2015 Speakers

Patricia Arquette

PATRICIA ARQUETTE recently starred in “Boyhood,” the critically acclaimed 12-year project from Richard Linklater, for which she has won the... Read Full Bio

Candy Chang

CANDY CHANG is an artist, designer and urban planner who makes cities more comfortable for people. A Senior TED Fellow, Chang is passionate abo... Read Full Bio

Bert Jacobs

BERT JACOBS is co-founder and CEO (chief executive optimist) of The Life is Good Company, which spreads the power of optimism through inspiring... Read Full Bio

Robin Roberts

ROBIN ROBERTS is co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Under her leadership, the broadcast has won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding ... Read Full Bio

Cecilia Abbott

CECILIA ABBOTT’s story reminds us all that the American dream is alive and well in Texas. The granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico, Abbott... Read Full Bio

Debbie Hiott

DEBBIE HIOTT is editor of the Austin American-Statesman, overseeing content for the daily newspaper, its affiliated websites and its weekly com... Read Full Bio

Tory Johnson

TORY JOHNSON is a weekly contributor to ABC's “Good Morning America” where she leads the popular Deals & Steals segment and frequently ... Read Full Bio

Johnita Jones

JOHNITA JONES is the Texas Conference for Women board president and the pipeline risk and integrity manager for ExxonMobil Pipeline Company. Sh... Read Full Bio

Gayle Morris

GAYLE MORRIS is vice president for Americas Global Customer Success with Cisco. She’s responsible for enabling swift value realization on the... Read Full Bio

Anne-Marie Slaughter

ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER is president and CEO of New America. She is the Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and Inte... Read Full Bio

Carla Pineyro Sublett

Carla Piñeyro Sublett is senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Rackspace. She leads all Rackspace marketing functions, from bra... Read Full Bio

Sheryl Adkins-Green

SHERYL ADKINS-GREEN serves as Mary Kay’s chief marketing officer. She leads the company’s global marketing strategy, new product developmen... Read Full Bio

Azita Ardakani

AZITA ARDAKANI has always applied the lens of social anthropology to her view of the world of marketing, using an extensive background in so... Read Full Bio

Gloria Mayfield Banks

GLORIA MAYFIELD BANKSis an internationally renowned motivational success strategist and trainer, who has consistently beaten the odds to achie... Read Full Bio

Dr. Dawn Bazarko

DR. DAWN BAZARKO is the founder and senior vice president of Moment Health, an innovative new UnitedHealth Group business focused on bringing m... Read Full Bio

Jan Bruce

JAN BRUCE is a seasoned media entrepreneur with a proven track record in high-growth, emerging businesses and turnarounds. She has consistently... Read Full Bio

Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette

DR. COLETTE PIERCE BURNETTE joined Huston-Tillotson University as president on July 1, 2015. A strong proponent of historically black colleges ... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Carls

STEPHANIE CARLS was named a "Twitter Powerhouse" by The Huffington Post. Through engaging video content, she enjoys showing how to make sense o... Read Full Bio

Tara Trower Doolittle

TARA TROWER DOOLITTLE is a senior editor for the Austin American-Statesman and is in charge of opinion and commentary for the newspaper and its... Read Full Bio

Christine Durbin

CHRISTINE DURBIN, MS, LPC is a mind-body therapist with Cancer Treatment Centers of America, in Tulsa, O.K.  For Durbin, joining CTCA was a pe... Read Full Bio

Gloria Feldt

GLORIA FELDT is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, leadership expert and co-founder and president of Take The Lead, a multi-faceted initi... Read Full Bio

Tamara Fields

TAMARA FIELDS currently works for Accenture Federal Services providing systems integration and delivery for Federal and State and local clients... Read Full Bio

Kirsten Gappelberg

KIRSTEN GAPPELBERG is manager of Mary Kay’s corporate social responsibility department. While leading the company’s corporate philanthropic... Read Full Bio

Jane Gasdaska

JANE GASDASKA is the general manager of U.S. product supply and distribution for Phillips 66 Commercial. She is a change agent who believes in ... Read Full Bio

