Neuroscientist Paul J. Zak explores how trust and emotional fitness shape the way people think, connect, and perform at work. Drawing from decades of research on oxytocin, human connection, and organizational performance, Paul explains why emotionally fit teams are better equipped to navigate stress, build trust quickly, sustain engagement, and make sound decisions in complex environments.

As AI continues to reshape the landscape of work and society, the debate over its governance has reached a tipping point. What’s required for safety and to foster trust while unleashing the power of innovation? This intimate fireside panel brings together three distinct perspectives on the future of AI regulation: Chris Hyams presenting the pro-regulation position, arguing that government oversight is an essential foundation for public safety and societal trust; Shakeel Rashed advancing the no-regulatory capture position, prioritizing speed and American competitiveness by avoiding the stifling effects of over-regulation; and Professor Craig Watkins introducing the Fathom Proposal, a framework for AI governance through a Federal and State government-authorized marketplace of private, independent auditors known as Independent Verification Organizations. Rev. Steven Tomlinson, PhD will moderate the conversation, drawing on years of exploring the potential, ethics, and constraints of AI as a member of the Seminary’s AI faculty committee. Key Takeaways: - AI governance is becoming a strategic business issue. As AI integrates into core operations, leaders will need clear frameworks for accountability, risk management, and trust. - Innovation and regulation exist in constant tension. Over-regulation risks slowing competitiveness, while insufficient oversight risks failures that erode public trust. - New accountability models are emerging. Proposals like the Fathom framework introduce third-party verification markets, creating independent auditing systems for AI safety and reliability. - Stewardship is a leadership responsibility. Executives will increasingly be responsible for how AI systems are deployed, governed, and trusted inside their organizations.

As AI moves from experimentation to enterprise infrastructure, few leaders bring the execution credibility of Sol Rashidi and Brett Hurt. Sol, the world’s first Chief AI Officer for Enterprise, helped launch IBM Watson’s early commercial applications and has since led 200+ AI deployments inside Fortune 500 organizations, translating ambition into governed, workforce-integrated operating models and documenting those lessons in Your AI Survival Guide. Brett, serial founder, former CEO of data.world, and host of the Love Conquers Fear podcast, has built and scaled multiple data-driven companies, invested in 150+ startups, and is advancing a broader thesis on AI and human flourishing through his forthcoming book Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All. Their keynote was recorded live as an episode of Love Conquers Fear, bringing our community into a candid executive dialogue on the defining challenge of this era: as AI becomes ubiquitous, competitive advantage shifts from tools to judgment—where to deploy intelligence, what to automate, what remains human, and how leaders move with speed and discipline without breaking trust while making consequential enterprise and societal bets under uncertainty. Key Takeaways: - Judgment is the scarce resource. As AI capabilities commoditize, advantage shifts to leaders who decide where intelligence belongs in the workflow. The defining question moves from “Can we build it?” to “Where should we trust it, where should we supervise it, and where must humans remain accountable?” Organizations that encode that judgment into clear decision rights and governance move faster with less risk. - AI value appears only when work itself is redesigned. Most AI initiatives stall because they are layered onto legacy processes. Workforce 4.0 requires restructuring how work flows—embedding AI into decisions, automating routine cognition, and repositioning employees as supervisors of systems, interpreters of insight, and stewards of outcomes. - Trust is the operating constraint. Scaling AI across the enterprise introduces new risks around data integrity, bias, accountability, and transparency. The organizations gaining ground pair rapid deployment with disciplined oversight—governance models, auditability, and clear ethical boundaries—so innovation advances without eroding employee or public trust.

Wyman Howard brings rare leadership experience forged at the highest levels of U.S. special operations, including commanding Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Special Operations Command Central and Naval Special Warfare Command. Across more than three decades in elite military leadership, including five Presidential Unit Citations, the Silver Star and multiple Bronze Star distinctions, Wyman led teams operating in environments where incomplete intelligence, compressed timelines, and irreversible consequences were standard operating conditions where courageous leadership demanded intentional risk, moral clarity, and disciplined action under pressure. Kristen Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of The Agency Initiative, a United States Marine and former senior director of inclusion, talent, and learning at Tesla, is the co-author of Courage Over Fear. Moderated by Michelle Gethers, former Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Corporate Responsibility at Visa, their keynote, Courageous Leadership: Agency at the Edge, explores how leaders exercise judgment, accountability, and vulnerability—speakingt ruthfully, admitting uncertainty, and inviting dissent—when stakes are high, information is partial, and the margin for error is thin. Takeaways: - Judgment is the scarce resource. - As AI capabilities commoditize, advantage shifts to leaders who decide where intelligence belongs in the workflow. The defining question moves from “Can we build it?” to “Where should we trust it, where should we supervise it, and where must humans remain accountable?” - Organizations that encode that judgment into clear decision rights and governance move faster with less risk. - AI value appears only when work itself is redesigned. Most AI initiatives stall because they are layered onto legacy processes. Workforce 4.0 requires restructuring how work flows—embedding AI into decisions, automating routine cognition, and repositioning employees as supervisors of systems, interpreters of insight, and stewards of outcomes. - Trust is the operating constraint. - Scaling AI across the enterprise introduces new risks around data integrity, bias, accountability, and transparency.

