JoAnna Sohovich is a seasoned leader and C-Suite Executive with GM experience across multiple and diverse manufactured-goods and technology businesses spanning industrial, commercial, residential and consumer end users. She excels at driving innovation and growth for large and complex P&Ls, including technology- based transformations. JoAnna presently serves Chamberlain Group (CGI) as Chief Executive Officer, her latest role in a distinguished career that includes prior engagements with Honeywell and Stanley Black & Decker. 

With a strong background in technology, JoAnna has developed strategies and has led teams concentrating on residential, commercial and industrial connectivity—an expertise that she has brought to CGI’s line of connected solutions. She was recently selected as IoT World’s CxO of the Year.   

She began her career as an officer in the United States Navy, serving at the U.S. Naval Submarine base in Point Loma, CA and was later deployed to the Persian Gulf.

JoAnna is also an independent director for the Barnes Group, Inc. and is a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), an invitation-only membership organization of the world’s most successful women business leaders. She holds a BS in Economics from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from Santa Clara University. 

 Nancy G. Brinker has been called the leader of the global breast cancer movement. In 1982, shortly after her sister’s death from breast cancer at the age of 36, Brinker founded Susan G. Komen®, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cure. Today, the organization has invested nearly $2.9 billion in breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment.

Brinker currently serves on numerous corporate and non-profit boards and is an Executive in Residence at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.  In 2015 she was inducted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Her work also includes advocating for equality in the LGBT community. Brinker currently serves as Global Advisor to HOLOGIC Inc. and is a contributor for Fox News and Newsmax.

In 2018, Brinker spearheaded creation of The Promise Fund, a revolutionary fundraising initiative aimed at connecting cancer care providers with vulnerable populations in South Florida. 

As the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Seema Verma oversees a $1 trillion budget, representing 26% of the total federal budget, and administers health coverage programs for more than 130 million Americans. She was nominated by President Trump on November 29, 2016 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2017.

The Administrator has set a bold agenda to empower patients and transform the healthcare system to deliver better value and results for patients through competition and innovation.  Administrator Verma’s strong leadership at CMS has led to many major accomplishments.

Administrator Verma is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University. Her editorial commentaries have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, and Health Affairs, and she also previously served as Vice President of Planning for the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana. Most recently before heading CMS, she was President and CEO of SVC, Inc.

Karen S. Wells has over 30 years of corporate and entrepreneurial leadership experience. She has held leadership positions as Regional Vice President, VP of US Innovation, VP of US Strategy, VP of Operations, and VP of Nutrition and Menu Development for the McDonald’s Corporation’s 13,000 US restaurants. Karen has also held key leadership positions at The Drackett Company and M&M Mars. Karen is President & CEO of The AIW Group, a consulting boutique she founded based on her passion for helping teams and individuals reach peak performance and navigate change; coaching women in leadership through personal and professional growth; and facilitating the education and understanding of diversity and inclusion as a business driver. Karen is an accomplished and inspirational speaker, connecting with her audiences by transparently sharing her leadership journey and personal life of hope and resilience. Karen co-owns a leading franchise in early childhood development with her husband.

Cyndi Gula is a cyber start-up operations expert. She has started and run licensing, human resources, legal, facilities, procurement, accounting, marketing, channel, support and sales operations for both Tenable Network Security, which went public on the NASDAQ in 2018, and Network Security Wizards, where she was President and helped facilitate a successful exit 18 months after being founded. As Managing Partner at Gula Tech Adventures, she is helping cyber portfolio companies scale and make important decisions about their organizational structure, facilities, licensing, customer support, recruiting strategy, culture, cash flow and having the processes in place to succeed and have fun. Cyndi was appointed to the Howard County Economic Development Board in Maryland to help more companies grow and prosper. She has a Bachelor of Science in Glass Engineering from Alfred University. Cyndi is also active in promoting cyber as a team sport to get more people engaged in the mission to keep everyone safe in the digital domain.

Mike Rogers retired from the U.S. Navy in 2018 after nearly 37 years of naval service rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He culminated his career with a four-year tour as Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency – creating the DoD’s newest combatant command and running the U.S. government’s largest intelligence organization.  He also assisted in the development of national and international policy with respect to cyber, intelligence and technology – including extensive work with corporate leadership in the Finance, IT, Telecommunications and Technology sectors.  

