Who's on stage
Speakers
Lineup, times, and rooms are subject to change before the day.
42 speakers
Greg Baker
CEO, AffirmedRx
Bio& speaker card
As CEO of AffirmedRx, Greg Baker leads the company’s mission to deliver better health outcomes, predictable costs, and partnerships that empower employers to take control of their pharmacy benefits. With decades of experience as a pharmacist, businessman, and entrepreneur, Greg is redefining the role of a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) by focusing on three core areas: Cost Transparency, Data Control, and Patient Health Improvement. He is driven by a commitment to creating a clinically focused PBM that prioritizes patient care over profits.
Savannah Barrett
Exchange Director, Art of the Rural
Bio& speaker card
Savannah Barrett is Exchange Director for Art of the Rural, a national organization that works to resource rural and Native artists and culture bearers to build the field, change narratives, and bridge divides. She co-founded the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange in 2014, and leads this work alongside hundreds of Kentuckians to combine grantmaking, leadership and network development, narrative change, and institutional bridging to strengthen Kentucky’s communities across racial, economic, and geographic divides.
Sarah Bhatia
Director of AI Product Innovation, Slingshot
Bio& speaker card
Sarah Bhatia is Director of AI Product Innovation at Slingshot, a Louisville software and AI consultancy, where she leads AI strategy, adoption, and training. Her work focuses on turning AI opportunities into working products and helping teams change how they work to get real value from the technology. Sarah is an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville College of Business, where she teaches AI in Business Innovation to MBA students. She is a frequent speaker on applied AI, with engagements including MidWest Con, Louisville AI Week, Leadership Louisville’s Elevate Council, and more.
Vivian Blade
C-Suite Advisor
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Vivian Blade partners with C-suite leaders navigating major transitions (mergers, restructuring, and rapid strategic shifts) to align strategy, operations, and teams for high performance. Drawing on 20+ years in senior leadership roles at Fortune 100 companies GE and Humana, she brings a rare combination of business strategy, finance, and people leadership expertise. Vivian is a Certified Speaking Professional and recognized HR influencer whose work equips C-suite leaders to turn disruption into a competitive advantage.
Howard Carolan
CEO, Toothsure
Bio
Howard Carolan is chief executive officer of Toothsure, a Kentucky medical device company that makes oral care products for patients in hospitals and long-term care, including OralVac and OralVac+ for intensive care units. Toothsure plans a manufacturing plant in Perry County expected to create 60 jobs.
Dr. Amon Couch
Senior Advisor, Partners for Rural Impact
Bio
Dr. Amon Couch is a first-generation college graduate and lifelong resident of eastern Kentucky, raised in a rural community by his grandparents. His grandfather—a World War II veteran and coal miner—modeled the values of service, resilience, and hard work that continue to shape Amon’s life and leadership. Amon spent nearly three decades in public education as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in rural school districts, several of which partnered with Partners for Rural Impact.
Condrad Daniels
President, HJI Supply Chain Solutions
Bio
Condrad Daniels is President of HJI Supply Chain Solutions, a Louisville company that provides outsourced manufacturing, contract warehousing, and 3PL supply chain services. He has about 25 years of experience in logistics and held roles at HJI from Quality Systems Engineer to Chief Operating Officer before becoming president in 2017. He serves on the boards of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Greater Louisville Inc., and the Leadership Louisville Center.
Stacy Edds-Ellis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute
Bio& speaker card
Stacy Edds-Ellis is the Executive Director of the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization she has led since its founding in fall 2022. Under her leadership, the Institute advances its mission to nurture civic leadership and grow civic capacity. Key initiatives include supporting civic engagement teams and programming, trainings for nonprofit leaders and elected office seekers, and board development. Edds-Ellis spent 20 years at Owensboro Community and Technical College, including six years as Dean of Academic Affairs.
