Welcome to the Main Stage... earn 5.25 CE hours
Wednesday, April 17
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (1.0 CE hour)
Opening Keynote Session:
The Warrior Within
Session Description
We all want to be brave. We all want to deliver when it matters... and in this session, you’ll be inspired to do both. Enduring tough times and turbulent change can bring fearful doubt which can affect our focus, wellness and the way we serve others. Based on his new book The Warrior Within, D.J. shares a unique, powerful perspective from Native American culture on what the warrior role is (and isn’t) about and how we can emulate the principles of that role to stay strong to contribute to our tribe -- and understand that the role of warriors can make us warriors in our roles! As he did as the host of his own PBS special Discovering Your Warrior Spirit, he’ll share with you, in a straightforward and entertaining way, how to navigate change with confidence and clarity, leverage scarce resources for maximum effect, maintain perspective, health (and a sense of humor) and continue to serve at our best even in chaos. Now is the time for warriors to stand up, be strong and lead by example – are you ready?
D.J. Vanas
Native Discovery Inc.
Internationally-acclaimed speaker and bestselling author
D.J. is an enrolled member of the Ottawa Tribe of Michigan, a former U.S. Air Force officer, best-selling author and his expertise is in showing people and organizations how to apply the warrior spirit at work. He’s delivered over 7,000 programs to clients such as Intel Corporation, USAA, the U.S. Army, Walt Disney, Costco, Subaru, Indian Health Service, Mayo Clinic, NASA and over 500 tribal nations in their businesses, governments and communities. He’s also been twice invited to speak at The White House. His passionate focus is inspiring the use of our traditional warrior spirit principles to stay resilient, fiercely solution-oriented, create clarity from chaos and get better results in all we do as leaders and service providers. He holds a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an M.S. from University of Southern California and has served on the Board of Directors on the National Board of Certified Counselors. After serving ten years as an Air Force officer, he is now the president of his own company, Native Discovery Inc. D.J.’s mission is to "build the warriors of tomorrow...today". He’s also the author of The Tiny Warrior: A Path to Personal Discovery & Achievement (which is printed in six countries), Spirit on the Run and his newest book, The Warrior Within (Penguin Random House) was released in 2022. D.J. is featured on the PBS documentary The Warrior Tradition, exploring the warrior spirit traditions across Indian Country and is the host and producer of the PBS special, Discovering Your Warrior Spirit. D.J. is also a regular contributor to Men’s Journal Magazine.
Find out more about DJ at: https://nativediscovery.com/about/.
Wednesday, April 17 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM (1.0 CE hour)
General Session:
Peer Round-Table Discussions
Session Description
Interactive Session - Learn from and share with your Peers!
For this interactive session, attendees are encouraged to bring an issue to the table that they would like help solving. This session is designed to build comradery and trust among members in a small group setting and improve problem solving skills by hearing recommendations from other members.
Jesse Arnoldson
Regional Operations Officer
MedMan Medical Management
Jesse represents Medical Management, better known as MedMan, out of Boise, ID. At MedMan, he works with medical providers across the state of Idaho and the rest of the Northwest, to change the frustrating and unruly business of owning a medical practice to one where it supports their love of medicine and allows them to thrive.
While at MedMan, Jesse has served as a practice administrator for six years, half as an interim administrator in a number of clinic “rescue” situations and the other half starting up and leading a pediatrics practice in Meridian, ID. Jesse’s main role for the last few years has been to facilitate strategic planning for the practices that MedMan manages.
Find out more about Jesse and MedMan at: https://medman.com/
Wednesday, April 17 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM (1.0 CE hour)
General Session:
Belonging and the Brain
Session Description
In Belonging and the Brain, participants will explore the neurobiology behind belonging and its significance in medical and professional settings.
This session focuses on understanding personal and social identities and embracing our shared humanity, vital for developing empathy and effective communication in diverse environments. With a blend of theory and practical application, attendees will gain insights and actionable strategies to cultivate a culture of belonging in their workplaces, enhancing patient outcomes and fostering collaborative and supportive professional atmospheres.
