2019 Speakers

Speakers will be posted here as they’re confirmed. Proposal submission for 2019 is closed. If you’re interested in learning more about speaking, please see HERE.

| Workplace Summit Speakers | Opening Night Speakers |

Keynotes

Celeste Headlee

CELESTE HEADLEE is a communication and human nature expert, and an award-winning journalist. She is a professional speaker, and also the author... Read Full Bio

Megan Rapinoe

MEGAN RAPINOE is a two-time World Cup Champion, and co-captain of the US Women’s National Team. She is a fan favorite, and one of the te... Read Full Bio

Yara Shahidi

YARA SHAHIDI is an actress, model, activist, and breakout star of ABC’s Emmy- and Golden Globe- nominated comedy series black-ish. L... Read Full Bio

Simon Sinek

SIMON SINEK is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker... Read Full Bio

Amanda Southworth

AMANDA SOUTHWORTH is a seventeen-year-old iOS developer, designer, and a mental health and human rights activist. She’s founder and executive... Read Full Bio

Kara Swisher

KARA SWISHER is the co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode, producer and host of the Recode Decode and Pivot podcasts, and co-executive produ... Read Full Bio

Tara Westover

TARA WESTOVER is an American historian and writer known for her unique and courageous education journey. She was born to Mormon survivalist par... Read Full Bio

Malala Yousafzai

MALALA YOUSAFZAI is co-founder of Malala Fund and a Nobel Laureate. Her vision of a more equitable world means that every girl will have the op... Read Full Bio

Special Guest Speakers

Antoinette Antonio

ANTOINETTE ANTONIO is co-anchor of WCVB’s EyeOpener newscasts with co-anchors Randy Price and Doug Meehan and meteorologist Cindy Fi... Read Full Bio

Renee Connolly

RENEE CONNOLLY is global head of communications and corporate responsibility at MilliporeSigma. Her responsibilities include leading inter... Read Full Bio

Karen Holmes Ward

KAREN HOLMES WARD is the director of public affairs and community services as well as host and executive producer of CityLine, WCVB-TV... Read Full Bio

Kathy Horgan

KATHY HORGAN is executive vice president and chief human resources and citizenship officer at State Street Corporation, responsible for en... Read Full Bio

Susan Vissers Lisa

SUSAN VISSERS LISA is VP of Investor Relations at Boston Scientific Corporation and has served in that role since December 2013. She began her... Read Full Bio

Alicia Menendez

ALICIA MENENDEZ an award-winning multimedia journalist, and the co-host of PBS’ Amanpour & Company. A contributing editor at ... Read Full Bio

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito

KARYN POLITO is the 72nd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She began her public service in local government, serving as a member... Read Full Bio

Mayor Marty Walsh

MARTIN J. WALSH is a lifelong champion of working people and a proud product of the City of Boston. He was sworn in as the City’s 54th&n... Read Full Bio

Laysha Ward

LAYSHA WARD is executive vice president and chief external engagement officer for Target, and a member of the company’s executive leadership ... Read Full Bio

Speakers

Mary Abbajay

MARY ABBAJAY is the president of Careerstone Group, LLC, a full service organizational and leadership development consultancy that delivers lea... Read Full Bio

Marci Alboher

MARCI ALBOHER is a vice president at Encore.org. She is one of the nation’s leading authorities on career issues and workplace trends. A form... Read Full Bio

Amy Armstrong

AMY ARMSTRONG is senior vice president and global head of talent development and employee relations at State Street based in Boston. In her tal... Read Full Bio

Bea Arthur

BEA ARTHUR, LMHC, is a Columbia University-trained psychotherapist, startup founder, and author, who works with high-performance individuals in... Read Full Bio

Tracy Atkinson

TRACY ATKINSON is executive vice president and acting chief administrative officer for State Street Corporation. In this capacity, she is respo... Read Full Bio

Chris Bailey

CHRIS BAILEY is a productivity expert, and the international best-selling author of Hyperfocus and The Productivity Proje... Read Full Bio

Kristen Balboni

KRISTEN BALBONI is a studio host and sideline reporter for Stadium, the national multi-platform sports network based in Chicago. In addition to... Read Full Bio