Kerry Hannon

KERRY HANNON is an award-winning, bestselling author and Washington, DC-based career, retirement and personal finance expert and a popular moti... Read Full Bio

Aimee Hoyt

AIMEE HOYT is the senior vice president of global human resources at Rackspace, the No. 1 managed cloud company. She has a track record of driv... Read Full Bio

Aimee Hoyt

AIMEE HOYT is the senior vice president of global human resources at Rackspace, the #1 managed cloud company.  She has a track record of drivi... Read Full Bio

Lisa Kueng

LISA KUENG is co-author of the New York Times best-selling book “Picture Your Prosperity- Smart Money Moves to Turn Your Vision into Reality.... Read Full Bio

Aliza Licht

ALIZA LICHT is a fashion communications executive and former Twitter phenom, DKNY PR GIRL®. Featured on the front page of the New York Times... Read Full Bio

Patty McCord

PATTY McCORD coaches and advises a small group of companies and entrepreneurs on culture and leadership as the principal of Patty McCord Consul... Read Full Bio

Kristin Neff

KRISTIN NEFF is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field ... Read Full Bio

Chandini Portteus

CHANDINI PORTTEUS is the president and CEO of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Portteus joined LIVESTRONG following nearly 10 years with Susan G. Kom... Read Full Bio

Dr. Stacey Radin

DR. STACEY RADIN has dedicated her career to the development of girls and women, professionally as a psychologist, researcher and leadership co... Read Full Bio

Rochelle Rae

ROCHELLE RAE is a makeup artist and the CEO and founder of Rae Cosmetics. Rae Cosmetics is an innovative and versatile line of products specifi... Read Full Bio

Ellen Rogin

ELLEN ROGIN is the co-author of the New York Times best-selling book "Picture Your Prosperity: Smart Money Moves to Turn Your Vision into Reali... Read Full Bio

Lani Rosales

LANI ROSALES is the chief operating officer of TheAmericanGenius.com and TheRealDaily.com. She also co-founded the Big Ass Social Happy Hour (B... Read Full Bio

Sarah Schimmer

SARAH SCHIMMER is in public affairs with AAA Texas and AAA New Mexico. After serving in Congressional offices as a press secretary in Washingto... Read Full Bio

Cindy Seffair

CINDY SEFFAIR is the director of change management and communication at United Airlines. In this role, she leads the change, engagement and com... Read Full Bio

Trynka Shineman

TRYNKA SHINEMAN is the executive vice president at Cimpress and president of the Vistaprint business unit. Shineman is responsible for the stra... Read Full Bio

Kelly Showalter

KELLY SHOWALTER is currently the site general manager for Shell’s Technology Center in Houston. She has held a variety of roles within Shell ... Read Full Bio

Amie and Jolie Sikes

AMIE and JOLIE SIKES are co-founders of Junk Gypsy. In 1998, the Texas sisters and their mom, Janie, started The JUNK GYPSY Company with a drea... Read Full Bio

Laura Simms

LAURA SIMMS is an expert on meaningful work who challenges conventional wisdom by asking people to ditch their passions and start with purpose... Read Full Bio

Amanda Slavin

AMANDA SLAVIN is a millennial and generation Z expert and the CEO and founder of CatalystCreativ, an experience studio focused on helping citie... Read Full Bio

Maya Payne Smart

MAYA PAYNE SMART is a writer and literacy ambassador who shares book reviews, interviews and musings at MayaSmart.com and BookRiot.com. Before ... Read Full Bio

Cindy Solomon

CINDY SOLOMON is a world-renowned leadership expert, author and speaker who helps Fortune 500 companies build Courageous Leaders®, better enab... Read Full Bio

Mary Spio

MARY SPIO is author of “It’s Not Rocket Science: 7 Game- Changing Traits for Uncommon Success.” She is best known for creating and holdin... Read Full Bio

Carson Tate

CARSON TATE is a productivity consultant and the founder of Working Simply, Inc. She is the author of “Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Yo... Read Full Bio

