Stefanie is an author, TEDxer, AMA Sales Professor of the Year, recognized as a sales innovation expert, and named Forbes Next 1,000. Dr. Boyer runs the sales program at Bryant University and is cofounder of RNMKRS, a technology company using AI to bring unbiased sales training to all.

For almost twenty years, Joey Coleman has helped organizations retain their best customers and turn them into raving fans via his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects. He has a long history of energizing and motivating audiences to enhance their customers’ experiences. He is an award-winning speaker (yes – they do have speaking contests) at both national and international conferences – competing against The New York Times bestselling authors, business leaders, and internet sensations/celebrities. He is also the author of the #2 Wall Street Journal bestseller, Never Lose a Customer Again.

Anne T. Coughlan is the Polk Bros. Chair in Retailing and Professor of Marketing, Emerita, at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Anne is a DSEF Fellow and a member of DSEF’s Academic Advisory Council. She serves on the National Salesforce Subcommittee of the DSEF/DSA Industry Research Committee, which is overseeing the design of the DSA’s nationwide survey of direct sellers. Anne has been interested in direct selling as a distribution channel and route to market for more than 30 years, with particular interest in compensation structures and offerings to distributors, the entrepreneurial DS distributor business opportunity, contracting structures in the DS channel, and legal issues impacting the DS channel.

Since joining as the company’s first CTO, Brian has been instrumental in guiding the company’s improvements in platform security and performance. In 2019, Brian led the migration of BigCommerce’s hosting infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform, and also played a key role in BigCommerce receiving its ISO 27001:2013 certification. Under Brian’s leadership, the BigCommerce platform has been designed to maximize uptime, minimize response time and ensure a secure environment. 

Prior to joining BigCommerce, Brian served as the CTO at Borderfree, where he led all aspects of Product and Technology for a platform that powered global ecommerce across 220 countries. During his tenure, Brian was part of the company’s successful IPO as well as its acquisition by Pitney Bowes. 

Over the course of his 20-year career, Brian has held executive leadership positions at Jetsetter, Gilt City and POPSUGAR — a company which he co-founded. Additionally, he has led technology efforts for globally recognized brands, including Best Buy, Starbucks, Restoration Hardware and Estée Lauder, among others.

Brian holds a BS in Computer Science from Duke University. He lives in San Francisco, California with his wife.

Mary Earley is Senior Manager with Herbalife Nutrition, where she is responsible for trend identification and analysis. 

Katrina is a member of Winston & Strawn’s Complex Commercial Litigation Practice, a trial lawyer who concentrates her practice in class-action and intellectual property litigation defense. Recognized a “Trailblazer” for her work defending direct selling companies, Katrina’s specialty practice focuses on representing direct sales organizations in a wide range of disputes and consulting matters. She has successfully defeated class RICO and securities claims, enforced non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, prosecuted individuals violating her clients’ intellectual property rights, and counseled her clients on regulatory compliance issues and publicity crises. She also regularly advises clients undergoing government investigations, including those brought by the FTC. She has successfully defended numerous direct-selling organizations in class actions and other litigation matters and regularly advises multi-level marketing companies on their business practices, policies and procedures, and compensation plan from a regulatory and compliance perspective. Additionally, Katrina litigates cases involving patent and trademark infringement allegations, partnership disputes, theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, breaches of contract and fiduciary duties. 

Brian Fanzo is a digital futurist who translates the trends of tomorrow to inspire change today. His insights empower companies to leverage technology in real-time to engage their customers at the right time. Fanzo has a gift for bringing people together online and offline. He has worked in 76 countries, highlighting his passion for change, collaboration, and technology. Fanzo has been recognized as a Top 20 Digital Transformation Influencer, a Top 50 Most-Mentioned User by CMOs on Twitter, and a Top 25 Social Business Leader of the Future by The Economist. His followers on social media and podcast downloads rank in the hundreds of thousands, resulting in Fanzo being an influencer for 19 of the Fortune 100 companies.

John Fleming is a former executive with Avon Products Inc. and the former Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Direct Selling News. Currently, he is the principal of Ideas & Design Group LLC. John was inducted into the Direct Selling Association Hall of Fame and the Direct Selling Education Foundation Circle of Honor. He is the author of Ultimate Gig.