Blythe Berents

BLYTHE BERENTS is a dual employee of Bank of America (BofA) and Merrill, as a financial solutions advisor, which allows her to work with client... Read Full Bio

Renata Black

RENATA BLACK is a co-founder of EBY.  EBY is a women’s empowerment brand that delivers best in class tech-undies to women from XS to 4X.... Read Full Bio

Dena Blizzard

DENA BLIZZARD is one funny mother, known as the “Target mom” for her viral videos including Back to School Rant, which had ov... Read Full Bio

Jane Bowman

JANE BOWMAN is the vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships for Boston Globe Media, where she works to develop new consumer and b... Read Full Bio

Lisa Brady

LISA BRADY is the director of supply chain sustainability and circular economy at Cisco. As part of Cisco’s supply chain operations, she is r... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Browne

STEPHANIE BROWNE is vice president of talent acquisition and chief diversity and inclusion officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ... Read Full Bio

Rosaleen Burke

ROSALEEN BURKE has served as senior VP of global quality & regulatory at Boston Scientific Corporation since February 2017. Burke has been ... Read Full Bio

Raschelle Burton

RASCHELLE BURTON is the chief communications officer for Santander US.  She is responsible for protecting and enhancing the reputation of ... Read Full Bio

Jane Carpenter

JANE CARPENTER is the global head of communications at Wayfair, leading their global public relations and corporate communications. In 2014, sh... Read Full Bio

Lee Carter

LEE CARTER is the president of Maslansky and partners. She oversees a range of communication and language strategy for Fortune 100 and 500 com... Read Full Bio

M. Tamra Chandler

M. TAMRA CHANDLER is the founder and CEO of PeopleFirm LLC, one of Forbesmagazine’s 2019 America’s Best Management Consulting Firm... Read Full Bio

Kate Cingolani

KATE CINGOLANI is the head of global communications for the integrated supply chain operations function for Mil... Read Full Bio

Roxann Cooke

ROXANN COOKE is the consumer bank and wealth management regional director for Chase. She is responsible for Chase’s market expansion plans i... Read Full Bio

Rachel Cossar

RACHEL COSSAR is the founder and lead facilitator for Choreography for Business. She has unparalleled expertise in nonverbal communication. She... Read Full Bio

Bernice Cramer

BERNICE CRAMER is the director of marketing for Bose’s Professional Systems Division. She joined Bose in 2011 in a similar role with the head... Read Full Bio

Kate Creagh

KATE CREAGH is a human resources leader known for building strong cultures in fast-growing, entrepreneurial companies. She has worked with... Read Full Bio

Susan Rietano Davey

SUSAN RIETANO DAVEY is co-founder/owner of Prepare to Launch, LLC, a learn... Read Full Bio

Wade Davis

WADE DAVIS is a former NFL player, thought leader, writer, public speaker, and educator on gender, race, and orientation equality. He is the NF... Read Full Bio

Ally DeVoe

ALLY DeVOE is a principal financial analyst, urology and pelvic health finance at Boston Scientific Corporation, and has served in this role si... Read Full Bio

Jessica Donohue

JESSICA DONOHUE is executive vice president of State Street Corporation and client executive, focused on delivering cross-enterprise solutions ... Read Full Bio

Annie Duke

ANNIE DUKE is an author and experienced corporate speaker and consultant on the behavior of decision making. In 2018, her first book for genera... Read Full Bio

Eileen A. Elliott

EILEEN A. ELLIOTT is site lead for site affairs and external partnership at Pfizer Kendall Square. In this role she leads the strategy for ext... Read Full Bio

Nicole Fitzpatrick

NICOLE FITZPATRICK is a vice president and deputy general counsel at Akamai Technologies, and sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Executive Ste... Read Full Bio

Amy E. Gallo

AMY E. GALLO is an expert in conflict, communication, and workplace dynamics. She is the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict Read Full Bio

Gabrielle Simpson Gambrell

GABRIELLE SIMPSON GAMBRELL is a communications, branding and media expert. She’s vice president and head of marketing and communications at B... Read Full Bio

