Thought Leaders

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Michele N. Siekerka

Michele N. Siekerka

President And CEO- New Jersey Business & Industry Association

Our vision statement ensures we will never lose sight of our innovation goal: “New Jersey will reclaim its stature as the Innovation State.” To be sure, New Jersey has a rich history of innovation dating back to our glory days of the 19th and 20th centuries when discoveries made in...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

CHRIS KERR

VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...

INNOVATE® South Florida

MELISSA MEDINA

CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS

Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...

INNOVATE® Utah

Shauna Smith

Shauna Smith

President - Four Foods Group/Savory

  Shauna Smith, President – Four Foods Group/Savory I still remember opening day in our very first restaurant like it was yesterday. Except it wasn’t yesterday… it was 11 years ago. We had just moved into a newly developed area in Utah that was starved for eating establishments. We asked...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

WILL BEOGLIN

WILL BEOGLIN

CEO, TIMEDOC HEALTH

The healthcare sector is renowned for breathtaking innovations and technological advancement. We receive news of breakthroughs thought impossible a handful of years ago every day. The reality on the ground is slightly different. Roughly 10,000 new patients age into Medicare each day, drastically outnumbering the staff capable of serving their...

INNOVATE® Orlando

Duncan J Wardle

ID8 & INNOV8

Duncan J Wardle ID8 & INNOV8 In this brave new world, four of the traits we are all born with will rise to the top if we are to compete and find solutions to challenges big and small. We are all born creative, with an amazing imagination. We were once...

INNOVATE® St. Louis

Brandon Dempsey

Brandon Dempsey

Husband, Father, Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Author, Professor, & Global non-profit leader - Gobrandgo!

Brandon spends his time traveling the world from the back of a BMW motorcycle and adventuring with his family. When he’s not adventuring, you will find him running a marketing agency that serves mid market manufacturing companies, working with high school kids exploring entrepreneurship, teaching marketing strategy courses at Washington...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MIKE ASSELTA

CEO AT COMPASSUS

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside clinicians who enter the homes of patients and bring not just medical care, but connection, dignity and hope. In home-based care, caregiving is multifaceted—it involves administering medical tasks, offering emotional support and building meaningful relationships with patients and their families....

INNOVATE® Detroit

NED STAEBLER

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY VP OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TECHTOWN PRESIDENT AND CEO

It’s an exciting time to be in Detroit. In 2024 alone, we’ve seen the restoration of Michigan Central, a century-old train station turned mobility innovation hub; hosted the NFL Draft with record-breaking attendance; and attracted billions of dollars in commercial and public space development. At TechTown, we celebrate all the...

INNOVATE® Nashville

DR. DAN BOONE

DR. DAN BOONE

PRESIDENT, TREVECCA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

Composure. It’s a quality we look for in any leader, from political candidates to CEOs to college presidents. To assess a person’s leadership ability, composure is one of the main things we try to measure – how rattle-able they are under pressure and in crisis. Composure is about an inner...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

ANNE SPENCE

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC CANADA, MITACS

We have 16 world-class universities and outstanding community colleges here in Atlantic Canada. Our quality of life is second to none. This region is home to hundreds of welcoming communities, abundant natural resources, an exceptionally strong entrepreneurial spirit –and governments that recognize these innate strengths and invest strategically to support...

INNOVATE® Detroit

CHUCK MARSHALL

PRESIDENT, ITC MICHIGAN

The National Academy of Engineering considers electrification among the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, and I have to agree– thanks to our electric grid, we effortlessly flip a light switch, and power goes on in less than a second. This speed is faster than any delivery service could...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

DANTE DISPARTE

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GLOBAL POLICY AT CIRCLE

While many people are preoccupied about the potential risks if digital asset innovations succeed, what are the risks if we fail? Billions of people are relegated to the financial shadows because analog financial services have reached a point of diminishing returns, which would be a terrible societal outcome. I advocate...

Global Innovation Spotlight

LAUREN S MOORES

PHD DIGITAL INNOVATION LEADER, TEACHING FELLOW AT HARVARD BUSINESS ANALYTICS PROGRAM, USA FOR UNHCR

Digital transformation is a 20th century phenomena. As an early adopter of new technologies – and the digital age – I quickly embraced digital data structures and tend to think in data matrices, looking for the data keys to join data and discover new patterns. When I look to create...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

RICK CHRISTIAANSE

CEO, INVEST ALBERTA

Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...

