Kevin Rice – Angel Investor & Founder of Theorem One Capital

Complexity is the enemy of scale, and so once we got really simple about like, focus on who we were and the industry we wanted to serve and the market opportunity we wanted to go after, everything started to operate more efficiently.

Kevin Rice is a seasoned entrepreneur, angel investor and founder of Theorem One Capital, a firm that invests in and advises early-stage, AI-first companies with the potential to reshape business across operations, go-to-market, finance and customer experience. Before launching Theorem One Capital, he co-founded Hathway, a digital consultancy that grew from a garage startup into a leading partner for restaurant and convenience brands, eventually joining forces with Bounteous in 2021 where he served as a leader helping guide digital strategy and transformation for major clients. Throughout his career he has built and scaled businesses, led teams and worked closely with founders to drive growth and innovation. In addition to his work as an investor and operator, Kevin hosts the “CEOs & ABCs” podcast where he explores leadership, identity and the real challenges of navigating ambitious careers while showing up for family. His professional journey reflects a commitment to building meaningful ventures, mentoring founders and fostering leadership that balances success at work with presence at home. Cornelia Gamlem – Co-Author of The Big Book of HR

Probably one of the most important things about employee engagement is making sure that people have the opportunity for input and that that input is really being heard. It’s not just doing surveys and then putting the surveys away in the proverbial file cabinet. It’s really listening and acting on their input.

Cornelia Gamlem is an award-winning author, consultant and thought leader in human resources best known as co-author of The Big Book of HR, a comprehensive resource she wrote with Barbara Mitchell to help HR professionals managers and business leaders get the most from their people and talent. She draws on decades of real-world experience in HR leadership including roles with major employers and extensive involvement with national workplace equality and diversity initiatives. Cornelia left a senior HR leadership position with a Fortune 500 IT services company to start her own consulting practice, The Gems Group, Ltd, where she helps organizations develop and maintain respectful inclusive workplace cultures. She holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from California State University Sacramento and has achieved Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute. In addition to writing multiple books and contributing to industry publications she regularly speaks to business groups contributes to online HR platforms and serves on the board of SouthWest Writers in Albuquerque New Mexico where she lives and writes.

Darius A. Ross – Author of Success DNA: Mastering Persistence in Leadership and Life

There was no such thing as being half-assed at anything. Everything was, you gotta be the best, you gotta excel, you gotta exceed.

Darius A. Ross is a serial entrepreneur who has faced some of life’s toughest challenges, from homelessness to urban warfare. These experiences have shaped his tactical and strategic skills, enabling him to succeed in both small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations. Ross has built and scaled multiple businesses, some thriving, others failing—each providing invaluable lessons. Drawing on these experiences, he now runs a consulting practice focused on high-net-worth individuals, families, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Ross offers three core programs: Urban No BS, Grind, Refine, and Lootnomics, and HGDR (Hustle, Grind, Define, Refine). These programs are not for everyone; they’re designed for individuals who are determined to achieve greatness, massive profits, and sustainable success. Whether as a coach, consultant, author, or speaker, Ross provides the tools, mindset, and strategies to help clients reach their full potential and excel in both business and life. Mike Matalone – Author of Hire • Train • Retain 2nd Edition: The art—and science—of building high-performing teams that drive success

The number one reason employees aren’t more successful than they should be is managers are typically bad at defining what success looks like for them. People should always know what’s next for them and how to get there.

An award-winning speaker and nationally recognized talent authority, Mike Matalone is the Founder and Chief Talent Officer of the XP3 Talent System and Leadership Academy. A highly-sought-after trainer, workshop leader, and keynote speaker, he’s published 100’s of articles on the importance of having the right people in the right roles. Mike’s engaging personality and uncanny ability to translate tricky concepts into easy-to-grasp “nuggets” of information have made him a prized addition to any talent initiative; in the past 17-plus years, he’s delivered more than 500 workshops and keynote presentations to business groups throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K.

Peter Economy – Wall Street Journal best-selling Business Author, Ghostwriter, Developmental Editor, and Publishing Consultant

Every one of those three, all three of those, those sources they had sent me that they had found via AI were wrong. AI had hallucinated them. They looked real. They looked legit. But when I tried to track them down, they did not exist.

Peter Economy is a Wall Street Journal best-selling business author, ghostwriter, developmental editor, and publishing consultant with more than 135 books to his credit and over three million copies sold. His work spans a wide range of genres including leadership, management, technology, entrepreneurship, and memoir, and he has collaborated with founders, executives, coaches, and thought leaders to bring their ideas to life in print. Peter’s own books include Wait, I’m Working With Who?!?, and he has played key roles in The Leadership Gap, Managing For Dummies, User Story Mapping, The Management Bible, and many others. He is known as The Leadership Guy on Inc.com, where he has published hundreds of articles on leadership and business topics, and he served for more than a decade as Associate Editor for Leader to Leader magazine, published by the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum. Peter has lectured on creativity and innovation at San Diego State University, serves on the National Advisory Council for The Art of Science Learning, and is a founding board member of SPORTS for Exceptional Athletes. A graduate of Stanford University with majors in economics and human biology, he has worked closely with some of the most respected thinkers in business and leadership. Joycelyn David – CEO of AV Communications & Author of The Multicultural Mindset: Driving Business Growth in a Borderless Era

Embracing the multicultural mindset begins, actually, outside of the boardroom. It begins at home, you know, with experiencing and being open to trying new things and culture in your everyday activities.

Joycelyn David is a trailblazing entrepreneur and thought leader in multicultural marketing, technology and cross-cultural business leadership. With 20+ years of experience in corporate marketing, Joycelyn has worked with global brands and clients in a variety of roles including go-to-market, product marketing and communications. In 2019, she acquired AVC, one of Canada’s leading multicultural marketing agencies. And in 2023, she founded Tulong Technologies, a martech start-up focused on AI-powered B2B solutions for the marketing industry. Joycelyn was named one of the “Most Influential Filipinas in the World” in the category of Thought Leadership, and in 2023 and 2024, her companies ranked as “Top Growing Companies” by the Report of Business, Globe and Mail. With a marketing background spanning 20 years at global organizations, Joycelyn is the quintessential big-picture thinker who brings her signature “anything’s possible” approach to every strategic challenge. Prior to acquiring AVC in 2019, Joycelyn served as Global Head of Customer Go-to-Market Strategy, Digital Business Leader and Product Marketing Director for Western Union, where she spearheaded the company’s fastest-growing digital business unit. An active industry voice, Joycelyn serves on the boards of POCAM (People of Colour in Advertising and Marketing) and the Multicultural Marketing Alliance Canada, while frequently contributing as a speaker and guest lecturer. She holds degrees from the University of Alberta and York University and resides in Toronto with her husband Abe and son Lorenzo.