Michele Weslander Quaid 

Michele is a highly sought after speaker who has inspired thousands internationally across many sectors to include corporate executives, startup entrepreneurs, educators, students, lawyers, bankers, technologists, military and government officials. Through her first-hand experience - from corporate boardrooms to combat zones - Michele delivers best practices along with real-world examples, thereby equipping audiences with insights and tools to lead innovation and affect positive change in their organizations and communities.

As the Founder and President of Sunesis Nexus, Michele serves as an independent consultant and professional coach collaborating with global leaders in the public and private sectors, academia, and nonprofit organizations, utilizing her experience and expertise in executive leadership, strategic planning, coalition building, technology, innovation, leading change, organizational transformation and operations. Previously, Michele served as Google's Chief Technology Officer for Public Sector and Chief Innovation Evangelist. Prior to Google, she served in both industry and government, collaborating with talented people of diverse backgrounds and cultures around the world. Post-9/11/2001, Michele was recruited from industry into public service and was one of the youngest leaders ever sworn in as a senior executive in the US Government. As a government official, she led the cultural and technical integration of the national security community, establishing and serving in various senior leadership positions inspiring others towards a common goal and affecting positive change. Michele continues to serve on various commercial and nonprofit Board of Directors and Strategic Advisory Boards, and Federal Advisory Committees.

Michele's honors include "DC's Top 50 Women in Tech" (FedScoop, 2014), "Power 100" list of influencers (Washington Life, 2014), and "The 7 Most Powerful Women to Watch" (Entrepreneur Magazine, 2014).

Mark C. Perna

Join dynamic generational expert Mark C. Perna as he shares the secrets of today's youngest generations. More than 100 million strong, the "Why Generation" (Generations Z and Y) is innately curious and intelligent. They're poised to change the world - and they want to. Find out what makes the Why Generation so different from every previous generation, why their immense potential is so often underestimated, and how to answer their all-important question "why?"

Drawing on his wide experience and profound success as both a single dad and performance consultant for schools and business across North America, Mark will open your eyes to the power of the Why Generation. Mark's mission is to empower individuals, educators, employers, and parents to embrace the branch-creak moments of life and make a meaningful connection with the young people they influence. You'll discover what makes them tick, how they view life, what motivates their decisions, and why, for them, experience is everything.

With core strategies and principles from Mark's work with educational organizations and businesses, this presentation will help you unlock the incredible potential of young people everywhere and spur them to increased performance on all fronts, so they can make a bigger difference.

It's time to start engaging the Why Generation at a deeper level. Don't miss this opportunity to understand today's young people like never before and help them develop a dynamic competitive advantage!