Yvonne Garcia

YVONNE GARCIA serves as chief of staff to State Street’s CEO, Ron O’Hanley. Prior to State Street, she served as director in marketing... Read Full Bio

Archana Gilravi

ARCHANA GILRAVI is the VP of partnerships at the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Foundation, the nonprofit organization behind LeanIn.Org and... Read Full Bio

Jackie Glenn

JACKIE GLENN is founder and CEO of Glenn Diversity and HR Solutions. She began her career in the technology sector at the Fortune 500 EMC Corpo... Read Full Bio

Jodi Glickman

JODI GLICKMAN is passionate about developing leaders, including seasoned executives and next generation talent alike. As the CEO and founder of... Read Full Bio

Anne Grady

ANNE GRADY is not your typical motivational speaker. She is a best-selling author, two-time TEDx speaker, trainer, survivor, optimist, inspirer... Read Full Bio

Minda Harts

MINDA HARTS is a well-connected, sought after speaker and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership... Read Full Bio

Lisa Hellmann

LISA HELLMANN is the vice president of human resources and global internal communications at Hologic, Inc. Hologic aims to enable healthier liv... Read Full Bio

Linda Henry

LINDA HENRY is the managing director of Boston Globe Media Partners, which includes The Boston Globe, Read Full Bio

Nikki Howard & Jaqi Wright

NIKKI HOWARD & JAQI WRIGHT are co-founders of The Furlough Cheesecake. The company was born during the longest federal government... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Humphrey

STEPHANIE HUMPHREY is a former engineer who became the technology contributor to nationally-syndicated talk show The Harry Show, hosted ... Read Full Bio

Alexandra Ibanez

ALEXANDRA IBANEZ is the discovery site operations director at Merck Research Labs in Cambridge, MA. While working as a researcher, she held po... Read Full Bio

Dr. Tiffany Jana

DR. TIFFANY JANA has helped orchestrate TMI's growth over the past sixteen years. This includes leading the merger of three companies that resu... Read Full Bio

Erica Keswin

ERICA KESWIN is a best-selling author, executive coach, and workplace strategist who has worked for the past twenty years with some of the most... Read Full Bio

Michelle King

MICHELLE P. KING is a researcher, gender equality expert, and director of inclusion at Netflix. Previously the head of, The Global Innovation C... Read Full Bio

Sarah LaFleur

SARAH LaFLEUR is founder and CEO of MM.LaFleur. Before founding MM.LaFleur, she worked in the luxury goods group of Starwood Capital in New Yo... Read Full Bio

Karoline Lariviere

KAROLINE LARIVIERE is the senior vice president of Human Resources (HR) at Fresenius Medical Care and the global leader in renal therapies, wit... Read Full Bio

Sara Laschever

SARA LASCHEVER has spent her career investigating the challenges that shape women’s lives at work. She is the co-author, with Linda Babcock, ... Read Full Bio

Katy Latimer

KATY LATIMER is Ocean Spray’s vice president of research and development. In this role, she cultivates cutting-edge new products to fill the ... Read Full Bio

Courtney Lawrie

COURTNEY LAWRIE is the director of brand and integrated marketing at Wayfair, where she oversees brand channels globally including TV, direct m... Read Full Bio

Emma Lees

EMMA LEES is responsible for leading oncology discovery in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Cambridge, Mass., and central New Jersey labs. In Cambridge... Read Full Bio

Alice Lin

ALICE LIN is the director of advanced analytics for the US specialty lines & Canada claims organization of global risk solutions at Liberty... Read Full Bio

Aria Mia Loberti

ARIA MIA LOBERTI is an undergraduate honors student at University of Rhode Island, triple majoring in philosophy, communication studies, and po... Read Full Bio

Mary Mack

MARY MACK leads consumer banking for Wells Fargo, which provides financial services to twenty one million retail households and three million s... Read Full Bio

Charmaine McClarie

CHARMAINE McCLARIE is a C-suite adviser, keynote speaker, executive coach, and executive presence authority who helps leaders have their b... Read Full Bio

Maxie McCoy

MAXIE McCOY is a writer and speaker obsessed with giving women the tools they need to believe in themselves. Committed to the global rise of wo... Read Full Bio

