Christopher Connors

Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant - Championship Leadership, Inc.

Christopher D. Connors is a #1 bestselling author, executive coach, and globally recognized expert on emotional intelligence. He is a global speaker on leadership. Christopher has worked with CEOs, top leaders, and managers from global organizations such as Northrop Grumman, U.S. Army, FBI, Apple, McKesson and Google. His writing has appeared in World Economic Forum, CNBC, Thrive Global, and Medium. Christopher’s newest book on emotionally intelligent leadership, The Champion Leader discusses ways that leaders can form connection and build high-performing teams. His book Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader is one of the top selling emotional intelligence books in the world. Christopher’s first book, The Value of You, has helped thousands of professionals create an authentic, values-based life. His video-based course, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, is a top leadership course on LinkedIn Learning. Christopher is happily married to his lovely southern belle CEO wife and is the proud father of three rambunctious, sports-loving boys. He lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Steven Haines

Founder & CEO - Business Acumen Institute

Steven Haines’ ideas and books have contributed to corporate growth strategies for more than two decades. His enthusiasm and focus have contributed to many best-selling business books that include Business Acumen for Project Managers and The Product Manager's Desk Reference (3e). Steven Is the founder and CEO of Business Acumen Institute, an internationally positioned training and organizational advisory services firm focusing on business acumen excellence for emerging leaders and managers. He’s also the founder and CEO of Sequent Learning Networks, a product management training and advisory firm. Steven’s worked in various leadership roles at AT&T and Oracle While at AT&T, he worked on a corporate task force that benchmarked dozens of other firms’ business practices and also served as a member of AT&T’s global leadership development program review board. He was also one of the founding members of the CRM business unit at Oracle during the ‘dot-com’ era in Silicon Valley. Steven received his BS in Management Science and Organizational Behavior from Binghamton University, and an MBA in Financial Management from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. Steven is based in New York City and can be reached via email at [email protected] or on his mobile: +1.908.672.2989.

Scott Welle

Founder - Outperform The Norm

Outperformers are not born; they’re made. We ALL have the capacity to “raise our game,” and Scott Welle has spent more than 15 years helping people do this, personally and professionally. Scott’s 10 best selling books, articles, videos, podcasts and online programs inspire hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. He has a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology, is an adjunct professor at St. Olaf University and was recently named the 2021 Midwest Motivational Speaker of the Year. For “fun” (and because he’s a little crazy!), he’s completed 33 marathons, 5 Ironman triathlons, a 100-mile ultra marathon, and serves others by showing them how to tap into the mindset of challenging their self-limiting beliefs and aspiring to Outperform every day.

Tanya Boyd

Chief Communications Officer - Inspire Creative Consulting

Tanya Boyd is an active advocate of continual improvement who challenges herself and others to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. A self-admitted wordsmith, she enjoys using metaphors and themes to help educate others on the concepts of project management and believes that a healthy dose of humor should be required in meetings. Having worked 20+ years on cross-functional teams in the industries of healthcare, information technology, government services, disaster recovery, financial services and mortgage origination she has amassed a wide array of interesting experiences that have helped to teach her about the power of curiosity and communication in uncovering unique solutions to perplexing problems. She has been a board member of the Baton Rouge PMI Chapter since 2016 and most recently served in the role of President from 2022-2023. She is the founder of Inspire Creative Consulting, which provides creative services to help teams foster innovative ideas to increase productivity. She launched her side business, Tanya Boyd Photography, in 2023 and enjoys sharing Louisiana landscapes and nature photography. She is passionate about motivating others to bring ideas to the table for discussion and engaging in activities that help to inspire laughter, wellness, and productivity.

Mayte Mata

PMO Director

Mayte is a seasoned PMO director based in Salt Lake City. With a master’s degree in chemical engineering, Mayte has served as a Project Manager in the technology sector, overseeing projects around the world. Motivated by a passion for strategic and business development, Mayte pivoted her career trajectory to specialize as a Project Leader in these domains. This transition allowed her to contribute significantly to the strategic growth of organizations and align projects with the business objectives. Beyond the corporate work, Mayte extends her expertise to education and professional development, honored to serve as an instructor for Project Management courses at UofU ProEd. Committed to the project management community, she is a dedicated board member at the Project Management Institute (PMI) Northern Utah Chapter.

Chris Leonard

Independant Consultant, Coach - No Impediments

Chris Leonard is a Nashville-based consultant and coach. He builds high-performing teams around complex problems, guiding them toward holistic, sustainable effectiveness amidst ever-changing environments. His integrated approach coaches and trains both the team and its leaders to shape an environment where people can thrive and strive around their shared mission. Having applied these methods in software engineering and vaccine marketing, Chris’s growing private practice brings these skills to mission-oriented organizations still accustomed to traditional ways of working. Chris is currently developing both paid and pro bono opportunities, with particular focus on missions around sustainability and public health.