Brian Gill has more than 23 years of direct selling industry experience in marketing, leading and developing teams, and providing key contributions to executive management. As 4Life's Chief Marketing Officer, Brian loves the challenge of engaging an ever-distracted audience of customers and Affiliates. He brings focus to the brand with innovative tools and by creating an exceptional brand experience through impeccable communication and compelling visuals. Brian believes the "Brand Connection" (the connection between a company's brand and distributors' brands) is the key to differentiation, loyalty, and long-term success in and for this storied industry. Brian loves playing and trying hard to be the best at sports that no one else plays: squash, racquetball, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee!

Co-leader of BakerHostetler’s Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team, Linda Goldstein is widely recognized as one of the leading advertising lawyers in the country. She regularly provides advertising counsel and regulatory advice to leading Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies in many different product and service categories, including telecommunications, wireless, retailing, publishing, entertainment, digital media, gaming, food and beverage and financial services. She represents clients in investigative and enforcement proceedings brought by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other federal and state agencies with jurisdiction over advertising and marketing practices, and she has handled some of the highest-profile matters, setting industry precedents. Immersed in all aspects of the digital media ecosystem, Linda spends much of her time advising clients on how to minimize the legal risks associated with mobile marketing, e-retail, online communities, social influencers, native advertising, email and telemarketing, sweepstakes and contests, fantasy sports leagues and casual gaming. Linda also advises clients on matters involving the intersection of blockchain and cryptocurrency with advertising and marketing issues. In particular, Linda's unique expertise allows her to combine her general knowledge of the regulatory restrictions governing all advertising with the specific rules and regulations governing cryptocurrency products and services.

 

Kent is a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management, where he teaches marketing fundamentals to MBA students and executives. Kent's research focuses on trust and truth in the marketplace, and several of his published articles have focused on the direct selling industry. In 2016, he co-founded The Trust Project at Northwestern, an online resource for information about trust in organizations and in the marketplace. He tweets about trust @kentgrayson.

Lisa has over 20 years of experience leading key domestic and global client relationships, including many in the Direct Selling space. Her role is to leverage her years of experience leading key client relationships, and help “connect the dots” across the various Ipsos service line teams. Prior to joining Ipsos Lisa spent over 20 years at another large global insights firm. Her experience is broad, including innovation, new product development, segmentation, digital, shopper topics, and brand research. Lisa is active in the insights and marketing industries, and is the current Chair of the American Marketing Association Foundation. She is on the board and executive team for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Marketing Research/Data Analytics MBA Advisory Board. She is a Menttium mentor. Lisa is quoted multiple times in Leonard L. Berry’s book Discovering the Soul of Service, and was featured in the Inc. article “Choose or Lose: Market Research and Forecasting.” She co-wrote the pieces “Activating Segmentation through Storytelling” published by Quirk’s Marketing Research Review and “Hitting the Target—Innovating for Rising Target Groups” for Talk magazine. She’s a frequent speaker having presented at multiple events held by Argyle, the American Marketing Association, the Advertising Research Foundation, DSA, Frost & Sullivan, IIR, Insights Career Network, Quirk's, and the Marketing Science Institute. She has been a guest instructor multiple times at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Minnesota, and at St. Olaf University. 

Kevin Guest joined USANA on a part-time basis in April 2003, as Executive Director of Media and Events. Following our acquisition of the media, video, and event-productions company, FMG Productions founded by Mr. Guest, he became a full-time employee of the Company and he was promoted to Vice President of Media and Events in February 2004. In January 2006, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Marketing and served in that role until July 2008, when he was appointed Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Guest served in this role until May 2011, when he was appointed President of North America. In October 2012, he was appointed President of the Americas, Europe and South Pacific. In August 2014, Mr. Guest was appointed President of USANA and served in this role until August 2015, when he was appointed Co-Chief Executive Officer. He served in this role until November 2016 when he was appointed Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Guest earned a B.A. in Communications from Brigham Young University.

