Speakers

Described as the Human Exclamation Point, Tami Evans helps organizations and individuals improve productivity, profitability and have a whole lot of fun doing it. Genuine & funny, she motivates with her energy, passion, and humor by creating an engaging, interactive and unforgettable experiences. With both corporate and entrepreneurial experience, she holds an MFA in performance, a background in communication and design, and firmly believes laughter is a vital part of learning and living. Her relatable keynotes ignite a positive workplace while they celebrate participants, engage and empower employees, create communication cohesion, boost confidence and bust stress. Tami shares important communication and leadership tools along with fresh ideas like Personality upstages Perfection, you can Fail with Flair, and we all need to Embrace our Inner Dork! Recently, Tami was on the Board of Directors for the National Speakers Association and the past President of NSA – NYC. http://www.tamievans.com/

Anita is the founder of Fierce Project Management – empowering women in projects to get their voice heard.

Amy McKenna is a results-oriented and accomplished professional with 20 years success in managing program performance, subcontracts, business operations, and proposals. Currently, Ms. McKenna is a Program Management Office Director for T-Rex Solutions LLC in Greenbelt, MD. She is responsible for directing the cost, schedule, material and project management support of a $1.4B Time and Materials (T&M) contract for the United Stated Census Bureau (USCB). She utilizes exceptional skills and exposure gained throughout her career to deliver contract as well as subcontract direction and support for the program. Ms. McKenna also leads a facility management team to supervise a 125,000 sq. foot campus in Greenbelt, MD as well as a team performing recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and exiting of all program resources.

Ali Qureshi is COO of NuAxis Innovations, where he is responsible for operations to support the execution of our strategy for enabling high quality customer service delivery, happiness of our team members, and organic business development. Ali brings over two decades of experience assisting commercial and federal government clients in meeting their technology services needs through innovative solutions. Previously, Ali was a Managing Director with Surdak & Company, a strategy consulting firm where we provide hands-on guidance on the use of leading technologies such as Social Media, Predictive Analytics, Cognitive Computing, and Blockchain. Ali served as the Program Chairman for the Annual Wharton DC Innovation Summit, and elected to the Board of Directors for the Wharton Club of DC. Previously, Ali served as Vice President of Consulting Services at Xcelerate Solutions, where he was responsible for the organization, development, and management of the delivery personnel. Prior to Xcelerate, Ali was Chief Technology Officer for RF Telematics, an early-stage company focused on delivering the MedLogiq data management platform for the healthcare market. Previously, Ali served as the Chief Operating Officer for MedRed LLC which developed and sold Clinical Decision Support Systems to both Government and commercial markets. Ali also served 8 years in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer for the U.S. House of Representatives in a variety of technology leadership positions. As the Senior Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, he led 700 employees and 1,100 contractors, and oversight for the $1.4B operating budget. Ali holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from Wilkes University and an Executive Master’s Degree from the Wharton School and School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Ali was also selected to participate in the Senior Managers in Government course at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Sarah Robinson is a CEO, best-selling author and international speaker. Drawing upon her twenty-five years of experience and research with hundreds of teams, businesses, organizations, brands and C-level executive leaders, Sarah created a model to build, engage, lead and inspire a 360 degree culture of Fierce Loyalty throughout any organization. Using up-to-the minute research and real-time data, her model can pinpoint exactly where any leader and any organization is along the Fierce Loyalty path. In addition to her business experience, Sarah trained at the National Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC and uses this training not only as a speaker, but also as a background for understanding and improving communication, group dynamics and leadership. (Yes, Shakespeare was a genius at that, too.). Sarah is a regular guest expert at MSNBC and is ranked by both Forbes and Dun and Bradstreet as a top Twitter expert on entrepreneurship and small business. Her international client list includes Microsoft, CUES, the National Press Club, Aileron, M-Wise, The International Business Women’s Conference, Nextiva, and Higher Logic. Sarah lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her two sons and her two big dogs, loves photography and travel, is a trained Shakespearean actress, drinks absurd amounts of coffee and is Fiercely Loyal to The Crimson Tide.

Asya is the Founder of Women of Project Management. The only global network connecting women & women of color in the project management industry. Asya’s career spans 20 years, she created a career as an in-demand expert in the project management industry working with top-tier brands like Walgreens, CVS/Caremark, Optum, & United Healthcare. She has also served as the Director of Mentorship for the Project Management Institute (PMI) and was one of the creators of the 1st Women’s Network for Walgreens Corporation. Asya earned her Masters of Business Administration from National University with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, her PMP® (Project Management Professional) global certification from the Project Management Institute, her LEAN Six Sigma Certification from United Healthcare’s Center of Excellence, and her undergraduate degree in Biology & Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana. Asya resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband where they raise their amazing son. #BoyMom

Steven Fullmer contributes his mastery to the field of neurosociology –blending neurochemistry, physiology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and the science of change to understand the power of human potential. His mission includes helping others understand the natural chaos associated with change and choice, and organizing approaches to effectively address change scenarios. Successful approaches must consider human complexity, are always situational, and must incorporate the unique and diverse attributes of the individuals and the tribes that they form. Steven Fullmer is President of Blue Sphere Solutions (www.bluespheresolutions.com), a consultancy supporting choice through complex change. His forty years of experience includes strategic and tactical business, portfolio, program and project leadership. For over a decade he authored and delivered highly sought PMP and Business analysis courseware, video series, webinars, and micro-mastery events. He holds Project Management Professional (PMP) and PMI-Professional Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) credentials from Project Management Institute, an MBA in services marketing, and is certified as a Change Intelligence Professional. From graduate work in neurochemistry, MBA Service Management focus, and into a recognized career guiding powerful technological change, Steven quickly identified that people rather than technology brought success. The evolution of project related processes, tools, and approaches may deliver new hope to leaders guiding change, though they are more often effective because they distract participants who must focus first on the new ‘technique’. Despite decades of evolutionary technology and approaches, successful and sustainable change remains statistically elusive. Success more commonly occurs when leaders deliver purpose while applying an understanding of the human condition. Steve now researches and pursues a deeper understanding of the factors that affect successful change adoption and the pursuit of fullest human potential. An author and public speaker, Steve focuses on topics related to project management and social psychology – the sciences that together help client individuals and organizations to adopt successful change strategies.

Lisa Walker, Ph.D. is a psychologist, executive coach, speaker, relationship strategist, mediator and facilitator of difficult conversations. Dr. Walker coaches and advises leaders across industries. She works with leaders to gain clarity on their mission and goals, push through obstacles, enhance leadership skills, build positive work relationships and boost productivity. Her specialties include customized presentations and training program for developing strong leaders, building positive workplace relationships, personalized coaching plans to assist in determining and achieving goals, as well as customized support for corporate initiatives for maximizing success. Dr. Walker uses the power of Emotional and Conversational Intelligence, Neuroscience, Behavioral Science and Mindfulness to help leaders get better at what they do. She earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and her Leadership & Executive Coaching Certification from Columbia Business School. She served on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin and is a Mentor for The IC² Institute, an interdisciplinary research unit at The University of Texas at Austin, which works to advance the theory and practice of entrepreneurial wealth creation. When not working she enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, the outdoors and extreme hiking. Her most recent epic hiking adventure led her to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world’s tallest mountains. Her book, Living Beyond Your Limits: The Key to Exceptional Leadership will be published later this year.