Keynote Presenters LIBBY SPEARS What’s Your Plan Be? Libby spent a lot of time in years later she has traveled the world evangelizing the principal’s office when a simple message: No matter your profession, she failed to follow the rules industry, or title, HOW you communicate will deter- of the classroom. She loved mine your outcomes. Today she works with clients learning, asking questions, who “get it but aren’t sure how to get there” with and talking. Turns out her keynotes, workshops coaching, and custom content teachers were not too keen focused on developing leaders who are confident on the talking part. She would and courageous. She owns every stage from the regularly bring home an all A report corporate classroom to international conferences. card with a lone C in citizenship. There Libby’s extensive client list including JCPenney, would be a handwritten note from the GameStop, Dell, Lockheed Martin, Accenture, teacher, “Please encourage Libby to stop visiting Overhead Door, Young President’s Organization, and with her classmates during lessons.” A natural born Stantec Engineering speak to how in demand she rule breaker, it took years for Libby to turn her love is. She is gifted at challenging people to get out of for talking into her superpower. In high school she their comfort zone. She is not afraid to ask the tough found “her people” on the speech and debate team. questions or have the hard conversation in order to Winning a college scholarship for all those week- grow, transform, and lead. A native of Texas, Libby’s ends at tournaments all over Texas and the United first paid gig as a speaker came at an early age. As States, Libby pursued a bachelors and masters a seven-year-old she was invited to tell a joke at degree in communication studies. She dreamt of an in-studio taping of a game show. When she was a tenure tack position as a university professor. done, her life changed forever: She got paid! Today, She taught at the University of North Texas and she focuses her attention on three things: Educate, Texas Christian University in the Communication liberate, and entertain every person she works with. Studies Departments. But as fate would have it, her Libby is a professed coffee addict (Grande Vanilla professional career took a turn after a serendipitous Latte please), remembers way too much pop culture consulting gig came her way. After training a group trivia from the 1970’s and 1980’s, an introvert who of architects on how to be better public speakers, knows how to extrovert, and knows every word to she figured out what she wanted to be when she the 1980’s rap classic, Bust a Move. grew up. Libby founded Bravo cc in 2004 and 16 www.bravocc.com TRACY BRITT COOL Leadership Lessons from Tracy Britt Cool Tracy Britt Cool is co-founder mid-size companies to the next level. At Pampered of Kanbrick, a long-term Chef, a provider of kitchenware products, Britt Cool investment partnership turned around a decade long decline and achieved focused on acquiring and meaningful growth in revenue and earnings. building great companies. Additionally, she served on the boards of several Britt Cool worked at Berkshire Berkshire Hathaway companies including Kraft Hathaway from 2009-2020 and Heinz, Benjamin Moore, Oriental Trading Company, spent 5 years at Berkshire head- Larson Juhl, and Johns Manville. Britt Cool continues quarters in Omaha as the Financial to serve on the boards of EverArc Holdings and Blue Assistant to the Chairman and 5 years Apron. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard as Chief Executive Officer of Pampered Business School, she is the co-founder of Smart Chef, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary based in Woman Securities, an organization that provides Chicago. Britt Cool combines her passion for long- personal finance and investment education to un- term value investing with her experience as an dergraduate women. entrepreneurial-minded operator to help take 8 Website Keynote Presenters AARTI SURA Leadership Lessons from Tracy Britt Cool Aarti Sura is Chief Strategy middle-market companies on mergers and Officer at Catawba Valley acquisitions. She later helped bootstrap digital Health System where she marketing startup, Three Ships Media, based in leads strategy, corporate Raleigh, NC. Aarti is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill communications, and and Harvard Business School. Outside of work, she operational improvement enjoys serving on the Boards of The United Arts efforts. Prior to joining CVHS, Council and The Lake Hickory Rotary Club. She Aarti started her career in lives in Hickory, NC with her husband, Sid, and investment banking, advising two children, Mila and Avi. DR. NIKA WHITE, CDE Growing as an Intentional Inclusionist® - Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a Function of Leadership Dr. Nika White is a national executive practitioner for DEI efforts across business, authority and fearless government, non-profit and education, Dr. White advocate for diversity, equity helps organizations break barriers and integrate and