Gordon is a 30+ year veteran of direction selling. He has experience on both the field and operation side of the business. He is also the co-founder of Shapetech Solutions, LLC, a full stack development company that works with over 25 global direct selling businesses. He is on the DSEF Board, DSA research committee and the liaison between the DSEF and its academic fellows. He is also the author of Positioned Right, the Forces Shaping the Future of Direct Selling and Network Marketing. 

Sam Hind is an award-winning speaker, social media educator, podcast creator and digital marketing specialist who works exclusively in the direct selling industry. With over 20 years’ experience in marketing with thousands of brands around the globe such as Virgin, McDonalds and Grand Chancellor Hotels to name just a few, Sam and her husband and business partner Greg now work exclusively with direct selling companies and their fields delivering custom programs. Over the past 8 years their workshops, social media challenges and industry curated courses have helped more than 135,000 direct sellers and 12,000 direct selling leaders globally take their business to the next level of growth. It is this impact that has led their company, Auxano Global to be named in 2021 Collaborator of the Year Award from the Direct Selling Association of Australia. Sam’s passion is to upskill Direct Sellers to increase their knowledge, elevate their courage and amplify their confidence so they can step into their direct selling business potential. That is exactly what she did. At the age of 14, Sam started her very first direct selling business and became one of the top 10 consultants in Australia by 16, igniting her love for this industry that’s led to her being here with us today. 

1. Tools to feel more confident taking risks
2. The ability to stay agile in the ever-changing world and work environment
3. A CEO mindset that will elevate performance and get results

HOLLA! It’s Judi—Keynote Speaker, Top 5% Podcaster & Best Selling Author who believes the future belongs to the brave. For the last decade, Judi has built an enterprise that includes a robust keynote speaking business, a top 5% podcast on iTunes, and a line of personal development products that has gotten the attention of clients like Four Seasons, L’Oreal, Ford Motor Company, Marriott, T-Mobile, The Boston Red Sox, The Ritz Carlton, and more. Judi’s professional accomplishments have earned her praise with Forbes and Success Magazine mentions. Her podcast, “Yes, And” with Judi Holler, also highlights her professional improv training as an alumnus of Second City’s Conservatory in Chicago. Each year Judi speaks on stages around the United States and beyond to audiences of 50 - 50,000, sharing how we can fear less and live more with her thought-provoking and captivating keynote speeches. To learn more visit www.judiholler.com

As an executive in network marketing/direct selling, it is crucial to stay ahead of the curve and become an early adopter who understands the potential of AI’s impact on the industry. Join Erin for an engaging discussion where you’ll learn how to rethink your digital persuasion strategy to best navigate the AI revolution in a way that empowers you AND your teams.

Key Takeaways

• Gain a better understanding of how AI will likely impact the direct selling industry both immediately and in the future 
• Learn how to begin to integrate ChatGPT into your current sales and marketing strategies
• Understand how to train your teams to use ChatGPT (in a way that is empowering and not overwhelming!)
• Discover how to clearly position AI as a supplement to your sales team’s existing skill set
• Learn from real-life, high-level client case studies on testing ChatGPT 
• As an executive in network marketing/direct selling, it is crucial to stay ahead of the curve and become an early adopter who understands the potential of AI’s impact on the industry. Join Erin for an engaging discussion where you’ll learn how to rethink your digital persuasion strategy to best navigate the AI revolution in a way that empowers you AND your teams. 

Erin King is the world's leading digital persuasion expert, having helped organizations like The Oscars, Disney, VISA, Adobe, Johnson & Johnson, and even the United States Navy communicate more compellingly from behind the screen using her award-winning PUB Method™. She is a top podcast personality, best-selling author, and three-time entrepreneur who has been featured in Forbes, SUCCESS, and other prominent media outlets. She is the Amazon #1 best-selling author of Digital Persuasion: Sell Smarter in the Modern Marketplace and You're Kind of a Big Deal. 

Scott Kramer is media and entertainment veteran who's credits run the gamut of television, film, digital, publishing and large-scale live events. Kramer currently serves as Chief Brain at Multibrain, an award winning software digital agency whose Social Media software products power over 300,000 entrepreneurs worldwide, with some of the top Direct Selling brands in the World. Kramer is also a popular keynote speaker and expert on the topic of Social Selling.

