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Scott is an internationally recognized crisis negotiator, advisor, trainer and keynote speaker. He is known and respected for his experience negotiating in highly charged situations, with high stakes and when the situation requires sensitivity to the human element. Clients, audiences and students alike, find Scott’s teachings, insightful, inspiring and pragmatic.   

Scott worked as a hostage/crisis negotiator with one of the largest regional SWAT teams in the United States for many years before moving into the role of a negotiations speaker and trainer. He has over 20 years of law enforcement experience and retired from a Chicago area police department in 2023 at the rank of Lieutenant. He was trained by in negotiation by the FBI and has studied at the Harvard University Program on Negotiation, at IMD Business School, and he continues to receive training from the world’s top negotiators.  

​Scott is a prolific trainer within the negotiation field and travels the country and around the world speaking to a wide variety of audiences. He has taught negotiations at Harvard University, for the FBI, and has keynoted for companies such as Microsoft and Bosch.  In 2016, he was invited to give a TEDx talk titled “The Secrets of Hostage Negotiators”, which has received over 1 million views.  His visibility as a speaker and educator through TEDx and other venues has reached global status.  
 
Scott currently resides in the Chicago area and is a Partner and co-founder with the Negotiations Collective, where he works with organizations and their leaders on how to have difficult conversations to resolve conflict and increase their influence.    

Mike Walsh is a futurist for leaders, internationally renown for his visionary and pragmatic insights on how organizations can leverage AI for reinvention. A regular columnist for the Harvard Business Review, a strategic advisor to Fortune 50 corporations, and a global nomad - he is the author of three bestselling books, most recently: ‘The Algorithmic Leader: How to be smart when machines are smarter than you’. He has a rare talent for connecting emerging technologies, cultural shifts, and commercial strategies — crafting insights that bridge the present to the future with clarity, relevance, and a compelling touch of wit.

At the heart of Mike Walsh's work is a singular focus on redefining leadership for the AI age. Unlike other futurists who concentrate on predicting technological advances or broad societal trends, Walsh zeroes in on how leaders must fundamentally reimagine their role in a world where machines are increasingly capable of making complex decisions. His key insight is that traditional leadership approaches, built for an analog era of predictable business cycles and hierarchical organizations, are no longer sufficient. Instead, leaders must develop new capabilities to harness data and AI while maintaining their essential human judgment and ethical principles.

Walsh believes that the real challenge isn't just understanding the technology itself, but rather how leaders can adapt their decision-making, develop new mental models, and reshape their organizations to effectively combine human and machine intelligence. His emphasis on the human dimension of technological change makes his insights particularly valuable for business leaders navigating digital transformation.

On a personal note, Mike’s ethnic background is as diverse as his experiences. Born in Australia to parents of mixed Asian and European heritage, he has lived, worked, and traveled across many countries, embracing a truly global perspective.
A prolific writer and sought-after commentator, Mike’s insights have been featured in leading global publications such as Inc. Magazine, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. As a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, he tackles cutting-edge leadership themes ranging from data-driven decision-making and agile organizations to algorithmic management and AI ethics. Through his popular podcast Between Worlds, Mike engages with bold thinkers, innovators, and disruptors from across industries. He also produces The Future is Elsewhere, a YouTube series offering fresh perspectives from dynamic locations like Seoul, Mexico City, Tokyo, and Istanbul, bringing global trends and future forward ideas to life.

Mike is an accomplished author with three published books and a fourth on the way, focused on the future of AI Agents, set to release in early 2026. His most recent work, The Algorithmic Leader, provides an optimistic and practical roadmap for harnessing AI, automation, and algorithms to transform leadership and reshape organizations. The book has achieved global success, with translations available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Polish, and Russian. In his 2014 release, The Dictionary of Dangerous Ideas, Mike foresaw groundbreaking innovations such as micro satellite networks, cryptocurrencies, remote work, life extension technologies, self-driving cars, drones, digital biology, digital activism, and the commercialization of space. His debut book, Futuretainment, published by Phaidon in 2009, earned the prestigious Art Director’s Club design award in New York. It accurately predicted the impact of smartphones on media and marketing, as well as the rise of social media, digital influencers, streaming platforms, and the emergence of the Metaverse.

Kylen Sharpe is an Agent in the Music department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Sharpe is based in the Nashville office and works with such artists as Tim McGraw, Billy Currington, Shaboozey, Niko Moon, Danae Hays, Aaron Watson, Tyler Braden and developing clients Walker Montgomery, Clayton Mullen and Reid Haughton.  She is also responsible for booking fairs, festivals and rodeos throughout the mid-South for CAA's entire country roster including Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt, Cody Johnson and others.  

Sharpe began her career at APA and joined CAA in 2010.