SaraDay Evans
Panelist, Accelerating Appalachia
Bio
SaraDay Evans is Founder and CEO of Accelerating Appalachia (ACAP), the world's first regenerative business accelerator. Dedicated to scaling growth-stage regenerative food, fiber, and forest product enterprises since 2013, ACAP has helped build resilient regional supply chains across Central Appalachia and the Southeast, and in 2023 it received a $22 million USDA award to support small and mid-sized farms adopt and market regenerative products across eight states. With a masters in hydrogeology from the University of Kentucky, SaraDay helped develop Kentucky's groundwater protection program and led the state's solid waste planning funding legislation, which still provides $15 million a year to Kentucky counties.
Rian Fann
MBA Student; Marketing & Communications Intern, OneLouisville (University of Louisville)
Meg Fister
Executive Director, Kentucky Film Office
To be confirmedBio
Meg Fister is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Film Office, where she leads statewide efforts to attract and expand film, television, and media production across the Commonwealth. As the office’s inaugural director, she works closely with government leaders, business partners, and local communities to position Kentucky as a premier production destination, while creating meaningful economic opportunities for businesses across the state. Fister brings a dynamic background in both entertainment and nonprofit leadership. Prior to her current role, she spent more than a decade as a film and television producer at NBCUniversal and Warner Bros.
Laura Freeman
Founder, Laura's Lean Beef, Mt. Folly Farm
Bio
Laura Freeman founded Laura's Lean Beef in 1985 on her family's farm near Winchester, Kentucky. Its steaks and roasts were the first red meat products certified by the American Heart Association. After a 2005 riding accident she sold the company, and she later returned to Mt. Folly Farm, the 1,500-acre family farm east of Winchester, where she planted one of Kentucky's first legal hemp crops in 2014 and has moved the farm to regenerative practices without synthetic fertilizers or herbicides. The farm now supports several businesses, including hemp products and a distillery in downtown Winchester.
Stephanie Geddes
Internship Advisor, University of Louisville College of Business
Bio
Stephanie Geddes holds a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education from the University of Louisville. She is an Internship Advisor and Teaching Assistant for MBA students, and teaches BUS 201: Career Development to sophomores in UofL’s College of Business. In her work, Stephanie coaches students throughout their academic and career journeys, helping them identify opportunities, build professional skills, and connect their education to the workplace. She also cultivates and maintains corporate partnerships in the Louisville business community, with a particular focus on creating meaningful internship and career opportunities for students. Stephanie serves on the Board of Directors of the Brightside Foundation and volunteers with the Junior League of Louisville.
Kevin Gibson
Entrepreneur & Economic Development Advocate
Bio
Kevin Gibson is an entrepreneur and economic development activist focused on strengthening Kentucky’s startup ecosystem. He has connected founders with investors, institutions, and public-sector partners, and supported 45Fest, an economic development event that brought the ecosystem together. He also advocates for policies that expand access to capital and support innovation-led growth across the Commonwealth.
Vitale Buford Hardin
CEO, Vitale & Company
Bio& speaker card
Vitale Buford Hardin, CEO of Vitale & Company, is a trusted expert in leadership and organizational development. With more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience, Vitale specializes in helping leaders overcome perfectionism, build trust, and lead with clarity and confidence. A nationally recognized speaker and author of Addicted to Perfect, Vitale’s work focuses on transforming the way leaders show up — personally and professionally — to create cultures rooted in trust and accountability.
Holly Hartman
Responsible AI Advisor, Future Workforce Systems
Bio
Holly Hartman helps mid-to-large enterprises move from AI-anxious to AI-ready. She translates complex AI governance into clear, actionable frameworks that protect organizations and prepare their people.
Jeremy Jacobs
Panelist, UnDesked
Bio
Jeremy Jacobs is CEO of UnDesked, the multilingual manufacturing operations platform working with some of the world's largest manufacturers to close the language gap and end paper on the frontline. A lifelong pioneer and entrepreneur, Jeremy has created multiple technologies and patents across finance, energy, and technology, and his thought leadership has been featured in top publications including Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, and the Boston Globe. He previously founded EYECONIC.TV, a leader in point-of-sale media whose digital signage and kiosk technology is distributed globally through Sysco Foods, Alcatel Lucent, and Signarama, and served as Chairman & CEO of Enlighten, a cannatech platform acquired by NASDAQ-traded WM Technology.