Admiral Rogers is currently supporting companies in the private sector, serving as a member of various Boards or acting as a Senior Advisor. He is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management’s Public Private Initiative and a member of the advisory board of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence. He is also a member of the United States Naval Institute Board of Directors.

Quentella is an experienced entrepreneurship, procurement, not for profit, sustainability industry resource and leader. Her experienced as a Small Women’s Diverse Small Business Owner includes: IT & Healthcare for Global Brand-Marketing, Virtual Business Administration & Customer Service, E-commerce and VOIP Project Management. Her client relationships includes: Fortune 500 Companies, Architects, Engineers Construction, Facility Managers, Government, Veterans, Management, TV Media, Associations, Organizations, Universities, IT and Healthcare Firms. Quentella’s Business Development & Management expertise includes: Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Supplier Diversity, Business & Pitch Coaching, Instruction, Advisory, Public Speaker & Conference Design Management. With 20 years of combined academic, corporate, government, civic, non-for profit, community service leadership experience, Quentella is a highly-sought after resource in the local, national business and international eco-system. In fact, various business industries, government, not for profit, lenders, Ivy League Executive Business Programs have requested her services and sourcing expertise, when looking for the right Supplier/Partner/Client for their next opportunity.

Denise M. Morrison is the Founder of Denise Morrison & Associates, LLC., a Consulting Firm. She served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Campbell Soup Company from 2011-2018.  Prior to joining Campbell in 2003, Ms. Morrison held executive management positions at Kraft Foods, Inc. from 2001-2003. She started her career with Procter & Gamble and held various positions with PepsiCo and Nestle before joining Kraft/Nabisco. 

Ms. Morrison is currently a Director on the Boards of Visa, Inc., MetLife Inc., and Quest Diagnostics.  She served as a Director of Campbell Soup Company from 2010-2018 and a Director of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. from 2005-2010.  She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Boston College, the Advisory Council for Just Capital and The Business Council.  

Ms. Morrison served on President Trump’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative as well as President Obama’s Export Council.  She has been a leader in the Food Industry accelerating the Purpose of “Real Food that Matters for Life’s Moments” with a focus on making Real Food affordable and accessible to all families for better health and wellbeing.  She has also been an advocate of Healthy Communities starting with Campbell’s headquarter city of Camden, N.J. 

She has extensive executive experience, including general management, strategic planning, operations, sales and marketing with large multinational corporations operating in consumer-focused and regulated industries.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Boston College and received an Honorary Doctorate degree from St. Peter’s University.

Lemuel C. Williams is a seasoned technology and business executive who has extensive experience as a program director, in product management, developing business and managing channels & alliances for national and global organizations.  In addition, he is Principal of CTX Capital Group, LLC., through which he leads the technology/cybersecurity practice advising and counsels executives on various threats and opportunities.

Lemuel Williams Jr was recently appointed by Texas Governor Abbott to to the Texas Privacy Protection Advisory Council which was created to study the laws that govern the privacy and protection of information that is linked to a specific individual, technological device, or household and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the privacy and protection of Texans’ information.

In addition to his profession, Lemuel serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Austin’s Future; as a Board Member of HopZero, Inc.; as Board Director of Amplify Credit Union; as Past Chair of The Seton Forum; as past Chair of the LBJ Future Forum; and as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Annette Strauss Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. 

He has been recognized for his community leadership with several awards, including the Austin Under 40 Award for Technology & Sciences and the Emerging Leader Award from Concordia University of Texas at Austin.

Lemuel Williams is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Systems, alumni of The Aspen Institute Socrates and Ideas of America and is also a graduate of Leadership Austin’s Emerge program.

As the founder of the web publication A Drink With (adrinkwith.com) and digital media company ADW Media Group, Hillary Sawchuk sits down with influential industry leaders over a drink. From Richard Branson to Chelsea Handler, Sawchuk has made a career out of getting to know those with inspiring success stories. 