Trisa Thompson

TRISA THOMPSON is senior vice president and chief responsibility officer at Dell, with responsibility for Dell’s Legacy of Good program inclu... Read Full Bio

Elizabeth R. Thornton

ELIZABETH R. THORNTON is an author, speaker, professor of management practice, Babson Executive Education and adjunct lecturer in entrepreneurs... Read Full Bio

Kathie Tovo

KATHIE TOVO is council member for the Austin City Council. She was elected in on June 18, 2011. Prior to taking office, she taught writing and ... Read Full Bio

Renée Peterson Trudeau

RENÉE PETERSON TRUDEAU is an award-winning life coach, speaker and author of three books on balanced living, including the internationally-acc... Read Full Bio

Ingrid Vanderveldt

INGRID VANDERVELDT is the founder and CEO of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020). Previously, she was the first entrepreneur-in-reside... Read Full Bio

Wendy Wallbridge

WENDY WALLBRIDGE is a strategic and intuitive advisor to Fortune 100 leaders and teams across industries and pioneer in the coaching field. She... Read Full Bio

Jamie Warder

JAMIE WARDER is president of USAA Bank. He leads the bank to provide a full range of deposit and lending products and services to help military... Read Full Bio

Yasmine Winkler

YASMINE WINKLER is the community and state CEO for the central region and chief consumer cfficer with UnitedHealthcare. Formerly she was the ch... Read Full Bio

Anna Carroll

ANNA CARROLL, MSSW is a is an executive coach and organizational consultant specializing in workplace feedback, leadership development and faci... Read Full Bio

Mike Flannagan

MIKE FLANNAGAN is vice president and general manager for Cisco’s data and analytics group. He is responsible for the company’s data and ana... Read Full Bio

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert

DAWN FRAZIER-BOHNERT is vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for Liberty Mutual Insurance. In this role, she is responsible... Read Full Bio

Greg Gale

GREG GALE is the director of diversity and inclusion at Liberty Mutual Insurance. A designer and leader of diversity and inclusion initiatives,... Read Full Bio

Dianne Hirsch

DIANNE HIRSCH is the director of product marketing with Cisco’s Data and Analytics Business Group. She leads marketing efforts across four bu... Read Full Bio

Chris Hurst

CHRIS HURST is vice president, global service provider, strategy and planning for Cisco Systems. As the leader of strategy and planning, he hol... Read Full Bio

Demethris Keith

DEMETHRIS KEITH is the business operations manager with the global customer success organization at Cisco Systems. In her role with strategy an... Read Full Bio

Josh Levs

JOSH LEVS is an investigative journalist and father of three who has long covered the health of American businesses and the economy. His new bo... Read Full Bio

Judy Maggio

JUDY MAGGIO is a respected journalist, media consultant, moderator and public speaker. She’s a veteran broadcaster who spent 32 years anchori... Read Full Bio

Leslie Rhode

LESLIE RHODE is an award winning television journalist with a career spanning more than 20 years in Washington, D.C., Texas and Arkansas. She h... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Roberts

STEPHANIE ROBERTS is vice president and branch manager for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Plano, Texas.  A graduate of the University of ... Read Full Bio

Camille Styles

CAMILLE STYLES is the founder and creative director of lifestyle blog CamilleStyles.com, as well as a sought-after lifestyle expert and author ... Read Full Bio

Max Tremp

MAX TREMP currently he manages the systems engineering organization in Latam, represents the Latam SE Council, Americas Sales and Engineering L... Read Full Bio

Mary Anne Connolly

MARY ANNE CONNOLLY has spent nearly 20 years in journalism. She worked for 10 years in New York as a production associate for ABC News’ “20... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Douglass

STEPHANIE DOUGLASS is the chief brand and culture officer of BIGAUSTIN. (Business Investment Growth)  Douglass is a seasoned entrepreneur. Her... Read Full Bio

Kaneisha Grayson

KANEISHA GRAYSON is a global education entrepreneur and a self-help author. She is the founder of The Art of Applying, a boutique admissions co... Read Full Bio

Tulane Holder

TULANE HOLDER is an in demand business consultant. She spent 34 years with the Coca-Cola Company before she accepted her calling to help enrich... Read Full Bio

