2026 SPEAKERS
Our stage features bold thinkers and changemakers redefining the future of work and learning. From visionary business leaders and innovators to entrepreneurs and industry pioneers, these remarkable voices are advancing ideas, partnerships, and practices that expand opportunity for people while driving business success.
-
Isaac Agbeshie-Noye
SHRM Foundation
Director, Foundation Programs (Widening Pathways to Work) -
Rebecca Agostino
Prentix
Founder -
Shad Ahmed
Anthropic
Economic Mobility Lead -
Kyle Albert
The George Washington University
Associate Research Professor -
Bridget Altenburg
Skills for Chicago
CEO -
Lara Bach
Strada Education Foundation
Director, Work-Based Learning -
Matt Bahl
Financial Health Network
VP, Workplace Solutions and Innovation -
Robin Baker
Amazon
Strategic Workforce Development Program Manager - Military Talent Pathways -
Steve Beard
Covista
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer -
Sara Beatty
SHRM Foundation
Programs Specialist -
Kendra Berenson
FSG
Director -
John Betancourt
Humantelligence
CEO -
Sara Blair
Country Maid
Head of Human Resources -
Nicole Bliss
Lead with Bliss
Leadership Coach -
Gary A. Bolles
Singularity University
Emeritus Chair for the Future of Work -
Chrissybil Boulin
Vero Learning
Founder and CEO -
Dr. Naomi R. Boyer
Education Design Lab
Former Senior Vice President, Digital Transformation -
Caitlyn Brazill
Per Scholas
President -
Nick Brenner
City Colleges of Chicago
Director of Workforce Solutions & Partnerships -
Natalie Brown
Ally Financial
Head of Strategic Workforce Partnerships -
Suzy Broz
Colorado Thrives
Director of Talent Pathways and Operations -
Omowale Casselle
SDI Presence, LLC
VP of Xchange Program -
Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Schultz Family Foundation
Managing Director -
Michael Chiappetta
Accenture
Director, US Financial Services Business Operations & US Apprentice Network Champion -
Charlie Cornish
American Apprentices Work
Co-Founder -
Al Crook
Zurich US
Chief Human Resource Officer -
Mary Kate Daly
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Senior Vice President, Chief of Community Health -
Laura Davis
Evolve HR & Communications
Founder/CEO -
Brooke DeRenzis
National Skills Coalition
CEO -
Jarquetta Egeston
Xchange Chicago
Managing Director -
Polly Eldringhoff
Peoples Gas
Vice President, Operational Performance and Compliance -
Brian Fabes
Corporate Coalition of Chicago
Managing Director -
George Fatheree
Oro
CEO -
Marcus Felder
Blackstone
Managing Director & Head of Career Pathways in Portfolio Operations -
Chirlie Felix
FSG
Managing Director -
Christian Fernandez
Mars
Global Leader, Strategic Workforce Planning and Organizational Design -
Kelley Frances Fenelon, PhD
Corporate Impact Lab
Managing Director -
Tessa Forshaw, PhD
Harvard University
Researcher and Instructor -
Janet Foutty
Deloitte U.S. | Deloitte Consulting
Former Executive Chair & CEO -
Karen Freeman-Wilson
Chicago Urban League
President and CEO -
Alex Gallafent
Gallafent & Company
Founder & Principal -
Nathalie Gazzaneo
Harvard Project on Workforce
Director -
Bob Gerard
The Learning Geeks Podcast
Co-host -
Jake Gittleson
McKinsey & Company
Senior Expert, Learning Design -
Haley Glover
The Aspen Institute
Senior Director -
Marcos Gonzales
Corporate Coalition of Chicago
Emcee -
Shavonne Gordon
Morgan Stanley
Managing Director, Global Head of Talent and Diversity for Wealth Management -
Alison Griffin
FutureRise
Principal Consultant -
Chris Grygo
Ford Foundation
Global Director, People & Organizational Development -
Brian Hackett
The Learning Forum
Founder -
Kenneth Hales II, MBA
Warner Bros. Discovery
Director, Retirement & Financial Programs -
Diane Headly
Ford Foundation
Vice President & Chief People Officer -
Laticia Holbert
ComEd
Senior Manager, Workforce Developmentr -
Tammy Hong
Year Up United | Grads of Life
Director of Learning and Advisory Services -
Michael Horn
Job Moves
Author -
Megan Hougard
Chicago Public Schools
Chief of College and Career Success -
Michael Hruska
Baryons
Founder/CEO -
Dr. Angela Jackson
Future Forward Institute
Founder -
Jamal Jessie
Google
Manager, Community & Workforce Development -
Ravin Jesuthasan
Kellogg School of Management and Mercer
Executive Fellow | Global Leader for Transformation -
Serena Jezior
Greater Cleveland Works
Director of Strategic Initiatives -
Erika Johnson
Chief
Senior Vice President of Member Experience -
Sarah Day Kalloch
Frontline Advantage
Founder, Advisor on Workforce Strategy and Operational Excellence -
Brighton Kaoma
Amano So
Founder & Managing Partner -
Patty Keenan
Miller Electric Company
