
2022 Speakers
From inspirational stories of triumph to practical approaches to advancing your career, the stories shared by the featured speakers at Elevate will create a meaningful experience for all attendees.
View the 2022 Elevate program guide!
Check out the final lineup of keynote and breakout session speakers and sessions below.
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Elizabeth Lombardo
America’s Most-Trusted Celebrity Psychologist; Best-selling Author; Head Coach for Happiness
Creating the New Normal
Considered former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal's "Head coach for Happiness,” Elizabeth Lombardo is on a mission to free people from their inner critic to create the health, wealth and happiness they crave.
At Elevate, Lombardo will use her patented true success formula to help attendees discover the three essential ingredients that will help you create success in the new normal. While there are many factors in life that people can’t control, Lombardo’s presentation will offer immediate, actional skills that will help attendees optimize their mindset to create success, both now and in the future. By the end of Elevate, attendees of Lombardo’s keynote will be able to formulate a personalized action plan to advance in your personal and professional lives, even in unusual times.
Lombardo’s ability to help people unlock their own, unique personal happiness code has made her America's most interviewed celebrity psychologist, with more than 100 TV and radio appearances on shows like Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, The TODAY Show, Steve Harvey, CNN, Fox Business News and others.
A licensed practicing psychologist with a Ph.D. in psychology and a master’s degree in physical therapy, Dr. Lombardo's newest bestselling book and course, “Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love” helps anyone suffering from conditional self-worth or perfectionism turn down their critic's voice, turn up their self-confidence and gain essential skills to flourish in work, health, relationships and life. Lombardo is also the author of “A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness.”
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Linda Clark
Principal & Owner, Linda Clark Consulting; Co-founder, DisruptHR OKC
Elevating the Ask: The Art of Transforming Perspective through Inquiry
We’ve spent so much time becoming subject matter experts and developing expertise and sometimes we start limiting…ourselves. We limit solutions. We limit voices. We speak in declarative sentences, firmly planting a period on the end when a moment of curiosity bubbling into the space would include new voices, create the spirit of invitation, and add the spark to collaboration. The desire to fix overruns the joy of solving.
When we talk about growth mindset, resilience, and growth, the successful are asking questions. Questions generate trust. A hearty “I don’t know, can you help me?” can generate trust. Trust at work, at home, in your community. Trust that softens failures and mistakes and allows another chance to try. Trust that prioritizes innovation and creativity over exhaustion and endurance. Trust that unlocks the unspoken ideas that could be the next great moment for your organization.
Let’s flex our curiosity muscles with different types of inquiry and create a toolbox of behaviors that condition us to expand into the inquiry-driven conversation, expand into the more, expand into change.
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Teresa Atkinson, M.Ed.
Director of Organizational Development, Express Employment Professionals
Five Ways to Increase Your Influence
“Influence” is a buzz word we hear on a daily basis. There are social media influencers, people of influence at companies, and Time magazine releases an annual, “Most Influential People of the Year” list. While we may be aware that the word “influence” means having an effect on behavior or change, there is still some uncertainty around what influence actually is and how we can improve it. In this session, we will explore the key elements that will help us increase our influence and learn how to put influence into practice.
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J.D. Baker
Platform Manager, Cortado Ventures
Starting from the Bottom: Strategies Towards Advancing Upwards
When starting a career, a young professional looks to move upward in title, management, and compensation. This session will focus on tangible tactics and strategies to help young professionals take advantage of professional opportunities to advance into leadership positions.
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Sunny Cearley
Vice President of Membership, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
It's All in Your Head: How to Keep Your Head Game on Point in Sales
Successful selling starts inside our own minds. Getting control of that inner dialogue can make all the difference in both easy selling environments and in difficult ones. Spend this hour with me talking about head game strategies that work, and the internal struggles that can derail you.
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Suzette Chang
Founder & CEO, Thick Descriptions
Moving Beyond Politeness
Oklahomans rely upon politeness to conduct business. While this will often help us maintain the status quo, politeness as a fallback method does not automatically lead to progress. During periods of simple, consistent, or radical change, there are times when a traditional approach isn’t enough. How can we lead strategic diversity, equity & inclusion efforts when stakeholders are focused on being polite? Let’s talk about pushing the envelope from politeness to progress. Come to this session to experience an interactive, brave, uncomfortable and safe space for dialogue.
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Curtis Coleman
Director of Cybersecurity, Oklahoma Christian University
Cybersecurity for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses
This session will cover information to help you and your staff learn about cybersecurity and make it a part of your business routine. How do you protect against and respond to ransomware, phishing, and business email imposters? This talk will also provide information on tech support scams, vendor security, and cyber insurance. Attendees will get information on free cybersecurity material, as well as, access to free videos for security awareness training for employees.