Michelle Pauk

Founder / Executive Coach - Streamside Coaching, LLC

Michelle Pauk is an executive coach and organizational development consultant specializing in leadership agility and collaborative change leadership. Over the last decade, she has supported change and transformation efforts in a variety of industries and organizations, helping leaders and teams experiment with new ways of working to unlock their potential. She has spoken about agility and resistance to change at international conferences, including Agile 2022, XP 2022, and the Global Scrum Gathering 2019, and she blogs about change leadership on her website.

Amber McMillan

Region 1 Mentor - PMI

With over 30 years of diverse experience spanning profit and not-for-profit sectors, Amber McMillan, known as 'The Feisty PM,' is a dynamic professional dedicated to impact coaching, executive education, and project management thought leadership. Deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Amber ignites change by creating environments where every voice is not just heard but celebrated as a catalyst for innovation. Amber excels in fostering leadership growth, open communication, and navigating complex interest-holder landscapes with agility. Her infectious enthusiasm and empathetic vision empowers teams to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and transformation. As an 'agent of change,' Amber leverages her extensive expertise to drive impactful outcomes and inspire others to push boundaries and exceed expectations. Leading by example, Amber serves as the ED/Chief Visionary Officer of Rogers Society, Region 1 Mentor of PMI (Pacific Northwest of the Americas) and also shapes future leaders as an Executive Educator at esteemed institutions like York University/Schulich School of Business, University of Victoria - Gustavson School of Business, Continuing Studies, and BioMedical Engineering, and UBC-BME. Some of her previous accomplishments include: Co-Founder of Everlearn College, Past President of PMI Vancouver Island/Yukon, and Past Chair of the International Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration. Amber's professional journey is guided by Maya Angelou's words: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." Their dynamic approach, combined with a deep commitment to excellence and inclusivity, makes them a driving force in achieving peak performance and fostering positive change.

Chris Craft

Founder, BloodFlow Coaching; Director, FiG Speakers Bureau

Chris Craft is a respected international coach, speaker, and author specializing in the equipping of individuals for personal and professional development. Through years of experience, he has developed not only a keen understanding of the needs and issues most people confront but has also gained insights into addressing the most common mistakes that are made in their pursuit of success. Chris specializes in teaching and equipping for personal and professional development, the utilization of people skills, and interpersonal communication to increase the quality of relationships, along with systematic continuous improvement.

Molly Beran

President & Founder - Projects By Molly, LLC

Molly Beran is a PMP®-certified project manager with over 20 years’ experience managing projects and teams for clients including Kaiser Permanente, Rush University Medical Center, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and various financial and capital management firms. Blending her corporate training background with her experience in IT and project management, Molly creates processes and systems that break-down complex problems and provide simple solutions that teams actually use to get things done. Molly also speaks at conferences and leads workshops in the US and internationally. Her topics include leadership, project management, performance management, AI and emotional intelligence.

Greta Blash

Sr Instructor - Facilitated Methods

Greta Blash has extensive experience as an executive and consulting IT professional, both domestically and internationally. Her areas of experience include program management, project management, PMOs, agile/adaptive development, business analysis, customer relationship management, and business intelligence. In addition to her PMP certification, she also holds program management (PgMP), risk management (PMI-RMP), business analysis (PMI-PBA), and agile (PMI-ACP, DASSM, CDAI) certifications from Project Management Institute (PMI). She also holds the CPOA and AAC certifications from the International Institute for Business Analysis (IIBA). Greta has taught project and program management, business analysis and agile foundation and certification courses worldwide for the last fifteen years. She has also published numerous articles and blogs on these topics, as well as two Linkedin Learning courses “Foundations of Business Analysis”, and “Business Analysis for Project Managers.” She is a frequent presenter at various PMI and IIBA meetings and conferences at the local, regional, and global level. She has been recognized as a SME and reviewer of the Business Analysis Standard, Benefits Realization, Earned Value and Scheduling Practice Guides from PMI, and also as a reviewer of the 4th edition of the Program Management Guide and contributor to the 7th edition of the PMBOK guide.

Andrea Pratt-Smith

Consultant | CEO - Creative Minds Project Development & Consultation

Andrea Pratt-Smith, a Bahamian visionary, advocates for empowerment through learning, networking, and community building. As the CEO of Creative Minds Project Development & Consultation, she offers global project management consultancy services. Andrea is an experienced Agile Project Manager, Advanced ScrumMaster, and holds the distinction of being the Caribbean's first licensed Professional Kanban Trainer with ProKanban.org, the sole representative in The Bahamas. She is also an Authorized Training Partner, CAPM Instructor with the Project Management Institute. Andrea is an Advisory Board Member with FemSTEM Bahamas and Youth Leader for over two decades. In 2021, Andrea founded the Bahamas Agile & Project Management Community (BAPMC), the country's pioneering agile community, affiliated with the Scrum Alliance Network Pro User Group. Passionate about volunteerism, she actively engages in diverse local and international roles. Andrea extends her global perspective through impactful international speaking engagements, embodying her belief in transforming mindsets to nurture inherent creativity, guided by Henry Ford's quote: 'Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.' Eager to share her expertise and passions, Andrea contributes to shaping a better professional landscape.