Sharpe sits on the board (and serves as Vice Chair) at Monroe Harding and serves as a mentor, helping a young people transition out of the foster care system and in to adulthood.  She also serves as a mentor inside CAA working with a group of developing women in the support staff.  In 2015, Sharpe won the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s Rookie of the Year award.  In 2018, she was featured as an “Agent to Watch” in Variety’s music issue.

Sharpe graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in Microbiology. 

Shawn McSpadden was born in Ft. Worth Texas but considers Nashville home.  Shawn attended Franklin Road Academy, where he played football and baseball, helping win two state championships, was captain of the football team, and President of his senior class.

College life started at Liberty University, followed by a transfer to Belmont University in the Fall of 1988. While attending Belmont, Shawn and his father Gary McSpadden started McSpadden Music Group where he was able to develop and publish artists and writers.

McSpadden Music Group grew quickly and became McSpadden-Smith Music with a full-scale management company as well as a catalog of over 20 staff songwriters and over 3,500 copyrights. Songs published by McSpadden - Smith Music were recorded by artists such as Faith Hill, Vince Gill, She Daisy, Earth Wind and Fire, Amy Grant and many others. The catalog contained over 30 #1 chart topping songs in both the Country and Christian Billboard charts. In 1998 McSpadden - Smith was purchased by Music and Media International and Shawn took over as VP/GM of Word Music publishing.

During his time as VP/GM for Word Music Publishing he also added the title of Senior VP of Artist and Repertoire for Word/Warner Bros. Records where he worked with Randy Travis, Sixpence None the Richer, MuteMath and Robert Randolph, among others. In 2004 Shawn left Word/ Warner Bros. Records to team up with Greg Hill at Greg Hill Management and began managing artists in both the Country and Christian industry.

 In 2006 the company became a part of Red Light Management where he worked alongside Coran Capshaw to develop the Nashville office and roster.

In 2023 after many years at Red Light Management Shawn became Managing Partner at Range Media Partners in Nashville Tennessee. Range Media Partners is a diverse company representing talent in Film/TV, Music, Sports and Influencers with offices in Santa Monica, Nashville, New York and London.

Shawn has served on the board of Music for the Soul, Belle Meade Plantation, the Gospel Music Association and NARAS. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Academy of Country Music and is Chairman of the board for the Academy’s Lifting Lives.  He completed Leadership Music in 2001 and is involved with Habitat for Humanity along with other charities.

Chelsea C. Williams is an Entrepreneur, Workplace Educator, and Professional Speaker, dedicated to building empowered, high-performing leaders.

As the Founder & CEO of Reimagine Talent Co., a national talent and workforce development firm, Chelsea’s team powers customized, actionable learning solutions that build human potential, drive marketplace outcomes, and benefit communities.

Reimagine Talent partners with employers, educational institutions, and nonprofits to enhance employee engagement, development, and retention, with a focus on creating synergy across multi-generational workplaces.

A Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur, Tory Burch Fellowship Alumna, and JP Morgan Chase Entrepreneurial Woman of Impact, Chelsea is a trusted thought leader on talent development, inclusive leadership, and the future of work. She regularly contributes to CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, and more.

With a decade of experience in global human resources on Wall Street and a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College, Chelsea is passionate about cultivating connected workplaces that drive lasting impact.

When she’s not leading Reimagine Talent, Chelsea enjoys traveling, training for races, and spending quality time with her family.

Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.  Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year.  He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.

Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as an Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dick Finnegan is THE global turnover expert, having cut turnover by 30% and more for healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, distribution centers, call centers, and other industries…and on all six inhabited continents.

Dick has authored the top-selling SHRM-published book, The Power of Stay Interviews, along with four other books. BusinessWeek magazine has said “Finnegan offers fresh thinking for solving the turnover problem in any economy”. He has been similarly cited by Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, and Consulting Magazine.

He holds bachelors and graduate degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and lives in Orlando, Florida.

Michael Bach is a nationally and internationally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert in the fields of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA). He has worked globally in the IDEA field, including as the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for KPMG International. He is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), CCDI Consulting and Pride at Work Canada.

He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning books Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right and Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work.

Katrina Kibben is an award-winning writer and keynote speaker known for helping hiring teams write inclusive, unbiased job postings that help them hire the right person faster.

Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster.com, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. Today, they are frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes.

Kat travels the country in their RV while dividing time between North Carolina, Colorado, and the dogs behind the name Three Ears Media.

Joy Johnson-Carruthers is the founder of Jtraining Solutions, a consulting firm dedicated to helping clients apply diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies that make a difference. A former police officer and US Army Veteran, Joy’s expansive career in the public and private sector make her a sought-after Public Speaker, HR Consultant, and Workforce Development Leader with over twenty years of award-winning experience developing leaders and high-performing teams across the United States and abroad. Her presentations are a call to action for better business outcomes and more inclusive workplaces. She currently resides in Nashville, TN, with her husband, Tom.