Mark Sanborn
Mark is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea lab for leadership development and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. GlobalGurus.org lists Mark as one of the top leadership experts in the world.
Mark has given over 2600 presentations in every state and 14 countries. He has authored eight books and more than two dozen videos and audio training programs. His programs are taught by Crestcom International in 90 countries and Mark is the Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University.Mark is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and is a past president of the National Speakers Association.
Mark’s book, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary is an international bestseller and was on the New York Times, Business Week and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. His other books include 1) You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make a Positive Difference, 2) The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do, 3) Up, Down or Sideways: How to Succeed When Times are Good, Bad or In Between, 4) Fred 2.0: New Ideas on How to Keep Delivering Extraordinary Results and 5) The Potential Principle: A Proven System for Closing the Gap Between How Good You Are and How Good You Could Be and 6) The Intention Imperative: 3 Essential Changes That Will Make You a Successful Leader Today.
Roxane Battle
Roxane Battle is Vice President of Advocacy and Community at Sanvello Health, Inc., a tele-mental health company inside UnitedHealth Group Ventures. Sanvello has the #1 app for anxiety, stress and depression and provides insured behavioral healthcare to 40 million people. Roxane’s self-help video series, “Checking in with Roxane Battle,” is seen by 4 million subscribers on the Sanvello app.
Prior to coming to Sanvello, Roxane spent 20+ years as a television news anchor and Emmy-nominated reporter at NBC Minneapolis, CBS, and FOX.
As life-long public speaker Roxane uses her gift of humor and natural storytelling to help people develop personal strategies to better manage stress, build resiliency and find joy during times of transition.
Roxane was named an Architect of Change on mariashriver.com and has been featured in Working Mother and Ebony national magazines, and regularly makes podcast and television guest appearances.
A Minnesota native, Roxane earned her undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She completed her master’s degree in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Her self-help memoir, Pockets of Joy: Deciding to Be Happy, Choosing to Be Free (Whitaker House 2017), became an Amazon Top 100 best seller in multiple categories.
She has an adult son, calls the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes home, owns a pair of roller skates and makes a mean mac and cheese.
Meridith Elliott Powell
Voted one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch by Currency Fair, a Top Sales Experts To Follow by LinkedIn, and Top 41 Motivational Sales Speakers. Meridith has a cutting-edge message, rooted in real-life examples and real-world knowledge. She is the author of six books, including “Cut Through The Excuses – Send Sales Through The Roof” , and her latest “Thrive: Strategies To Turn Uncertainty To Competitive Advantage,”
Meridith is regularly featured in publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., Investment News, and American Banker among others. High energy and highly interactive, Meridith’s helps leaders and business owners learn the new rules of success today, and the strategies they need to build their business, engage their team, and leave their competition in the dust.
Meridith is a Certified Speaker Professional, a designation held by less than twelve percent of professional speakers, as well as a Certified Virtual Presenter, having passed the rigorous certification standards to achieve this designation.
In her highly engaging keynote-speaking sessions, Meridith shows her audiences how to attract more business, retain top talent, and leap into position to win in this new economy. No walking on coals, no breaking boards, just real-life strategies you can put into place first thing Monday morning.
Chris Heeter
Selected as a Top Ten Speaker by MeetingsNet, and as the highest rated speaker of Meeting Professional International’s 2014 World Education Congress, Chris Heeter is out to create a Wild revolution in the workplace. A wilderness guide since 1984 and professional speaker since 2001, Chris has led and worked with a diverse array of teams, both canine and human!
Featured on The Discovery Channel’s “National Geographic Today,” she brings decades of leadership experience indoors, to conferences and offices, working with teams and leaders, helping us recognize that leadership, teamwork, and inclusion don’t have to be so complicated.
Combining business expertise with hilarious stories from her sled dog team and from guiding whitewater trips, Chris challenges and inspires organizations and individuals to be Wildly Present, Wildly Original, and Wildly Welcoming
Steve Gilliland
A member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, Steve Gilliland is one of the most in-demand and top-rated speakers in the world. Recognized as a master storyteller and brilliant comedian, he can be heard daily on SiriusXM Radio’s Laugh USA and Jeff & Larry’s Comedy Roundup. Presenting to over 250,000 people a year, more than two million have now heard him speak.
In addition to his brilliant speaking career, Steve is a prolific, accomplished author, evidenced by six of his books—Detour, Enjoy The Ride, Hide Your Goat, Making a Difference, The Cherry on Top and Turn the Page — perennially making the publisher’s bestseller list and his being named Author of the Year.
As one newspaper stated, “Steve is what happens when the humor of a stand-up comic collides with the inspiration of a motivational speaker.”