Prior to the launch of Multibrain, Kramer was the Senior Vice President of Integrated Media for IMG Worldwide. As Head of Global Brand Partnerships, he directed sales, marketing and development staff in the US and UK, overseeing revenues across entertainment, digital and sports media.

Prior to his tenure at IMG, Kramer served as President & CEO for Intersection Entertainment in LA. His accomplishments there included leading strategic development and execution for Warner Bros., American Idol, Fremantle Media and 19 Entertainment, and creating revenue-generating brand extensions for a multitude of entertainment properties.

Kramer was also responsible for creating and producing Force of Nature, one of the largest Tsunami Benefit Concerts in the world, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which raised over $8M for Tsunami victims.

As an Agent/Consultant for Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles, CA, Kramer was tasked with developing integrated brand extensions and multi-million dollar sponsorship programs across multiple divisions of CAA.

Previously, Kramer served as the President for BUZZ, Inc. in LA, supervising all sales and marketing, brand development, editorial, creative and financial activities for the company's monthly lifestyle magazine. He successfully built the brand to be one of the fastest growing regional publications in the country.

Kramer has received numerous awards, including the AAAA Advertising Excellence Award and most recently the Creative City Award for Communications.

Kramer graduated from Purdue University with his BA in Communications. He has also completed coursework from UCLA in Emerging Technologies in Communication and Advanced Advertising Studies from the AAAA Institute.

Chandler Kuruvilla is a Client Relationship Coordinator for Ipsos.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah with dual degrees in Accounting and Finance (2000), Danny Lee moved to Silicon Valley to work for Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. He returned to Utah for a job at Overstock.com. There, he served as Vice President of Finance and Controller and then Senior Vice President, Operations. In 2008, he arrived to direct selling as 4Life’s Chief Operations Officer. In 2016, he took the post of Chief Marketing Officer. In October 2017, he was appointed President and CEO. Today, Lee dedicates his time to elaborating upon 4Life’s quarter century of success and raising five children with his wife, Tara.

Alison Levine is a leadership expert, polar explorer, and mountaineer who is no stranger to extreme environments. She has survived sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, sudden avalanches….and a career on Wall Street. She is one of the most thought leaders, known for delivering a visionary leadership outlook that transcends her extreme climbing expeditions and remains relevant in today’s fast-paced business environments.

Joe Mariano joined the Direct Selling Association in 1985 and assumed the role of President in 2011. Previously, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. As DSA’s Chief Executive Officer who has ultimate responsibility for all association programs and activities, Mariano is charged with providing progressive leadership, development and implementation of Association policies in the fields of government, consumer and international affairs. Mariano represents the Association’s interests in all fifty state capitals and on Capitol Hill. He serves as a personal resource to direct selling companies who need overall guidance on general legal and business trends that affect direct sellers both in the United States and worldwide. Mariano also serves as President of the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF).

Peter C. Marinello Vice President – BBB National Programs’ Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Peter C. Marinello is the Vice President of the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), a national advertising self-regulation program that was developed for the direct selling industry in 2019 and is administered by BBB National Programs. Peter has over twenty-five years of experience in advertising self-regulation starting as a staff attorney at the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., (NAD) in March of 1993, later becoming NAD Associate Director in 1998. In 2004, Peter became the Director of an advertising self-regulatory program for the direct response industry called the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP). Peter has written over 2,000 self-regulatory decisions on various advertising topics and products including earnings claims, network marketing, online advertising, negative option offers, dietary supplements, nuclear energy and financial services and has spoken on behalf advertising self-regulation at trade conferences and workshop seminars throughout the country. He has also been the author of a number of articles regarding advertising self-regulation in various trade publications. Peter received his bachelor’s degree at New York University and is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law. Peter has been a member of the New York State Bar since 1988. 

As a leading authority in the speaking world, Julie Masters has earned a reputation for advising the Top 1% of brands and thought leaders on the planet. Co-founder of ODE Management, the world’s largest dedicated speaker management agency across the USA and Australia. She is now the Founder and CEO of Influence Nation, working with business leaders and organizations to become the voice of authority in their space.

