Relationship Management

Annie is a Speaker and a Life Coach out of Minneapolis, MN. After starting her career in corporate America, she is now seen as the powerful successful motivational speaker with heart and determination that awakens her audiences to action. Annie uses personal and professional expertise to inspire her audiences, using dynamic and interactive presentations. Annie journeyed through life as the middle child of seven, raised by a single mom, and has many stories and life lessons to share. She has been a guest on Oprah and Twin Cities Live, a local celebrity show.

Annie is a member of the National Speakers Association, a graduate of their apprentice program, and a certified coach.  After working for Piper Jaffray, she was a contract speaker for one of the top non-profit companies in the United States. Today Annie is speaking across the country and internationally.

In addition to being a popular motivational keynote speaker, Annie is also the author of a motivational books, Paths, Detours, and Possibilities, Be the Excption and Be the Exception Bible Study. When not delivering upbeat motivating talks for audiences across the country, Annie accompanies her husband in raising their three children, owning and operating their own Snap Fitness center, supporting a team of 100+ AdvoCare 

Tim is a leadership development professional committed to helping individuals and organizations reach their greatest potential. He is a frequent leadership speaker and the author of two books: “Peak Leadership Fitness: Elevating Your Leadership Game” and “Your Leadership Story: Use Your Story to Energize, Inspire, and Motivate”. Tim is currently Vice President of Franchisee Onboarding and Learning for Choice Hotels International. Previously, he was Vice President of Global Learning and Leadership Development at Marriott International. His work was recognized with multiple industry awards including the 2018 Chief Learning Officer Trailblazer Award, the 2017 Global CCU award for Outstanding Services to the Learning Industry, and the 2014 Chief Learning Officer Global Learning Award among others.

Rick Ridgeway is Patagonia’s Vice President of Public Engagement and represents and promotes the company’s core values with external stakeholders.  In this role, he is one of Patagonia’s key spokespersons in all its global markets. During his 12-year tenure at the company he has worked with teams to develop and launch environmental and sustainability initiatives within the company, including Freedom to Roam, the Footprint Chronicles, the Responsible Economy Campaign and Worn Wear.  He also was founding chairman of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, today the largest apparel, footwear and home textile trade organization in the world.

In addition, Rick is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers.  With three companions, he was the first American to summit K2, considered the hardest of the world’s high-altitude mountain to climb, and he has done other significant climbs and explorations on all continents including the first direct coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo and a traverse of the Tibet’s Chang Tang plateau on a route never explored. His magazine articles have appeared in National Geographic and Harvard Business Review, and he is the author of six books, including Seven Summits, The Shadow of Kilimanjaro and Below Another Sky.  National Geographic honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award.   He serves on the boards of Conservacion Patagonica and the Turtle Conservancy, and is on the Advisory Boards of World Wildlife Fund, Unilever USA, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 

Elise Freedman is a Director specializing in Talent Management in the Washington, D.C. market of Willis Towers Watson as well as the Mid-Atlantic Line of Business Leader for RTC. For over twenty five years, Elise has worked with clients to align their talent management processes with their business strategy to drive engagement and business results. Prior to Willis Towers Watson, Elise also held a number of senior roles at Accenture, BearingPoint, and Novations where she developed a broad base of talent management, change management, human resources and project management skills and expertise. 

Elise is certified and/or has utilized a number of assessments including Saville, Facet5, various 360 Degree Assessment tools, DISC, MBTI and Hogan. She frequently speaks and writes on a number of human resources topics including performance management, succession planning, career development, leadership development, learning and development, talent acquisition and onboarding.  She has presented at conferences for Society of Human Resources, American Society of Training and Development, IHRIM, Linkage, World at Work, and Bersin. 

Elise holds a Master of Business Administration degree from George Mason University with a concentration in Management and Marketing.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Tulane University. 

Scott Christopher (M.S.HRM, UCONN) is author of the best-selling People People, The Levity Effect and a fixture on SHRM Top-Rated Speakers Lists.

As a work culture and leadership consultant, Scott has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Fox Business Channel, CNBC, National Public Radio, BBC and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Post, Newsweek, Economist magazine, Ladies Home Journal and many other publications. 

In his rare spare time Scott is a professional film and television actor (Modern Family, Criminal Minds, Granite Flats)

Margaret Spence is the founder of The Employee to CEO Project and CEO of C. Douglas & Associates. Inc. It is her mission to champion the advancement of women into executive leadership. Her new book, Leadership Self-Transformation ask women two simple questions, what do you want from your career and why don’t you have it now? It’s her feeling that you cannot get the corner office until you get clear about what you want and why you want it.  Margaret is a keynote speaker, leadership development coach, corporate consultant, and the author of three books. Learn more about Margaret at her website: www.MargaretSpence.com

Tracy Stock is one of the most in-demand and top-rated female speakers in North America today because of her ability to inspire behavior change and achieve positive outcomes. As a workplace culture expert, an engaging Certified Speaking Professional®, highly skilled live and virtual training expert and a best-selling author with five published titles, her 25 years of experience include clients such as the U.S. Army, Motorola, True Value, US Bank and Subway, to name a few. As a speaker of choice, Tracy is committed to helping energize workplace culture, enhance employee engagement and empower high performance. 

Andrea P. Howe is the co-author, with Charles H. Green, of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook: A Comprehensive Toolkit for Leading with Trust. She is the founder of The Get Real Project and an entrepreneur on a mission: to kick conventional business wisdom to the curb and transform how people work together as a result. Andrea is a recovering IT consultant who has spent more than 20 years working with clients, managing projects, and facilitating groups of all kinds and sizes. Her focus for the last decade has been teaching people in consulting roles how to get better results by getting relationships right. She speaks on topics like customer intimacy, client loyalty, the dynamics of influence, speaking hard truths, and developing business with trust. When she’s not working, you can find her in the art studio taking far too long to finish her latest mosaic project. 

Jennifer McClure is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and high-performance coach who works with leaders to leverage their influence, increase their impact, and accelerate results.

Frequently recognized as a global influencer and expert on the future of work, strategic leadership and innovative people strategies, Jennifer has decades of in-the-trenches leadership and executive experience working in and with startups, privately held companies, and Fortune 500 organizations in a variety of industries.

As a top-rated keynote speaker, Jennifer has shared her insights with thousands of leaders at conferences and corporate events around the world. Clients include Procter & Gamble, General Electric, IBM, SAP, Bloomberg, Charles Schwab, Stryker, LinkedIn, Notre Dame University, Society for Human Resource Management, Association for Legal Administrators, and Association for Talent Development.

In her informative and entertaining keynote programs and workshops, she shares a blend of research, best practices, case studies and storytelling which leaves audience members inspired and motivated to take action when they return to work.

Jennifer is also the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, a global community designed to move the collective thinking forward when it comes to talent in the workplace, and she hosts a weekly podcast – Impact Makers with Jennifer McClure – sharing conversations with practitioners, entrepreneurs, authors and speakers who are changing the world while building careers that they love, and lives that matter.