INNOVATE® Utah

Johnny Hanna

Business consultant Peter Drucker once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” and I’m a believer. Culture is everything. It’s true that you can have a financially successful company leading by fear and threatening to fire people if they don’t follow your lead. But fear-based leadership styles and cultures pit people...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

ANTHONY DUCA

ANTHONY DUCA

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, CAVRNUS INC

I have been involved in the 3D computer graphics field for over 25 years and have helped build tools that simplify workflows for creators. Early on in my career, I came to understand that in any industry, creators are the key players driving progress and different perspectives forward. Creators have...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

KALEV KALLEMETS

CEO, FERMI ENERGIA

THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

RICHARD BRANDENBURG

UNFOLD HOSPITALITY - CEO

Life moves at a whirlwind pace, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the importance of passion in what we do. From the constant relocations of my childhood to the improvisational challenges of running a kitchen, my journey has been about finding joy in the present and embracing change...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MATT FORBUSH

FOUNDER OF ZIGY

Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

CHARLES RADCLYFFE

PARTNER, ETHICS GRADE

“WE ARE CONCERNED FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL LOSE JOBS AS A RESULT OF AUTOMATION”.– CHARLES RADCLYFFE, PARTNER We are worried. Some of the things we worry about are the same as everyone else who is trying to imagine the impact of technology on our lives. We worry about how...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

JEFF DESJARDINS

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, VISUAL CAPITALIST

In the media landscape, technology has been the ultimate disruptor—creating several inflection points that have changed the scope of reach for content and business models. To put the evolution of our industry and its future roadmap into perspective, we can take a closer look at the three waves of media....

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

CAROL ANNE HILTON

CAROL ANNE HILTON

MBA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INDIGENOMICS INSTITUTE

I am the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. I am of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. In leading the establishment of a line of thought called #indigenomics- growing from a single word to an entire movement...

INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1

Nathan Fletcher

Nathan Fletcher

County Supervisor - County Of San Diego, 4th District

Not many people understand the role of County government, let alone a County Supervisor, in delivering vital services to our communities and region. Yet, the San Diego County government is responsible for more than six billion dollars in annual revenue and expenditures. Things like behavioral health services, child welfare services,...

Michele N. Siekerka

Michele N. Siekerka

President And CEO- New Jersey Business & Industry Association

Our vision statement ensures we will never lose sight of our innovation goal: “New Jersey will reclaim its stature as the Innovation State.” To be sure, New Jersey has a rich history of innovation dating back to our glory days of the 19th and 20th centuries when discoveries made in...

CHRIS KERR

VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...

MELISSA MEDINA

CEO & PRESIDENT, eMERGE AMERICAS

Innovation has been a foundational principle I’ve seen throughout my life. As the first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Cuba, I learned early on from my parents and grandparents how creative, innovative thinking can help me navigate everyday obstacles and unpredictable circumstances. This drive to continuously innovate and think bigger...

Shauna Smith

Shauna Smith

President - Four Foods Group/Savory

  Shauna Smith, President – Four Foods Group/Savory I still remember opening day in our very first restaurant like it was yesterday. Except it wasn’t yesterday… it was 11 years ago. We had just moved into a newly developed area in Utah that was starved for eating establishments. We asked...

WILL BEOGLIN

WILL BEOGLIN

CEO, TIMEDOC HEALTH

The healthcare sector is renowned for breathtaking innovations and technological advancement. We receive news of breakthroughs thought impossible a handful of years ago every day. The reality on the ground is slightly different. Roughly 10,000 new patients age into Medicare each day, drastically outnumbering the staff capable of serving their...

Duncan J Wardle

ID8 & INNOV8

Duncan J Wardle ID8 & INNOV8 In this brave new world, four of the traits we are all born with will rise to the top if we are to compete and find solutions to challenges big and small. We are all born creative, with an amazing imagination. We were once...

Brandon Dempsey

Brandon Dempsey

Husband, Father, Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Author, Professor, & Global non-profit leader - Gobrandgo!

Brandon spends his time traveling the world from the back of a BMW motorcycle and adventuring with his family. When he’s not adventuring, you will find him running a marketing agency that serves mid market manufacturing companies, working with high school kids exploring entrepreneurship, teaching marketing strategy courses at Washington...

MIKE ASSELTA

CEO AT COMPASSUS

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside clinicians who enter the homes of patients and bring not just medical care, but connection, dignity and hope. In home-based care, caregiving is multifaceted—it involves administering medical tasks, offering emotional support and building meaningful relationships with patients and their families....

