Theo Edmonds, JD, MHA, MFA, is a Culture Futurist®, artist/poet, entrepreneur, and analytics innovator who bridges the creative industries, brain science, and technology with the future of work. With over 30 years of executive, artistic, and research experience spanning healthcare, social innovation, academia, and the creative economy, Theo has led groundbreaking projects for Fortune 100 companies, top-tier cardiovascular programs, city and state governments, family offices, universities, and national arts organizations. His mind-expanding approach to quantum storytelling and wonder as tools for leading systems change has made him a highly sought-after keynote speaker and executive advisor.

A nine-generation Appalachian from Jackson, KY, Theo was named one of Southern Living Magazine’s “50 People Changing the Face of the South” for co-founding the arts-science-business nonprofit IDEAS xLab in 2013. From 2018-2021, he led a National Science Foundation-sponsored team that won the Epic Trailblazer Award for groundbreaking advancements in corporate cultural analytics. Now a Research Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver, Theo is an unconventional "pracademic" who leverages his neurodiversity as a leadership advantage, pioneering the integration of cultural data signals, such as loneliness, into strategic foresight modeling.

A serial social entrepreneur, in 2024, he founded Creativity America, a decade-long collaboration with leading creativity research labs, artists, and business leaders across the U.S. This initiative bridges the arts and sciences of cognitive, emotional, and social creativity to drive innovation through a national network of Wondervation™ hubs.

Dr. Reiter-Palmon is the Varner Professor of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology and the Director of the I/O Psychology Graduate Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). She is also the Director of Innovation for the Center for Collaboration Science, an inter-disciplinary program at UNO. She received her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Her research focuses on creativity and innovation in the workplace at individual and team level, development of leadership and creative problem-solving skills, and leading creative individuals.

In 2024, she was named recipient of the Arnheim Award for Outstanding Achievement in Psychology and Creativity. This lifetime achievement award presented by the American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes outstanding achievement in psychology and the arts.

She is the co-editor of Handbook of Organizational Creativity: Leadership, Interventions, and Macro Level Issues, Second Edition covers creativity from many perspectives in two unique volumes, including artificial Intelligence work, creativity within specific applied domains (e.g., engineering, science, therapy), and coverage of leadership.

She is an associate editor for the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, as well as Frontiers: Organizational Psychology. She is the former Editor of The Psychology of Creativity, Aesthetics and the Arts, the leading journal on the psychology of creativity. She serves on the editorial boards of 10 additional journal in I-O psychology, management, and creativity. She has published four edited books on the topic of creativity, and is the editor of the Palgrave series on Creativity and Innovation in Organizations. She has been President of APA Division 10 (creativity) and fellow Division 14 (I-O) in recognition of her contribution to the field of organizational and team creativity.

Colleen Keegan is a corporate Strategic Planner and arts activist. She built the Creative Capital Strategic Planning Program for Artists and is the Executor of the Theo Westenberger Estate and grants for art and conservation, the art business adviser for the TED Fellows program and the Co-Chair of the TED Fellows Arts Committee. She is a partner in Keegan Fowler Companies, and has also worked as a producer for MTV Networks, WETA and Showtime.

Keegan has served on numerous boards of directors and advisory boards including New York Live Arts, the American Refugee Committee, ARTHOME, The Artist Book Foundation, The Center for Creative Arts Berlin, Emily’s list, Moveopolis, The MS Foundation, The NOW Legal Defense Fund, Show of Force, Picture Projects, The Texas Film Commissions. She lectures on art and new markets at California College of Art, Cal Arts, and the Wharton Business School among others.n

With an eclectic background, curator and cultural producer Molly Surno has used her dynamism to create compelling programs bringing the art world to a greater audience. An artist and curator, she blends visual art, film, performance, music, food, and technology creating installations and experiences in cultural institutions and beyond. Surno has been called a tastemaker and person to watch in the art world by publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, LA Times, DesignMilk, The Wall Street Journal, Filmmaker Magazine, NYLON, Time Out, Hyerpallergic, and Interview.

Surno has worked for team that created TEDx and as the first Outreach Director for Kickstarter. She served as the Art Director for Elsewhere and consults on curating, cultural production, and creative programming. She is currently on the Board at Summertime Gallery, a non profit gallery in Williamsburg that supports artists with intellectual disabilities to create a more inclusive artworld.

A native of Colorado, Deborah Jordy has played a prominent role in the arts and cultural scene for over 40 years. Ms. Jordy has served as Executive Director of SCFD since December 2016.

The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) is a special regional tax district in the Denver metropolitan area that provides funding for nonprofit organizations in the arts, culture, and science sectors. Established in 1988, the SCFD is funded by a 0.1% sales and use tax, equating to one cent on every $10 purchase. This broad base has allowed SCFD to grow into the second-largest cultural funding mechanism in the United States. Annually, funding nearly 300 organizations across Colorado’s front-range urban corridor, distributing more than $80 million annually.

Prior to joining SCFD, Deborah served as Executive Director of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA), a nonprofit membership organization of Colorado businesses whose mission is to leverage the arts for economic vitality. Earlier in her career she served as Executive Director of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities and led the Cherokee Ranch and Castle Foundation. She also served as Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art for the Denver Art Museum.

Deborah has served on many local and national boards, is a past trustee of Americans for the Arts, Washington, DC and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Denver, Colorado and currently serves on the VISIT DENVER board of directors. Deborah is a frequent presenter to local, national and international audiences on topics in arts and culture and arts and economic development.iption

Michelle T. Boone, President & CEO of The Poetry Foundation. She is the first woman and African American to lead the organization. The Poetry Foundation is an independent private foundation committed to supporting poetry in American culture. Its funding and programs are designed to shape a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs.