Leadership transitions are inflection points. They expose strengths and weaknesses, amplify uncertainty, and test an organization’s ability to move with courage, clarity, and speed. This keynote explores what effective leadership looks like at inflection points—and how HR Leadership can enable traction and avoid disruption in the midst of transition. Learn from NXP’s experience navigating and guiding ongoing culture change during significant leadership transition. Takeaways: - Leadership transitions provide a rare opportunity to reset expectations, focus and momentum at cultural inflection points. - Desired cultural characteristics must be intentionally defined and designed for (vs. simply declared) to become reality. - Momentum comes from a combination of leadership conviction, unrelenting ownership, and connection to individual interests.

Dr. Katie Pritchett explores why transformation often fails under pressure, introducing the Organizational Nervous System lens to show how stress, identity threat, and uncertainty shape culture, decision-making, and change durability—especially as AI reshapes work.

LaToya Collins-Jones suggests we don’t need more rules or another corporate playbook - that leading with clarity and audacity is the way. In this session, LaToya is calling in leaders ready to trust their gut, and create cultures that reflect who they truly are. She'll explore how to build high-performance environments without burning out or selling out—and why the boldest move you can make is to lead from alignment. This conversation assumes leaders are here to shake things up—and ready to start with one powerful, unapologetic step. ___________________________________________________________________________ What we'll cover: Why clarity—not charisma—is the real driver of high performance—and how to lead in a way that aligns your team, vision, and values. How to stop circling and start making bold, aligned decisions—without burning out or waiting for the “right” time. What it means to be an unapologetically dope leader—and how your boldness gives others permission to rise. ___________________________________________________________________________ About Latoya Collins-Jones: Latoya Collins-Jones is a culture architect and performance coach who proves that high ambition and human well-being can coexist. After rising to Vice President of People, Culture & Inclusion at Dell Technologies within five years of re-entering corporate life in 2017, she left the Fortune 100 track in 2023 to create the LWP Blueprint—a system that aligns vision, metrics, and mindsets so teams scale results without burnout. Today she leads Culture by Design LLC, partnering with executive teams to embed inclusion, clarity, and collaboration into business strategy, and runs Catalyst Life Co., where she guides mid-career professionals to break stagnation and advance with balance. Her frameworks have boosted leaders at Dell, Electronic Arts, and the State of Texas, and her insights on bold, values-aligned leadership have been shared on stages from AfroTech to Michigan State and UT Austin. ___________________________________________________________________________

Discover insights on organizational culture, leadership, and transformation as Tiffanie Boyd, McDonald's Global Chief People Officer, and Brooke Weddle, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, delve into the challenges and opportunities of building a resilient, continuously transforming workplace culture in a rapidly changing environment.

McKinsey & Company's Wendy Stratman Miller and Charlotte Seiler discuss how gen AI is further accelerating the need for strategic workforce planning. Predicting go-forward talent demand has never been harder – or more important – for organizations to plan for (and realize) the impact of gen AI. Discover how other organizations are leveraging data & automation to plan for their future talent needs, including how McKinsey itself is transitioning to skill-first talent planning,

In this Culturati: LIVE session, Vaishali Jadhav (Founder, Mandalight Learning) and Ashley Terry (Director of Talent Management, Kendra Scott) guide leaders through a powerful reflection on personal values—and how those values shape leadership behaviors, team dynamics, and trust. From understanding the shadow side of strengths to using values as a tool for empathy, this interactive session offers practical insights for anyone leading with intention.

