Main Stage

Keynote

Sunday, August 6
8:30 - 10:00 a.m. 

Daymond John

From humble beginnings to a self-made multimillionaire with over $6 billion to date in global product sales and a starring role on ABC’s business reality TV show, Shark Tank. As "The People's Shark", Daymond continues to set standards of excellence while expanding his interests in fashion, branding, marketing, consulting, entertainment, and beyond. This industry leader, best-selling author, and groundbreaking entrepreneurial expert has evolved into a highly sought after business and motivational speaker. 

As a dynamic business speaker with over twenty years of hands-on proven business experience, Daymond shares the strategies that continue to bring him financial success. As Founder and CEO, Daymond steered FUBU from a mere concept to a global fashion powerhouse with annual retail sales exceeding $350 million at its peak. Utilizing many of the same tactics commonly used today, Daymond John pioneered the art of integrating fashion, culture, and music nearly twenty years ago. From his then unprecedented guerrilla marketing and branding techniques to the continuously innovative ways in which he uses social media, brand integration, and his expertise on pop culture, Daymond remains a cutting-edge business strategist.

Thank you to our Strategic Partner for their support of the Opening Keynote.

Keynote

Monday, August 7
8:15 - 9:30 a.m. 

Chad Foster 

Chad E. Foster believes he is successful not despite being blind, but rather because of it. He embraced his problem and turned it into a solution.

Can you imagine going blind just as you’re getting ready to go to college? When most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad was watching the world he grew up in fade to black. But that didn’t stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program. Or from climbing the corporate ladder as a highly successful finance and sales executive “rainmaker.” Or from developing the first customer relationship software for the visually impaired. Or from becoming an avid black diamond skier. 

The author of the book Blind Ambition: How to Go from Victim to Visionary (HarperCollins Leadership, 2021), Chad’s remarkably active, positive approach challenges traditional ideas of peak performance and inspires audiences to lean into the disadvantages that make them strong and unique. 

Keynote

Tuesday, August 8
12:00 - 2:30 p.m. 

Soledad O’Brien 

Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, philanthropist, and founder of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. She anchors and produces "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien," a political magazine program syndicated in 95% of the country for Hearst Television. She is a correspondent for HBO Real Sports.

Soledad has a national impact through her speeches and books, including her critically acclaimed memoir “The Next Big Story” and “Latino in America,” and through her 1.3 million Twitter followers and half a million Instagram followers. 

Her work has been recognized with five Emmy awards, two George Foster Peabody Awards, and four Gracie Awards—an award which honors women in media. She has also won two Cine Awards for her work in documentary films, as well as an Alfred I. DuPont Award. Soledad and her husband Brad founded the PowHerful foundation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which has helped dozens of young women get to and through college and to date has connected thousands of young women with mentoring conferences. 

Catalyst

Sunday, August 6
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. 

Simon T. Bailey

Simon T. Bailey believes you are meant to share your brilliance. His passion and purpose are to unlock that ability in a way that ignites sustainable transformation. 

He understands the pressure leaders and high performers are facing in the midst of uncertainty and equips them with simple, easy-to-implement strategies to accelerate results. 

LinkedIn Learning features three of his online courses that reach professionals in 100 countries. 

Simon has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including serving as sales director for Disney Institute, and has worked with more than 1,800 organizations in 50 countries. 

Catalyst

Monday, August 7
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. 

Catalyst: What Gen Z Wants, According to Gen Z

Gen Z is a complex generation with unique wants and desires that organizations must understand in order to appeal to them. They are a diverse and socially aware generation that values authenticity, transparency, and inclusivity. They prioritize experiences over material possessions and are more likely to support companies that align with their values. In this Catalyst presentation and panel, you are invited to hear directly from Edelman on its Gen Z Lab research and experience and from two Gen Z association members as they discuss what Gen Z wants from organizations and how organizations can better reach, engage and build trust with them.

Presenters:

Radina Russell
U.S. Corporate Practice Chair, Edelman

Pam Schiedeler
U.S. Brand Chair and U.S. Head of Digital, Edelman

Panelists:

Moderator: Al Dea
Founder, The Edge of Work

Abigail Bayer CAE
Senior Manager, Marketing and Membership, American Association of Veterinary State Boards

Maisha Hoque
Chapters Associate, American Society of Interior Design

Catalyst

Tuesday, August 8
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. 

Nora Burns

Nora has built a career helping organizations reimagine the employee experience. She has conducted primary research as The Undercover Candidate™ & The Undercover Employee™ including 250+ job interviews (not as herself) and working the front lines of eight organizations that did not know her as a former Fortune 200 Executive but saw her as one-of-many polyester wearing front line employees. A go-to resource for reporters and columnists including Forbes, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and public radio, Nora has led the way in helping leaders re-connect with the front line to reduce improve hiring, reduce turnover, and build more successful organizations.

Catalyst

Tuesday, August 8
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Kevin Clayton

Kevin Clayton is Senior Vice President, Head of Social Impact and Equity for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. He is responsible for developing and leading the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategic plan for Rock Entertainment Group, which includes the Cavs, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland Charge, Cleveland Monsters and Cavs Legion Gaming Club. He also oversees the Cavs Community Relations team and the Cavaliers Community Foundation. Clayton previously held senior level DEI positions at Russell Athletic/Spalding, Bon Secours Mercy Health, United States Tennis Association and the American Cancer Society, as well as was managing partner of JumpBall LLC, an entity he founded in 2012. He is currently Vice Chair of the Greater Cleveland Urban League, and a Board Member at United Way of Greater Cleveland, Community Health Charities (CHC) and the Cleveland City Club. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Clayton is an alum of North Carolina Central University and Wilmington College Ohio, where he was a member and captain of the basketball team.