Linnete Velez-McKnight

LINNETE VELEZ-McKNIGHT is a senior global product marketing and marketing communications leader for converged solutions, security products at ... Read Full Bio

Mindy McKnight

MINDY McKNIGHT is currently ranked as one of the Top-25 Women on YouTube with her highly successful Cute Girls Hairstyles channel. While her ha... Read Full Bio

Alicia Menendez

ALICIA MENENDEZ an award-winning multimedia journalist, and the co-host of PBS’ Amanpour & Company. A contributing editor at ... Read Full Bio

Dr. Susan A. Miele

DR. SUSAN A. MIELE is the chief human resources officer at Foundation Medicine. She has two decades of experience with human resource leadersh... Read Full Bio

Jeannette M. Mills

JEANNETTE M. MILLS is the senior vice president of safety, health, environmental & assurance at National Gr... Read Full Bio

Amy Morin

AMY MORIN is a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and psychology lecturer at Northeastern University. She’s also an internatio... Read Full Bio

Rushmie Nofsinger

RUSHMIE NOFSINGER brings nearly twenty years of communications, stakeholder engagement and health policy experience to AMAG Pharmaceuticals as ... Read Full Bio

Jennifer Perry

JENNIFER PERRY is the managing director and lead of the MMBSI technology & disruptive commerce northeast team, where she focuses on emergi... Read Full Bio

Amy Philbrook

AMY PHILBROOK is the head of diversity and inclusion for Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning... Read Full Bio

Mary Laura Philpott

MARY LAURA PHILPOTT is the author of I Miss You When I Blink, a nationally best-selling memoir in essays. Her writing appears in publi... Read Full Bio

Deborah Pine

DEBORAH PINE is the executive director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and Bentley Executive Education. She leads al... Read Full Bio

Marissa Poole

MARISSA POOLE has more than twenty five years in the healthcare industry. She built her career in the pharma and biotech space through working ... Read Full Bio

Colleen Richards Powell

COLLEEN RICHARDS POWELL oversees MFS’ diversity strategy, including related leadership training, strategic partnerships, education, employee ... Read Full Bio

Adda Grace Power

ADDA GRACE POWER leads the internal audit department at TripAdvisor Media Group as the senior director of SOX & Internal Audit, reporting t... Read Full Bio

Tonya Rapley

TONYA RAPLEY is an internationally recognized millennial money expert, mompreneur, and founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance. ... Read Full Bio

Kate Reed

KATE REED is the vice president for IBM Security’s performance marketing discipline. She is responsible for the design and execution of deman... Read Full Bio

Alechia Reese

ALECHIA REESE is equal parts warm tea and Hennessy. She is the author of the award-winning book, Eating Elephants, and the chief brand... Read Full Bio

Shannon Resetich

SHANNON RESETICH is head of North America for rare diseases and rare blood disorders for Sanofi Genzyme. She is dedicated to inclusion, diversi... Read Full Bio

Karen Rinaldi

KAREN RINALDI is the publisher of Harper Wave, an imprint she founded in 2012, and a senior vice president at HarperCollins Publishers. Rinaldi... Read Full Bio

Veronica Rueckert

VERONICA RUECKERT is the author of Outspoken: Why women's voices get silenced and how to set them free, and a Peabody Award-winning co... Read Full Bio

Angela Ruffin-Stacker

ANGELA RUFFIN-STACKER is senior vice president and director of diverse FA recruiting strategy on the diverse client segments team at Wells Farg... Read Full Bio

Roxanna Sarmiento

ROXANNA SARMIENTO has a wealth of marketing and brand management experience. Prior to becoming a digital strategist and blogger, she worked wit... Read Full Bio

Reshma Saujani

RESHMA SAUJANI is the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, the international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in techn... Read Full Bio

Christina Scully

CHRISTINA SCULLY is currently the interim head of global manufacturing and supply chain quality at Bristol-Myers Squibb. In this role, Scully h... Read Full Bio

Tiffany Shlain

TIFFANY SHLAIN was honored by Newsweekas one of the Women Shaping the 21st Century. She is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, founder of The W... Read Full Bio