Every leader knows AI is the future, but most don’t know where to start and fear they are falling behind. In this session, you’ll discover how to harness AI as your strategic ally at an executive level to elevate your strategic thinking and decision-making. ________________________________________________________________________ What we'll cover: 5 strategic use cases for executives you can apply immediately. A simple prompt framework designed for strategic thinking. Clarity on how to lead your organization moving forward. ________________________________________________________________________ About Geoff Woods: Geoff is the #1 bestselling author of The AI-Driven Leader, host of the AI-Driven Leader podcast, and Founder of AI Leadership and The AI-Driven Leadership Collective™, a highly vetted network of executives collaborating to harness AI to build better businesses and better lives.As the former Chief Growth Officer of Jindal Steel & Power, Geoff's strategic leadership helped the company grow its market cap from $750 million to over $12 billion in just four years. Prior to that, he co-founded the training and consulting company behind The ONE Thing, advising businesses ranging from $10 million to $60 billion in annual revenue. ________________________________________________________________________

If, as Steve Jobs said, the computer is a “bicycle for the mind”, AI should be pedaling behind us. We now have access 24/7, and at virtually no cost, to a thought partner armed with all the knowledge of the internet for any decision in our lives. So executives who think AI doesn't apply to them are wrong. If you're not using AI as a proxy for a coach, a board member, a management consultant, or a chief of staff, you're working at a detriment. If you can prompt it strategically, AI can make you sharper in your decision making, help you suss out your own bias, and let you see around corners. This conversation will unlock the power of AI as a Thought Partner for the executives and AI curious (or even skeptical) in the Culturati community. About the Speakers: Greg Shove, CEO of Section Greg Shove is the CEO of Section, an online business school for the age of AI. He is a 6x founder and CEO of tech-powered companies that rode 3 previous tech waves (Internet, Cloud, Mobile) with $250M in exits. He’s also a founder at Machine & Partners, an AI consultancy helping companies identify and prototype AI products, and Personal Math, a newsletter for professionals in their 30s and beyond. Moderator: Shakeel Rashed - Board Member, Partner & Mentor, Capital Factory Shakeel has been writing about and investing in AI startups since 2014 in Austin. He has been in the software business for more than 20 years, at the forefront of all emerging technologies from client-server to web to cloud to Internet of Things. Shakeel has gained valuable experience in an array of industries, including Finance, Telecom and Service providers, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Advertising, Distribution, Retail, Restaurants, and Oil and Gas. He is currently a Partner and on the Board of Advisors at Capital Factory in Austin, Texas.

How can a 13th-century philosopher help today's business leaders navigate complex, high-stakes decisions? Join Dr. Anthony Baker and Dr. Steven Tomlinson of Seminary of the Southwest as they apply St. Thomas Aquinas's teachings on prudence to urgent business issues like AI adoption, hybrid work design, and fostering inclusion — and offer you a practical framework for discernment and innovative thinking. Featured Speakers: Dr. Anthony D. Baker holds theology degrees from Olivet Nazarene University (M.A) and The University of Virginia (Ph.D.). He joined the Seminary of the Southwest faculty in 2004. He is the author of Leaving Emmaus: A New Departure in Christian Theology (Baylor University Press, 2021), Shakespeare, Theology, and the Unstaged God (Routledge, 2020), Diagonal Advance: Perfection in Christian Theology (SCM, 2011), and many other essays and articles. He is currently exploring the intersection of classical accounts of Christian holiness with current issues in ecology. Professor Baker has lectured or preached at various institutions around the world, from the Sorbonne, to Cambridge University, to various campuses and churches throughout the U.S. At Southwest he offers classes in Constructive Theology, Theology in the Classical Era, Trinity, Christology, and Ecotheology. He also works with other members of the community on green initiatives around campus. The Rev. Steven Tomlinson, Ph.D., associate professor of leadership and administration, holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University. He coaches and consults with Wall Street, Fortune 500 and high-tech start-up executives and managers on leadership and communication strategy. He taught economics and finance at The University of Texas at Austin for 17 years, where he designed and directed the MBA professional development program. He is also an accomplished playwright and performer. His award-winning solo shows have been produced in Austin and off-Broadway.