Anastasia Jaddock
BSBA Student; Finance Intern, GE Appliances (University of Louisville)
Adria Johnson
President & CEO, Metro United Way
Rhona Kamar
Founder, Feed Louisville
Bio
Rhona Bowles Kamar is a Louisville restaurateur and chef who founded the nonprofit Feed Louisville in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feed Louisville is a chef-led community food organization relieving hunger, reducing food waste, strengthening food access, and creating economic opportunity. Raised on a farm in rural Kentucky, Rhona is a passionate advocate for local farmers, health equity, and food justice. Drawing on more than two decades of experience building and operating food businesses, she is exploring how entrepreneurial approaches can strengthen nonprofit sustainability while creating new ways to advance the mission.
Cynthia Knapek
President & CEO, Leadership Louisville Center
Bio& speaker card
Cynthia Knapek is a keynote speaker and nationally recognized leadership and civic engagement expert who helps leaders build the connections, confidence and collaborative capacity to get bigger things done. She serves as Executive Chair of the National Community Leadership Collaborative and President and CEO of the Leadership Louisville Center, which develops roughly 500 leaders each year across business, government, nonprofit and community life. Her work gives her a unique practitioner’s view of how relationships, trust and collaboration turn individual leadership into collective impact. Known for translating big ideas into practical tools, Cynthia speaks on social capital, collaboration, civic leadership, negotiation and confidence.
Scott Koloms
Founder & CEO, Canopy KY
Bio
Scott Koloms is the founder and CEO of Canopy, a Louisville nonprofit that helps Kentucky businesses have a positive effect on people and the planet. He is also president of Facilities Management Services (FMS), a Louisville commercial cleaning company that became Kentucky's first public benefit corporation and the first certified B Corp janitorial company.
Cory Lockhart
Panelist, Hart Communication, LLC
Bio
Cory Lockhart leads Hart Communication, which helps people and organizations communicate with heart, through connection, courage, and creativity. Since 2020 Cory has led the workshop Creating Conversations that Connect (also called Communicating Across Divides) dozens of times for individuals, organizations, schools, and communities, and offers one-on-one compassionate communication sessions. Cory created Cards for Remembering, a card deck with original art, and has spoken for Norton Healthcare's Faith and Health Initiatives and JustFaith Ministries.
Ellen McGeeney
CEO, Ale-8-One
Bio& speaker card
Ellen McGeeney is the CEO of Ale-8-One Bottling Company. She joined this fourth-generation Kentucky company in 2013 as the COO and first person outside the family to lead day-to-day operations. Under her leadership at Ale-8-One, the company has grown over 75% and more than doubled gross profits, funding all growth through operational cash flows, and maintaining a debt free balance sheet. She has expanded the brand into new geographic markets; added warehouse, production, and distribution capacity; and launched successful new products, including fan favorites Pawpaw Ale-8, Blackberry Ale-8, and a relaunch of the Company’s first flagship brand, Roxa-Kola.
Pamela McKnight
Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Louisville Metro Government
Bio
Pamela McKnight is the first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer for Louisville Metro Government and founder of the Office of Artificial Intelligence, where she leads the city's enterprise AI strategy, governance, workforce adoption, and innovation efforts. The mission of her office is to enable Louisville Metro employees and residents to harness the power of AI to thrive in the age of AI. Under her leadership, Louisville Metro established its first Office of Artificial Intelligence and enterprise AI governance framework, launched multiple AI initiatives and pilot programs, and built partnerships across government, academia, nonprofits, and industry to accelerate responsible innovation and AI adoption.
Carly Muetterties, Ph.D.