Becoming an Influencer Among Influencers

• How to find your unique impact zone as an authority
• The three keys to epic storytelling
• How to stop waiting for confidence and develop a mindset of certainty

Donnelly McDowell is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. Donnelly's practice focuses on advertising and consumer protection law with a specialized concentration in direct sales and network marketing compliance. Donnelly regularly counsels direct selling clients on earnings, lifestyle, and product claims and related issues, and helps clients develop strategies to balance regulatory and litigation risk. Donnelly regularly represents clients in contested matters such as regulatory inquiries and investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), as well as state attorneys general and district attorneys. 

Paulo Moledo was born in Brazil and has a Bachelor´s degree in Economics from the Mackenzie University in that country. He also has an MBA / International Business from the University of Miami. He is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Moledo has extensive multi-country experience as general manager and CFO of medium and large size companies. He has developed a successful career in different industries and in companies such as Avon, AOL Latin America and Ford Motor Co. He
is passionate about building engaged teams and driving sustainable and profitable growth through a relentless execution of a thoroughly craſted strategy.

Paulo joined Hy Cite Enterprises in 2019 as Senior Vice President of Strategy and was soon promoted to President. In the last 3 years he has been working hand in hand with Erik Johnson, now Executive Chairman of the Board, in a meticulous transition
process that will make this leadership change in Hy Cite feel seamless.

Moledo’s experience in direct selling includes 5 years as President of JAFRA Cosmetics Int´l in the United States, and prior to that, he built a successful career at Avon, where he worked for 7 years and occupied strategic positions such as General Manager for the North Latin American Cluster based in México, General Manager for the South Latin America Cluster based in Argentina and as Vice president of Finance for Latin America.

Dr. Peterson's doctorate is from the University of Minnesota. For the past few years, his research and teaching interests have been concentrated in the areas of marketing strategy, research methodology, and the quality of self-report data. Professor Peterson has authored nearly 150 books and articles. His articles have appeared in more than three dozen journals, including Management Science, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Public Opinion Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Consumer Research, and Marketing Science. Professor Peterson is a former chairman of the department, a past president of the Southwestern Marketing Association and a former vice president of the American Marketing Association. Presently, he is immediate Past-President of the Academy of Marketing Science. He has served as the editor of the Journal of Marketing Research and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, he is listed in Who's Who in America. He currently serves on eight editorial review boards. Selected Publications (1995-1998): Strategic Marketing: Cases and Comments (10th ed.), Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2004 (with R. A. Kerin). Constructing Effective Questionnaires, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2000. "Exploring the Implications of the Internet for Consumer Marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (Fall 1997), pp. 329-346 (with S. Balasubramanian and Bart Bronnenberg). “Consumer Search Behavior and the Internet,” Psychology &Marketing, 20 (February 2003), pp. 99-121 (with M. Merino). “Reflections on the Use of Instructional Technologies in Marketing Education,” Marketing Education Review 12 (Fall 2002), 7-17 (with G. Albaum, J. L. Munuera, and W. H. Cunningham). “Exploring the Implications of M-Commerce for Markets and Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 30 (Fall 2002), pp. 344-357 (with S. Balasubramanian and S. L. Jarvenpaa). “On the Use of College Students in Social Science Research: Insights from a Second-order Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Consumer Research 28 (December 2001), pp. 450-461.

Sarah Rathke is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex and high-value disputes in courts and tribunals throughout the US. Sarah has served as first-chair trial counsel in numerous disputes across industry sectors, and is frequently recognized for her courtroom skills. In 2023, Sarah was profiled in Authority Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” series, and in 2022, she was selected by The American Lawyer as a “Midwest Trailblazer” for her work in supply chain litigation. Since 2015, she has been recognized as a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation. In 2012, she was one of three lawyers nationwide appointed to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Next Generation Faculty. She has written and lectured extensively about trial practice, including for NITA, the Northeast Ohio Federal Bar Association Trial Academy and the Cleveland State University College of Law trial advocacy curriculum. Her article, “A BigLaw Ladies’ Guide to Becoming a 1st-Chair Trial Lawyer,” was awarded a 2018 Burton Award for Distinguished Writing.

