Leadership development is broken. Seventy-five percent of organizations rate their leadership development programs as not very effective. If we want to fix leadership development, we need to shift our focus away from horizontal development to vertical development. Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership. And, he is the author of the upcoming book, The Elevated Leader: Leveling Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton.

Be the Guide and THRIVE. Be the Hero and you get zero. I show business and non-profit leaders how to deploy The Three Engagement Arsenals to improve customer and follower engagement and transformation and increase their productivity and achievement. My wisdom comes from many years as a change-maker … a technology consultant, college educator, investment business owner, non-profit leader, and now as a podcaster, author, and business coach. Additionally, during my careers, I’ve hosted a live cable TV show and radio program and was a guest on other such shows. I hold a Master’s degree in engineering, economics, and business from UCLA. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Dr. Oma Agbai is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology and Director of Multicultural Dermatology and Hair Loss Disorders at the University of California, Davis in Sacramento, California. She completed her Bachelor of Science at Emory University, Doctorate of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, Internal Medicine internship at Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dermatology residency at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Agbai has authored many peer-reviewed scientific articles published in high-impact medical journals, such as the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and JAMA Dermatology. She regularly appears as a dermatology contributor on the television program ""Good Day Sacramento”. Additionally, Dr. Agbai has been recognized by her peers as a Top Doctor and is a devoted wife and mother of three small children.

Somesh Chablani is an award-Winning Speaker, Global Youth Leader, Author, and Coach. Somesh is passionate about community service and mentoring young people. With 25+ years of global leadership experience, he is a thought-leader on various topics such as Youth Leadership, Public Speaking and Story Telling. Somesh conducts in-person and virtual workshops for Youth as well as Teachers. He has taught more than 500+ young people globally, representing 21+ countries. Somesh currently serves as the Youth Leadership Chair in New Jersey & New York districts, representing Toastmasters International. He has authored several books and is a visiting faculty at schools and universities. "SPEAK, LEAD, INSPIRE, TRANSFORM" is Somesh's message to the world. Credentials: Executive Education from Harvard & London School of Economics. Certified in Public Speaking, Youth Coaching, and Laughter Yoga.

We've all been there. Whether we're the ones wincing in our seats during roll call, or the ones hesitating while calling attendance, mispronouncing names has simply become a part of our everyday lives. In this humorous and engaging talk, high school student Suhawni Narang explains the importance of our names not just to our self-identity, but racial and social equality. She explains with great nuance and depth that when we mangle names or don't correct those who do, we are saying that we don't matter. Greetings! My name is Suhawni Narang and I'm currently a sophomore at W.B. Ray High School. I consider myself to be a tenacious, dedicated and focused individual with big hopes and dreams to change the world. I intend to be a powerful policy writer, lawmaker, and businesswoman in the future. When I'm not busy "fighting the patriarchy," I enjoy cooking and coffee making. I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, and cannot wait to see where I go next. I hope to inspire real change with my messages and leave the world better than I found it.

Rufus King was a signer and framer of the Constitution, the first US Senator from New York, a Director of the Bank of the United States, our Minister to England under Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams, a candidate for Vice-President in 1804 and 1808, and was the last Federalist (the party responsible for the Constitution) candidate for President in 1816. His son was Governor of New York and one of his half-brothers was the first Governor of Maine. Yet, no one has ever heard of him. I hope to change this. I am an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of North Alabama, where I have been a member of the faculty since 2019. Prior to this, I was a tenured professor of Marketing at Texas A&M University-Kingsville from 2011 - 2019 where I directed the Center for Negotiation, after receiving training from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, MIT, and Tufts University in Massachusetts. I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Memphis. I am also an avid history buff, specifically with regards to the history and politics of colonial America.

I reside in Huntsville, AL with my wife of 26 years, Karen, who is a 7th and 8th-grade math teacher in the Huntsville City School system.

As a former engineering manager, Steven knows both the hard and soft side of leadership. Throughout his 22 years in engineering, Steven also served as a trainer to Fortune 500 organizations as well as influencing and managing company-wide change management activities. Steven is an ICF Professional Certified Coach, a trained Facilitator along with Founder of multiple Toastmasters public speaking clubs. Steven specializes in helping introvert leaders find their voice so they can communicate and leave a positive impression without having to pretend. Steven has served over 100 one on one coaching clients in addition to corporate clients such as BlackLocus (Home Depot Innovation Lab), James Edwards and Companies, and Austin Pallet Company. He holds an MS in Materials Science and a BS in Physics.

Raymond Douglas Chong is Senior Roadway Manager with Oregon Department of Transportation at Portland in Oregon. He is responsible for preliminary engineering of transportation improvement projects in Portland metro region. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Raymond is 6th generation Chinese American. As President of Generations, LLC, in the creative realm, Raymond writes stories, pens poems, composes lyrics and makes films. His recent works include: “Amour Mystique Poetry: In Intimate Passion and In Sultry Fire” (book), “Chop Suey and Sushi from Sea to Shining Sea” (book), “Canto Cutie” (poems), “VILLAGE OF DRAGON HILL – A Mystical Journey in Passion” (album), and “MY ODYSSEY – Between Two Worlds” (film). He has written journal articles on the Chinese American experiences for journals. He also is staff writer for AsAmNews, an Asian American news company.

Dave Buzanko has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years and has experienced his fair share of both success and failure. Dave is a Resilience SME who talks about how you can learn to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity. Dave had to overcome his own perfect entrepreneurial storm of business sabotage and the threat of bankruptcy that led to a stress-induced heart crisis at 40. Dave not only survived his perfect storm, he learned how to thrive because of it. Dave spent the last 15 years as an Ironman Triathlete, Resilience Coach, and Business Leader. Dave has been resiliently married for over 30 years and is the proud father of 2 university graduates and emerging leaders.