Keynote Speaker: Dee Maddox

Mallory Herrin

Will Baggett

Will Baggett, former operations manager for the College Football Playoff, is an award-winning major events professional, former strength coach and dynamic speaker.

In early 2020, Will was recognized by the White House for outstanding communications and service to the President of the United States.

He has also helped produce events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, and a host of college football bowl games. Over his six-year coaching career, Will helped produce 26 NFL draft picks, including two first-round picks.

Will's first book, The Blueprint for a Successful Career, was released in 2017 to widespread acclaim and has been added to the curriculum at six nationally accredited universities.

He began speaking in 2017 and has since delivered over 250 keynotes, inspiring over 50,000 people across multigenerational workplaces in the public and private sector.

Will is considered to be the undisputed authority in personal branding, body language and soft skills leadership, resulting in a 98.13% approval rating across all of his speeches.

Baggett is highly regarded as the most interactive speaker in the country, leveraging his unique INFJ personality and quick-wit to leave teams more inspired and connected than ever before.

Raymond Swarts

Ray Swarts, SHRM-CP, is a Leadership Trainer, Strengths Coach, and Founder of the Leadership Imperative. Ray helps executives, managers, and their teams to play on their strengths, understand each other and work better together. He also has a passion for helping people find their path!

Dr. Stevie Dawn Carter

Stevie Dawn Carter, a seasoned entrepreneur and nationally acclaimed speaker, boasts a remarkable track record as a five-time business owner and bestselling author. With two decades of dedicated experience, Stevie Dawn has been a trailblazer in guiding individuals and organizations towards success through practical strategies in emotional intelligence, communication, and leadership.

Stevie Dawn is a passionate advocate for emotional intelligence, seamlessly blending academic expertise with her dynamic speaking and training efforts. With a Master’s in Sociology and a Doctorate in Leadership, Stevie’s journey into the world of emotional intelligence was driven by a deep-rooted commitment to understanding the intricacies of human dynamics and group interactions.

Throughout her career, Stevie has left an indelible mark on audiences worldwide, offering engaging and insightful presentations that draw from her years of academic study as well as varied work experience. Stevie’s dynamic approach to speaking and training has made her a sought-after authority in the field, engaging audiences with her relatable stories and humor. In an ever-changing world, Stevie Dawn Carter’s work continues to inspire and transform, guiding individuals and organizations toward greater emotional intelligence and success.

Currently at the helm of Empathix, she leads as CEO, driving the company's mission to foster emotionally intelligent organizations through cutting-edge corporate training. 

Dr. Jason Lambert

Dr. Jason R. Lambert is an Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business at Texas Woman’s University. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his scholarship and teaching primarily cover organizational behavior and workplace diversity. Before serving in higher education, his professional career spanned 10 years in managerial roles in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. His research investigates how attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences of members from different identity groups affect work decisions and outcomes. Dr. Lambert has received the "Most Promising Educator Award" from the Ph.D. Project, the "African- American Achievement Award" from Saint Xavier University as their first African-American Chair of the Management & Marketing Department, and the "Best Theory to Practice Paper Award" from the Academy of Management Healthcare Management Division. His research has been presented at both regional and international conferences such as NT SHRM, South by Southwest (SXSW), Academy of Management, and the Southern Management Association. He has written op-eds for the Chicago Tribune, New Orleans City Business, and has published his academic research in book chapters and journals including the Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work, International Journal of Human Resource Management, and Personnel Review.

Dr. Gabrielle Smith

Dr. Gabrielle Smith is an experimental social psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Texas Woman’s University (TWU). Smith received her bachelor’s from Spelman College, a master’s degree in Women’s Studies, and a master’s and PhD in social psychology from the University of Alabama (UA). Dr. Smith’s research examines how experiences at the intersection of multiple identities impact, predict and define the overall quality of life, health outcomes, and success in academic and work domains for marginalized populations. Specifically, Dr. Smith’s previous work explores how social identities exacerbate or buffer against social problems for African American women, women in the workplace, and U.S. Black immigrant populations.

Dr. Smith is a previous recipient of the Teacher/Scholar Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) to recognize the establishment of research opportunities for students in a teaching-intensive institution. Dr. Smith also contributes through the creation of several courses which add meaningfully to course diversity (e.g., Global Blackness and Health Disparities which explores Blackness throughout the African diaspora). Also, Dr. Smith teaches courses such as Professional Development, which guides students in creating their professional identity while articulating their career goals. Dr. Smith is also no stranger to service and makes every effort to make her skill-set available to her institution, field, and community.