Sawchuk manages all creative content, talent bookings, strategic partnerships, distribution, branding, editorial timelines and production budgets. Sawchuk has spearheaded successful high-visibility digital branded content series for brand partners including Fresca, Acura, MillerCoors, Virgin Hotels and CB2 to name a few.

With a passion for improv, entrepreneurship and the startup community, she has been a speaker at General Assembly’s “Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: How to Get to Where You Want to Go,” “How to Get Your Content to Stand Out in the Stream of Sh!T: Presented by Onion Labs + GA” and Create & Cultivate’s “Getting Niche: Finding an Untapped Market and Creating a Unique Brand” panel. Sawchuk recently received Oakland University’s 2018 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Tamara Edwards is the Principal of TE&Co. and is dedicated to empowering national leaders to tell their stories, sharpen their voices, and earn the trust of their immediate communities.

Prior to TE&Co., Tamara spent 6 years working on a variety of high profile campaigns and arranging Local, State, and National media appearances— with her primary role on the Communications team for a high-profile Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. During her time on Capitol Hill, Edwards was recognized as one of the top ten Schedulers in Congress and was selected as a featured speaker at TEDx Congress.

In 2017, the Chicago native moved back to the Windy City to bring her Beltway acumen to her client base of private clients.

Tamara currently serves as a Board Member of the Illinois State Society Foundation and a Founding Member of the Chicago Young Professionals in support of the Navy SEAL Foundation. She brings her extensive personal and professional network and love for Communications into every project she is part of.

Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green, one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in physics, holds the distinction of being only the second African American woman and the fourth African American to receive a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). With more than ten years of interdisciplinary
research experience, Dr. Green specializes in developing targeted cancer therapies using lasers and nanoparticles. Her expertise lies at the intersection of nanotechnology, immunotherapy, and precision medicine. Notably, Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green developed a cancer treatment that uses lasers and nanotechnology to kill cancer in mice in just 15 days after a single 10-minute treatment with no observable side effects.

She founded a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation, to raise the funding for human clinical
trials so this treatment can be made affordable for everyone. Dr. Green has intertwined her life’s purpose into the mission of the organization: to change the way cancer is treated and reduce the suffering of cancer patients by providing a treatment that is accessible, affordable, and effective. To learn more and support her efforts, visit OraLee.org and follow her on social media @DrHadiyahGreen.

Dee Dee Bass Wilbon brings 10 years of experience in corporate America to her role as a principal at Bass Public Affairs and over 15 years as a professional communicator. The accolades and recognition that Dee Dee received is evidence of her success in corporate America. Her outstanding performance earned her the coveted Young Achievers Award at MBNA once the largest issuer of credit cards in the world. 

Because of Dee Dee's commitment to corporate responsibility, she received the MBNA Community Service Award for her leadership in developing and executing a company-wide mentoring program. The program allowed MBNA to forge long-term mentor relationships with public schools throughout Delaware.  

Dee Dee has worked as a media consultant for community organizations, business leaders, entertainers and elected officials.  In this role she has served as spokeswoman and ghostwriter helping to manage both the owned and earned media relations for a diverse set of communities.  National and international media outlets have called on her for her acute political insights.  Dee Dee is a graduate of Fisk University.  

Catherine Burnett serves as Chief Impact Officer of Phillips Foundation, a private family foundation and catalytic capital platform based in Greensboro, NC, and Dallas, TX.  She is responsible for impact program and strategy development, implementation and evaluation for the Foundation and affiliated family entities.

Burnett speaks nationally on the topics of family philanthropy and impact investing.  Prior to joining Phillips Foundation, she served in leadership roles for the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, SC Johnson Company, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, SONY Online Entertainment, and Lewa Wildlife Conversancy in Kenya, East Africa.

Burnett holds a Master of Business Administration with honors from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Princeton University.  She serves on the advisory boards of Cone Health Heart & Vascular Center, Teach for America Piedmont Triad, and Partners Ending Homelessness.

Ellie Weed is an Enterprise Account Executive at LinkedIn on the Marketing Solutions team and leads the travel vertical, growing marketing partnerships between LinkedIn and some of the world’s biggest hotels, airlines, and travel disruptors. Ellie has worked in the media & advertising industry for 9+ years. A recent breast cancer survivor, Ellie is active in the cancer support & research communities in Chicago and is an advocate for women’s healthcare.

