Want to get ahead of 2022's trending topics?
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A recent Forbes article predicted 2022 as a year of change. “Across all sectors, organizations are grappling with rapid transformation. On top of that, there are enormous global shifts and challenges to contend with, such as climate change, and shifting political and economic power. To put it bluntly, our world is changing fast. And organizations must learn to adapt accordingly.”
But don’t worry; here at Outspoken, we’ve got you covered! From stages to screens, discover the trending topics expected to drive change and inspire audiences this year with our featured speakers.
SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
JULIA COLLINS
Serial Entrepreneur & First Black Woman with Unicorn Status at Tech Company
Spending her entrepreneurial career working at the intersection of food and tech, Julia Collins began a more narrow focus with her latest company, Planet FWD, to understand the relationship between food systems and climate change as she was preparing to be a mom.
JESSICA O. MATTHEWS
Sustainable Infrastructure Expert & Founder and CEO of Uncharted
As the Founder & CEO of Uncharted, an award-winning, Platform as a Service company that helps cities and developers reduce the cost and complexity of managing last-mile infrastructure, Jessica O. Matthews' work centers around the intersection of disruptive technology, renewable energy, human behavior, and the psychology of self-actualization.
TECH AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
FLYNN COLEMAN
Social Innovator & International Human Rights Attorney
Flynn Coleman is the author of A Human Algorithm, a groundbreaking narrative on the urgency of ethically designed AI and a guidebook to reimagining life in the era of intelligent technology and her research has brought her to work with the United Nations, the United States federal government, and international corporations.
Candid Conversations: How Technology is Redefining Who We Are
RUHA BENJAMIN
Education and Tech Equity Advocate & Sociologist
Ruha Benjamin is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, which examines the relationship between machine bias and systemic racism, analyzing specific cases of “discriminatory design” and offering tools for a socially-conscious approach to tech development.
Which Humans? Innovation, Equity, and Imagination in Human-Centered Design?
FUTURE OF WORK
MARY L. GRAY
Digital Economies Authority & Senior Researcher at Microsoft
Mary L. Gray is an anthropologist and media scholar whose research and work focus on how people’s everyday uses of technologies transform labor, identity, and human rights and in 2020, she was named a MacArthur Fellow for her contributions to anthropology and the study of technology, digital economies, and society.
JOSH LEVINE
Company Culture Expert & Author
Josh Levine is an educator, designer, and author, whose book, Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love, presents the framework and tools that business leaders need to understand, design, and manage, and their own culture advantage.
PURPOSEFUL SPENDING
AMANDA SLAVIN
Customer Engagement Expert & Co-Founder of CatalystCreativ
Amanda Slavin is an industry pioneer in customer engagement and co-founder of CatalystCreativ, an award-winning community design agency. Amanda also leads CatalystU, an online learning platform designed to increase business growth and deepen customer connections.
AFDHEL AZIZ
Best-Selling Author & Expert on Conscious Capitalism
Afdhel Aziz is the founder and chief purpose officer at Conspiracy of Love, a think-tank and idea incubator that helps Fortune 500 make money and be a force for good, by balancing profit with the needs of their consumers and communities and by harnessing the power of culture and technology.
DEI AT WORK & IN THE COMMUNITY
PAULA STONE WILLIAMS
Gender Equity Advocate & LGBTQ+ Ambassador
Paula Stone Williams is the author of, As a Woman: What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, which chronicles her transition journey and sheds light on the gendered landscape that impacts many in the LGBTQ+ community and women in the workplace and beyond. Her research helps identify leaders and increase team effectiveness in the workplace.
TAYO ROCKSON
Corporate DEI Trainer & Cross-Cultural Competence Expert
Tayo Rockson is a co-founder and brand strategist at UYD Management, a strategic consulting firm that empowers organizations to incorporate sustainable diversity and inclusion practices with key strategies and real behavioral change, ultimately enabling them to communicate effectively across cultures in the workplace.
DOUBLING DOWN ON EDUCATION
CRYSTAL FLEMING
Author of Young Adult Literature & Critical Race Theory Scholar
Crystal Fleming, Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies and author of RISE UP! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy, educates audiences of all ages about how systemic racism exposes us all to racial ignorance and provides a road map for transforming our knowledge into anti-racist change.
CAROLINE MAGUIRE
ADHD & Social Skills Expert
Caroline Maguire is the author of, Why Will No One Play with Me? A Parent’s Guide to Coaching Your Child from Social Challenge to Success, which details proven strategies for parents through her “Play Better Plan,” a three-part program where neurodivergent children can make noticeable progress while building confidence and enjoying a more satisfying social life.
Why Will No One Play with Me? Helping Children of All Ages Make Friends and Thrive
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Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.