Feedback as a tool for Connection, growth and engagement. There is an increasing amount of data coming out that in this new hybrid work environment, people are more disengaged and stressed than ever. So how do we create work cultures where people feel more connected and engaged? A targeted solution centers on embracing feedback for development. In this panel discussion, we will explore what feedback for development is (and what it isn’t); and discuss how organizations can reframe feedback as a tool for connection and growth. We’ll delve into feedback skills, development frameworks, and applications of AI that lay the foundation for psychologically safe, high growth environments. By being laser focused on supporting feedback communication skills, leaders and teams can accelerate their personal growth, unlock team potential and create sustainable team connections to flourish in a hybrid world. Speakers: Carol Shen, Founder of Start Culture Shift Carol Shen partners with leaders to improve work culture by focusing on the fundamentals of building connections and relationships. She is the founder of Start Culture Shift, a roadmap for any leader to start immediate, actionable steps towards fostering greater team connections and working smarter in hybrid work environments. Her experiences as a mother, spouse, business owner, friend, mental health advocate, and seeker of continuous feedback for growth has complemented her extensive career experience as a Chief Learning Officer, non-profit board member, ILPA Institute curriculum advisor and faculty, and human capital best practices expert, with eight years at CEB, now Gartner. Carol has a BA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from UC Berkeley and an MBA from University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith Business School. Mara Gerstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Loupe Mara Gerstein is a multiple award-winning digital marketer, content developer, and team leader. She is the co-founder of Loupe, an AI platform revolutionizing how people use feedback for personal and professional development. Prior to Loupe, Mara held several senior leadership roles, including head of marketing services delivery for SapientNitro NY, leading up to its acquisition by Publicis Groupe. Mara is a thought leader on feedback for growth and organizational culture, authoring white papers and appearing at conferences, on podcasts, and in articles. Mara has a BA in History from Brown University and a MA in Media Studies from the New School. Brodie Riordan, Author of Feedback Fundamentals and Evidence-Based Best Practices Brodie Riordan, PhD, PCC is an industrial/organizational psychologist, executive coach, feedback zealot, and author. She is on a personal mission to change the way people think about feedback, and encourage them to embrace it 10% more (or hate it 10% less…). Her 2020 book, Feedback Fundamentals and Evidence-Based Best Practices distills findings from decades of research into actionable, approachable tools for work and life. In addition to leading Ocular, a consulting practice that focuses on complex talent and people challenges, Brodie also advises several HR tech startups, including Loupe, a feedback platform that actually aligns with feedback best practices. Brodie is also an executive coach with the Boda Group and a part-time professor at Georgetown University. Her latest book, The Coaching Shift, aims to make coaching skills and a coaching mindset accessible to all. Previously, Brodie has held global leadership roles in talent and learning & development with Procter & Gamble, Corporate Executive Board (CEB), and McKinsey & Company. Brodie has an MA and PhD in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology from the University of Akron, a BA in psychology from Washington and Lee University, and she completed her leadership coach training in Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. Panel Moderator:Rae Bernamoff, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Loupe Rae has spent the last decade guiding Fortune 500s and fast growing startups to build beloved brands from the inside out, prioritizing their culture as much as their customers. As the Strategy and Design Director at an award-winning creative agency and later as a consultant with a VC fund, she has named, positioned, developed campaigns, designed graphic identity systems, created experiential activations, and architected culture change for global businesses, celebrity personalities, and startups alike. Always passionate about helping organizations and individuals live into their purpose, Rae co-founded Loupe to empower employees to own their development journey and the Loupe Lab to embed a design-thinking approach to behavior change within organizations.

Walter Isaacson, one of the world’s most prolific authors on genius, leadership & entrepreneurship as well as the former editor of Time Magazine, the CEO & Chairman of CNN, and the CEO of the Aspen Institute, discusses the creativity of genius, leadership & culture in our 2C24 opening keynote. Interviewed by our co-founder & CEO, Eugene Sepulveda. Key Takeaways: 1.) Do you have to be an asshole to be a disruptor in the tech space? (Hard core vs nurturing cultures.) 2.) How important is the role of risk-taking? 3.) Innovation and technology as a team sport that can transcend generations. 4.) Should cultures blur the lines between disobedience and initiative?

A Culturati 2C24 Keynote featuring Michelle Gethers (former Chief Diversity Officer & Head of Corporate Responsibility, Visa) & Brooke Weddle, Ph.D. (Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company) A fireside chat with Michelle Gethers and Brooke Weddle exploring the link between inclusion and performance, as well as ways to foster belonging. Takeaways: 1.) Why should inclusion matter to leaders? 2.) How should leaders design inclusion efforts to reach all employees? 3.) What are the biggest barriers, related to inclusion, that organizations need to address?

