2023 Speakers - more soon!

With more than 25 years of hands-on experience, Ebony’s background includes leading diversity programs and initiatives for workforce development that drive diverse talent acquisition, retention, inclusion, and awareness. She serves as a trusted advisor, mentor, and consultant to many of the employees at Boston Scientific to improve their leadership capability, team effectiveness, business performance, and accomplishing their personal goals. She currently works as Director, Global HR & EEO Policy Programs and Audit. where she provides thought leadership and strategic  direction for their global H.R. & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policies. She designs and implements training programs related to HR/EEO issues such as discrimination and harassment prevention, including global training programs. She is passionate about elevating and ensuring that diversity, inclusion, and equity are a priority throughout the organization. Equipped with a variety of skills, she loves making a difference - for it’s about the people. She wholeheartedly believes that people are what matters most in creating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Ebony is also a social brand and fitness Influencer. Loving and living life to the fullest everyday.

Engel has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry and was named one of the 2019 Women in Business honorees by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. She is Senior Vice President and President of Government Markets at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

In addition to her current experience in leading government health care, she has deep experience in leading the Public Sector, Taft Hartley union, and commercial business. She seeks to identify new and emerging opportunities brought about by industry change, including leading the way to creation of the first health insurance retail centers in Minnesota, which continue to be a valuable resource for Minnesotans.

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To take something complex and make it simple. To take something bland and make it interesting. To take a blank screen and turn it into a compelling story. Early in her career, Erika leaned heavily on her ability to put words together. Now on the other side of three years of state and local government, four years in D.C. and nearly ten years with a retail giant, she has learned that regardless of sector or size, it’s always about people. How you make them feel, how they interpret what you’re telling them, how that impacts them and affects the choices they make.

Erika is especially passionate about equity. Not simply because she is a woman of color, but because she deeply values fairness and dignity and abides by the simple principle that when we all do better, we all do better. A communications and policy professional, Erika is also a seeker, looking clearly into the times we find ourselves in. Her intention is to use her talent with empathy and compassion to not just be better at what she does, but how she does it.

There is no mistaking that Mary is completely passionate about serving and connecting people. She was a social work & psychology major at Concordia College and finds helping others to be the most rewarding activity. Mary loves that she can do this in her business! Concordia was a firm foundation for a life of service.

Mary is the owner of Advent Talent Group and NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners - Minnesota Chapter) President. She uses the motto, “Service above Self,” as a guide for her choices and to direct her to use her gifts to serve others in the business community. Her areas of expertise include staffing and recruiting, strategic human capital management, business development, and HR consulting.

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The hero of talented talent, Kristin has literally been on the journey her entire career. She’s doing the work to make her next best thing the reality she’s been helping others to realize for the last 20+ years as an HR executive. Knowing what you’re good at is one thing, landing the gig is quite another, and being happy about the whole of it - now that’s the secret sauce she’s here to help you with too.

Experience designer by trade and curious collaborator by nature, Emily has been designing and organizing ideas professionally for the past 20+ years. As of late, she’s been on the same journey many of our members find themselves on. It’s one of discovery, unveiling, and constant growth. It’s led her to interesting ideas and concepts, but most importantly it has expanded her network and vantage point in a way that makes her the perfect guide to the design of your new life map… because she is creating her own.

Coach, mentor, leader, and curator, Hilary has been working with talent in various shapes and forms for the past 20+ years. From founding a podcast, hitting stages as a speaker, author, and coach to many - her depth and breadth of experience positions her to help you do the R.E.A.L. work. You’ll do it together and it will exceed the expectations you have – and the ones you don’t even know you have yet. That is how scary good she is.

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Teresa is a strategic HR executive and thought leader who is passionate about equity, healthy workplace cultures, and inclusive people strategies that drive business outcomes. She’s also a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of "Find Your Fierce: Interrupt Imposter Syndrome and Own Your Success", which guides people as they conquer imposter syndrome. With nearly 25 years of corporate executive experience, a masters degree in organizational effectiveness and communication, and additional certifications in diversity, change management, and executive coaching, she enjoys working with the best and brightest talent in organizations.

Liwanag is an authentic community leader and business executive working with passion, dedicated to serving others and creating long-term impact on people’s lives. Today she is responsible for mobilizing teams to effectuate the organization’s digital transformation at American Public Media Group and guides cross-functional initiatives to accelerate new audience & revenue growth, to create lasting impact in service to all communities.

