Matthew Dominick

Session: The Artemis Project: Going Back to the Moon
Astronaut Matthew Dominick serves as a member of NASA’s Artemis Team, which focuses on development and training for missions that will send the first woman and next man to the moon in 2024. As a Naval pilot, the Colorado native amassed more than 1,600 hours of flight time in 28 aircraft, including 400 carrier-arrested landings and 61 combat missions. Dominick earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of San Diego and a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin Johnson is a world-renowned swimmer who won five medals—four of them gold—in her debut at the 2012 Olympics. She followed that success by winning six gold medals at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, becoming the most¬ decorated female swimmer in history at a single World Championships. A competitive swimmer from age 5, Franklin earned four individual NCAA titles at the University of California, Berkeley and helped power her team to a national championship. She holds 11 World Championship titles—the most of any female swimmer in history.

Donna Washington

Session: Using Great Stories for the Greater Good

Donna Washington is an award-winning master storyteller, artist-educator and author who has been performing for audiences for more than 34 years. Her 11 storytelling CDs have won more than 30 national awards. Washington has served as president of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild and on the editorial board of the National Association of Black Storytellers. In 2020, she co-founded the nonprofit organization Artists Standing Strong Together.

Mark Bowden

Session: Body Language That Gets Results

Mark Bowden is a world-renowned body language expert, speaker and bestselling author. Founder of the company TRUTHPLANE, he has trained leaders and teams from Zoom, Shopify, Toyota, KPMG, American Express and the U.S. Army, among others. Bowden’s bestselling books on body language and human behavior include “Winning Body Language” and “Truth & Lies: What People Are Really Thinking.” He serves as president of the National Communication Coach Association of Canada and is a popular instructor for the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program.

Curt Stedron

Session: Lessons in Trust: The Christmas Truce of 1914

Legislative Training Institute Director Curt Stedron uses his knowledge of legislatures and leadership to bring out the best in lawmakers and staff. His work includes over 200 trainings for 5,000 attendees in 30 states, as well as instruction as a faculty member with the Legislative Staff Management Institute. A West Point graduate and decorated Army officer, Stedron created the Normandy leadership workshop, which applies the lessons of the D-Day invasion to the work of legislative leaders. Stedron is also a successful entrepreneur whose residential home construction company has built over 50 custom homes in the Denver area.

Kurt MacDonald

Session: How to Say What You Need to Say

Kurt MacDonald co-founded The Professional Communicators, which helps management teams deliver quality presentations to produce optimal outcomes. Macdonald’s graduate degree in behavioral neuroscience gives him an understanding of human attention, memory and persuasion, which he uses to create engaging and effective content. MacDonald’s public-speaking experience spans 25 years and includes a TEDx talk on finding opportunity in chaos and a CreativeMornings presentation on the importance of context.

Terry Rubin

Session: How to Say What You Need to Say

Terry Rubin is a seasoned communications expert who has spent his career helping individuals perfect their message and presentation skills. He spent nearly 20 years as an award-winning “PBS Newshour” producer and journalist, and is the co-founder of The Professional Communicators, which helps management teams create and deliver compelling content. Rubin also coached a nationally ranked speech and debate program that taught his students valuable presentation and performance skills, resulting in successful careers in business, law, academia and communications.

Sarah Harris

Session: Supreme Court Center Stage
Sarah Harris represents clients in high-stakes appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts across the country. Her cases have run the gamut of substantive areas, including constitutional law, administrative law, arbitration, class actions, antitrust and federal civil procedure, among others. Harris clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.