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Mike Crandall
CEO, Sandler Training
Why People Lie to You...and What To Do About It
Often in sales, prospects and clients don’t tell us the truth, which can lead to frustration, as well as, wasted time, energy and money. If you hate the waste that comes from this – you will want to join this session. Attendees will learn how to change the dynamics of sales interactions to minimize or eliminate the lies we hear so you can more forward more efficiently and effectively.
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Susan Dell'Osso
Associate Director, Accenture
Everything Communicates
During this interactive session we will discuss the notion of Everything Communicates and how consideration of each touchpoint of an experience can influence the impact you and your company make on others.
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Stacy Eads
International Business Coach & Keynote Speaker, Scaling Up with Stacy Eads, LLC
Leading at Scale: How to Master your Business Cash Flow to Grow
“Revenue is Vanity!” – THERE, I said it! No financial gurus & CPAs allowed in this workshop after a statement like that, just humble CEOs looking to grow their business knowledge as entrepreneurs. I’ll tell you exactly why “Revenue is Vanity, Profit is Sanity, and Cash is King…” and I’ll do it all with zero spreadsheets!
Do you want to grow your company in 2022? Learn the seven levers to implement today that can swiftly double your business cashflow, triple your company profit, and multiple by ten your business value! Every business owner will leave knowing exactly how to scale profitably by learning from a prominent business growth coach.
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Boone Ellis
Franchise Analyst, Express Employment Professionals
Building Small Habits that Lead to Extraordinary Results
Success is not built overnight, but a function of time and effort. To achieve your long-term goals, you need to focus on the system rather than the goal itself. Whether it is learning a new skill, new personal goal or advancing your career, you must start by developing good habits. This course will cover the highlights of James Clear's No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits.
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Jema Esparza
Campaign Data Manager, United Way of Central Oklahoma
Three Ways to Elevate Your Young Professional Experience
No matter the field, sector or location, workforce members start at the same place: as a young professional. What we do (or don’t do) during this time can be instrumental and set the foundation of our futures. How do we build our leadership and potential when our careers are just starting? In this session, we will discuss action items and tangible steps to take towards elevating our experience as a young professional.
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Polly Fleet
Senior Account Executive, Cox Business
Serving a Customer, Not a Life Sentence: Learn How to Enjoy Your Work for a Lifetime
Great salespeople are relationship builders who provide value and help their customers win. This is also the recipe for a successful and rewarding career. Join me to discuss ways you can establish long-term customer relationships that create a successful and fulfilling future.
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Doug Hacking
Corporate Culture Consultant, Relationship Resonance, Inc.
Help Wanted: Why is Everyone Quitting?
In the last couple of months, a record number of employees have voluntarily left their positions. Now more than ever, employers need improved understanding and effective strategies for retaining their people. This presentation will view the detrimental impact of COVID 19 on employee retention as well as the turnover remedies through the lens of a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others.
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Kati Hanna
Partner, The Mettise Group
I Need a Leadership Instruction Manual: Leading with Clarity
Wouldn't it be nice if we got an instruction manual when we became a leader on how to engage and lead each unique person on a team? Why does it seem that some members of the team sometimes just don't get it? In this fun and engaging workshop, learn how to avoid the common leadership traps most leaders make and the 3 secrets great leaders follow to ensure they lead their team with clarity. Walk away with tools you can take into your workplace tomorrow.
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Teresa "Tee" Hicks
VP Sales - LocaliQ & Market Lead for The Oklahoman Company, Gannett & The Oklahoman
Ask & Ye Shall Receive (Well, Most Times Anyway)
Sales executives have been told NO a myriad of times, and it may surprise us to know that some NOS have come as a result of the questions that were NEVER asked. This session will aid in developing a natural plan to authentically ASK questions that others dare to ask, to say things that others may never think to say, and to deepen the connection between you and your clients on a level that is underutilized and so misunderstood: the connection of the human spirit. Join me. Let's have some fun and add some tools to our toolkit.
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Gunnar Hood
Digital Marketing Consultant, WSI Summit
Elevate Your LinkedIn Brand
With 800 million members, LinkedIn is THE professional network for career-driven people in all industries, and it can help you grow your business or career. LinkedIn has changed a lot in the last year, and in this session we'll reveal what’s new and how you can use those tools to elevate your LinkedIn skills to the next level to confidently grow your career or company.
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Shalynne Jackson
Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, City of Oklahoma City
Championing Equitable Advancement
We will discuss the adversity marginalized employees face when it comes to mentorship and sponsorship and how inclusive leadership helps employees overcome such obstacles—leading to increased retention and diversifying leadership roles. Participants can expect to:
• Understand the inequities in mentorship and sponsorship and how they often impact the advancement of marginalized employees.
• Learn how organizations can cultivate a culture of mentorship and sponsorship by intentionally championing those types of relationships.