Ebony Burroughs

Senior Program Manager, Ecommerce - Insight Enterprises

With a strong background in Information Technology, Ebony Burroughs has held various roles throughout her career. Currently serving as a Senior Program Manager at Insight, she leverages her expertise in implementing business and delivery agility within the realms of digital and eCommerce. By fostering an environment of experimentation, collaboration, and transparency, Ebony introduces innovative approaches that prioritize value, outcomes, responsiveness, and flexibility within the organization. Describing herself as a perpetual learner and a repository of diverse knowledge, Ebony excels in uncovering connections between seemingly disparate topics, such as linking Agile values with Diversity and Inclusion or drawing parallels between the plot of a Stephen King novel and effective people leadership strategies. Her leadership style can be described as adaptable, empathetic, knowledge-driven, and coaching-oriented.

Dave Wakeman

Principal - WCG

Dave Wakeman’s work has taken him around the world and back. He has experience working with some of the world’s biggest brands like American Express, Google, Coca-Cola, Nike, the Boston Red Sox, Madison Square Garden, and over 150 other top organizations. Dave’s work has been cited in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, US News & World Report, and The Washington Post. The BBC called him “The King of Tickets” for his expertise on marketing and selling live events to audiences around the world. Partners have called him “The Revenue Architect” for his work creating strategies that penetrate new markets, profitably. Dave regularly contributes his ideas in interviews, talks, and columns. He writes monthly for the Association of Luxury Suite Directors and the Project Management Institute on topics around people, strategy, and business growth. His talks cover topics like change, market growth, branding, and more. Dave’s workshops like “Fan’s For Life” and “The Whiteboard Workshop” create instant results for his clients. His weekly newsletters are read around the world and have been translated into six languages.

Alana Hill

2Hill Consulting Services, LLC

Alana is an international change leadership expert, inspiring professionals to lead change in themselves and others to create inclusive, resilient, and competitive organizations. She is a passionate energy industry veteran who has paved the way for women leaders, with a focus on women of color. Her experience as an engineer and project manager in talent development provides real‐world insight into how people and teams can excel, even in the face of adversity. Throughout her career, Alana has led diverse teams and delivered high-impact workshops all over the world! She is an engaging and dynamic keynote speaker, appealing to audiences of various types and sizes. Alana makes a lasting impact at conferences, corporations, and colleges, delivering high-energy, actionable content. Her programs will move you to overcome adversity, build resilience, and convey empathy. She is the author of What’s Your Catalyst? The Power of Managed Change where she guides her readers to discover how purpose and passion will give them greater influence and impact on the world around them. With over 25 years of cross-functional leadership and training expertise, Alana helps individuals and organizations accomplish their goals by utilizing sharp analysis, strategic planning, and interpersonal skills development. She helps leaders balance cognitive ability (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) to improve team dynamics and performance. Alana provides her clients with a combination of critical thinking and compassionate leadership, which she labels “Leading Change the Ms. Engineer Way®”. She has proudly served global Fortune 500 corporations, small technology companies, and non-profits. Her authenticity and adaptability make her an asset across the professional spectrum. Before establishing 2Hill Consulting Services, Alana enjoyed a colorful career with the international technology corporation SLB (formerly Schlumberger) advancing from a Field Engineer to a Program Manager. In her tenure with the oilfield services giant, she not only managed multiple change initiatives, but she also learned to drive an 18-wheeler! She has been a valued champion for diversity, equity & inclusion, especially in STEM fields. Alana holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Brooke Myer

Agency Project Manager - Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Brooke Myer is an Agency Project Manager with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Project Management Office. Prior to IDEM, Brooke worked in the private sector as an environmental consultant and in the public sector with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She spent much of the decade she’s been with the agency with the Office of Air Quality’s Compliance and Enforcement Branch as an air compliance inspector and Section Chief. Then after a brief stint with the agency’s IT department, Brooke, and her counterpart Bolanle, were asked to establish the agency’s Project Management Office. She now serves as the primary project manager for the Chief of Staff, Office of Air Quality, Office of Program Support, and Office of Legal Counsel. Brooke has a Bachelor of Science in Synoptic Meteorology and a Master of Science in Atmospheric Science, both from Purdue University.

Mei Yin Lin

Lead Program Manager - UTA

Microsoft CoPilot365 MVP | AI Champion | 8X Microsoft Certified | Author | Educator Mei Lin is a Microsoft CoPilot365 MVP and AI Champion with over 13 years of experience in project and program management. She is dedicated to promoting and educating project management professionals on the transformative potential of AI. Mei has held critical roles at major organizations like Microsoft, where she empowered over 10,000 employees with user-centric solutions and led digital transformation initiatives. Her work also includes managing complex projects at Texas Capital Bank and the City of Plano, focusing on enhancing technology capabilities and building collaborative teams. As a passionate leader and educator, Mei shares practical insights on AI transformation and leadership to support project management professional community