses motivation, inspiration, overcoming adversity, humanitarian efforts, and pushing the limits of human potential.

Caspar Berry is a former professional poker player. He uses strategies based on poker to inspire audiences to change the way they think about risk. Participants to learn about the nature of risk, the fallacy of risk management, the brilliance and flaws of intuition, what getting “the edge” actually means, and why fear of failure can be brilliant if you know how to use it to your advantage.

Tim Peake is a former Apache pilot, flight instructor, test pilot and current European Space Agency astronaut. A veteran of 18 years military service, Tim has flown over 3,000 hours on operations worldwide. In December 2015, Tim became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station and conduct a spacewalk during his six-month mission, Principia, where he captured the hearts and minds of millions. Tim’s mission engaged more than two million students in outreach activities. He has a background as a test pilot and a British Army Air Corps officer, and he is also a best-selling author. In addition to his achievements, he ran the London marathon from space. He is an ambassador for STEM Education, The Prince’s Trust, and the Scout Association.

John Wood is the founder and board chair of Room to Read. He started Room to Read after a fast-paced and distinguished career with Microsoft from 1991 to 1999. John continues to bring Room to Read a vision for a scalable solution to developing global educational problems with an intense focus on results and an ability to attract a world-class group of employees, volunteers, and funders. Today, John focuses full-time on long-term strategy, capital acquisition, public speaking, and media opportunities for the organization. John also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and New York University’s Stern School of Business and serves on the Advisory Board of the Clinton Global Initiative.

Jane Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Embrace, a social enterprise that aims to help the 15 million premature and low birth-weight babies born every year, through a low-cost infant warmer. The Embrace infant warmer costs about 1% of a traditional incubator and is estimated to have helped over 250,000 babies to date. Most recently, Embrace Innovations launched a new line of baby products for the US market called Little Lotus Baby, which uses NASA inspired technology to keep babies at the perfect temperature so they can sleep better. They are using buy-one, give-one model: for every product sold, a baby is helped in a developing country by the Embrace infant warmer.

Inspirational powerhouses Erik Weihenmayer and Mick Ebeling team up to show audiences how their “nothing is impossible” attitudes, coupled with a passion for change and a dedication to revolutionary technology, are bettering the lives of others across the globe. On stage, the two describe their individual experiences overcoming “impossible” obstacles and leave audiences with the distinct impression that no goal is beyond reach.  

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.

Few individuals embody the spirit of unwavering dedication and service as Gregory Archbold. A U.S. Army veteran who served for more than three decades, Archbold possesses an extensive background in physical security, internal investigations, emergency and crisis management, and servant leadership. In his own words, impactful leadership can transcend generations and organizations. Having led diverse groups in various high-ranking positions throughout his military career, Archbold champions purpose-driven leadership principles that bring out the best in teams and individuals.

Tall and thin, with remarkable onscreen energy and ease, the actor possessed intense malleable features that he used to good effect in both dramatic and comedic roles. Despite this gift, he surprisingly began his career with off-screen pursuits. Jones worked as writer and story editor for NBC's college-set comedy "A Different World" from 1991 to 1992. In 2000, he took on a role in a sports-themed feature set in the recent past in "The Replacements" and in 2002, Jones portrayed a band director out to prove that he has the best band/drumline that the historical black colleges and universities have to offer in the drama "Drumline." Jones has appeared in numerous television series including "Rules of Engagement," "Necessary Roughness," "House M.D." and "Pushing Daisies."