Keynote Speakers

Hoda Kotb is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and founder of the wellness platform Joy 101. Widely recognized as the former co-anchor of NBC News' TODAY and co-host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, Kotb has spent nearly two decades inspiring audiences with stories of hope, courage, and connection.

She began her career at NBC News in 1998, serving as a correspondent for Dateline NBC, where she covered major global events including the war in Iraq, the conflict in Gaza, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—a deeply personal story for Kotb, who lived in New Orleans for six years. Her reporting has spanned eight Olympic Games and countless human-interest features.

Kotb is the author of nine books, including I've Loved You Since Forever, I Really Needed This Today, and Hope is a Rainbow. Her new release, Jump and Find Joy, continues her mission to uplift and empower.

Her accolades include multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and several Gracie Awards recognizing her excellence in broadcast journalism and storytelling. She was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2022. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Kotb lives in New York with her two daughters.

Known for consistently pushing the artistic and social envelope, Speech's Brave Leadership keynote mixed with a musical performance makes for an EXPERIENCE.

With people feeling powerless and more overwhelmed than ever before, he inspires people to want to accomplish the extraordinary. He challenges participants to look around the room and realize that everyone has the potential to "do what they can with what they have and with the people around them."

At a time when companies are trying to encourage their employees to grow in every way possible, this powerful talk can be used as a springboard for fostering a new generation of brave leaders.

Senator Gale Adcock is a family nurse practitioner in her second term in the North Carolina Senate following 8 years in the state House and 7 years on the Cary, NC town council. Adcock is the first APRN to serve in the 170-member NC legislature and the first nurse to serve in the state Senate.

Senator Adcock models collaboration among individuals of different experiences, perspectives, and ideologies, describing her style of bipartisanship as "living in the aisle". She has championed legislation to expand access to care and emove barriers to practice for pharmacists, physician assistants, therapists, psychologists, and APRNs.

From 1994 through 2020, Adcock was the chief health officer for global software company SAS, managing operations of its large onsite primary care center. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, a Distinguished Policy Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Kristin Roers is a nurse, a health care administrator, and a policy leader. Kristin has 19 years of health care leadership experience in Minnesota and North Dakota, focusing on both people and process management.

Kristin was raised in South Dakota, attending South Dakota State University and earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics before starting to work in Human Resources. After the economic downturn following 9/11, Kristin returned to SDSU and received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing through their Accelerated Program. While working as a bedside oncology nurse in the Twin Cities area, Kristin earned her Master's degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Minnesota and moved into leadership.

In 2011, Kristin had the opportunity to move to North Dakota to work for Sanford Health, where she emains employed today. Kristin works for the Chief Nurse in Fargo, focusing on standardizing processes and equipment.

Kristin served as the lobbyist for the North Dakota Nurses Association for two legislative sessions, then successfully ran for the North Dakota Senate in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. Senator Roers represents District 27 located in south Fargo. She is the Senate Majority Caucus Leader, the Chair of the Senate State & Local Government Committee, and serves on the Human Services Committee.