Chief Program Officer & Co-Founder, CommonGood Ed
Bio& speaker card
Carly Muetterties, Ph.D., is the Chief Program Officer/Co-Founder of CommonGood, a learning design organization, specializing in design of programs and learning materials that are adaptable to local contexts, leverage student assets and build authentic civic engagement. With the CommonGood team, Carly has built AI-powered systems that facilitate evidence-based, localized design. Carly is based in Kentucky, where she leads local initiatives for authentic civic learning, including having spearheaded the Kentucky Civic Seal program.
Brandon Pennington
Executive Director, City of Harlan Tourism & Convention
Bio
Brandon Pennington is the Executive Director of Harlan Tourism and the Harlan Center in Harlan, Kentucky, where his work centers on celebrating place, strengthening community, and sharing a more authentic story of Appalachia. He also serves as President of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce and holds leadership roles with the Kentucky Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the Kentucky Travel Industry Association. Brandon’s work spans tourism marketing, festivals and events, downtown development, cultural programming, and collaborative projects designed to bring local stories to life.
Damaris Phillips
Chef, TV Host & Co-Owner, Bluegrass Supper Club & Pixilation Productions
Bio
Damaris Phillips is a chef and television host from Louisville. She won the 2013 season of Food Network Star and hosted Southern at Heart for five seasons. She has co-hosted The Bobby and Damaris Show with Bobby Flay and Southern and Hungry with Rutledge Wood, and wrote the cookbook Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy. Through Bluegrass Supper Club she plans picnics and dinners built around Kentucky farms and the growing season.
Allison Pugh
Professor of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University
Bio& speaker card
Allison Pugh is a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University and a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow. She studies how people build connection and find meaning and dignity at work and at home, and how technology and economic change affect those bonds. Her most recent book, The Last Human Job (Princeton, 2024), received the American Sociological Association's 2025 Distinguished Scholarly Book Award. Her earlier books include Longing and Belonging and The Tumbleweed Society.
Chris Ratterman
CEO & Founder, Shady Rays
Bio& speaker card
Chris Ratterman is the Founder and CEO of Shady Rays - one of the nation’s fastest-growing lifestyle and adventure eyewear brands. He holds a BSBA in Marketing and Finance from Xavier University and an MBA from Indiana University Southeast. Chris has been recognized by numerous publications over the years, most recently being named a “Most Admired CEO” by Louisville Business First and a 2023 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® East Central award recipient. He is also a member of the Business First 40 Under 40 class of 2022.
LaNia Roberts
Fine Artist & Author
Bio
LaNia Roberts is a fine artist, vocalist, and forthcoming author born and raised in Louisville. She's a first-generation college graduate with a BFA from Syracuse University. Her work is held in collections including Kadist and 21c Museum Hotels, and her story has traveled from Kentucky to The Jennifer Hudson Show. With more than a million followers, she's become the emotional cheerleader for the social media masses, using her platform the way she uses her studio: to help people feel seen, capable, and a little braver. LaNia believes creativity is common ground anyone can stand on.
Rocki Rockingham
Chief Human Resources Officer, GE Appliances
Bio& speaker card
Rocki Rockingham is an accomplished C-suite executive with over 3 decades of global business experience spanning human resources, corporate communications, and public affairs. She currently serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for GE Appliances, a Haier company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout her distinguished career, Rocki has driven strategic growth, led transformational change, and managed corporate acquisitions for several Fortune 500 companies, including Newell Brands, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporations. An innovative leader and dedicated mentor, Rocki is highly regarded for her proactive, innovative and global approach to problem-solving and leadership. Rocki is an influential mentor who connects diverse networks across corporate and civic circles.
Kevin Smith
President & CEO, Community Ventures
Bio
Kevin Smith has led Community Ventures for more than 33 years, guiding the organization’s growth into one of Kentucky’s most comprehensive community development nonprofits. As President and CEO, he has focused the organization on helping individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and communities build long-term economic opportunity through access to capital, affordable housing, business ownership, education, and neighborhood revitalization.
Ted Smith, Ph.D.
Panelist, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville
Bio
Ted Smith, Ph.D., is Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences. He co-founded the UofL Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute in 2018 and directs its Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil. Dr. Smith’s work focuses on understanding how the places where people live shape their health and how science, technology, and community partnerships can create healthier environments.