A Culturati 2C24 Breakout Session summarization featuring Elsa Zambrano, Senior Vice President, Talent & Culture, NXP Semiconductors. How to create a values-focused culture which aligns with P&L ambitions: strengthening behavior alignment with corporate and individual success metrics. Takeaways: 1.) The senior most leaders must create the culture through values and behaviors. What measures would you put in place to hold management accountable? Review your incentive plans and business goals to see how to embed culture work within those programs. 2.) When creating culture initiatives, know the strategic initiatives that will carry the organization forward and build from there. 3.) It’s true, sustainable change in culture will take several years. 4.) Communicate the values and culture goals in an immersive framework: language, visuals, behavior.

Connective Tissue: What Truly Binds and Bonds a Team offers a deep dive into the art and science of building robust, unified teams in the digital era. Hosted by esteemed industry leaders Darren Murph (Ford) and Molly Sands (Atlassian), this session unravels the complexities of nurturing team productivity, connection, and engagement across the digital divide. Through a focused exploration of the Meeting on Purpose Pillar, our speakers will guide attendees through the transformative approaches needed to maintain and strengthen bonds in a modern work environment. Key Takeaways: Distributed work should be treated as a product, not a policy. Why understanding human psychology is key to creating workplace systems that people are drawn to rather than threatened by. How managers can build connections with their teams across time zones and virtual spaces. Featured Speakers: Dr. Molly Sands: Dr. Molly Sands is the Head of the Team Anywhere Lab, which designs evidence-based practices for high performing distributed teams. She’s passionate about using technology to make it easier for people to do meaningful work together. Prior to Atlassian, Molly held leadership positions at Humu and Chadwick Martin Bailey. Her research has been published in top academic journals and featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and a TED talk with over six million views. Darren Murph: Named an “oracle of remote work” by CNBC and featured in The Forbes Future of Work 50, Darren is a recognized visionary in organizational design. He co-developed organizational design case studies at Harvard Business School and INSEAD. He holds a Guinness World Record in publishing, and authored GitLab’s Remote Playbook and “Living the Remote Dream: A Guide To Seeing the World, Setting Records, and Advancing Your Career.” Recap of Q & A: Q1:: How do we break apart silos in a medium-sized agency in a post-COVID world? Technology aside. - To break apart silos, especially in a distributed company where they're more painful, consider company-wide hackathons and intentional togetherness gatherings. These initiatives encourage cross-team collaboration and informal mingling. Embedding "shadow" individuals in teams can also help document and share learnings across the organization, fostering transparency and breaking down silos. Q2: What are your responses when leaders reject distributed work by espousing the power of the “serendipity of hallway/lunchroom happenstance conversations” they think fuels creativity and success in their organization (even if they have no concrete evidence to prove this)? - It's crucial to disarm the argument and acknowledge that in-person interactions have value. However, fostering intentional informal communication is key in a distributed setting. Create community channels on communication platforms for non-work-related discussions, allowing employees to engage informally, which can lead to innovative work-related conversations. Q3: Why are so many large companies compelling to bring their employees back to the office? Dell just announced, remote employees may not be considered for promotions etc. - The push to return to the office stems from a need for trust, strategy, and a return to coherence after prolonged chaos. Companies grappling with uncertainty may revert to traditional office settings as a means to regain a sense of normalcy, even if it's not the most forward-thinking approach. Q4: How should organizations think about management training in a hybrid and remote culture? - In a hybrid/remote environment, it's crucial for managers to maintain regular, meaningful connections with their team members. Upskilling managers in goal-setting and clarity can significantly impact team performance. Organizations should also create mentorship opportunities and encourage managers to ask their team, "What does success look like?" to align on objectives and expectations. Q5: Why does this matter, and what improvements or quality of life have you seen? - The flexibility offered by remote and distributed work models can lead to significant quality of life improvements, such as the ability to live and work from various locations, thus enhancing personal and family life. Implementing flexible work schedules can also enable individuals to engage more deeply in personal interests or community activities, leading to a more fulfilling life outside work. Q6: Any tips for teams or individuals? - Managers and team members should align daily tasks with overarching goals to ensure productive and meaningful work. Encouraging activities outside of work, like community service, can enhance team bonding and personal fulfillment. Adopting tools and strategies that facilitate remote work can also lead to more efficient and focused workdays, allowing for a better work-life balance.

