Keynote Speakers
Andre Norman
Prison to Harvard: The Power of Belief and Self-Motivation
Monday, October 7
1:15 PM
Embark on a transformative journey with Andre Norman and his remarkable personal journey from gang leader facing a 105-year prison sentence to achieving his goal of going to Harvard University. Through his captivating
storytelling and personal reflections, discover the challenges faced by people who have been incarcerated and find a powerful sense of personal and professional hope, purpose and direction. Andre’s inspiring and practical story serves as a testament to the profound impact of personal transformation, resilience and education, empowering you to overcome obstacles and embrace a future brimming with limitless possibilities.
Known to many as “The Ambassador of Hope,” Andre’s experience and expertise empowers him to help people. From illiteracy to gang activity, Andre’s childhood prepared him for nothing less than a life of crime and violence, leading to a 100-year prison sentence and a two-year stay in solitary confinement. Following an epiphany, he made the decision to turn his life around. Over the next eight years, Andre worked 20 hours a day toward making his dream of going to Harvard University a reality.
He taught himself to read, then the law. After winning his appeal, armed with a GED and a dream, Andre walked out of prison in 1999, after serving 14 years. Today, he runs the Academy of Hope, an organization that mentors prison influencers and leaders.
His personal experiences have empowered companies to have authentic, unvarnished conversations that drive change. To date, he has impacted communities in 25 countries, from North America to West Africa, with his story of perseverance and commitment to social change.
Sponsored by
Justin Wren
Purpose. Performance. Impact.
Tuesday, October 8
8:30 AM
Explore the power of service, the profound difference you can make in the lives of others and the ripple effect that extends far beyond what you can imagine—including the transformation that occurs within yourself when you choose to live purposefully and serve selflessly. Unravel the secrets of the “overcomer’s mindset,” the unyielding spirit that comes from making a difference.
And learn how to transform pain into fuel, setbacks into comebacks and doubts into the unwavering belief required to overcome obstacles and win the fight called life. Discover the tools, tactics and techniques to navigate adversity, find purpose and achieve meaningful impact in business and in life.
Mercilessly bullied as a child, Justin Wren responded by transforming himself into a champion MMA fighter. Yet, he quietly questioned the significance of his athletic accomplishments. He battled never-ending injuries, slid into pain-killer addiction, battled depression and attempted suicide.
It wasn’t until a chance collection of circumstances led Justin to one of the most remote places on earth, to live in the rainforest among the Pygmy people, some of the most impoverished and marginalized people on the planet, that he found his true purpose—helping others. “The Big Pygmy” returned to the ring with purpose, founding the nonprofit Fight for the Forgotten (FFTF) along the way.
Since 2013, FFTF has provided more than 52,000 indigenous people with access to clean drinking water, replanted thousands of trees, acquired more than 3,000 acres of land in the name of the tribe and helped 1,800 people out of slavery and into freedom.
Sponsored by
Olympia LePoint
Making New Artificial Intelligence Technology Ethical & Accurate.
Wednesday, October 9
8:30 AM
There are specific ways that will allow Artificial Intelligence to have positive impact. Former NASA rocket scientist Olympia LePoint has the answer. Through building AI ethics curriculum and teaching it as a professor at the University of California Los Angeles and California State University, Northridge, LePoint breaks down AI, and the ways to ensure it will operates effectively.
As an award-winning author of the Answers Unleashed book® series, LePoint explains how AI algorithms work, the rate of AI errors, how it may malfunction through bias and the ways criminals use deepfake AI to target leaders. In this talk, LePoint gives the Six Quantum Deciding® leadership decisions to help you and your organization stay safe with emerging AI technologies.
Hailed as the “New Einstein” and named the “Modern Day Hidden Figure” by People magazine, Olympia LePoint is an award-winning rocket scientist, author and TED speaker on “Reprogramming Your Brain to Overcome Fear.” LePoint helped launch 28 NASA Space Shuttle missions.
Today, her Mission Control Room desk is a science exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. In her youth, Olympia overcame severe poverty, traumatic experiences and failing math scores by reprogramming her mind, which led her to graduate Top 5 from a 6,500 graduating class with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics.
She has earned the 2004 Boeing Company Professional Excellence Award and the 2003 National Engineer of the Year “Modern Day Technology Leader” award, among others. With her new book and award-winning Answers Unleashed® educational science book series, LePoint discusses how human decisions can alter the course of time and how science and technology will change the course of our future.
Sponsored by