Ben Sollee
Musician & Storyteller (Host)
Bio
Ben Sollee is an Emmy-winning composer and cellist based in Louisville. For about two decades he has combined folk music, film scoring and environmental work. His film scores include Robin Wright's LAND, and he scored the podcast Unreformed, which was nominated for a Peabody Award. His most recent album, Long Haul, came out in 2024. He helped launch Canopy and works with the team as Production Specialist.
Ian Teal
Panelist, Red River Gorge
Bio
Ian Teal owns Red River Gorge Cabin Rentals, with about 60 cabins near the Red River Gorge, and runs Thrillsville Adventure Park in Slade. He first came to the Gorge as a Boy Scout from Cincinnati and moved to the area as an adult. An experienced climber, he has added other local businesses over time, with a goal of promoting the region and building its economy.
Adam Watson
Presenter, Canopy KY
Bio
Adam Watson is Education Director at Canopy, where he leads student programs including Business Beyond Profit, a curriculum that teaches students that purpose can be a path to profit. He co-founded Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville and was founding president of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers.
Ashli Watts
President & CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Bio& speaker card
ASHLI WATTS was named the President and CEO for the Kentucky Chamber, the state’s largest business association, in November 2019. Ashli joined the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in November of 2012, and during her tenure as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Chamber, she has led efforts in passing significant pieces of legislation such as felony expungement, right to work legislation, workers’ compensation reform, unemployment insurance reform and tax reform. Prior to joining the Chamber, she worked at the Kentucky Bar Association and the Legislative Research Commission.
Tom Williams
Member, Labor & Employment; Mediator, Stoll Keenon Ogden
Bio& speaker card
Thomas (“Tom”) M. Williams is a Member at Stoll Keenon Ogden, where his practice is in management‑side labor and employment. Tom was recognized among the Top 10 Attorneys in Kentucky by Super Lawyers and has also been named management‑side employment law “Lawyer of the Year” three times by Best Lawyers. In addition to employment law, Tom works extensively as a private mediator for civil litigation matters. For this work, Tom was named to the invitation-only National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Since August of 2025, Tom has helped resolve over 90% of the cases he has mediated.
Josh Williams
Executive Director of Strategy & Transformation, Metro United Way
Bio& speaker card
Josh Williams serves as Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation at Metro United Way, where he leads enterprise strategy, organizational alignment, and transformation initiatives that strengthen the organization's long-term impact. Throughout his career, Josh has worked at the intersection of nonprofits, healthcare, higher education, business, and government, leading collaborative initiatives that address complex challenges and drive systems-level change. He is passionate about building partnerships, aligning stakeholders, and designing systems that expand opportunity so that every person and family has a fair chance to thrive. Through his work, Josh seeks to help create communities where access to opportunity, economic mobility, and long-term success are within reach for all.
Don Woolridge
Director of Leadership Development, Leadership Louisville Center
Bio& speaker card
Donald L. Woolridge, Sr. is a leadership development strategist, executive coach, HR professional, and organizational consultant with more than 30 years of experience helping leaders and organizations reach their potential. He serves as Director of Leadership Development for LeadingBetter™ at Leadership Louisville Center, where he designs and delivers practical leadership experiences focused on real-world workplace challenges. Donald is also Founder and CEO of D&E Consulting LLC, providing leadership development, HR consulting, executive coaching, and organizational effectiveness solutions. His career includes senior leadership roles across manufacturing, automotive, human resources, education, and nonprofit organizations.
Richard Young
Founder & Executive Director, CivicLex
Bio& speaker card
Richard Young is the Founder and Executive Director of CivicLex, a nationally recognized nonprofit that strengthens civic health in Lexington, Kentucky. Under his leadership, CivicLex has reshaped public meetings, boards and commissions, and planning processes, developed a K-12 civics program, launched a newsroom covering local civic life, and established Kentucky’s first Civic Assembly and first Civic Artist in Residence program. He is also a founding Steering Committee member of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange.