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Dr. Murali Krishna
Co-Founder, INTEGRIS Health's James L. Hall Center for Mind, Body and Spirit
Keeping Balance: Mind Brain Skills and Resilience Strategies for Today’s Fast-paced Life
The modern life filled with great uncertainty, rapid changes, unexpected losses and increasing demands is overwhelming, leading to stress and exhaustion. Dr. Krishna will share his insights on cultivating the mind brain skills needed to develop the resilience necessary for today’s stressful life. Discover the immense healing power that could transform your life positively and with vibrancy.
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Jennifer Maynord, M.S.
Founder and Director, Artio Services
Improving Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution through the Arts
Join Jennifer Maynord, M.S., as she helps participants deepen their emotional intelligence and the understanding of conflict resolution. Maynord integrates arts-based tools to support learning and offers practical takeaways. Participants will learn:
• How to identify emotional intelligence within themselves and others
• Why emotional intelligence is important professionally and personally
• Four conflict resolution strategies
• Arts-based tools to help integrate emotional intelligence and conflict resolution into daily life
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Dr. Markeeva Morgan
Senior Executive Program Director, The Boeing Company
Foundations for Professional Development
Drawing from a career spanning the U.S. Navy to NASA to The Boeing Company, Dr. Markeeva Morgan will share lessons and insights he’s learned throughout his career that remain foundational to his current style and continued development.
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Tammy Overholt
Senior Training Analyst, MBA, SHRM-SCP, American Fidelity Assurance Company
Choose to Be Extraordinary
Set yourself up for future success by learning to be intentional about the decisions you make, to be mindful of where you devote your attention, and to discover your “extraordinary.” This session is for those who want to know themselves better, focus on the important and learn how to not burn out while pursuing the extraordinary.
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Matthew Palmer
Senior Director of Employee Experience, Heartland Payment Systems
Leading People Unlike Yourself: How to Thrive as a First-Time People Leader
Stepping into a people leadership role for the first time is so exciting and can also mean stepping into new challenges. These challenges can certainly be stretching and sometimes surprising. In this breakout we will be chatting about how to navigate the transition form an individual contributor to leader, what to do when you realize you are leading a team of people that are not like you and how to thrive as a new people leader. The content for this breakout is great for first time people leaders or anyone wanting a refresher in healthy team leadership.
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Sandra Quince
CEO, Paradigm for Parity
Building Inclusive Leaders In This Complex, Employee-Driven Society
Today, it is imperative that managers have skills that can attract, grow and retain key talent. They must be able to build relationships and manage in a hybrid environment with cultural awareness that is imperative in establishing an inclusive workplace. This workshop will overview the importance of cultural competency, discuss the latest trends that organizations should be preparing for and provide the skills that are necessary for inclusive leaders.
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Michael Shellabarger
Learning & Development Lead, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
The Seven Secrets of Effective Coaching
Coaching is a critical high-payoff activity for any leader to master. This engaging conversation will help you define exactly what it means to be an effective coach and provide a simple strategy for application. During the session, you’ll discover seven secrets that will elevate your abilities to build meaningful coaching relationships.
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Adam Soltani
Executive Director, CAIR Oklahoma
Creating a Culture of Inclusion
In this Elevate session, we will look at ways that organizations can create an inclusive culture in which diversity is seen as an asset and all members feel valued.
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Marnie Taylor, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
Teresa Rose, Communities Foundation of Oklahoma
Rhonda Hooper, Jordan Advertising
Community Leadership that Translates into Career Success
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Rhonda Y. Thompson
Sr. Learning Consultant, WM
Show Me the Way: How Finding the Right Mentor Can Move Your Career Forward
You’re in the workforce and things appear to be at a standstill. What do you do now? Having a mentor is the one of the steps you can take that can have a major impact on your career growth, learning, and development. However, the steps you take in choosing a mentor are important to ensure you get not just a mentor, but the RIGHT mentor. Come to this session prepared to leave with information on the benefits of having a mentor, three have-to-haves for an effective mentoring plan, and the characteristics you personally need to build and maintain a great mentoring relationship.
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Landis Tindell
Manager, Corporate Communications, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Future is Now: Recruiting, Retaining, and Developing Millennial and Gen Z Employees
Individuals from Generation Z now make up nearly 40% of the workforce. It’s important for leaders to understand what makes the individuals from the post-9/11 generation unique, and how to effectively recruit, onboard, retain and develop these individuals into the leaders that will sustain and grown businesses in the near future.
In this session, you will learn how to develop an organizational culture that allows young professionals to grow and thrive. You’ll explore the differences between millennials and gen z's and discover what allows young employees to easily integrate, thrive, and lead. Topics discussed will include how to engage current and potential employees, successfully recruiting and developing those employees, and standing out in the crowded workforce.
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Emma Wassilak
Clinical Supervisor, Sunbeam Family Services
Better Together
In this breakout session, we will explore the importance of connection, the impact healthy relationships can have on resilience, and strategies for increasing team cohesion for both in-person and virtual work settings.