Culturati: Summit 2C24 Programming Pillar Discovery Series: Cognitive Hospitality. Cognitive Hospitality: creating environments that support optimal brain function, creativity, innovation, & collaboration while recognizing and leveraging neurodiversity, despite societal acrimony. Part One: delve into the science-backed foundations of cognitive hospitality with a session on one of its critical principles, Self-knowledge & Healing for Empowered Leadership. In the face of organizational challenges, the path to effective leadership begins with a deep dive into the self. This isn't just a philosophical notion; it's a data-driven, scientifically-backed approach to enhancing leadership efficacy. As the pioneering step in cognitive hospitality, self-knowledge and healing are paramount to navigating the complex dynamics of modern workplaces. Issues Addressed: --Leaders bringing unresolved personal trauma or emotional baggage into their leadership styles, which can affect their decisions, interactions, and organizational culture. --Lack of self-awareness can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and ineffective leadership. --Teams or organizations often mirror the emotional health of their leaders. Leaders with unresolved trauma can create potentially toxic workspaces. Join us in this enlightening exploration, marrying science with self-awareness, and embark on the first and most crucial step in the journey of cognitive hospitality. Featured Speakers: --- Rajkumari Neogy: The mastermind behind ibelong and author of "The WIT Factor," Neogy integrates affective neuroscience and relational neurobiology to engineer inclusive and resonant work cultures. With a passion for shifting paradigms, Neogy offers invaluable insights into becoming one's optimal self and fostering environments where everyone feels they truly belong. --- Dr. Jeremy Hunter: Founder of the Executive Mind Leadership Institute, Dr. Hunter amplifies the evolution of leaders for a demanding world. Having spearheaded leadership development across a multitude of sectors, he brings forth strategies that not only refine decision-making and interpersonal relations but elevate the overall quality of life. Experience his transformative approach that's been proven to deliver positive professional, personal, and financial outcomes. The Cognitive Hospitality Playbook -- Self-knowledge & trauma healing (essential to effective leadership) -- Healthy conflict vs. high conflict (de-escalating high conflict & recovering healthy conflict as a competitive edge of functioning teams) -- Inclusiveness & community building within our organizations -- Normalizing play (keeping us in the green zone)

Facilitative leadership is shaping direction without taking control. It encourages collaboration, creativity and innovation. Marie Applegate-Swanson will moderate and participate in a discussion with Erik Skogsberg and Douglas Ferguson about Facilitative Leadership. Amidst today’s volatile landscape, where traditional leadership models are often inadequate, this session invites you to experience a fresh paradigm that emphasizes facilitation as the key to unlocking collaboration and navigating uncertainty. They’ll discuss the transformative power of stepping back from merely presenting solutions, to actually facilitating meaningful engagement within your teams. Fostering an environment of critique, curiosity, and inquiry can not only spark innovative ideas but also build a resilient organization. The discussion will highlight how asking the right questions can be more impactful than having all the answers, challenging your conventional wisdom on leadership. About the Speakers: Douglas Ferguson is an entrepreneur and human-centered technologist with over 26 years of experience. He is president of Voltage Control, a facilitation academy that develops leaders through certifications, workshops, and organizational coaching focused on facilitation mastery, innovation, and play. He has helped transform leaders, innovators, and creatives from Nike, U.S. SOCOM, Google, the Air Force, Gap, Tesla, MSU, Church & Dwight, Apple, Adobe, Dropbox, Fidelity, Vrbo, Liberty Mutual, Humana, and SAIC. Douglas is currently active in the Austin startup community, where he serves on the board of several non-profits, mentors startups, and advises early-stage ventures. Douglas is a thought leader and often writes and talks about facilitation, leadership, collaboration, innovation, culture, meetings, and Design Sprints. He is also the author of four books: Magical Meetings, Beyond the Prototype, How to Remix Anything, and Start Within, He has been published in Forbes, Fast Company, Innovation Leader, and is a regular contributor to The Future Shapers. He publishes a weekly podcast called Facilitation Lab. Prior to Voltage Control, Douglas held CTO positions at numerous Austin startups, where he led product and engineering teams using agile, lean, and human-centered design principles. While CTO at Twyla, Douglas worked directly with Google Ventures running Design Sprints, and now brings this experience and process to companies everywhere. Erik Skogsberg believes that a deep empathy and caring, rooted in human-centered design, systems thinking, and futures thinking best supports partners in finding their solutions. Erik is passionate about supporting clients imagining innovative approaches to complex organizational challenges. Trained as an educator, designer, researcher, and change agent, he brings significant teaching, design, mentoring, professional learning and development, organizational change, and research experiences from across secondary, higher education, non-profit, and industry contexts. Whether working with individuals, teams, or organizations, he helps people design lasting growth and innovation. Prior to working with Voltage Control, he co-founded Michigan State University’s Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, an internal design consultancy focused on learning experience design, innovation, and organizational transformation. He earned his B.A. in English Literature from Western Washington University, M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from Brown University, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education. Marie Applegate-Swanson (moderator) is an artist, learning experience designer, facilitator, and coach. She helps curious soloists, growth-oriented groups and forward-thinking organizations leverage awe, wonder, play and curiosity to expand the realm of possibilities. Her clients and collaborators include Bloomberg, Stanford, Asian Art Museum, City of San Francisco, Complexity Adventures, The Culture Conference, and more.

