It was 1971, and four University of Texas soon‐to‐be graduates decided to start an advertising agency in Austin, Texas—then a funky little college town known primarily for hippies, Texas Longhorns and Willie Nelson. Their simple business plan was to stay together, stay in Austin and use the power of marketing to make a difference. Forty‐seven years later, Roy and his partners are still together, still in Austin and still trying to make a difference. Roy signs every letter with the words, “Ride at Dawn.” That’s not just a sign‐off, it’s a manifesto—a call‐to‐action to live life to its fullest every day. Roy and his partners built GSD&M from scratch into a marketing, advertising and idea machine. Flying with Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines. Riding with Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. Driving with BMW and the PGA TOUR. Plowing with John Deere. Defending freedom with the United States Air Force. Designing with AIA a Blueprint for Better. Donating time and talent to create compelling public service awareness (PSA) ads to mobilize goodwill to help people in the moments that matter the most, like Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, the terrible floods in Baton Rouge and recently, filming and producing PSAs with the five former presidents for hurricane relief for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Roy’s passion is entrepreneurship, which he refers to as “the miracle of America.” He deeply believes that when America is at her best, it does not matter what your last name or zip code is. If you can dream it, you can build it. Roy is also cofounder and CEO of The Purpose Institute, which is also home‐based in Austin, Texas. The Purpose Institute is singularly focused on discovering the higher calling purpose and core values that define and shape an organization’s culture and the core purpose that captures the difference an organization makes in the world. Its purpose is to help organizations and leaders discover and fulfill their purpose. Along with Haley Rushing, Roy co‐authored the Wall Street Journal best‐selling book, It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven by Purpose. And more recently, he authored The 10 Essential Hugs of Life, a collection of heartwarming stories about the need for gratitude and love.

In 2018, Roy founded The Promiseland Project whose purpose is to unleash the power of purposeinspired marketing and messaging to help bridge the massive cultural divide in America. The Promiseland Project is a large and diverse group of purpose‐driven communications professionals from all over America whose passion is a unified America. The goal is to inspire and engage the American people to help move America from the dark winter of political and cultural division into a bright new dawn of a culture of US. As in USA. One of the key drivers of The Promiseland Project is the deep belief that American cities will be the drivers of innovation, new ideas and solutions to America’s most pressing issues.

Brandon Stanton shares his journey of personal growth and discovery, and uncovers the stories behind the stories featured on Humans of New York, powerfully illustrating the value of sharing your experiences.   

As the founder of the street portrait blog, Humans of New York, Brandon has emerged as a worldwide Internet phenomenon and one of today’s most influential storytellers. With millions of social media followers, his individual story, like those on HONY, illustrates the power of the Internet, the value of storytelling, and our desire to remain connected with real people in a tech-driven world.

Brandon’s gift for storytelling has since spawned two best-selling books, Humans of New York, which spent 45 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, and Humans of New York: Stories. On stage, he candidly shares his own personal story, and the perspective he has gained since embarking on his journey to help others tell theirs. Listeners take away a renewed appreciation for the power of one person and one idea to inspire millions, and encouragement to be a force for good and contribute something meaningful to the world.

Jeff Korzenik is one of the country's leading experts on the reemployment of people with criminal records. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News and Bloomberg TV, Jeff’s writings on economics and public policy have been published in Barron’s, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune and other periodicals.  He is the author of "Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community" (HarperCollins Leadership, April 2021), which shares the business case and best practices of hiring people with criminal records. Jeff earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Certificate of Proficiency in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University.

Sara Hart Weir, MS, is the President & CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society. A Kansas native, Weir’s passion of fighting for the human rights of all people with Down syndrome stems from her experience as a peer mentor and friend to a young woman with Down syndrome, Kasey, over two decades ago. As NDSS’ President, Weir oversees the organization’s mission, vision and administration, which is the largest nonprofit in the United States dedicated to advocating for people with Down syndrome and their families. Weir’s philosophy to effective advocacy is “to be at the table” and she works each day to ensure people with Down syndrome earn and are represented at every table where critical decisions are made – whether it’s the White House, the U.S. Congress, the United Nations or in state capitals across the country.

