Keynote Speaker

Opening Keynote Session & Breakfast Featuring Smiley Poswolsky 

Monday, June 29 | 8:00AM – 10:00AM | Sponsored by Intrado
 

When organizations want to drive culture transformation and increase trust, belonging, human connection, and team engagement, they call Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky.

Smiley is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, workplace belonging expert, and bestselling author of four books that have been translated into multiple languages, including The Quarter-Life Breakthrough, Friendship in the Age of Loneliness, and The Workplace Belonging Toolkit.

Smiley shares industry-shaping insights and practical tools to attract and retain top talent across generations, create a culture of belonging, and engage high-performing teams, at world-class organizations like Apple, Google, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, Mayo Clinic, and the U.S. Navy. Smiley’s TED talk has been viewed 2 million times, and he has delivered 700 keynotes in front of 500,000 people in 25 countries.

Smiley’s work has been featured in 100 media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, the Wall St. Journal, Fast Company, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the World Economic Forum.

The Power of Human Connection: How Leaders Can Build Belonging at Work

In this timely, interactive, and highly actionable keynote, Smiley makes the case that the future of work is human connection. In the wake of the pandemic, 43% employees don’t feel a sense of connection to their coworkers, 38% don’t trust their coworkers, and 22% don’t even have one friend at work. 70% of employees are disengaged from their jobs—a record high. Employee disconnection leads to lower productivity and lower rates of retention. Meanwhile, creating high levels of workplace belonging is good for your people and good for your business. Employees who experience high levels of belonging at work have greater resilience, well-being, personal and professional growth, including experiencing a 56% increase in job performance.

What is workplace belonging and what are the key factors for creating more belonging for yourself, your team, and within your organization? Smiley will share an exercise for fostering team engagement and psychological safety, and practical tools and actionable habits to foster more human connection in every stage of the employee experience, from recruitment and hiring, to onboarding and training, mentorship and coaching programs, learning and development opportunities, team building experiences and connection exercises, and even weekly 1-on-1s and check-ins. At the end of this presentation, your team will have an easy-to-use toolkit to create a culture of human connection for your people and your organization. 
 

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General Session & Breakfast Featuring Dr. Michelle Lilly

Tuesday, June 30 | 8:00AM – 9:15AM | Sponsored by RapidSOS

Dr. Michelle Lilly is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Northern Illinois University (NIU). She completed her undergraduate training at Brown University before earning her doctorate in clinical psychology at University of Michigan in 2008. Throughout her professional career, Dr. Lilly has published over 50 peer-reviewed empirical articles, white papers, and book chapters examining the adverse psychological and physical impacts of trauma.

Early in her career at NIU, she began research with 9-1-1 telecommunicators and continues to focus on this understudied population. Dr. Lilly’s research on mental and physical health in first responders has been used in legislative efforts to enhance services available to this critical population. Her work has been recognized by NENA through its President’s Award, and by the Fraternal Order of Police through its Blue Award.

She is the owner of Lilly Counseling and Consultation, an organization that provides evidence-based intervention for PTSD, depression, and anxiety for predominantly first responders, as well as organizational assessment and consultation. Her first book, Just Be Happy, was published in late 2024.

“I Thought I Was Tougher Than This” — Navigating PSAP Stress for Individuals and Organizations

Effective emergency communications is built on strength, composure, and the ability to perform under pressure. But the reality of working in 9-1-1 is more complex, and often more demanding, than we acknowledge. Telecommunicators navigate constant unpredictability, high-stakes decisions, and repeated exposure to trauma, often without the time or space to fully process those experiences. This keynote examines what it takes to sustain that level of performance over time, and why it matters for both 9-1-1 professionals and their agencies.

Dr. Lilly will highlight key mental health challenges in the PSAP. She will explain how the realities of PSAP work collide with our need for stability, predictability, and meaning. This mismatch can increase risk for psychological distress. This keynote will share practical prevention and intervention strategies to support individuals under the headset and the organizations they serve.