Image of Keynote Speakers title.
Headshot Sekou Andrews

Opening Keynote: Tuesday, May 2 | 8:00 a.m.
Sekou Andrews
Grammy-Nominated Creator of "Poetic Voice" & Inspirational Speaker 

Sekou Andrews is the Founder/CEO of SekouWorld, Inc., innovator of “Poetic Voice,” and one of the most successful spoken word poets in the world. On any given day, this schoolteacher turned artist and entrepreneur, who built a 7-figure company on poetry, can be found keynoting at a Fortune 500 company, inspiring thousands at a concert, or performing for Barack Obama in Oprah’s backyard. Sekou is the creator of “poetic voice” – a cutting-edge speaking category that seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry, like “Hamilton” meets “TED.” This innovative blend of strategic storytelling, thought leadership, spoken word, theater, and comedy humanizes content, making it entertaining, moving and memorable. Sekou’s accomplishments include two National Poetry Slam championships, two national poetry tours, two Independent Music Awards, three Helen Hayes Awards, the most “Just Plain Folks” music awards in history, the 2020 ABA “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, and the first “Best Spoken Word Album” Grammy nomination for a poet in 30 years.

Generously underwritten by an unrestricted educational grant from:

 AMN

Tuesday, May 2 | 3:50 p.m.
DEI in Nursing Leadership: Moving from Conversation to Action

Panel
Dale E. Beatty, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nurse Executive, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Stanford Health Care
LaNice Berry, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Director, City of Hope
Tiffany Love, PhD, APRN, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, founder of the Love Leadership Foundation. Associate Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Vermont Health Network Porter Medical Center 
Ena Williams, PhD, MBA, RN, CENP, Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer, Yale New Haven Hospital
Facilitator: Jane Fitzsimmons, MSN, RN, Kirby Bates, Executive Vice President for Search Services

We are all striving for greater diversity in our nursing workforce and leadership. All nurse leaders share in the responsibility of creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive leadership team by removing barriers for nurses of underrepresented groups to be in positions of leadership. Despite efforts to date, research shows that DEI initiatives have failed to produce the intended results. This panel of nurse leaders will discuss their experience of barriers and examine how we can address them to truly realize the benefits of having diverse perspectives at our decision tables.

Generously underwritten by an unrestricted educational grant from:

 Johnson and Johnson

Wednesday, May 3 | 8:30 a.m.
Building the Foundation for a Culture of Nursing Research

Panel
Lourie Moore, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSGB, Associate Administrator, Nursing Excellence, Quality, and Patient Safety
Deborah Eldredge, PhD, RN, Administrative Director, Nursing Quality, Research, and Magnet
Facilitator: Dana Bjarnason, PhD, RN, NE-BC, Retired Nurse Executive

This session will draw on more than thirty years’ experience engaging nurses in discovery and scholarship. Topics covered will include the importance of organizational commitment and community involvement, the role of mentors and role models, as well as innovative approaches that engage seasoned scholars with the inquiring minds of nurses – from the bedside to the board room – in order to advance nursing knowledge and innovation.

 

Headshot John Whyte

Wednesday, May 3 | 1:45 p.m.
John Whyte 
Chief Medical Officer, WebMD

Dr. John Whyte is a physician and corporate executive with a unique combination of government and private sector work that provides him with an exceptional perspective on wellness, clinical trials, information technology, innovation, and health care services.

Headshot Phil Hansen

Closing Keynote: Thursday, May 4 | 10:15 a.m.
Phil Hansen 
Internationally Recognized Multimedia Artist, Author, and Innovator

Embrace the Shake

Success, especially in today’s fast-changing business environment, depends on our ability to make "creativity and innovation" a continuous process. Leaders want to know how their teams can rise above any challenge and succeed no matter what comes their way. Whether it’s to embrace change, overcome obstacles, sustain growth, or take your success to the next level, they want to “Embrace the Shake."

The term “Embrace the Shake” is coined from Artist Phil Hansen’s personal story of transformation. After developing a career-ending tremor in his drawing hand, Phil embraced his “shake” both physically and metaphorically by redefining his limitation as an impetus for creativity. Phil not only restored his artistic abilities, he became a much more creative and innovative artist than ever before. Upon sharing his message on the TED stage and millions subsequently after, “Embrace the Shake” has become a motto for many businesses to approach their limitations in a new way.

Phil’s powerful message of finding creativity within limitations will inspire you to stop looking on the outside, and start looking inside yourself for resources that can transform your challenges into opportunities for success. Like Phil’s art, “Embrace the shake” isn’t just a talk, it’s an experience! Through jaw-dropping visuals and LIVE interactive art, get ready to break preconceived assumptions, activate your creative capacity, and bring fresh ways of viewing the task at hand that will culminate with success.

Generously underwritten by an unrestricted educational grant from:

 Cedars Sinai