Watts Wacker is one of the most celebrated and influential minds in modern business. Mr. Wacker -- lecturer, best-selling author, political commentator and social critic -- is one of the world’s most respected futurists. His uncommon versatility and vision has allowed him to help the world’s top corporations and organizations navigate the sea of change that is taking hold in the new millennium. He has been the futurist at SRI International, the legendary Menlo Park think tank, and spent ten years as the resident futurist at the preeminent social research organization, Yankelovich Partners.
As founder and director of FirstMatter LLC, Mr. Wacker has focused his attention on creating a new kind of think tank and he describes himself as a twenty-first century alchemist as well as… "a cross between James Brown and the unknown comic, (the hardest working nobody in the business.)" His speaking style has created many references to Mr. Wacker as being one of the best storytellers alive today. His book, The 500 Year Delta was an international bestseller having been translated into ten languages and was an "editors choice" top five selection on the Amazon.com book list for 1997. "The Delta" was also selected for the NASA library. Watts' second book, The Visionary's Handbook is required reading at many of the world's finest business schools and received outstanding reviews.
SPEAKERS & SESSION LEADERS
John DiPietro Author, Speaker, Marketer
John DiPietro is an author, speaker and marketer. He is the author of YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE GREAT, which chronicles his work with Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Garth Brooks, The Harlem Globetrotters and even the clowns from The Greatest Show on Earth. He is an award winner salesperson who led his company in sales for over a decade. DiPietro is a featured contributor to the newest Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Inside Basketball. His humor laden presentations have taken him all over the United States speaking to corporations and associations on the power of the individual and their impact within the corporation.
Judy Shaffer Financial Adviser, Morgan Stanley
Judy Schafferis a Financial Adviser with Morgan Stanley who specializes in working with women to take them from "financial phobia" to financial empowerment. In her parctice she focuses on helping women create, maintain, and distribute wealth. Whether they're going through a major life change sucah as divorce, or becoming widowed, or they just need to get their financial lives in order, Judy takes them through the process to help them identify and reach their goals.
Mitchell York President, E2E Coaching, Inc.
Mitchell York is a Professional Certified Coach specializing in career change, entrepreneurship and Emotional Intelligence. His 20+ year corporate career included senior executive positions with leading companies in the media and e-commerce industries, including LendingTree Inc., where he was president. He received his BA from Northwestern University and MBA from the Columbia Business School.