Dr. Pascal Losambe
Co-Founder, Synergy Consulting Company
Author, Speaker, Consultant
Dr. Pascal Losambe is the Co-Founder, Chief Content Officer, and Senior Consultant for Synergy Consulting Company. Dr. Losambe has a Bachelor's in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College and a Master of Science in Biology with a focus on Neurobiology from Boston College where he received the Donald J. White Award for teaching excellence. Dr. Losambe has earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Purdue University with a focus on cultural competence. Dr. Losambe serves as the Director of Diversity and Community Life at Columbus Academy. He was the keynote presenter and co-curriculum developer for the United Front Initiative in 2020- 2021, a city and regional program with the goal of bringing unity and reconciliation to the region. Dr. Losambe co-authored a book with his wife and business partner, Crystal Losambe, titled Breaking the Barriers to Belonging: United by Our Biology and Shared Humanity, which was published in January 2023. Additionally, Dr. Losambe consults and presents to companies and other organizations on various topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion, educational leadership, and organizational culture. He has led strategic vision initiatives for various institutions and has conducted multiple workshops on cultural competence at national and international conferences. Dr. Losambe’s achievements include the Mosaic Award in 2018 and being invited onto the Purdue University Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Advisory Board as well as the Riverview International Center Board- an organization that serves New Americans.
Find out more about Dr. Losambe and Synergy Consulting Company
Friday, April 19 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM (1.25 CE hours)
Beth Z.
Author. Speaker. Nerd.
Your New Nerdy Best Friend
Beth Z cuts through the noise to bring you tech tips, tools and tricks for productive productivity, sexy social media, tolerable to-do lists and truly collaborative collaborations.
She is exciting, fun, and packed full of knowledge that she shares in easy-to-digest sound bites. Beth takes the fear out of technology and helps you get right to the point with effective apps and tools that you can integrate into your everyday work and life.
Find out more about Beth Z. at: https://yournerdybestfriend.com/about/
General Session:
AI’s Biggest Questions, Myths and Mysteries
Session Description
Artificial Intelligence (AI) often feels like a blend of buzzwords and bewilderment. Will robots take our jobs? Does ChatGPT steal our data? Are AI tools big fat liars?
Join Beth Z, Your Nerdy Best Friend, in a lively exploration of AI’s most puzzling questions and common myths. With nerdy humor mixed with practical tips, Beth Z makes the enigmatic world of AI a tad less intimidating and a lot more intriguing.
In this session, you'll...
- Learn ways to future-proof your job from an AI takeover
- Understand why AI makes up facts and how to combat misinformation
- Examine the issue of data privacy
- Gain insight into AI challenges with plagiarism and copyright infringement
- Discover the newest AI tools and how to stay on top of new AI technology and opportunities.
Friday, April 19
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (1.0 CE hours)
Sam Glenn
Award Winning Motivational Speaker, Author and Artist
Sam Glenn is most notably sought after for his captivating kick off and wrap up general session speeches. Sam’s award-winning speeches set a positive and energetic tone that gets audiences engaged and ready to learn, grow and have fun. Audiences gravitate to his humor, relate to his stories and embrace his relevant ideas for improving their personal and professional life. For nearly three decades, Sam Glenn’s inspirational and artistic speeches have impacted audiences of all sizes - some as large as 75,000 people at stadium events.
Find out more about Sam Glenn. at: https://www.samglenn.com/about
General Session:
Attitude Changes Everything
Session Description
We have all heard speeches on the topic of attitude, but we have a feeling this one is going to be a little different than what you are used too. Sam Glenn’s inspiring and artistic approach to educating and empowering will have you looking at your attitude in a whole new way.
If there is one thing for certain in life, it is that our attitude plays an incredible role in everything – both personally and professionally. Sam Glenn is considered one of the leading experts and authorities the subject of “attitude”, having written more than 30 books related to this subject. Attitude Changes Everything offers an enlightening, entertaining and educational exploration into how our attitude works, what creates it, feeds it, how to keep it healthy and finally ways to use your attitude to author positive experiences.
Sam’s speech will recharge your attitude like jumper cables to car battery.
This keynote breaks attitude down into 4 primary components:
1: Adjustment – how to adjust our attitude, keep it headed in the right direction and fuel it with positive momentum.
2: Instillation - what makes our attitude function so it works for us and rewards us.
3: Application – how to partner your attitude with your skills and efforts to achieve the best results.
4: Impact – how to measure the impact of your attitude – what’s working and what is not.