Tara Renze is an author, keynote speaker, emotional intelligence & positive intelligence practitioner, podcaster, thought-leader, wife and mother and is redefining how we unleash purpose, level up our success and create sustainable happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of our lives. After two decades of success in corporate leadership and social selling, she started writing and keynote speaking to empower others to "be who they came to be" and create, own and live the life they desire, envision and deserve. Tara has a true passion and talent for guiding others to harness and realize their full potential. 

Dr. Michael Rodriguez serves as an Associate Professor at Campbell University’s Lundy-Fetterman School of Business teaching Business Analytics, Sales, and Digital Marketing. Dr. Rodriguez earned his PhD in Technology Management at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ where he won “Outstanding Dissertation Award” for his research on CRM. For the past decade Dr. Michael Rodriguez has helped students develop into global customer engagement leaders by focusing on sales process, professionalism, international negotiations and utilization of technology. He has also helped customer-focused organizations improve their sales process and achieve business goals by leveraging technology in the form of CRM, Social and Mobile solutions. Dr. Rodriguez has coached over 1,000 sales professionals in B2B, complex sales and written over 20 articles focused on the impact technology has on sales performance. His work has been published in the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing and Journal of Business to Business Marketing. Dr. Rodriguez has worked as a sales consultant for Oracle, Salesforce, and IBM focusing in areas of Digital Customer Experience and Strategy. 

Joni Rogers-Kante is the visionary and driving force behind SeneGence®. Her dream of developing a company that gave women an opportunity to build their own business regardless of age, background, or education has become a global success, with offices in five countries and hundreds of thousands of Independent Distributors worldwide. Her “career” started at the Sav-On Corporation at age 16.

By 23, she was the Assistant Manager of the highest-performing store in the Sav-On chain. The most important lesson she learned from the top-level managers, buyers, and operations experts she worked with was that the corporate structure was not for her. So, she took her talent and experience to a direct sales cosmetic company where her efforts over the next 13 years produced jewelry, cars, awards, trips and recognition, and most importantly, the burning desire to create her own company.

Armed with a plan and a prodigious amount of business savvy, Joni pursued her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. In 1999, SeneGence and its flagship product, LipSense®, was born. This patented, long-lasting color cosmetic changed the course of the entire industry. In the company’s early days, Joni traveled the world with a team of scientists and botanists searching for the finest ingredients for SeneGence’s unique skincare and cosmetic formulas.

Today, she oversees the company’s extensive operations and more than 200 employees in SeneGence’s offices worldwide and is actively involved with trips, events, and the development and marketing of new products and training programs.

Philanthropy is paramount. In 2002, Joni founded the Make Sense Foundation® (MSF) to support women and children in need. Under Joni’s leadership, MSF made charitable donations of over $5,929,674 in 2021, an increase of more than $1 million from 2020. (To learn more about the nonprofit organizations that benefit from MSF, visit www.makesensefoundation.org.)

Another cause dear to her is maintaining and revitalizing her hometown of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Joni and her husband are committed to helping draw attention to Sapulpa, Oklahoma not just Oklahoma entirely, but in the nation. They have purchased buildings, restored icons, painted murals, moved businesses, and started new ones, all to preserve and enrich this historic town that’s often referred to as the Crossroads of America.

Joni is also an active member of Orange and Creek County communities, on the Board of CEOs for the World Federation of the Direct Selling Association, and the author of Million Dollar Lips. Whether in the corporate world or at the community level, Joni’s guiding principle since day one has been, “Choose to live life in love and abundance, and then work for it!”  

A seasoned innovator in the payments industry, Charles Rosenblatt has held executive leadership positions at major global banks including Capital One and Chase, as well as prominent FinTech organizations. After having been on the management teams that led to the sale of Hyperwallet to PayPal and Payoneer going public, Rosenblatt is now President at PayQuicker — the payments technology leader in Global Disbursements for the Direct Selling industry.

