KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

In learning and development (L&D), there's always a "what's next?"

The next capability gap. The next transformation. The next technology. The next business priority.

As L&D leaders, you're not just responsible for helping others reach that next big milestone; you're also tasked with building cultures where growth, innovation and performance can be sustained without burning people out.

So, the real question becomes: How do we create motivation that lasts when we’re never done?

It turns out — while traditional leadership approaches focus on external rewards, the latest science shows us that the most flourishing contributors have a personal, internal connection to their work. That’s right; people with high intrinsic motivation experience lower rates of disengagement, higher levels of innovation and more fulfillment than those focused primarily on external factors.

Join this keynote session to learn:

How to wire yourself and your teams to become intrinsically motivated instead of externally validated
How intrinsic motivation leads to increased problem-solving and fulfillment
The three psychological needs that inspire lasting motivation
Simple secrets to more powerfully create and innovate every day
Three questions to lead yourself and others with a greater purpose in mind

Jess Ekstrom is the founder of Headbands of Hope and Mic Drop Workshop, investor in women, best selling author, Forbes Top Rated Speaker and mom.

Her first brush with success was selling all of her toys on eBay when she was 12. Since then, Jess and her companies have been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America and more. More importantly, her companies have helped millions of women and girls around the world.

She’s the bestselling author of “Chasing the Bright Side" and "Making It Without Losing It.” Her hobbies include writing, hiking, board games with her husband, playing hide and seek with her kids, and searching for the best breakfast burrito in America.

What are organizations actually doing with AI in learning and development today?

Rather than speculating about the future, this keynote panel discussion will explore how high-performing organizations are putting AI into practice right now. Grounded in Training Industry’s research surveying 330 learning leaders, this conversation will examine where AI is being applied in learning, how many initiatives organizations can realistically sustain and how leadership buy-in and employee sentiment shape success.

You’ll leave with a clearer picture of what separates AI experimentation from meaningful performance impact and strategies for closing that gap in your own organization.

In learning and development (L&D), change is the operating environment. From emerging technologies and shifting business priorities to evolving skills demands and workforce expectations, L&D leaders sit at the center of organizational change, tasked with preparing organizations not just to respond to change, but to lead through it.

For Cassi Chandler, the lesson that change is constant has been shaped by decades of leadership in complex, high-stakes environments — from more than 20 years at the FBI to senior leadership roles in the banking industry. Across these experiences, she learned that successful transformation depends on leaders who can build trust, communicate with purpose and guide teams through uncertainty.

In this keynote, Chandler shares stories and lessons from leading large, diverse teams through moments of significant organizational change. She provides a practical framework to help leaders navigate disruption while maintaining accountability, integrity and performance.

Join this keynote session to learn:

How leaders can guide teams through uncertainty and organizational change
Practical strategies for building trust and maintaining accountability during times of disruption
Lessons from leading high-performing teams in complex, high-stakes environments
How L&D leaders can help organizations build resilience and adapt to continuous change

Cassi Chandler has built her career transforming complex organizations through purpose-driven leadership and bold cultural change. As founder and CEO of Vigeo Alliances, she partners with global companies to elevate performance through stronger leadership, smarter risk management and thriving workplace cultures. Her approach blends strategy with empathy, which helps leaders harness diversity of thought, strengthen trust and build systems where belonging fuels accountability and results.

Chandler brings more than two decades of experience in intelligence, finance, risk prevention and operations to life through stories that resonate across industries. At Bank of America, she served as senior vice president for business operations, developing enterprise-wide strategies to address cybercrimes, fraud and consumer risks while contributing to the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. Earlier in her career, she spent 23 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where she led investigations into terrorism, financial crimes and cyber threats and helped modernize intelligence and fraud prevention programs.

A pioneering leader, Chandler served as the FBI’s first African American female special agent assistant director and its first female national spokesperson. Today, she shares practical leadership frameworks with organizations across industries, helping leaders build resilient cultures that support ethical decision-making, innovation and long-term performance.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

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