NED STAEBLER

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY VP OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TECHTOWN PRESIDENT AND CEO

It’s an exciting time to be in Detroit. In 2024 alone, we’ve seen the restoration of Michigan Central, a century-old train station turned mobility innovation hub; hosted the NFL Draft with record-breaking attendance; and attracted billions of dollars in commercial and public space development. At TechTown, we celebrate all the...

DR. DAN BOONE

DR. DAN BOONE

PRESIDENT, TREVECCA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY

Composure. It’s a quality we look for in any leader, from political candidates to CEOs to college presidents. To assess a person’s leadership ability, composure is one of the main things we try to measure – how rattle-able they are under pressure and in crisis. Composure is about an inner...

ANNE SPENCE

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC CANADA, MITACS

We have 16 world-class universities and outstanding community colleges here in Atlantic Canada. Our quality of life is second to none. This region is home to hundreds of welcoming communities, abundant natural resources, an exceptionally strong entrepreneurial spirit –and governments that recognize these innate strengths and invest strategically to support...

CHUCK MARSHALL

PRESIDENT, ITC MICHIGAN

The National Academy of Engineering considers electrification among the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, and I have to agree– thanks to our electric grid, we effortlessly flip a light switch, and power goes on in less than a second. This speed is faster than any delivery service could...

DANTE DISPARTE

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GLOBAL POLICY AT CIRCLE

While many people are preoccupied about the potential risks if digital asset innovations succeed, what are the risks if we fail? Billions of people are relegated to the financial shadows because analog financial services have reached a point of diminishing returns, which would be a terrible societal outcome. I advocate...

LAUREN S MOORES

PHD DIGITAL INNOVATION LEADER, TEACHING FELLOW AT HARVARD BUSINESS ANALYTICS PROGRAM, USA FOR UNHCR

Digital transformation is a 20th century phenomena. As an early adopter of new technologies – and the digital age – I quickly embraced digital data structures and tend to think in data matrices, looking for the data keys to join data and discover new patterns. When I look to create...

RICK CHRISTIAANSE

CEO, INVEST ALBERTA

Known for a relentless ‘make it happen’ attitude, Alberta is gaining remarkable momentum with investors across the world by proving ourselves right here at home. Tech and finance are flourishing, energy and cleantech are diversifying, agriculture is innovating, and aviation and logistics are reaching new heights. With a track record...

Johnny Hanna

Business consultant Peter Drucker once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” and I’m a believer. Culture is everything. It’s true that you can have a financially successful company leading by fear and threatening to fire people if they don’t follow your lead. But fear-based leadership styles and cultures pit people...

ANTHONY DUCA

ANTHONY DUCA

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, CAVRNUS INC

I have been involved in the 3D computer graphics field for over 25 years and have helped build tools that simplify workflows for creators. Early on in my career, I came to understand that in any industry, creators are the key players driving progress and different perspectives forward. Creators have...

KALEV KALLEMETS

CEO, FERMI ENERGIA

THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...

RICHARD BRANDENBURG

UNFOLD HOSPITALITY - CEO

Life moves at a whirlwind pace, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s the importance of passion in what we do. From the constant relocations of my childhood to the improvisational challenges of running a kitchen, my journey has been about finding joy in the present and embracing change...

MATT FORBUSH

FOUNDER OF ZIGY

Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....

CHARLES RADCLYFFE

PARTNER, ETHICS GRADE

“WE ARE CONCERNED FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL LOSE JOBS AS A RESULT OF AUTOMATION”.– CHARLES RADCLYFFE, PARTNER We are worried. Some of the things we worry about are the same as everyone else who is trying to imagine the impact of technology on our lives. We worry about how...

JEFF DESJARDINS

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, VISUAL CAPITALIST

In the media landscape, technology has been the ultimate disruptor—creating several inflection points that have changed the scope of reach for content and business models. To put the evolution of our industry and its future roadmap into perspective, we can take a closer look at the three waves of media....

CAROL ANNE HILTON

CAROL ANNE HILTON

MBA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INDIGENOMICS INSTITUTE

I am the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics. I am of Nuu chah nulth descent from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. In leading the establishment of a line of thought called #indigenomics- growing from a single word to an entire movement...

Nathan Fletcher

Nathan Fletcher

County Supervisor - County Of San Diego, 4th District

Not many people understand the role of County government, let alone a County Supervisor, in delivering vital services to our communities and region. Yet, the San Diego County government is responsible for more than six billion dollars in annual revenue and expenditures. Things like behavioral health services, child welfare services,...

INNOVATE® Ecosystems