Under Weir’s leadership, NDSS led the bipartisan advocacy effort behind the passage of the landmark, historical Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act in 2014, and the state advocacy effort to enact 48 state ABLE laws as well as played a significant role in working to launch over 20 state ABLE plans. The ABLE Act established tax-free savings accounts for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities and is hailed as the most significant legislation for the disability community since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Weir is also the co-founder of the ABLE Alliance for Financial Empowerment.

Weir spearheaded the launch of NDSS’ new #DSWORKS® Campaign, the first-of-its-kind campaign showing the world that people with Down syndrome are ready, willing and ABLE to work. She has also formed international partnerships with SAUT: The Voice of Down Syndrome in Saudi Arabia and Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization. Weir also serves as a member of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices, the National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability® and was appointed by former Governor Martin O’Malley to serve on the Maryland Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Weir joined NDSS in 2012 as its Vice President of Advocacy & Affiliate Relations and established the NDSS DS-AMBASSADOR® program, the first-ever grassroots advocacy network for the Down syndrome community that encourages advocates of all kinds to speak up and speak out on issues of critical importance.

Weir has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Leadership from Westminster College and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Weir has earned many honors including; Westminster College Senior of the Year, Winston Churchill Award for Leadership and Service, Coca-Cola Community All-American and was the recipient of the 2014 Westminster College Young Alumni Achievement Award. Weir also served on the Board of Trustees for her alma mater, Westminster College from 2012-2015, and is currently the President Emeritus of its Alumni Council. In 2014, Weir gave the 2014 Westminster Convocation Address highlighting her passion for NDSS and advocating for people with Down syndrome. Weir is an international expert and featured speaker on Down syndrome, advocacy, the ABLE Act and human rights for people with disabilities. Weir has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, The Hill, Money Magazine, Al Jazeera and many others. In her spare time, you can find Weir deep into a new nonfiction book or at a SoulCycle or hot yoga class in Washington, D.C. or New York City.

Kayla McKeon is the Manager of Grassroots Advocacy for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) where she works to advance legislation beneficial to the Down syndrome community. Kayla gained experience working with Members of Congress as an intern for Congressman John Katko of New York. She was named NDSS Self-Advocate of the Year in 2016 and joined the NDSS staff the following year. As the first registered lobbyist with Down syndrome, Kayla is a spokesperson for NDSS and the Down syndrome community, participating in media and speaking publicly both nationally and internationally.  Kayla has an associate degree in general studies from Onondaga Community College.

Kayla resides in Syracuse, NY.  She is a Special Olympics athlete and former Special Olympics Athlete Congress member. In 2011, she competed in the Special Olympic World Games in Athens, Greece winning silver and bronze medals. In 2022, she competed in the Special Olympic USA Games in Orlando, Florida winning gold and bronze medals. Kayla is active in her church, is an avid reader, and loves swimming in her pool when the weather is warm.

Keiko Sakurai has expertise in team building, organizational development, executive coaching, management-skills training, and leadership development for multinational companies. She passionately supports individuals and teams to recognize their strengths and expand their abilities to the fullest extent possible. 

Ms. Sakurai holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business from the University of California, Berkeley, with a certificate in global management, as well as a BS in management from Hitotsubashi University in Japan. Ms. Sakurai has also completed coaching and leadership courses at the Coaches Training Institute in California. She maintains her CPA credentials and is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® certified.

Zaheen Nanji is a resilience champion and a business owner in Alberta, Canada.  Embracing change and fear is Zaheen’s trademark because she overcame her speech impediment in her twenties, learned to live in a new country, at the age of 15, without her parents and is a recent breast cancer survivor. Her book, The Resilience Reflex - 8 Keys to Transforming Barriers into Success in Life and Business, became an International Best-Seller on Amazon Kindle. Zaheen teaches people how to make resilience their first reflex using her 3-step system: Release, Re-program and Resolve.