Since the introduction of large language models such as ChatGPT, Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way we work -- from students in schools and universities all over the world to our workplace, and its implications for work culture are profound. This panel will explore how AI is changing the way we work, collaborate, and learn. We will discuss the benefits and challenges of AI, and how leaders can create a culture that embraces this new technology and whether we need government involvement in terms of regulations. Panel: Chris Hyams is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Director of Indeed. Chris joined Indeed in 2010 as Vice President of Product, responsible for technology strategy and innovation. In 2015, Chris became President, assuming additional responsibility for Indeed’s revenue growth and client success. Chris was appointed Indeed CEO in April 2019, leading Indeed’s mission to help people get jobs. Brett Hurt is the CEO and co-founder of data.world, a Public Benefit Corporation (and Certified B Corporation®) that is the platform for modern data teamwork and the world’s largest collaborative data community. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, data.world was honored on the “Best for the World” list by B Lab, placing the company in the top 10% of all B Corps globally. Brett is also the co-owner of Hurt Family Investments (HFI), alongside his wife, Debra. HFI are involved in 73 startups, 21 VC funds, and multiple philanthropic endeavors. Shakeel Rashed (Moderator) has been writing about and investing in AI startups since 2014 in Austin. He has been in the software business for more than 20 years, at the forefront of all emerging technologies from client-server to web to cloud to Internet of Things. Shakeel has gained valuable experience in an array of industries, including Finance, Telecom and Service providers, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Advertising, Distribution, Retail, Restaurants, and Oil and Gas. He is currently a Partner and on the Board of Advisors at Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. This thought-provoking panel will delve into the following key topics: 1. Recent advances in AI: Understand the rapid advancements in Generative AI and its integration into everyday work environments. Explore the different applications of AI, such as automation, predictive analytics, and natural language processing, and their potential to revolutionize the way we work. 2. Shaping Workplace Culture: Investigate how AI influences workplace culture, including its impact on employee engagement, collaboration, decision-making processes, and overall organizational dynamics. Examine the benefits and challenges of incorporating AI technologies into existing cultural frameworks. 3. Ethical Considerations: Delve into the ethical implications of AI at the workplace, including issues of privacy, transparency, bias, and fairness. Discuss the importance of responsible AI development, implementation, and governance to ensure that AI technologies align with organizational values and societal expectations. 4. Augmentation, Not Replacement: Explore the concept of AI as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement for human workers. Discover how AI can enhance employee productivity, creativity, and skill development, leading to a more fulfilling and meaningful work experience. 5. The Human Element: Highlight the critical role of human skills in the age of AI. Discuss the importance of emotional intelligence, adaptability, and critical thinking as essential skills for employees to thrive in a technology-driven workplace. Address the potential need for upskilling and reskilling initiatives to bridge the gap between humans and AI. 6. Cultivating AI-Ready Organizations: Identify strategies for organizations to successfully navigate the integration of AI into their culture and work processes. Examine the challenges of change management, fostering a culture of trust, and ensuring effective human-AI collaboration. Join us for an enlightening panel discussion as we explore the multifaceted implications of AI on workplace culture. Gain valuable insights, discover best practices, and envision a future where humans and AI technologies coexist harmoniously in the pursuit of organizational excellence.

Description: Steven Tomlinson works from interviews with CEOs and other corporate executives to imagine (with the help of Austin theatre collective, Rude Mechs) how a turbocharged chatbot would advise a business leader to navigate the growing tension between workers’ expectations and investors’ demands. He’ll explore: Why is leadership suddenly so stressful? What is this the moment to try? How do I need to stretch as a leader to meet what’s trying to happen in our economy?