Kaleshia “Kay” Page has an exemplary career that spans both the public and private sectors. Her current role as Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Comcast Corporation makes ample use of her talents as she negotiates with over 50 cities and
villages on behalf of the business. Kay leads government and community relations in these communities to create partnerships and collaborations that will serve the company, cities’ and villages’, civic organizations, and their shared constituents. Prior
to her current role, Kay honed her government relations expertise working in the Illinois Governor’s Office, as well as the Senate Office of President Barack Obama. In her capacity as a political operative, she helped manage the campaigns of those running for Illinois State Treasurer, United States Congress, and the US Senate.

In addition to her work at Comcast, Kaleshia continues her commitment to public service as a Trustee in the Village of Woodridge. She also serves on the boards of the Quad County Urban League, the West Suburban Food Pantry and Mutual Ground, a
non-profit organization that acts as a safe haven and advocate for women who suffer from sexual assault and domestic violence.
Kay earned an undergraduate degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University School of Law in Nashville, Tennessee.

Leigh Teece is an innovator, business woman, educator, mentor and speaker. Leigh is co-founder of Cal Berkeley’s SkyDeck, is on SkyDeck’s Strategy Council, is a SkyAdvisor and a global SkyDeck speaker.  Additionally, Leigh is co-founder of Seoul’s HanYang University Global Alliance Council. Leigh is co-founder and owner of Mt Beautiful Winery/Teece Family Farms in New Zealand. See www.mtbeautifulwines.com.

As President of the Teece Family Foundation, Leigh gives funding and fellowships to UPenn, Yale, St Petersburg State University (Goedinghaus Fellowships), Phillips Andover, Eaglebrook Junior Boarding School and Bentley School. Leigh is founder and Chair of World Mentor/Mentored Pathways, which has mentored over 50,000 primarily high schools students online, one-on-one with professionals, for multiple semesters since 1995.

With others from Cal and the Hoover Institute, she is leading the creation of a partnership between top research universities and U.S.congressional leaders for fair use of intellectual property.

Leigh is on the advisory boards of the Kravis Leadership Institute of Claremont McKenna College and of Global Citizen Year. Leigh is creating an advisory board for SkillZilla (Japan); she is mentor creator/manager for BridgeUSA.

Leigh is co-founder of the Global Council on Woman & Power, on the Executive Board of Women Leaders of the World, and a Global Advisor of How Women Lead. Leigh is on the Board of UC Berkeley's Cal Performances; she leads development of its futuristic Performing Arts Center.

Prior to raising four children, Leigh was a research assistant at the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, co-founder and SVP of Technology Interlink, VP of Technology Funding, and VP of Wells Fargo & Co.

Leigh holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, a BA in International Relations for the University of Southern California, and a Certificate in Executive Education from Columbia University School of Business.

Derek Kreifels is the President of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) and the Smart Women Smart Money (SWSM) conferences. Kreifels is charged with leading the national organization and collaborating with state officials to promote fiscally responsible, free market principles to better impact local, state and federal financial policy.

He oversees the Smart Women Smart Money Conferences that came under the SFOF umbrella in 2018. SWSM has empowered over 37,000 women nationwide to take control of their personal finances. He oversees all aspects of the conference which is free to the public.

Kreifels spent five years as Assistant State Treasurer of Kansas and Chief of Staff of the Treasurer’s office. He managed all aspects of the Treasurer’s office including policy development, legislative affairs, the agency budget and all personnel.  Kreifels continuously sought out ways to increase the use of technology in the office to reduce costs.  He directed Emergency Preparedness Operations planning and training for the agency in cooperation with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security as well as the Kansas Department of Emergency Management.

Derek has spent the last 25 years encouraging, advising and working along-side various federal, state, and local leaders. Before working for the public sector, Kreifels spent several years in banking.

He attended Kansas State University, received his undergraduate degree from Wichita State University, and his masters degree from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He lends his leadership to several boards and non-profits.  He and his wife Melanie recently traveled to a remote part of Ghana, Africa, on a mission trip to build a new school in a remote city near Yeji, Ghana.  He and his wife Melanie live in the Kansas City area.