Judson Laipply
Judson Laipply M.Ed, CSP is an enigma wrapped in an anomaly contained inside a quandary. Combining comedy and content, laughter and learning, energy and engagement Judson gives his audiences both immediate joy and lasting impact. He’s been featured on the Today Show, Ellen, Oprah, GMA, America’s Got Talent, Tosh.O and more. He is the world’s first YouTube Celebrity and his finale “The Evolution of Dance” has over a billion impressions and was the first video ever to hit 100 million views on YouTube. He’s been speaking and performing for over 20 years and has been all around the globe. He has published or been featured in 6 books and is currently writing his next. He is also an Ironman Triathlete, terrible singer, and reformed Kool-Aid eater.
Laurie Guest
An entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author, Laurie Guest became known as a “go-to-resource” for customer service excellence during a successful career in the healthcare industry. In 1997, she channeled that expertise into Guest Enterprises, Inc., her own speaking and training company. For more than two decades, she has shared her practical point of view on customer service and staff development to audiences across the country, blending real-life examples and proven action steps for improvement.
Laurie is an award-winning columnist and the author of two books. With her latest, The 10¢ Decision: How Small Change Pays off Big, Laurie presents her most sought-after and impactful strategies to find and retain the best staff and highest-quality customers while delivering exceptional guest experiences. Laurie is a certified speaking professional, a designation held by less than 12% of speakers worldwide. She lives in northern Illinois where she is a wife, mother of two, lover of board games and below-average cook.
Laura Goodrich
Laura Goodrich is an expert on Transformation and the Future of Work. She has over 20 years of experience as an executive coach. And is recognized by Thinkers 360 as the top 20 thought leaders in Transformation, Future of Work, Change, Culture, and Technology. Her global perspectives on workforce dynamics and change have earned her a reputation as someone who can create positive outcomes in even the most challenging workplace dynamics. She was recognized as the 10 Most Inspiring Businesswomen to Watch in 2020
Calvin Stovall
Calvin is the Chief Experience Officer for ICONIC Presentations, LLC. Calvin specializes in delivering high-energy, customized keynote presentations for organizations that desire to reach or maintain ICONIC status. Calvin focuses on delivering the perfect blend of business concepts, story-telling and music themes to bring home an impactful message that touches both the heads and hearts of his audiences. He has energized and motivated people nationwide with his high-content, unorthodox, and humorous platform.
Armed with more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality and non-profit services industries, Calvin’s audiences learn real-life, hands-on practical customer experience and leadership principles which can be easily applied to business challenges today. Calvin designed a practical and systematic technique called The ICONIC Framework™ to help organizations achieve and maintain iconic status in the eyes of their customers. Calvin is also host of The ICONIC Mindset podcast where he and his co-host share the secrets behind what it takes to make your business, idea or movement iconic.
Calvin most recently served as CEO of the Soulsville Foundation, a Memphis-based non-profit built on the rich legacy and tradition of the iconic 60’s and 70’s soul recording label, Stax Records. Calvin also served as marketing and brand strategist for the fundraising arm, ALSAC, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The pinnacle of his hospitality career was his promotion to vice president of brand marketing with Hilton Worldwide where he was responsible for the marketing and public relations efforts for more than 150 Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels. While under his leadership, Homewood Suites by Hilton was voted best in class by numerous consumer advocacy publications, including Consumer Reports and recognized four times by J.D. Power and Associates for its unwavering commitment to customer service quality.
Calvin holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University and a Master’s of Hospitality Management from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
Chad Ellsworth
Chad Ellsworth is an author; professional keynote speaker; career, leadership, and life coach who empowers people to cultivate courageous cultures in their workplaces and organizations. In 2018, he published, “Building up without tearing down: How to cultivate heroic leadership in you and your organization.” On December 29, 2018, he was featured in a story in the Star Tribune, “Coaching us to purposeful lives.” In 2007, Chad was named an Anti-Hazing Hero by HazingPrevention.Org, and in 2010, he received one of two national awards that year for outstanding professionals by the Fraternity Information & Programming Group (FIPG).
Chad served the University of Minnesota community for more than 15 years as a Career Coach for the Carlson School of Management, where he was recognized in 2018 as Staff of the Year; an Academic Advisor and interim Pre-Health Career Coach for the College of Biological Sciences; an Academic and Career Coach for the Center for Academic Planning & Exploration; Adjunct Faculty for the College of Biological Sciences, Leadership Minor, and Office of Undergraduate Education; Program Director for the Office for Fraternity & Sorority Life; and Student Activities Advisor.
Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Chad received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 2001, and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland in 2004. He currently serves Carleton College as the Program Director for Employer Relations. He lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area with his wife, Kristin, and two sons, Joey and Paul.