Adm. Wyman Howard (Ret.), U.S. Navy Moderated by Mark Updegrove, President, LBJ Foundation Description: We are delighted to announce our closing keynote featuring retired United States Navy Rear Admiral, Adm. Wyman Howard. As the former Commander of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command and the Special Operations Command Central, Adm. Howard has led teams through some of the most difficult and challenging environments in the world. He will be joined on stage by Mark Updegrove, President of the LBJ Foundation, for a conversation about the crucial skills and practices needed to build high-performing teams in today's uncertain environment. Their discussion will cover how to select for individual character attributes that enable effective problem-solving in challenging markets and operational environments, as well as how to anticipate future scenarios to strengthen business resilience and reduce the psychological impact of unforeseen events. With Adm. Howard's extensive military experience, attendees will gain valuable insights into how to translate battlefield experiences to the corporate boardroom, and keep teams executing at a high level through whatever challenges may come. Key Takeaways: 1. The ability to function effectively and solve hard problems in ‘uncertain’ markets / operational environments – is an individual character attribute you can select for when building high performing teams 2. A consistent enterprise practice that poses future scenarios – and inclusively thinks through options ahead of a surprise – strengthens the resiliency of the business and shortens the psychological dislocation that comes from unforeseen events 3. Individual / team health forms a bedrock foundation for uncertainty – health & balance across the mind, body, spirit pillars – a foundation to withstand shock and creatively lead through it

Annie Dean, Head of Team Anywhere, Atlassian Darren Murph, VP Workplace Design & Remote Experience, Andela Description: The workplace has shifted forever, but the debate over how to proceed rages on. Join Annie Dean (of Meta and Atlassian) and Darren Murph (of GitLab and Andela) for an unfiltered look at what it takes to build and sustain a distributed workforce. In this candid Q&A, these two renowned remote work leaders will pull back the curtain and ask each other the hard questions we’ve all been grappling with – and unravel the complexities every leader here today continues to face. Key Takeaways: 1. Understand why distributed work must be seen as a product, not a perk 2. Learn what it takes to build intentional remote work infrastructure, from tooling to training 3. Learn processes for identifying worker pain points; how to develop solutions; and implement org-wide systems change 4. Discuss best practices for gaining stakeholder and organization-wide trust and buy-in 5. Gain a new appreciation and understanding of how complex this work is, what’s been missing from the industry conversation, and how you can take action within your own org

From the Culturati: 2C23 Keynote by Ellen McGirt, Senior Editor, FORTUNE Magazine Moderated by Josh Jones-Dilworth, CEO, JDI & co-founder, Culturati Description: Ellen McGirt notes a growing disconnect between how senior leaders think their investments in DEI are going and how their employees really feel about them - she feels the tension in her in-box every day. Bottom line: Employees were wary to begin with and they're just not feeling it. There's compelling research from Gallup on this — in fact, fewer than a third feel that anything has really changed in terms of race and equity at work. Key Takeaways: 1. Reimagining leadership as an exercise in humility, design and sharing power. 2. Flexibility as one of the most potent tools to build equity. 3. Systems of exclusion are invisible to those who breeze by them.

Matthew Duncan, Head of Future of Work Thought Leadership, Microsoft Professor Craig Watkins, Ernest S. Sharpe Centennial Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director, the Institute for Media Innovation, Author of "The Digital Edge" and "Don't Knock the Hustle" Description: As we begin to find our rhythm in flexible work, AI is poised to fundamentally shift how we work every day. Explore what is next-generation AI and how it will accelerate human creativity, productivity and uplevel skills across your organization. Join us for an interactive workshop, where we will discuss our latest research, innovations, and future impact, as well as invite you to learn from each other. Key Takeaways: 1. Dive into the latest AI capabilities and what it means for employees and an organization 2. See how AI can show up in our everyday work life 3. Gain best practice in how to support and unlock employees in the new work world

CREATING A WINNING CULTURE Cynt Marshall, CEO Dallas Mavericks Marshall’s story of sticking by her leadership principles of listen, learn, and love—or what she calls the “three Ls”—and the success it led to over the course of her career. As the first Black female CEO of an NBA team, Cynt was hired in 2018 to turn around the Dallas Maverick’s culture. They are now recognized as one of the league’s most well run franchises and have since enjoyed winning records. 1. How listening is the first step towards cultural revolution. 2. The value of learning who your employees are, personally and professionally. 3. The key to lasting success: love your workforce as people first and employees second.

BELONGING IS A TWO-WAY STREET Carin Taylor, Chief Diversity Officer, Workday Cate Prescott, Chief People Officer & Senior VP, NI To achieve a sense of belonging for team members, five conditions must be in place, and each team member shares a responsibility to proactively communicate and participate. Key Takeaways: 1. Learn five conditions that drive a culture of belonging 2. Define your own sense of belonging 3. How to sustain a culture of belonging