Previously, Boone was the Chief Program and Civic Engagement Officer at Navy Pier, a historic landmark and top cultural destination and attraction in the Midwest. In this role, Boone designed, developed, curated, and presented Navy Pier’s arts and culture public programs, festivals, and special events, and was a member of the executive leadership team helping to shape organizational strategy and public engagement. Other duties included overseeing the PR/Communications division, responsible for marketing, promotion, and branding, and the Pier’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategies, and staff engagement.

Michelle was appointed Commissioner of the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in May 2011. As a member of the Mayor's cabinet, Boone was responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs to support Chicago's arts and cultural sector and creative industries. During her tenure, Michelle led the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan process and launched the very first Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Previously, she was the Senior Program Officer for the Culture Program at the Joyce Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. Michelle was responsible for distributing nearly $2 million annually to arts and cultural institutions in Chicago as well as managing the Joyce Awards program, a competitive grant opportunity that supports arts and culture groups to commission new works by artists of color in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.

Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and a master’s degree in Public Affairs (nonprofit management major) from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is currently studying for a doctorate in philanthropy at the Lilly School of Indiana University.

Michelle serves on the boards of Americans for the Arts, the Graham Foundation, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and United States Artists.

Kristina Newman-Scott is an award-winning, purpose-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in the public and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on arts, culture, and media. She is the Vice President of the Arts at Knight Foundation, where she leads initiatives to foster vibrant communities through the arts.

Previously, Kristina served as the inaugural Executive Director for The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio/WNYC, overseeing its multi-platform and live programming. She has also held leadership roles as President of BRIC, an arts and media organization in Brooklyn and Director of Culture for the State of Connecticut.

Her accolades include being named one of City & State New York’s Telecommunications Power 50 shaping New York’s digital future, an Observer NYC Arts Power 50, and a Next City Urban Vanguard. Kristina is the recipient of the Selina Roberts Ottum Award from Americans for the Arts and was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by the University of New Haven, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in 2018.

Kristina currently serves as Secretary of the Board for Americans for the Arts, Chair of National Arts Strategies (NAS), and Chair of the Department of Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission for the City of New York.

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Kristina began her career as a practicing artist and TV/radio host and producer in her home country before moving to the U.S. in 2005. She continues to bring her passion for arts, culture, and community impact to every facet of her work.

Robert Beer is an entrepreneur, automation expert, and former aviation executive whose career spans flight instruction, software development, and applied AI. He began his professional journey as Chief Flight Instructor at a leading flight school, where he trained future airline pilots with a rigorous, systems-based approach. In 2015, he founded Abixweb, his first automation and software development firm. From 2019 to 2021, he served as CEO of the flight school while continuing to develop enterprise tools, including Smart Farm Systems—an automated irrigation platform later acquired by the publicly traded ag-tech company Farmers Edge.

In 2021, Beer launched Saiwala.io, a workflow automation company focused on helping entrepreneurs and businesses modernize through scalable systems. He later co-founded Knowetic.ai, an Agentic AI platform supporting clinicians in Applied Behavior Analysis. His work centers on building human-centered tools that make advanced technologies more accessible and useful across sectors. Based in Denver, Beer works remotely and collaborates with clients, founders, and technologists to navigate the fast-changing future of work.

Serial entrepreneur. Perspicacious creative synthesizer. Intellectual decorator crab. Avid professional observer. Charismatic, dynamic, and compassionate thought leader - and fan of the Oxford comma.

Amanda (“Mandy”) Ralston has been certified as a behavior analyst since 2002, first as a BCaBA, and then as a BCBA. During her career she has founded two companies that provided applied behavior analysis services to hundreds of families, schools, and individuals with autism or other developmental or intellectual disabilities. She has ushered dozens of aspirational behavior analysts into the field as a mycorrhizal influencer, in pursuit of greater impact of change for constituents.

Mandy has served as a Subject Matter Expert to a number of international workgroups and panels related to Behavior Analysis, Ethics, Outcomes, and Practice. She is has been a featured speaker in several mediums globally.

She continues to mad-happily create unique solutions by synthesizing her own history of reinforcement and punishment with evidence-based practices, Clinical and Business Intelligence, and Technology in an effort to further support clinicians, funders, businesses, and founders in changing the world for QoL, Outcomes, neuro/diversity, equity, and inclusion.

An early proselytizer of Verbal Behavior, Ralston uses her considerable imitation repertoire and joint control to engage in behavior resulting in a wide variety of reinforcement. Her behavior continues to be shaped by its impact on a world where autism exists, and the field of behavior analysis.

Her most recent venture is NonBinary Solutions - a data analytics and technology firm making bespoke Clinical Decision Support Systems for providers and other constituents of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Mitch Morecraft is a strategist with a passion for helping organizations bring bold visions to life. In prior roles, he led major strategic initiatives for Northwestern University and the University of Colorado Denver, where he co-developed the institution’s 10-year strategic plan and built the internal strategy team responsible for executing the university’s long-term vision. His consulting work spans the globe, having advised clients across Europe, Asia, and South America. In the summer of 2024, Mitch interned with EY-Parthenon, supporting Fortune 500 companies in shaping their growth strategies.

Outside of work, Mitch is passionate about the arts, travel, Notre Dame football, and the reinvigoration of small towns. He’s a first-generation college graduate from rural Illinois, with an undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.