Dr. Smith is one of the founding members and former president of the TWU Black Faculty and Staff Association; an affinity group designed to cultivate community and curate resources for employees who identify as Black. Currently, she is also co-advisor for the Psi Chi and Psychology Coalition at Texas Woman’s University, which won the 2019-20 Kay Wilson Officer Team Leadership Award for outstanding growth and community service. Dr. Smith is also a co-coordinator of the TWU Faculty of Color (FOC) Writing Retreat. The FOC week-long intensive retreat is designed to prepare junior faculty of color for tenure and thrive in the academy. Also, Dr. Smith is the current Fund Development Secretary for the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban League Young Professionals and Interim Vice President of Diversity and International Relations for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Randal Weidenaar

Randal Weidenaar is a behavioral and organizational psychologist. His passion was born out of the pain of broken workplaces, and leaders that wounded rather than served. Randal set out to discover a method that leads to life giving leadership and culture. Randal is the creator of VP Culture. This leadership system is based on attachment science. It inspires a powerful, relational culture foundation. His research reveals that our neurobiology engages when our relationships are healthy and connected. This leads to actual health, vitality and productivity on all levels. VP Culture focuses on a profoundly relational way of leading and living.

Randal earned his master’s degree from London Metropolitan University and has studied Business Process Design at MIT Sloan School of Management, Culture-Driven Team Building at the University of Pennsylvania, Fundamentals of Neuroscience at Harvard-x, and Quantitative Research Methods at the University of Amsterdam. He has helped corporations, government, and non-profit organizations unpack the art and science of leadership and culture creation. He wrote The VP Culture Workbook to help leaders develop this team culture.

Randal has worked with diverse teams from over 42 countries, and consulted countless organizations in marketing and culture development. He is the founder of Notionfront, a marketing firm that has clients across the United States. Randal is also the director of Grace Encounter, a self-development organization. He and his wife live on a sustainable farm in central Missouri. 

Doug Ward

With 25+ years in customer-centric leadership roles, Doug Ward knows how to build teams that deliver. During his time as Vice President of Support Excellence at Comcast/NBCUniversal, he fine-tuned strategies for teams of more than 4,000 people, creating processes and programs to drive exceptional operational results with a focus on the human elements of leadership.

Doug recently is the founder of Elevating Everyone, a consultancy aimed at optimizing workplace culture to drive operational success. His authentic speaking style has a universal appeal, earning him a reputation as a relatable, effective communicator. Doug holds an MBA from Bethel University and he and his family currently reside in Charleston, SC.

Marnie Robbins

Marnie Robbins, Founder of Vibe HRC, offers people and culture advising and coaching.

With over 18 years of experience in human resources and people operations, Marnie has a track record of successfully standing up, scaling, and transforming people ecosystems, predominantly in the tech industry. A graduate in Tourism Administration, Marnie stumbled into the world of HR out of college and has been striving to make work more human ever since.

Marnie believes that the best approach to a healthy culture is finding and growing smart, unique people, and fostering cultures built by those people. This is more important now than ever, as the world is shifting in the way we work. Her mission is to help organizations create a skilled, engaged, and happy workforce that drives business growth and innovation while keeping the vibe they’re looking for intact.

Scott Wood

Scott H. Wood is the Vice President of Solutions for IFI Training. Scott has been working in the corporate training arena for over 35 years. He is an energetic workshop leader and has delivered training in over 250 companies and government organizations and has engaged audiences with keynote speeches that move people to act.

Besides his extensive training, Scott is also the author of the Jungle Motives™ personality assessment and has helped developed dozens of exercise-based workshops in Leadership, Communication, and Business Development.

Scott has been an adjunct professor in the Marriott School of Management at BYU and is currently the Director of Community Relations on the board of North Texas SHRM and a board member for Denton County Workforce Success Leadership Team. 

Demetria Bell Anderson

With over 20 years of supporting student affairs professionals and college students, Demetria has helped cultivate intangible strengths, brighten true colors, and impart the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion at institutions of higher education from the east coast to west coast, and from the deep south to her native Midwest. Now, as a Certified as a Gallup Strengths Coach and an Elite Certified True Colors Facilitator, Demetria nurtures the leadership education and development in others as a cross-industry facilitator, coach, and consultant.

Demetria completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Bennett College (Greensboro, NC), has an earned Master of Arts Education degree in  Higher Education, Administration, Management, & Leadership from the University of Akron (Akron, OH), and is currently pursing doctorate of education at Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI).

Deborah Peoples

Deborah Peoples is dedicated to creating the conscious workplace for tomorrow. Before entering politics, she spent three decades at AT&T, where she served as a vice president overseeing revenue growth in several states. As a seasoned DEI consultant who has advised at the highest levels of corporate America for decades, she is a proven expert in driving diverse leadership. In speeches, Peoples draws on her unparalleled experience assessing hundreds of executives inside corporate C-Suites and boardrooms to bring a unique, holistic five-dimensional approach to true leadership that is essential now more than ever. She delivers “no-holds-barred” discussions on the root causes that lead to a lack of diversity in organizations and provides the integrated solutions that anyone can use to affect change within human resources management.

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