EXPERTS
BUSINESS
Andre W. Thornton
Germantown, MD (Washington, DC)
Founder & CEO of Whitman Consulting, one of the nation’s top ten leadership-development firms, and author of Disrupted
Andy Moye
Plano, TX (Dallas)
Former US Naval flights officer, CEO and board member, keynote speaker on leadership, AI, health economics, and precision medicine
Anirudh Bajaj
San Francisco, CA
Anirudh Bajaj is a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft and author of the new book, Indispensable: Your Career Guide for the Age of AI
Jon Roberts
Austin, TX
Jon Roberts is the managing partner at TIP Strategies Inc., an Austin-based economic development and workforce consulting firm. Before joining TIP, Jon held senior positions in economic development for the states of Washington and Texas, and he was vice-president of an Oregon venture capital firm.
ENVIRONMENT
FICTION
Babette Fraser Hale
Houston, TX
Award-winning author and memoirist, recipient of the Texas Institute of Letters First Fiction Prize
FANTASY
ROMANCE
SUSPENSE/THRILLER
Chad Boudreaux
Richmond, VA
Chief Legal Officer of a Fortune 500 Company and Author of Three Thrillers
Don Schechter
Boston / New York City
Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Professor, Podcast host, and Author of Ascendants
Dr. James R. Gregory
Bradenton, FL (Sarasota)
8x Author, Expert in Corporate Branding and retired owner of Madison Avenue advertising agency
Jack Quaid (Luke Preston)
Australia
Award-winning and bestselling author of Dark City Blue, Out of Exile, and Anonymous Jane
Joe Battaglia
College Station, TX
Seasoned content executive and award-winning journalist, EVP Media Strategy Track Star League, and member of the National Sports Media Association and International Sports
Press Association (AIPS)
John Winn Miller
Lexington, KY
Award-winning investigative reporter, newspaper editor and publisher, screenwriter, movie producer, and novelist
Ralph DeFalco
Fernandina Beach, FL (Jacksonville)
Navy veteran, Pentagon insider, National security intelligence officer
FOOD & CULINARY ARTS
Emmanuel Laroche
Berkeley Heights, NJ / New York City
Food and beverage industry executive, creator and host of the podcast “Flavors Unknown,” and author of Conversations Behind The Kitchen Door and A Taste of Madagascar
Franck Desplechin
Torrington, CT
Award-winning chef, food & beverage hospitality consultant, and leadership expert with over 25 years of global experience in luxury kitchens
HEALTH/WELLNESS
Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble
Washington DC
Internationally recognized psychologist, author,
mental health thought leader, founder of The AAKOMA Project and Chief Mental Wealth Officer, The Mental Wealth Alliance, and author of Rise and Thrive.
HISTORY
James P Bevill
Houston, TX
Independent historian and award-winning author of Spies in Saigon, CIA Covert Operations in French Indochina and South Vietnam,
1950-1963
IDEAS/SUSTAINABILITY
Fons Burger
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Journalist, writer, musician, social entrepreneur and author of The Only Possible Solution: How to Shape the Future for our Next Generations
INSPIRING LIVES
Adassa
Nashville, TN
Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe recipient; platinum-selling artist; and author of Love Keeps Showing Up: Music, Messes, and Miracles
Lena Fein
San Francisco, CA
Speaker, Non-profit Founder, Tech Retiree and Author of Shattering the Mirror
Mario Cartaya
Gainesville, FL; Miami, FL; Hollywood, CA; Fort Lauderdale, FL
Award-winning architect and author of Journey Back Into the Vault, La Bóveda, and forthcoming works
Rebecca Faye Smith Galli
Baltimore, MD
Columnist and advocate, navigating life with sibling loss, parenting autism, and paralysis—author of Morning Fuel and Rethinking Possible
Walter Green
San Diego, CA
Founder of Say It Now movement, lecturer at Wharton, contributor to Forbes and U.S. News & World Report, and author of The Gratitude Express and the bestselling book This Is The Moment!
MIDDLE GRADE
Brandon Mull
Salt Lake City, UT
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The
Candy Shop War, Dragonwatch, Beyonders, Five Kingdoms, Guardians, and Fablehaven
series.
PARENTING
Vicki Christensen
San Diego, California
Special Education Advocate-Special Education Advocacy Certificate from the University of San Diego, Member of the Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA), Parent of a Neurodivergent 21-year-old, and Author of Uniquely, Fully, Enough
Gil Gillenwater
Scottsdale, AZ (Phoenix)
Founder and president of the Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation
TRAVEL
Ronan O’Connell
Perth, Australia
Travel journalist, photographer and author of Hidden in Plain Sight: The Untold Mysteries, Myths, and Marvels of the World’s Most Popular Landmarks
SOCIAL JUSTICE