Described as an “impact player” by Texas Lawyer and “simply excellent” by The Legal 500, John Sanders is a trial lawyer, whose national practice focuses on complex business litigation and class actions. John is a founding partner of the Dallas office of Winston and Strawn LLP, where he serves as its hiring partner. John’s experience defending and advising direct-selling organizations is particularly deep. He has been retained by nearly half of all direct-selling companies that have faced class-action pyramid scheme litigation in the last several years and has successfully defeated multiple claims filed against direct-selling companies. In 2019, Texas Lawyer recognized John as a “Trailblazer” for his work defending direct-selling businesses facing bet-the-company class actions. John regularly advises dozens of companies in the industry on regulatory compliance, government investigations, policies and procedures, compensation plans, the protection of trade secrets, unlawful distributor solicitations, and downline raiding. John was recently invited to join the exclusive Sedona Conference Working Group on Trade Secrets. He is currently ranked by Chambers USA as one of the best commercial litigators in the country, nominated as a Best Lawyer in Dallas for business litigation by D Magazine, and selected as a “Super Lawyer” in Texas. 

Sean Smith has been at InfoTrax since 2011. Starting in their Commission Analyst department, Sean learned the importance of commission plans driven by the right strategy. Fast forward 11 years and Sean is now the CEO and an owner of InfoTrax, taking everything he learned working with their amazing clients and putting that into software products that take the headache out of compensation strategy and software. When he is not working at InfoTrax, Sean loves to spend time traveling with his wife Kim and their three kids. 

Katy Spicer has over two decades of leadership experience, including leading US Marines across three combat tours and later as a Marine commander. Over the years, Katy has built an affinity for doing hard things alongside remarkable teammates. She leverages her leadership and team building talents to solve clients’ complex legal matters with a particular focus on consumer protection litigation, enforcement, and cybersecurity incident response investigations.

How to Build Your Business for Buy-In: The simplest, strongest way to expedite your impact

There's nothing more frustrating than being a direct sales leader in charge of sharing new products, rolling out new comp plans, hyping new leadership, advocating for new trends- and having your initiative fall on deaf ears. What goes wrong? Why DON’T you get the buy-in you know you need to take your momentum to the next level? In this practical and energizing keynote, 25-year message strategist, change communication expert, and former TEDx executive producer Tamsen Webster will show you how to get people invested, literally and figuratively, in the future you foresee. How? By crafting your communications around the most motivating of messages: the stories they already believe.

After this keynote you’ll be able to:

• Understand why challenging people's beliefs is the enemy of intrinsic motivation, and what to do instead
• Clearly and quickly identify who is, and isn’t, an ideal fit for your ideas, initiatives, and offers—and why—so you can focus your efforts where they’ll have the greatest effect
• Follow a framework for simplifying them to their most important, and irresistible, elements and building in buy-in from the beginning

Part strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, Tamsen Webster helps experts drive action with their ideas. Tamsen honed her trademark Red Thread approach in and for major organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with hundreds of individual founders, academics, and thought leaders. She's a former TEDx Executive Producer and current Idea Strategist. Most recently, Tamsen was named to the Thinkers50 Radar thinkers to watch class of 2022. She's also the author of Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible.

Overview and Contributions

Monica Wood is a leader in the field of market insights, where her reputation for providing new methods and championing best practices has been a hallmark of her career. Her commitment to transformative business insights and methodological rigor have resulted in innovations that have changed the industry and earned her leadership spots in many of its professional associations.

Monica’s contributions to the industry have been numerous; however, one of her key legacies will be her 1989 work with Nielsen, when she designed the first-ever industry Marketing Mix Model, allowing insights professionals to estimate the past impact and predict the future impact of various marketing tactics on sales. Prior to the creation of this model, marketing spend and bottom line were often perceived as disconnected; with the Marketing Mix Model, professionals could show clear ROI for their efforts.

