Communication

Andy Boynton is dean of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, one of the world’s leading business schools, the author of several books and co-creator of DeepDive™, the world’s leading methodology for helping executives harness the power of teams to significantly improve problem-solving speed, innovation and results.

Prior to joining Boston College, Boynton was a professor of strategy at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland for 10 years. At the IMD he led a faculty team and was program director of one of the world’s top ten Executive MBA programs, as recognized by BusinessWeek.

Boynton has recently launched new research projects to explore how distinguished experts from a variety of knowledge-domains work with ideas to achieve professional success and improve their effectiveness in social networks. His latest book, The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make them Happen (Jossey-Bass), is based on this research and is co-authored with Bill Fischer and William Bole.

He has also published extensively on factors underlying high-performing teams across a variety of disciplines, including art, science, exploration and design. His previous books include Virtuoso Teams: Lessons from Teams That Changed Their Worlds (Financial Times-Prentice Hall) and Invented Here: Maximizing Your Organization’s Internal Growth and Profitability (Harvard Business School Press).

He is a 1978 graduate of Boston College. Boynton earned his MBA and PhD at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has served on the MBA faculty at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business and at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.

In addition to his publishing career and role as dean of the Carroll School of Management, Boynton has over twenty years of experience speaking and designing powerful executive education sessions and seminars for firms around the world. He is often utilized by organizations looking to build more innovative and effective teams and his articles in this area have appeared in elite management journals such as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review and The California Management Review.

Pandit Dasa is a Mindful Leadership Expert. He has spoken on Mindfulness and conducted workshops at Google, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Nationwide, Intel, Novartis, The World Bank, UNICEF, Harvard and many other institutions. He has also presented at the World Government Summit in Dubai, the national SHRM convention, Oracle HCM conference, and WorkHuman. Through these workshops, Pandit helps individuals develop positive leadership qualities, lower stress and anxiety, increase focus and productivity, and boost emotional intelligence. Pandit has spoken at a TEDx conference and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PBS, NPR, The New York Times and Inc.   

Valerie helps companies improve their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders.

She served in senior leadership roles at RollsRoyce Aircraft before helping to found InterActiveCorp, parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster. She then went to work for Oprah Winfrey, helping to found the Oxygen channel which was later sold to NBC Universal.

Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality, helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.

Joe Urbanski believes an Undeniable Culture™ inspires its people to unleash their best selves, take home more wins and less stress to their families, and create incredible value for the company, its customers, and community. For more than two decades, he has worked with HR and training departments, consulting and coaching 750+ executives and leaders at 400+ global organizations, and facilitating 800+ kickass trainings, strategic retreats, and leadership programs for 480,000 people. Joe has a remarkable understanding of how to transform the workplace experience. Plus, you’ll have more fun and laughs than you’d expect.

Sharlyn Lauby is an author, writer, speaker and consultant. She has been named a Top HR Digital Influencer and is best-known for her work on HR Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues. HR Bartender has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Blogs read by HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and best business blog by the Stevie Awards.

Publications such as Reuters, The New York Times, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and Mashable have sought out her expertise on topics related to human resources and the workplace. Sharlyn is the author of “Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers,” and ”Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success,” which are available in the SHRM Store.

Her personal goal in life is to find the best cheeseburger on the planet.

When Maren walks into the room, you know it. She is a natural and dynamic leader one is drawn to for her energy, charisma and her diverse knowledge and background.

Her experience in coaching top performers has brought her clients in diverse areas: from Fortune 500 companies, to U.S. Government, to leaders in the Arts. Maren’s clients are consistently recognized for improved relationships and moving large projects forward swiftly and effectively. Her focus is on developing her clients’ interpersonal and communication skills so that they can lead their teams with a higher degree of engagement and effectiveness.

Prior to coaching as owner of a management consultant company, Maren worked with clients such as the Annenberg Foundation, White House Project, AIG and Blackstone Group. Standout projects include the management of the International Women Leaders Global Security Conference and Initial Public Offerings for Blackstone Group and Genworth Financial.

Drew was born and raised in New York City on January 20, 1955. He was the only child of Rhoda Palestine and Drew "Bundini" Brown, Jr.

Drew's father Bundini was the trainer and motivational force behind three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. His famous slogan "Float like a Butterfly and Sting like a Bee" is timeless and world renown. Brown graduated from Southern University at New Orleans with a major in business administration and minor in economics.

Drew joined the United States Navy where he earned Wings of Gold. He was then assigned to Attack Squadron 35 "The Black Panthers"—the oldest Attack Squadron in Naval Aviation history. At one time, he was the only black Naval jet pilot flying attack aircrafts (A-6 Intruder). Drew flew missions from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-69)

Drew has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the President of the United States, The Freedom Foundation Medal by the US Supreme Court, and the Congressional Black Caucus Male Achievement Award. Among Drew's other numerous awards is the United States Chamber of Commerce's Special Salute for outstanding leadership.

Millions of people have seen and heard Commander Drew Brown in person or via his appearances on NBC's Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning Show, and hundreds of local TV and national radio broadcast. He has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fortune Magazine among other publications.

His autobiography "You Gotta Believe" reached the bestseller list and is in its seventh printing and continues to receive rave reviews.

John O’Leary lived through worse than most can imagine. At age nine, a fire exploded and burned 100% of his body. Given a one-percent chance to live, he fought extraordinary odds.

John spent five months in the hospital, underwent dozens of surgeries, lost all of his fingers to amputation and had to relearn to walk, write, and feed himself. He endured, persevered, and survived – largely because others emerged, served and inspired. John now lives to share the life-giving lessons from his story in hopes that he can Spark! the extraordinary possibility of your story.

He shares these lessons as a tribute to those who leapt into the flames to save him. Who worked tirelessly to restore him. Who pushed him to write though he no longer had fingers. Who held him close when the days were dark and the nights scary. He shares these lessons as an invitation for you to choose to wake up to the fullness of your life, to embrace the amazing gift of each moment, and to celebrate the joy of your inspired life!

As he shares these lessons, sparks will leap.

Sparks that can renew you with hope, purpose, perspective, faith and love. Sparks that remind you that one person, one action, one word, does indeed make a difference. Sparks that liberate you from excuses, destructive cynicism, limiting beliefs, broken relationships, and lousy results. And sparks that, when united, ignite us together toward an extraordinary future!

What John knows for certain is this: You can’t always choose the path you walk in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk.