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Kevin Brown
Motivational Speaker & AuthorKevin Brown’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking.
He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a street-wise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.
Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little- known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The
HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.
The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.
As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Kevin has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including Booz Allen Hamilton, State Farm, Merck, Delta Airlines, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, New York Life, H&R Block, Million Dollar Round Table, Southwest Airlines, PPG Refinish, AIG Financial, Eliassen Group, Cambridge Investment Research, and Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals to name a few.
Kevin is the author of the best-selling book The HERO Effect® - Being Your Best When It Matters the Most. Kevin entertains, inspires and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!
Lelia Gowland
Speaker, Writer, & OptimistWith a Master’s in Public Policy and a BA in Sociology, Lelia applies her understanding of political, professional, and cultural systems to support professional women.
Her approach combines academic expertise with experience from an eclectic career. In her past lives, she raised money for nonprofits, oversaw a juvenile detention center, managed a political campaign, and developed and implemented a sex education curriculum for middle schoolers.
Now she writes regularly for publications including Forbes, NBC News, and Harper’s Bazaar. As a former teen magazine fan, she was particularly delighted when Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire profiled her for her strengths-based approach to negotiation.
Regardless of the setting, she is committed to fostering a sense of confidence in the people she serves by helping them connect deeply to one another. After a recent program, one of her clients told her that she was “the confidence fairy godmother everyone needs”. Hell yes.
A New Orleans native and enthusiast, she freely uses the word y’all in professional correspondence and has an entire closet dedicated to costuming. She strives to bring the city’s joyful vibes to everything she does.
Kori Gormley-Huppert
President at Gormley Plumbing + MechanicalKori L. Gormley-Huppert is the Chair of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA)’s Women in the Mechanical Industry Steering Committee.
She is the President and fourth-generation owner of Gormley Plumbing + Mechanical, based in McMinnville, Oregon. The company, which specializes in commercial and residential plumbing, is also the largest plumbing service company in the heart of the Oregon Wine Country.
At the local level, she is a member of the Grievance Committee for UA Local 290 and the PMCA of Oregon. She has been influential in staring a local WiMI chapter in Oregon. Her company also holds a seat on the Board of Directors for PMCA of Oregon.
As the Chair of MCAA’s WiMI Steering Committee, Kori has helped create programming to elevate and enrich the careers of women employed by MCAA and MSCA member companies. She also serves on MCAA’s Career Development Committee.
On a personal note, Kori enjoys spending time with her husband, Kurt, and their two boys, Kort and Kaden. While the pandemic has found them spending more time at home than usual, they recently welcomed Fluffy, a mini-goldendoodle, to their family.
Stacey Hanke
Speaker, Author, & Communication Skills CoachStacey is author of two books; Influence Redefined…Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday® and Yes You Can! Everything You Need to Know From A to Z to Influence Others To Take Action.
Her books provide practical and immediate skills and techniques that have given thousands the ability to enhance their influence Monday to Monday®. Stacey helps individuals eliminate the static that plagues communicative delivery — to persuade, sell, influence and communicate face-to-face with a clear message.
She has trained and presented to thousands to rid business leaders of bad body language habits and to choose words wisely in the financial industry to the healthcare industry to government and everyone in between. Her client list is vast from Coca-Cola, FedEx, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, McDonald’s, Publicis Media, Nationwide, US Cellular, Pfizer, GE, General Mills and Abbvie. Her team works with Directors up to the C-Suite.
In addition to her client list, she has been the Emcee for Tedx. She has inspired thousands as a featured guest on media outlets including; The New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Thrive, SmartMoney magazine, The Economist and Business Week. She is a Certified Speaking Professional—a valuable accreditation earned by less than 10% of speakers worldwide.
Her work ethic was forged in her childhood years, growing up on a farm. She gave up the pitchfork to take her message across the country, and to help leaders see and hear what their audiences see and hear rather than what they believe to be true. She gives executives what has been described as the “greatest gift of all” – to see themselves as others see them. She helps us to influence others to take action Monday to Monday®.