Sarah Stefaniu serves as an Account Manager on Google’s Government & Advocacy digital advertising team in Washington, DC. She’s worked at Google for almost two years, and she previously served on the Amazon & Publishing account teams at the company. Sarah's hometown is Chicago, IL, and she is a Loyola University Chicago alumna. Outside of her role at Google, Sarah sits on the board of a nonprofit called Street Samaritans, serves as a mentor to undergraduate students at Loyola, and is involved in the United Nations Association chapters.

Kristine Esposo Telford serves as senior director of public affairs for The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association representing all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. In this role, she oversees EEI's public affairs practice and manages issue campaigns on state legislative and policy issues affecting the industry. Previously, she managed public affairs and issue advocacy campaigns for Fortune 500 clients, specializing in third party outreach and mobilization.

Originally from Frederick, Maryland, Kristine graduated from The George Washington University with a B.A. in Political Science and completed graduate coursework in International Commerce and Policy at George Mason University.

Kimberly Walz is Regional Director of Local Government Relations for Walgreens, with more than 18 years of experience at the local, state and national level and a record of achievements in public and budgetary policy. Her expertise in building coalitions of diverse stakeholders has been instrumental in government reform efforts in Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois.

Previously, as Vice President of Resolute Consulting, Ms. Walz oversaw multiple client campaigns, offering strategic counsel and managing a project team. Prior to that, she advised, developed and implemented policy, communications, and campaign strategy for political and nonprofit clients, including serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Evergreen Health, a new nonprofit co-op health insurance company founded by local doctors to provide a health insurance alternative for Marylanders.

She also worked for 10 years for Congressman Mike Quigley in leadership roles in Cook County and his Congressional office, helping develop a blueprint for reform of county government and services. The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board described Ms. Walz during her tenure with Congressman Quigley as a “whip-smart policy wonk.” Ms. Walz earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. She currently serves on the board of Childserv, Smart Policy Works and is on the leadership advisory board for the Haymarket Center. This year she was one of the co-founders of Illinois Women Vote, a non-partisan organization dedicated to engaging women in the 2020 election.

John is a co-founder and principal of Delos Communications, a public affairs firm providing research, strategy and crisis communications. John is a seasoned attorney, lobbyist and skilled researcher and strategist. He was formerly Deputy Chief of Staff for Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and has managed numerous successful political campaigns on both statewide and local levels. John also served as Chief of Staff at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He has more than 25 years’ experience providing legal, public affairs and reputation management advice to leading companies, associations, individuals and political candidates and committees.

Lorraine Gavican Kerr is the head of Investor Education and Content at TD Ameritrade. She has worked at TD Ameritrade for over 10 years holding various roles in customer service and risk management. Prior to her role at TD Ameritrade, she worked in real estate development. Lorraine holds a post graduate degree in Education and a post graduate certificate in risk management . Lorraine is responsible for empowering TD Ameritrade clients with the learning resources, education and support that they need to become more informed investors and gain confidence managing their financial health. Lorraine is an advocate for financial literacy and under her leadership TD Ameritrade offers a best in class Education offering that provides personalized education for beginner to advance investors online at www.tdameritrade.com/education and in person at events all over the country

Greg Hart serves as a County Board Member iDuPage County, Illinois - the second largest county in the state with nearly one million residents. He represents District 3, which includes 160,000 constituents living in 11 different municipalities.
Greg was appointed to the Board in 2017 by Chairman Dan Cronin and was subsequently elected to a full, four-year term in 2018. Even though 2018 was his first run for public office. Greg received more votes than any other member of his political party running for the Board throughout the entire county.

Greg serves as Chairman of the Heroin-Opioid Prevention & Education (HOPE) Taskforce, Chairman of DuPage's Technology Committee, and a voting member on the Transportation, Finance, and Strategic Planning Committees. He also previously served as Chairman of the Health & Human Services Committee.

In addition to public service, Greg works as a management consultant at Point B, Inc. where he advises clients on human capital and workforce transformation issues. Greg graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is attaining his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He lives in Hinsdale, Illinois with his wife Alexandra and his two-year old daughter.
Email: greg@greghart.com