2024 Keynote Speaker Bios
Karith Foster
Karith Foster is a Speaker, Humorist and best-selling Author of the best-selling book. She is also a Diversity Inclusion & Belonging Expert and the creator of the groundbreaking INVERSITY™ methodology.
Her work is creating a seismic shift in diversity, leadership and culture change in academic institutions, organizations and corporations across America.
In addition to being CEO of INVERSITY™ Solutions, Karith is also the Founder of F.R.A.M.E the Foster Russell Alliance for Meaningful Expression a 501(c)3 non-profit, whose mission is to inspire free speech, inclusion, social change and empowerment through education and mentorship on college and university campuses “If you can laugh at it you can get through it,” is her motto and the invaluable lesson she seeks to instill in others. This is the underlying theme of her popular TEDx Talk “The Art of Defying Stereotypes: Learning to be True to Your Voice.”
Karith is an alumna of Stephens College and Oxford University.
Karith resides in NYC, Texas and Southern California with her husband aka “The Aussie” and her two beautiful and hysterical daughters.
Chef Jeff Henderson
Chef Jeff Henderson’s bio and photo coming soon!
Jeff Henderson
Jeff Henderson’s bio and photo coming soon!
Cy Wakeman
Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, New York Times best-selling author, and 2023 World’s #1 Leadership Guru who is recognized for her Reality-Based approach to leadership. Backed by over 25 years of unparalleled experience partnering with top brands spanning all industries, Cy’s philosophy offers a modern approach to leadership in which employees and managers alike can deliver better results with less drama, higher engagement without entitlement, and more happiness in even the most challenging workplace realities.
Deemed “the secret weapon to restoring sanity to the workplace and the worldplace,” Cy empowers leaders to love their teams up while calling them up to greatness. Her client list includes Google, Meta, Viacom, NBC Universal, Keurig Dr. Pepper, NASA, Pfizer, CVS, Johns Hopkins, Stanford Health Care, Bank of America, among others.
As a highly sought-after conference headliner, Cy holds a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speaker’s Association, placing her within the top 3% of speakers worldwide.
Cy’s social platform audience has surpassed 250,000 followers. Her Reality-Based Leadership newsletter that often goes viral within organizations reaches over 25,000 raving fans who discuss and apply her modern leadership techniques each and every week.
She has published four best-selling books, the latest of which is Life’s Messy, Live Happy: Things Don’t Have to Be Perfect for You to Be Content (2022). Cy also hosts the No Ego podcast that offers her latest insights into how to address the toughest leadership challenges of today.