Professional Achievements

Throughout her career, Monica’s insights work has transformed product categories. Among the highlights:

• Her work for Campbell Soup was documented in Malcolm Gladwell's 2009 book, What the Dog Saw. In his New York Times bestseller, Gladwell documents Monica’s work driving the reinvention of the Spaghetti Sauce category in partnership with Howard Moskowitz.
• Monica’s category-changing insight work for Campbell’s also resulted in the company seeing the first increase in per capita soup sales in 25 years.
• On behalf of Advil, Monica’s research found that the new liquid gel product form had the most positive associations with fast action among consumers, resulting in a substantial increase in product sales; the liquid gel segment is now the largest within the analgesic category.

 

Monica has been a leader in advertising and copy testing throughout her career. Through her significant work in this arena working with companies such as ARS, Ipsos and others, she was able to break through the clutter with award-winning advertising leading to double-digit sales including well-known brands such as V-8, Benefiber, Campbell's Soup, Advil, Centrum and many others.

Monica has advised many Fortune 100 elite corporations during her extensive career, and has earned recognition as one of the leaders in the field for her work with some of the world’s best known brands. As a result of her visionary work, numerous achievements and impressive results, Monica “had the ear” of the CEO’s, who viewed her as a trusted advisor and key asset.

In her work for Herbalife Nutrition, where she is currently the Vice President, Global Consumer and Member Insights, Monica is responsible for building the insights function from the ground up, creating best in class practices globally and moving the company towards a more customer-centric model.

Professional History

Prior to joining Herbalife, Monica was the President of Monica Wood and Associates where she partnered with leading pharmaceutical and CPG clients to develop outstanding solutions and actionable, insightful research deliverables.  

Prior, Monica was Vice President Global Marketing Services at Novartis. She was responsible for all global interactive marketing activity, media spending analytics, syndicated and custom market research for Novartis Consumer Health.

Prior to joining Novartis, Monica was Vice President Consumer Insights and Strategy planning at ToysRUS. In that role, she created the insights and strategy group and had full global responsibility for insight and strategy work for ToysRUS and BabiesRUS. 

Prior to ToysRUS, Monica was EVP of Edelman Public Relations. There she founded StrategyOne, their internal insights and strategy department. Among her other accomplishments, she lead the development of one of the first 360 media tracking systems.

Before that, Monica was with Wyeth, where she was Vice President, Market Research, for Consumer Health. Monica led the research function for such well-known Wyeth brands as Advil, Robitussin, and Chapstick. Amongst her accomplishments, Monica created global standards, processes and best practices for new product development, copy testing and tracking. Through her leadership and insight work,  Advil was repositioned from a "body pain brand" to an "every day pain" solution, resulting in a significant growth in revenue. 

Professional Memberships, Awards and Recognition

Within the industry as a whole, Monica has built strong collegial relationships with her peers via her contributions to professional associations. She is a member of the University of Miami Herbert Business School Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, as well as for the Market Research Council. She is past president of the Market Research Council and is currently the Chairman of the Industry Research Committee for the Direct Selling Association, Monica is on the board of other organizations including the Ad Council Research Advisory Board and the Market Research Council.  She has been Vice President of the South Florida American Marketing Council as well as President Elect, and has served on the ARF Leadership Council.

Wood’s research has also garnered industry recognition in the form of professional awards. Most recently, in 2017, Wood was honored by the Direct Marketing News where she was awarded “Woman to Watch” in Marketing. Her work for Herbalife Nutrition on revitalizing online sales through optimized lead generation received a 2017 Bronze David Ogilvy Award. In 2019 her team at Herbalife Nutrition won a Quirk’s award for Marketing Research and Insight Excellence as Client Side Team of the Year. In 2020, her team won a second David Ogilvy Bronze in the category of Health & Personal Care for its Healthy Breakfast study and was a finalist for the Market Research Society’s award for In-House Team of the Year.

In 2021, Monica was named as a finalist for the American Marketing Association’s Charles Coolidge Parlin Award, the organization’s oldest and most distinguished award. The Parlin Award is given to leading practitioners and scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and sustained impact on advancing the evolving profession of marketing research over an extended period of time.

Her work for Campbell’s received a Gold David Ogilvy Award as well as a Gold Effie Award. Her work for Novartis earned a Silver David Ogilvy Award.

Education

Monica went to University of Miami receiving her MBA Magna Cum Laude in Marketing and University of Florida, Magna Cum Laude.