Chief Talent Officer -
Shara Hughes Kempster
Phifer Incorporated
HR Manager -
Laura Koch
Origami Works Foundation
Stakeholder Engagement Manager -
Ashish Kothari
Happiness Squad
Founder and CEO -
Justin Lall
Gallup
Principal -
Sophie Lambin
Kite Insights
Founder and CEO -
Lucas Levine
FutureFit AI
Chief Commercial Officer -
Sandra Loughlin
EPAM
Chief Learning Scientist -
John Lullen
TEKsystems
Director, Marketplace Inclusion -
D.G. Macpherson
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer -
LK Mahmood
Impact Networking
VP, Growth Strategy & Transformation -
Jonathan Marek
Guild
Chief Operations Officer -
Ian Marks
Greater Cleveland Works
Manager of Employer Solutions -
Kathleen Mattie
Icon Vendorpass Consultants
Global HR Innovation Leader -
Rebecca Mattis-Pinard
Ford Foundation
Director, Organizational Effectiveness and Excellence -
Rosemary Matzl
ITW
Vice President - Community Affairs -
Taylor McLemore
Tilt
COO -
Larry G. Miller
Jordan Brand at Nike
Chairman -
Kason Morris
Merck
Global Director, Future of Work and Skills Based Organization -
Shawnda K. Morris, MBA, PHR
Trinity Health – Saint Joseph Health System & Loyola Medicine
Senior Workforce Development Program Partner -
Janet Morrison
Total Site Solutions
Chief People Officer -
Bela Moté
Carole Robertson Center for Learning
President and Chief Executive Officer -
Divya Pandove Narula, PhD
The George Washington University
Adjunct Professor -
Naomi Oglesby
Coca-Cola Consolidated
Senior Director, Associate General Counsel -
Ken Oliver
JUMP | Justice & Upward Mobility Project
President & CEO -
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
Harvard University
Economist -
Jimmy Oribiana
Hitachi Energy
Artificial Intelligence Lead - PGTR -
Thaler Pekar
Thaler Pekar & Partners
CEO -
Azella Perryman
Prenuvo
Director, AI Strategy & Business Development -
Patrick Persichilli
ConAgra Brands
Human Resources -
Mark Peters
Butterball Farms, Inc.
CEO -
Meighan Hackett Poritz
The Learning Forum
Co-Founder -
Noah Rabinowitz
Royal Caribbean Group
Sr. Director Newbuild Transformation Office -
Philip (Dale) Ray
LinkedIn
Director of Global Hospitality Programs -
Sandy Rezendes
D2L
Head of Corporate Learning and Development -
Gayatri Jane Richardson
Walmart Inc.
Senior Director, Global Associate Experience -
Ulises Trujillo Rivera
FSG | Senior Manager of Employee Voice
-
Shay Robinson
Aon
Head of US Strategic Partnerships -
Geoffrey Roche
Risepoint
Senior Vice President, Healthcare Solutions -
Michael Rosenbaum
Arena
Founder and CEO -
Anel Ruiz
United Airlines
Managing Director, People Impact -
Kelly Russell
Arena
Chief Commercial Officer -
Ahva Sadeghi
Yello
VP of Growth & Business Development -
Michael Sanders
George Washington University
Senior Research Associate -
Victor M. Sanchez
LinkedIn
VP, Global Workplace Strategy -
Ramona Schindelheim
The Future of Work(ers)
Editor-in-Chief -
Samira Searcy
TEKsystems
Sr. L&D Strategist for Military Programs -
Ahnna Smith
Education Strategy Group
Senior Director -
Tadzio Smith
Rapport
Co-Founder and CEO -
Nuwan Samaraweera
P33
COO and EVP of Talent Solutions -
Tony Bashir Sarsam
The SpartanNash Company
Former President and CEO -
Hoai Scott
NBCUniversal
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Universal Pictures -
Carrie Skowronski
Leadology
Founder + CEO -
Eric Smith
BMO Bank
Vice Chairman -
Isaac Smoak
United Way of Metro Chicago
Director, Community Development -
Ann Shoket
TheLi.st | 10 Minutes to Togetherness
CEO | Founder -
Amy Spurling
Compt
Founder & CEO -
Shweta Srivastava
Microsoft
Senior Director, Workforce Acceleration -
Deana Waintraub Stafford
FirstGen Hiring
EVP, Innovation and Effectiveness -
Treg Steves
Pondi's Restaurant & Market
COO/Partner/Chef -
Tom Strong
Shift Work Forward
Program Director -
Ebony D. Thomas
Year Up United | Grads of Life
Managing Partner -
Rishad Tobaccowala
The Rethinking Work Platform
Founder -
Daniel Torrens
TechWolf
Head of Partnerships -
Yen Truong
Future Forward Institute
Director, Program & Strategy -
Janna Meyrowitz Turner
Antenna Up
CEO -
Laura Turner
TIAA
VP and Head of Community Impact -
Kevin Vos, MBA
Corewell Health
Senior Vice President Facilities & Support Sevices -
Bobbi Wegner
Groops | Harvard University
Founder & CEO | Lecturer -
Tim Welsh
CCC Intelligent Solutions | President
-
Martin Whittaker
Just Capital
CEO -
Eric Wiggins
Wiggins Legacy Group and New Horizons Church
Pastor/Author/Speaker -
Ayanna Wilson
Hitachi Energy
Global Technical Curriculum and New Talent Integration Lead -
Nicole Zube
The SpartanNash Company
Former EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer