Heather R Younger

Heather R Younger, J.D. is a trusted contributor to leading news outlets, like Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, NBC and ABC and one of the world’s leading experts on Caring Leadership® and active listening at work. She is the visionary Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a preeminent employee engagement and workplace culture consulting firm to Fortune 100 companies. Employee Fanatix conducts annual research on workplace culture, relying on employee voices for what is relevant now, to help companies redefine their culture strategy. Heather has personally read over 30,000 employee surveys and facilitated over 100 employee focus groups, including her signature “Art of Active Listening Sessions.” 

With over 25 years of successfully managing teams, she has worked in customer experience, sales, and large account management for multi-million dollar accounts within multiple industries such as tech, staffing, healthcare, professional services, the public sector, and the financial sector. She's a renowned keynote speaker, drawing insights from current data and putting into practice what she teaches in her Caring Leadership Transformation Model™.

Heather’s strategies yield tangible business results, including heightened employee engagement, unwavering loyalty, seamless collaboration, and robust connectivity.  One of her clients, a leader at a bank, continues to win Top Workplace awards, and the feedback from employees is that they are connecting the dots and making employees feel informed and engaged. Another one of her clients, a leader at an oil and gas company, says employee feedback shows an increased sense of trust about voicing concerns without fear of negative consequences. This all results in better outcomes in our everyday work. 

Heather is a former practicing attorney turned award-winning leader in the area of Employee Engagement as recognized by Inspiring Workplaces, is a LinkedIn Learning course partner, 3-time best-selling author, TEDX speaker and host of the popular, Leadership with Heart podcast. She is also an Adjunct Organizational Leadership Professor at University College at Denver University.

Her accolades include being a best-selling author of three books: "The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty," a Forbes Must-Read List topper for HR professionals, "The Art of Caring Leadership," wherein she shines a spotlight on the radical potential of compassionate leadership, and her latest best-selling book, "The Art of Active Listening," through which she equips individuals with the interpersonal skills required to make others feel seen, heard, and valued.

Heather's personal journey, rooted in her challenging experiences growing up as the only child of an interfaith and interracial marriage and being excluded because of her race, fueled her unwavering determination to ensure that workplaces around the world make both employees and customers alike feel heard, valued and seen. 

Ron Chandler

Ron currently leads customer engagement for US Education at Apple. In this role, he is
responsible for crafting the domestic Go-to-Market education strategy and for relationship
management with senior leaders across US education institutions and partner organizations.

Prior to Apple, Ron was the Chief Information Technology Officer at the Harvard Business
School and held a similar role at UCLA Anderson School prior to joining Harvard.
Before becoming a Higher Education CIO, Ron led technology at the second largest school
district in the US, the Los Angeles Unified School District.

He serves on the Board of Directors for the Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of
Massachusetts and sits on the Advisory Board for WGBH Boston, America’s preeminent public
media organization.

He is a member of the Wall Street Journal CIO Network and has been recognized as a Top 100
Influencer by District Administrator.

Ron received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Southern University and an MBA from the
Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Most importantly, he is the son of an Elementary and Special Education teacher who taught for
more than 40 years. He is married and a proud father of two young adult sons.

John K. Coyle

John K. Coyle is one of the world's leading experts in "Design Thinking” and Innovation, and a highly sought-after speaker. John's presentations are always an audience favorite because he combines the exhilarating stories of a champion athlete with the data and intellect of a professor and best-selling author.

John is the founder of Speaking Design Thinking, and a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Engineering - Product Design (Design Thinking) and Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School with an MBA in organizational behavior, marketing and entrepreneurship. A former head of innovation for a Fortune 500 wireless telecom, John has also been the SVP of innovation for a leading strategy consultancy. John is a world class athlete in two sports (cycling and speedskating) and an Olympic silver medalist. In his role as an NBC Olympic Sports analyst, he won an Emmy for production of a film feature. He is a guest lecturer on Innovation at several leading universities (Kellogg, Marquette, CEDIM). John is a five-time TEDx speaker, and an award-winning author of two books, including the best seller: Design For Strengths: Applying Design Thinking to Individual and Team Strengths. John is also a thought leader in the field of “chronoception” - the neuroscience and psychology of how humans process time. 

As a speaker and writer, John’s special talent is weaving facts, examples and business principles into engaging, accessible stories which bring his topics and frameworks to life. People leave John's programs inspired and empowered to make significant, positive changes in their business and personal lives. 

Alex Boyé

 Alex Boyé is known for his dynamic African-infused music that has gained over 1 billion views on YouTube. After being named 2017 Artist of the Year and grand prize winner in a music contest sponsored by Pepsi & Hard Rock Cafe, he performed a half-time show for NFL's Monday Night Football this past December in Miami. Alex’s voice was featured in “Cruel Summer,” a short film by Kanye West that premiered at the Cannes Film festival. He has shared the stage with many notable artists including, Jay-Z, Tim McGraw, George Michael, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, The Beach Boys, and opened for Olivia Newton John at the world-renowned Royal Albert Hall, fulfilling a life-time dream. Boyé, of Nigerian descent, was raised in London, became a U.S citizen on Feb 12th, 2012, and is an official ambassador for many causes, including the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, and speaks across the country giving entertaining keynotes on mental wellness. His remarkable studio recordings, viral videos, film appearances, and solo performances led to his unforgettable first audition on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where judge Howie Mandel stated, 'In my six years here, this is my favorite music act ever—it really is!'