2026 CONFERENCE KEYNOTES
This year we’re featuring two amazing keynotes chock-full of inspiration and information to bring back to your office...
Heather McGowan
Opening Keynote
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
One of Forbes' Top Futurists, Heather E. McGowan brings fresh energy and actionable insights to the future of work. A sought-after strategist, keynote speaker, and 2x bestselling author, she equips organizations to navigate relentless change by activating their most critical resource: their people.
Heather’s audiences range from startups to publicly traded Fortune 500 companies, including Google, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard, and Kaiser Permanente. Through data-driven insights and powerful visual frameworks, she helps leaders and teams transform their distinctly human capabilities—adaptability, empathy, and curiosity—into strategic advantages.
Often quoted in The New York Times, with Thomas Friedman calling her an "oasis" for her insights, Heather’s bestselling books include The Adaptation Advantage and The Empathy Advantage, which was named a Top 10 Business Book of 2023.
By teaching people to ask better questions, she enables them to adapt at the speed of possibility to Solve Tomorrow's Problems™.
Dr. Jessica Kriegel
Chief Strategy Officer
Closing Keynote
Friday, October 23, 2026
Dr. Jessica Kriegel is driven by data and defined by results. She transforms corporate culture for success. As seen on CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, NBC, FOX Business, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and more, Jessica is a household name for all workplace, labor, leadership, and job markets. Her work operates at the intersection of people, processes, and technology. After spending – decade at Oracle in change management, she developed the renowned “Results Equation” which was acquired by Culture Partners in 2021, where she is currently Chief Strategy Officer.
As a member of the executive team at Culture Partners, Jessica leads groundbreaking research, strategy, and innovation alongside institutions like Stanford University. She is also on the board of the UKG Workforce Research Institute.
With a Doctoral degree in Human Resources Development, Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University, Jessica is one of the few women in her space paving the way for a new type of leadership. She is also host of two shows including Culture Leaders and CEO Daily Brief.
Her groundbreaking research is detailed in her debut book “Unfairly Labeled,” an inside look at transformation in the modern workplace and disrupting the narrative that Baby Boomers and Gen Z are necessarily misaligned.
As a keynote speaker who is a force on the stage nationally and internationally, Jessica leads with a data-driven approach that amplifies the path through change to revenue and results. With an MBA and fluency in three languages, Jessica is a thought leader for progress, innovation, and data-fueled transformation.
