Featured Authors and Speakers

Minette Norman is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading
global technical teams in the Silicon Valley software industry.
Minette knows that when groups embrace diversity in all its forms, breakthroughs emerge, and
innovation accelerates. Her most recent position before starting her own consultancy was as Vice
President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk. Responsible for influencing more than 3,500 engineers
around the globe, she focused on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative
and inclusive culture.

As the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook:
Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human, Minette is committed to helping leaders unleash the full
potential of the people in their organizations.

Named in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco
Business Times and as “Business Role Model of the Year” in the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards,
Minette is a recognized leader with a unique perspective.
Minette holds degrees in Drama and French from Tufts University and studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle
in Paris.

Beth Comstock is a former vice chair of General Electric. She's recognized for her innovative mindset and leadership in marketing and business development. Comstock was responsible for GE's growth efforts and was a leading advocate for embracing change and disruption within large organizations.

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler is a bestselling author and one of the leading speakers on introverts in the workplace. Her pioneering books, The Introverted Leader, Quiet Influence, The Genius of Opposites, and Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces have been translated into 18 languages. The Introverted Leader was named one of the top 5 business books by The Shanghai Daily.

Jennifer has partnered with leading organizations like Amazon, Merck, Kimberly Clark, NASA, Bosch, and the US Centers for Disease Control. She has delivered keynotes from Singapore to Spain. Her engaging presentations to diverse audiences blend research with provocative examples and practical tools. Jennifer has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and The New York Times and has appeared as a guest on over 100 podcasts and is starting her own this March called Introvert Ally. 

Jennifer holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation, awarded to a small percentage of speakers, and is proud to serve as a mentor to many professional women. She received her PhD in counseling and organizational development from Florida State University and her degrees in sociology and counseling from Washington University, St. Louis.  Jennifer calls Atlanta, GA home.

Bill Yates is the Executive Vice President of Velociteach. In this role, Bill is responsible for the performance of Live Training, Licensing, Operations, Mobile Learning, and Curriculum Development. Bill joined Velociteach in 2005 as an instructor and course developer and served as Director of Training for 8 years. He is one of the key architects of InSite, Velociteach’s revolutionary Mobile Learning system. Bill holds the Project Management Professional, Program Management Professional, and Agile Certified Practitioner credentials from the Project Management Institute.

In 2016, Velociteach founder Andy Crowe launched Manage This with the tagline “The podcast by project managers for project managers.” As of Feb 2023, Bill has co-hosted over 170 episodes featuring outstanding guests and project stories. The Manage This podcast releases twice a month and has over 1M downloads to date.

In 2011, Bill was asked to join the global Advisory Group for the PMI Registered Education Provider program for a 3-year term. This group of eight advisors represented over 1,600 R.E.P.s, using their professional knowledge and expertise to counsel and guide PMI’s R.E.P. program administration. At that time, members of this volunteer MAG included representatives from the Netherlands, India, China, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Brazil, the UAE, and the USA.

With over fifteen years of experience in the software industry, Bill has managed projects for some of the nation’s largest utility companies. As a subject matter expert and project leader, Bill managed successful projects for large telecommunication organizations, including BellSouth, Sprint, Qwest, and Verizon Communications.