inclusion. As an award- diversity into their business frameworks. Her work winning management and has led to designation by Forbes as a Top10 leadership consultant, keynote D&I Trailblazer. speaker, published author, and www.nikawhite.com MERIDITH ELLIOTT POWELL, CSP THRIVE: Turn Uncertainty to Your Competitive Advantage Voted one of the Top 15 and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Business Growth Experts Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose about how to to watch by Currency Fair, build cultures the inspire ownership at every level to Meridith Elliott Powell is create profits at every turn. Meridith writes, speaks an award-winning author, and is passionate about helping her clients under- keynote speaker and business stand everything they need to know about how to strategist. With a background make this economy start working for them. High in corporate sales and lead- energy and highly interactive, Meridith’s keynote will ership, her career expands over help leaders and business owners learn the new several industries including banking, rules of success today. Including how today’s healthcare and finance. Meridith worked economy has changed, how that has changed her way up from an entry-level position to earn her today’s customers and employees, and specifically seat at the C-Suite table. She is Certified Speaking how that impacts your business. In her highly Professional, a designation held by less than twelve engaging keynote-speaking sessions, Meridith percent of professional speakers, and a member of shows her audiences how to attract more business, the prestigious Forbes Coaching Council. She has a retain top talent, and leap into position to win in this cutting-edge message, rooted in real-life examples new economy. No walking on coals, no breaking and real-world knowledge. She is the author of four boards, just real-life strategies you can put into books, including Winning In The Trust & Value place first thing Monday morning. Economy (a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards) meridithelliottpowell.com 9 Keynote Presenters SHARON DELANEY MCCLOUD, CDE Building Resilience in Times of Constant Challenges: A Playbook for Today’s Woman Sharon Delaney McCloud merged with Walk West to become a full-service is an Emmy Award-winning digital marketing agency. There, Sharon is a Partner broadcaster, TEDx Speaker, and Vice President of Professional Development Certified Diversity Executive where she leads media training, presentation/ CDE®, cancer survivor, public speaking coaching, workplace communica- Olympic Torch Bearer, author tion and executive presence workshops for leaders and communications expert at all levels of their careers. In 2018, Walk West who inspires leaders & teams to debuted at No. 647 on Inc. Magazine’s 2018 list of improve communication and build fastest growing private companies, the Inc. 5000, Presented by: resilience to drive business results. and was recognized as the fastest growing As an active member of the Global marketing agency in North Carolina. In addition, Speakers Federation and the National Sharon serves on the Telly Awards Judging Council, Speakers Association, Sharon connects a national organization that honors excellence in with people, while at the same time, video and television across all screens. Sharon has offering actionable insights. Sharon earned a been featured in numerous publications, including Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sheryl Sandburg’s Option B digital platform, from Florida State University before embarking on Enterprising Women and co-author of the new a career as a television journalist. From the Persian book, Keep Going, Memoirs of Strength, Courage & Gulf War to John Glenn’s historic return to space Perseverance. Sharon was born in Nairobi, Kenya to the Super Bowl to hurricanes, floods, politics and spent her early years in East Africa attending and entertainment, she has covered thousands of schools in Kenya and Tanzania before moving to the stories that have affected people’s lives on a daily United States. In addition to her television career, basis. Sharon also moderated gubernatorial and Sharon worked for the Department of Defense’s mayoral debates throughout North Carolina and U.S.O. Program and traveled all over the Middle served as a mentor for young journalists beginning East, Mediterranean and Europe entertaining their careers. After leaving television news, Sharon American troops as part of an all-girl group, The founded Greenroom Communications, a Raleigh- Florida Girls. Additionally, Sharon graduated from based video production and marketing firm, with the New World School of the Arts in Miami and Kim and Penn Holderness (the XMAS Jammies performed for a season with the Greater Miami Family). They worked with big brands like Target, Opera. Sharon is very active in the community Samsung, H&R Block and Chase Bank. At Sharon and serves on a number of Boards of Director and Delaney McCloud Biography one point, they even advisory committees for non-profit organizations had a reality show on UPtv.