Susannah St-Germain

SUSANNAH ST-GERMAIN is a 17x certified Colombian-American Salesforce architect. She was one of the first gradua... Read Full Bio

Darcey Steinke

DARCEY STEINKE is the author of the New York Times Notable memoir Easter Everywhere, as well as five novels. In 2017 Maggie Nelso... Read Full Bio

Marlo Tapley

MARLO TAPLEY is a senior sales and operations executive for North America Applications (NAA) at Oracle. She is responsible for territory and d... Read Full Bio

Trish Torizzo

TRISH TORIZZO is an accomplished executive leader with over twenty years’ experience in multiple industries including life sciences, bio-tech... Read Full Bio

Virgie Tovar

VIRGIE TOVAR started the #LoseHateNotWeight campaign. She is one of the nation's leading experts and lecturers on weight-based discrimination a... Read Full Bio

Elizabeth Traynor

ELIZABETH TRAYNOR is a communications lead for employee communications and engagement at Converse. She coordinates strategic communication... Read Full Bio

Yai Vargas

YAI VARGAS is a leading multicultural marketing expert with a niche in building marketing strategies and community engagement programs. She spe... Read Full Bio

Barb Vlacich

BARB VLACICH is vice president, global sales operations, and chief of staff of Kronos Incorporated. She manages worldwide teams that support t... Read Full Bio

Laysha Ward

LAYSHA WARD is executive vice president and chief external engagement officer for Target, and a member of the company’s executive leadership ... Read Full Bio

Hillary Weingast

HILLARY WEINGAST is associate general counsel and head of global inclusion and diversity at Juniper Networks, Inc, where she leads global ... Read Full Bio

Danielle Weisberg & Carly Zakin

DANIELLE WEISBERG and CARLY ZAKIN are co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm, a membership company dedicated to helping female millennials live sm... Read Full Bio

Jodie Wertheim

JODIE WERTHEIM has worked in the field of communication for close to twenty five years with expertise centered on building communications strat... Read Full Bio

Jeffery Whitford

JEFFERY WHITFORD joined Sigma-Aldrich in 2005, and since that time has served in a variety of positions including the company’s first-ev... Read Full Bio

Karen Wickre

KAREN WICKRE has been called “the best-connected Silicon Valley figure you’ve never heard of,” and a “powerful but unsung resource for... Read Full Bio

Carla Wright-Jukes

CARLA WRIGHT-JUKES possess a warrior’s mentality with a poet’s soul.  She has over thirty years’ experience in the project managemen... Read Full Bio

Lauren Zajac

LAUREN ZAJAC is vice president, general counsel and data protection officer with Workhuman, where she oversees all legal, regulatory, and ... Read Full Bio

Gabi Zijderveld

GABI ZIJDERVELD is chief marketing officer and head of product strategy with Affectiva. She has defined and built the new technology category o... Read Full Bio

Health & Wellness Classroom Speaker

Diana Bacci-Walsh

DIANA BACCI-WALSH serves as head of WW education solutions at DePuy Synthes Spine.   She is a member of the spine leadership team and wor... Read Full Bio

Megan Duelks

MEGAN DUELKS is the Americas lead in the Employee Health Innovation Center of Excellence at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). She identifie... Read Full Bio

Ginamarie Foglia

GINAMARIE FOGLIA DO, MPH, FACP has over twenty five years of healthcare experience as a board-certified internal medicine and infectious disea... Read Full Bio

Celina Gorre

CELINA GORRE is the CEO of WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, based in Washington, D.C.  Formerly, she was t... Read Full Bio

Flo Goshgarian

FLO GOSHGARIAN is president and owner of MD TLC in Wellesley, MA. She takes great pride in representing her company with world-class physicians... Read Full Bio

Charles Inniss

CHARLES INNISS has devoted his career to health and wellness.  He earned his doctorate degree in physical therapy from Boston Univers... Read Full Bio

Dr. Dianne Quibell

DR. DIANNE QUIBELL is a board-certified internist, World renowned cosmetic laser surgeon, and aesthetic physician. She is the VP of the America... Read Full Bio