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A champion of transformational change as an executive leader and board member, she's also an inspiring communicator, intentionally and judiciously representing an organization’s mission on a national multichannel platform over a decade. She inspires talent, peers, donors, and partners to join in community to advance the mission. Her executive success has been built on solid business and legal acumen, and spans organizations ranging from start-up to $16B businesses, across sectors. 

Natasha Bowman is an accomplished speaker, author, and expert consultant with nearly 20 years of experience in transforming workplace cultures. She has been recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Workplace Mental Health, a Top 30 Global Guru for Management, and Top 200 Voices in Leadership. Natasha has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Google, Forbes, Hearst Magazines, and Microsoft, among others. She is the founder and CEO of the Natasha Bowman Consulting Group, formerly known as Performance ReNEW, and a labor and employment law attorney.

Natasha is a sought-after keynote speaker for conferences worldwide and has authored three best-selling books. She is also the co-founder of The Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness. Natasha's expertise is frequently quoted in national publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, and The Wall Street Journal. Natasha is committed to creating positive and engaging workplaces where every employee is truly dignified and valued for their contribution.

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With over two decades of strategy, innovation, insights, and business development experience for both early stage and larger brands across the globe, Angela is a growth strategist, retail thought leader, advisor, speaker and entrepreneur. 

Angela’s experiences in multi-format retail, human-centric design and experiential marketing culminate into her sweet spot, where innovation, insights and strategy intersect; where the rational meets the emotive, facts meet insights and creativity meets logic. Her experience spans across categories from health & wellness to consumer products to entertainment retailing. 

Angela is sought after for her thought leadership and published in the areas of retail innovation, technology integration, consumer strategy and experiential marketing.

Pursuing an education in sleep study and obtaining licensure in polysomnography, Sarah had found her new career path. She often wondered why, since one-third of a human’s life is spent asleep, sleep health wasn’t taught in school the same way exercise was. She’d been teaching courses at a local college but realized she wanted to reach a broader audience, so she created a business model for a new venture.

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Sarah launched Sleep Health Specialists in 2015. Her aha moment came when she realized she could partner with businesses to educate their workforce about sleep health. Sarah now shares her expertise through customized lunch-and-learns, classes and seminars. She also conducts sleep assessments and provides action plans to improve team members’ sleep quality. Ultimately, Sarah shows companies how well-rested employees are healthier and more productive, which benefits the organization’s bottom line.

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High-energy and full of drive, Kristy brings over 20 years of brand-driving, event, and merchandise experience for Fortune 500 companies and Professional Sports teams through advertising agency, in-house agency, and brand marketing leadership. Kristy is the Sr. Director, Global Brand & Creative for NBC Sports Next, a subdivision of NBC, who inspires and creates the future of play through innovative technology and strategic partnerships for youth & recreational sports, golf, and betting & gaming sectors. And she loves it!

Resilience was the name of the game through all her pivots from one industry to the next. She's become the master of navigating the pivot within a pivot, and is fully prepared to take control of her next best thing, and guide others to find theirs.

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Be honest. Create dialogue. Build relationships. Erin’s experience crosses several industries from Employee Benefits to Student Loans to Public Sector Communications. She has been recognized as an expert on Social Media as it applies to both personal branding and sales. Erin also has a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelors in Communications/Public Relations.

Gwen has over 25 years of experience in the consulting industry. She has developed a deep network of business relationships and gets energy from connecting people and seeing them succeed. Gwen is naturally interested in different industries and business models and has a knack for seeing potential and bringing that forward. An entrepreneur at heart, she has achieved a track record of success by operating from the intersection of high EQ meets curiosity and integrity.

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Heather Boschke is the owner of Vogel Venture, a strategic marketing business with a mission to help organizations drive growth and engagement by leveraging marketing fundamentals while creating momentum through storytelling backed by data.

After spending over 20 years in corporate marketing, Heather learned how to connect consumers to organizations on the B2B and B2C side and across many different industries. She most recently worked for a small organization of 20 employees, where she realized the impact of partnering directly with owners and CEOs to quickly help businesses benefit from the power of marketing... which has fueled her motivation to make marketing easy for small businesses who don’t know where to start.

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After running a successful business for 11 years, Carrie embarked upon a new role with a familiar entity - Salo. Today she's the Minneapolis office Managing Director leading others to help them identify the work that's important to them as they consider what's next. Salo is a talent firm focused on making work meaningful. We put people first in everything we do, because we believe when people are empowered and inspired, amazing things happen. Obstacles are overcome, innovation ignites, and business thrives.

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