Dr. Janice Fortman, CGMP, is a renowned public speaking coach, relationship coach, and award-winning author, of “The Secrets to How NOT to Throw Mama from the Train.” She is celebrated for her expertise in effective communication dynamics. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Jan has become a leading voice in transforming interpersonal relationships. Her unique approach combines practical communication strategies with deep psychological insights, empowering individuals to foster healthier, more fulfilling personal and professional connections.

Dr. Fortman is not just about solving problems, but nurturing understanding, empathy, and connection to improve relationships. Internationally recognized, Dr. Jan is a sought-after speaker, known for her engaging and insightful presentations, in which she shares her expertise on relationship dynamics, leadership and communication strategies.

Her charismatic presence extends to television, where she hosts the popular show "Relationship Matters tv. She has impactful conversations with her guests, focusing on how their relationships have impacted their personal and professional lives. The shows are educational, inspirational, and entertaining.

Rory Gardiner is an award-winning comedian and CCMA-nominated country artist who has shared the stage with icons like Keith Urban. With over 100 million views across social media, his viral humor has been featured on Canada’s Got Talent, America’s Funniest Videos, and TEDx.

A former corporate software consultant who worked on multimillion-dollar projects, Rory brings rare real-world business credibility to his high-impact performances.

Blending stand-up comedy, live music, and powerful storytelling, Rory delivers unforgettable experiences that help audiences rethink resilience, shift perception, and take imperfect action. Equal parts practical and hilarious, his talks leave audiences ready to embrace uncertainty and get comfortable in the uncomfortable.

Jeremiah Baker is a cybersecurity storyteller who makes hacking real, relatable, and unforgettable. A former insider who’s worked with Fortune 500 companies, he exposes how hackers think, the surprising human shortcuts that open the door to breaches, and the simple shifts that turn employees into a company’s strongest defense. Jeremiah blends live demos, real attack breakdowns, and engaging stories that keep audiences on the edge of their seats. His keynotes help organizations outsmart modern cybercriminals (without fear tactics) so leaders can protect their people, their data, and their future.

Emily has over 15 years in the insurance space, ten of those years with her current agency. She specializes in insurance coverage for nonprofits and schools. As a matter of fact, she's the insurance agent for SGMP's event insurance policy.

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Marj Atkinson, MLS is an independent researcher and information professional based in Texas who previously worked with government and corporate meeting professionals and now focuses on speaking and education about emerging trends in meetings and destinations.

A former research manager at Meeting Professionals International, Marj spent nearly a decade supporting planners, suppliers, and faculty with data-driven insights, program design, and education on meetings and hospitality. As an EV driver, Marj blends personal experience with current research on electric vehicle adoption, destination readiness, and guest experience to help audiences navigate how EV charging will affect site selection, contracts, and attendee satisfaction in the years ahead.

Christopher McLaughlin has over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry and is a Senior Director of Global Sales for Choice Hotels International.  In this role, he is responsible for the strategic vision, growth and management of the teams that work with TMC/Consortia, Workforce Travel, Airlines, Leisure, and Government & Military.  

Currently, McLaughlin is the Chair of the NDTA’s (National Defense Transportation Association) National Lodging Committee and is an Education & Programming Trustee on SGMP’s (Society of Government Meeting Professionals) Sam Gilmer Institute of Learning.  Notably, McLaughlin recently served for eight (8) years as an officer on SGMP’s National Board of Directors from July 2017 – June of 2025, in the capacities of National Treasurer (2017-2021) and Vice President (2021-2025).

Brett Sterenson is a twenty-seven year veteran of the industry, spending the last eighteen years as the proprietor of Hotel Lobbyists, a site selection firm based in the metro DC area.  Prior to that Brett worked for both Kimpton Hotels and Millennium Hotels.  Each year, his firm places nearly 500 meetings and events around the nation and around the globe.  He is a frequent contributor to SGMP having served on the local NATCAP chapter board, the Gilmer Institute of Learning and the National Board of Directors.  He’s most recently served as the Voice of God at the last four NECs.  Brett lives outside Washington, DC, is married and has a 12yr old son and 10yr old daughter.

Mike is a 35-year veteran of the hotel industry.  After graduating from Michigan State University’s Hospitality Business Program, he began his career in Chicago opening the Stouffer Riviere Hotel.  He then moved to new positions with IHG and Marriott including restaurant manager, sales manager, front office, and Director of Housekeeping.  Returning to Michigan, Mike held the General Manager position at a hotel that was awarded 4 Federal Lodging Contracts encompassing, rooms, food and beverage, and transportation. 

Mike then moved into Federal Contracting specializing in Lodging Contracts.  For the past 9 years, Mike has worked to secure over 40 multi-year contracts for our hotel partners by negotiating competitive room rates, writing proposals, and preparing properties for Federal operational inspections. 

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was lauded as “Office Whisperer” and “Hybrid Expert” by The New York Times for helping leaders use hybrid work to improve retention and productivity while cutting costs. He serves as the CEO of the boutique future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts, which helps organizations adopt a hybrid-first culture, instead of incrementally improving on the traditional office-centric culture. Dr. Gleb wrote the first book on returning to the office and leading hybrid teams after the pandemic, a best-seller called Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage (Intentional Insights, 2021). He authored six other books, and is best known for his global bestseller, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (Career Press, 2019). It’s the first book to focus on cognitive biases in business leadership and reveal how leaders can overcome these dangerous judgment errors effectively. His writing was translated into Chinese, Korean, German, Russian, Polish, Spanish, French, and other languages. Dr. Tsipursky’s cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles he published and over 550 interviews he gave to popular venues. These include Harvard Business Review, Fortune, USA Today, Fast Company, CBS News, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Entrepreneur, The Conversation, Business Insider, Government Executive, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, NPR, Time, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Fox News, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and many others. Dr. Tsipursky’s expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, speaking, and training for innovative startups, major nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies, such as Aflac, Applied Materials, Entergy, Fifth Third Bank, Honda, Outreach Corporation, ProMedica, Reckitt, The Columbus Foundation, Wells Fargo, the World Wildlife Fund, Xerox, and over a hundred others who achieve outstanding client results. His expertise also comes from his research and teaching background as a behavioral scientist studying the behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience of future-proofing, strategic decision making and planning, and cognitive bias risk management strategy in business and other contexts. He spent over 15 years in academia, including 7 years as a professor at the Ohio State University and before that a Fellow and Lecturer at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His dozens of peer-reviewed academic publications have appeared in well-respected scholarly journals such as Behavior and Social Issues, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, and International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. His civic service includes over 4 years as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Intentional Insights, an educational nonprofit advocating for research-based decision-making in all life areas. He also co-founded the Pro-Truth Pledge, a civic project to promote truthfulness and integrity for individual professionals and leaders in the same way that the Better Business Bureau serves as a commitment for businesses. He serves on the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal Behavior and Social Issues.