Karyn Scott

KARYN SCOTT is the founder of Kids in a New Groove (KING), a non-profit that provides free weekly music mentorship exclusively for youth in fos... Read Full Bio

Marissa Vogel

MARISSA VOGEL has been in her role as executive director of Little Helping Hands since June 2009. Little Helping Hands is a 501c3 charitable or... Read Full Bio

Magatte Wade

MAGATTE WADE is passionate about entrepreneurship and creating high-end retail brands based on diverse African traditions that change the perce... Read Full Bio

Tanya White

TANYA WHITE is the vice president of marketing for Innography, an SaaS-based technology firm headquartered in Austin.  She is also the founder... Read Full Bio

Heidi Gollub

HEIDI GOLLUB started Free Fun in Austin in 2010 as a way to get out of doing housework. Her theory was that running five kids all over town o... Read Full Bio

Jane Ko

JANE KO is the editor of “A Taste of Koko,” the premier food and travel blog featuring the hottest restaurants and weekend getaways. Ko lov... Read Full Bio

Melanie Mendez-Gonzales

MELANIE MENDEZ-GONZALES is an online media entrepreneur and the creator of ¿Qué Means What? - a leading Latina lifestyle blog. ¿Qué Means W... Read Full Bio

Deana Saukam

DEANA SAUKAM has been an Austinite since 2000. She is a partner and director of media and events at qui and East Side King. She is known for he... Read Full Bio

Jennifer Stafford

JENNIFER STAFFORD is the social media manager at HomeAway.com, specializing in social media in the vacation rental and travel industry. She h... Read Full Bio

Kim Gorsuch

KIM GORSUCH is a growth-oriented executive as comfortable starting things from scratch as she is with managing a multi-million dollar P&L. ... Read Full Bio

Melinda Hanson-Perry

MELINDA HANSON-PERRY joined Mary Kay Inc. in August of 2000. She began her Mary Kay career in the production and inventory control group. Since... Read Full Bio

Dianna Koltz

DIANNA KOLTZ is VP of sales and services at Rivet. Having been publicly acknowledged by Direct Marketing News as a “30 under 30” for her ab... Read Full Bio

Jen Ostrich

JEN OSTRICH is the founder and president of ostrich coaching + consulting where she helps leaders and brands define their authentic self so the... Read Full Bio

Martha Pincoffs

MARTHA PINCOFFS is partner to Jo, mom to River and Townes, founder of Hot Dang, Inc., challenge taker, cook, reader, hiker and biker. She found... Read Full Bio

Psyche Terry

PSYCHE TERRY is blazing trails in the fashion and retail world as founder and CEO of Urban Intimates Lingerie, LLC. Urban Intimates is a brandi... Read Full Bio

Mikala Guillaume

MIKALA GUILLAUME is part of the H-E-B Nutrition Services team, serving as a registered dietitian for San Antonio, Austin and the surrounding ar... Read Full Bio

Jessica Haskins

JESSICA HASKINS is a community pharmacy manager with Walgreens. She began her pharmacy career at K&B Pharmacy in Louisiana, and worked in i... Read Full Bio

Taylor Baker

TAYLOR BAKER is lead singer for Taylor & the Wild Now. Their music encompasses alternative, indie and soul which blends effortlessly into ... Read Full Bio

Drew Davis

DREW DAVIS is an experienced musician, whose original compositions and soulful power vocals have the ability to make any room instantly silent... Read Full Bio

Britny Lobas

BRITNY LOBAS is the lead singer/songwriter of Austin based band, Nomad City. This powerhouse will captivate you with her hypnotic vocal & compelling presenc... Read Full Bio

Dre Mazzenga

DRE MAZZENGA (musically known as That Girl Dre) is a singer-songwriter, whose “Green-Eyed Soul” music blends groovy R&B and infectious... Read Full Bio

Candice Sanders

CANDICE SANDERS is a powerhouse who blends upbeat, funky R&B soul, laced with the feverish kinetic energy of rock 'n roll. Born in a house ... Read Full Bio