Tonya Rapley

TONYA RAPLEY is an internationally recognized millennial money expert, mompreneur, and founder of the award-winning site, My Fab Finance. ... Read Full Bio

Myra Robin

MYRA ROBIN suffered a massive heart attack at age forty three, and was subsequently diagnosed with several heart conditions, including heart fa... Read Full Bio

Dr. Amama Sadiq

DR. AMAMA SADIQ is currently an executive medical director at AMAG Pharmaceuticals leading the launch of a newly U.S. Food and Drug Administra... Read Full Bio

Scott Williams

SCOTT WILLIAMS is vice president and head of global patient advocacy and strategic partnerships at EMD Serono. He has been featured as an exper... Read Full Bio

Small Business Roundtable

Barbara Clarke

BARBARA CLARKE is an economist that invests in early stage companies with women in leadership. She has personally invested in over 50 startups ... Read Full Bio

Seth Goodall

SETH GOODALL is the executive director of corporate social responsibility for Santander Bank, N.A. In this role, he is responsible for overseei... Read Full Bio

Bianca Jordan

BIANCA JORDAN is the founder of Brazen Legal, a law firm that provides legal counseling and representation to immigrants and small businesses. ... Read Full Bio

Teresa Maynard

TERESA MAYNARD is the owner and operator of Sweet Teez Bakery in Dorchester, MA that specialize in nut free custom cakes, cupcakes, pies, brow... Read Full Bio

Meg Stone

MEG STONE is the executive director of IMPACT Boston, a nationally recognized abuse prevention and safety and self-defense program. She has led... Read Full Bio

Anne Traer

ANNE TRAER is a floral artist and founder of Garden and Roads, a Boston-based florist and small-scale flower farm. After 20+ years of leaning i... Read Full Bio

Michelle Wax

MICHELLE WAX is a firm believer that happiness is the ultimate success. She is three-time entrepreneur, documentarian, and speaker that travels... Read Full Bio

Meg Wheeler

MEG K. WHEELER is a socially conscious entrepreneur, business consultant, writer and activist. She is the  co-founder and CEO of One For W... Read Full Bio

Tech Roundtables

Chris Ferzli

CHRIS FERZLI is director of global corporate affairs with Ocean Spray. Shee has dedicated her career to building a healthier future for our peo... Read Full Bio

Katie Greer

KATIE GREER is CEO of KL Greer Consulting. Her journey as an internet safety keynote speaker started off with the Massachusetts Attorney Genera... Read Full Bio

Stephanie Humphrey

STEPHANIE HUMPHREY is a former engineer who became the technology contributor to nationally-syndicated talk show The Harry Show, hosted ... Read Full Bio

Anna Jablonka

ANNA JABLONKA is an engineering director with Applied Materials. She has been with the company for twenty two years, and has worked in var... Read Full Bio

Roxanna Sarmiento

ROXANNA SARMIENTO has a wealth of marketing and brand management experience. Prior to becoming a digital strategist and blogger, she worked wit... Read Full Bio

Yai Vargas

YAI VARGAS is a leading multicultural marketing expert with a niche in building marketing strategies and community engagement programs. She spe... Read Full Bio

Women of Color in the Workplace Roundtables

Jackie Glenn

JACKIE GLENN is founder and CEO of Glenn Diversity and HR Solutions. She began her career in the technology sector at the Fortune 500 EMC Corpo... Read Full Bio

Minda Harts

MINDA HARTS is a well-connected, sought after speaker and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership... Read Full Bio

Dr. Charmain F. Jackman

CHARMAIN F. JACKMAN, PhD is a mission-driven psychologist-entrepreneur. After obtaining her doctorate degree in psychology, she worked at Bosto... Read Full Bio

Shellee Mendes

SHELLEE MENDES is the entrepreneurial founder, owner and stylist of not one but two hair salons – the Salon Monet duo on Boston’s chic Newb... Read Full Bio

Career Pavilion

Dr. Bonita Burke

DR. BONITA BURKE is an assistant leader of the counter-weapons of mass destruction group at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. She joined Lincoln as a... Read Full Bio