Ana Melikian, Ph.D., is an international speaker, author, and host of the MINDSET ZONE, which ranks among the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. A survivor of two bouts of cancer, Ana embodies resilience and champions change through effective self-leadership. Recognized on the LeadersHum PowerList 2023 for her contributions to unlocking human potential, Dr. Melikian is also a Board Certified Coach (BCC) and an active member of the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches (ACEC). Ana earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Sunderland, UK, laying a solid foundation for her work that integrates research data with practical applications. Currently, Dr. Melikian is at the forefront of exploring Human-Centered AI. Her work aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence to augment human potential, ensuring that technological advancements enhance, rather than diminish, our humanity and collective well-being.

Recognized as a business strategist, wellness educator, emcee, and influencer, Vanessa Emerson, FDSI mentors professionals in business development/strategy, marketing, event management, conscious leadership, and health/wellness principles. Vanessa's annual conferences attract professionals who gather to learn, network and support each other in growing their skillsets, mindsets, and shaping their industry. She is known as a ‘go to’ resource that helps meeting planners create stronger meetings, speakers acquire more bookings, consultants attract and retain clients and all to meet their business goals. She is frequently booked by organizations that would like to encourage their members to explore and expand their roles as speakers and consultants. An avid student of self-development over four decades, Vanessa is honored to be a Chopra Certified Total Well-Being Coach & Health/Meditation Instructor. Her courses and events reflect the understanding that professionals who prioritize self-care and self-development are more likely to experience happiness, vitality, and fulfillment.

Deb Shapiro is a speaker advisor and coach with 15+ years in the speaking industry, helping top credentialed speakers grow their impact and business. She’s the founder of DEBx, a speaker development experience empowering everyday individuals to use their voice for change, and Amplify Voices, an award-winning nonprofit elevating stories of those historically silenced. With a background in leadership development, Deb has trained hundreds of leaders and built replicable systems that drive healing and social change. She’s honored to support the NSA Arizona Chapter and contribute to the growth of a thriving, mission-driven speaking community.

Matt Silverman is the founder and CEO of The Blueprint Organization, a consulting firm that provides guidance and resources to companies and communities looking to build champions networks. An attorney with over 16 years of experience, Matt has worked for and advised Fortune 500 companies, global law firms, government agencies, charitable groups, and academic institutions. He is a contributing author to numerous industry publications and a sought-after speaker on compliance, network building, and leadership. Matt’s book, The Champions Network: A Blueprint to Expand Your Influence and Spread Big Ideas in Any Organization, is the first of its kind dedicated to the development of champions networks. Matt is from Evanston, Illinois, and is a proud alum of the University of Michigan. He lives with his family in Oro Valley.

Known nationally as the “team doctor,” Dr. Bill Dyment is a psychologist, executive coach, and sought-after speaker who specializes in team performance, burnout prevention, and conflict resolution. With a dynamic blend of clinical insight and real-world application, he has helped thousands of leaders and teams navigate change, boost resilience, and build cultures of trust. Over the course of his career, Bill has delivered 4,500+ presentations to more than 700 organizations, including hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies. He is the author of two books, Fire Your Excuses and Leaders’ Guide to Executive Coaching, and he brings a unique lens to speaking: the psychological science of team performance and health, with a clear focus on offensive and defensive development strategies. Bill’s global perspective comes from hands-on work on four continents, including his advisory board role with Africa New Day in the Congo. His experience includes everything from working with former NFL players to assisting frontline and medical teams after workplace crises. He’s also a proven innovator—developing proprietary team assessments, highly niched coaching programs and presentations, and integrating AI into his multi-faceted work. As a board member, Bill would bring not only his speaking and coaching expertise but also a deep commitment to service, technological innovation, and elevating our profession. His goal? To help fellow NSA members find their unique voice, build thriving, sustainable speaking businesses while staying grounded, relevant, and inspired to focus on what matters most.

Jeff Leshay is an executive presentation coach, media trainer and crisis communications specialist who has enhanced the communication skills and “executive presence” of senior leaders at dozens of Fortune 500 companies and hundreds of other for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Time and again, Jeff’s storytelling techniques have helped clients demonstrate leadership, strengthen teams, rally support, and improve their business results. Jeff spent the first decade of his career as a journalist, starting at The Associated Press and then as an award-winning, on-air television news correspondent at CNBC and several network affiliates. He went on to serve in leadership roles at three of the world’s largest public relations firms and two multi-billion-dollar public companies, including Abbott Laboratories, before founding his own firm, Leshay Communications, in 2011. Jeff holds a Master of Science degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has authored two books – “How to Launch Your Career in TV News,” and the recently published TV news and financial thriller, “Dangerous Trades.” He has also just launched an online master class titled, “Presenting with Persuasion: The Premier Fast Track to Powerful Storytelling."

Alaina G. Levine is an award-winning professional speaker, entrepreneur, career coach, speaking coach, TEDx speaker, science journalist and corporate comedian. Her first book, Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015), beat out Einstein (really!) for the honor of being named a Top 5 Book of 2015 by Physics Today, and her next book is Create Your Unicorn Career. As President of Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, she is a prolific speaker and writer on career development and professional advancement for STEM nerds and word nerds, and she has delivered over 850 keynotes, workshops, and training for clients in the US, EU, Mexico, Canada, Africa, Asia, and South America (including over 100 gigs in 2020). Levine has written over 500 articles in publications like Science, Nature, Scientific American, National Geographic News Watch, World Economic Forum, and Smithsonian. She also writes “Your Unicorn Career”, a careers column for Science Magazine about designing a customized career that honors your authenticity. Levine authored two online courses for Oxford University Press on career development and entrepreneurship, and is a consultant, speaker, and writer for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, where, as a panel moderator, she stopped a fist fight between Nobel Laureates and the CEO of a global, multi-100-million dollar company. As a career coach and consultant, she has helped 100s of clients in diverse fields, professions, industries, and regions create and grow their own Unicorn Career and has enabled companies to develop strategic career development plans for recruiting and keeping top technical talent. She holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and anthropology and a certificate in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona, and studied at the American University in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow. And as an award-winning billiards player in college, she competed at national events under her moniker Lady Dyn-o-mite.

Coming Soon!

Kyra is a trained actor, world traveler, and entrepreneur. Her life is a living laboratory of choice-making, which has led her to helping professionals make decisions in less time, less agony, and more confidence. As a full-time traveler, she has learned how to leverage the unknown. How do we get to our ideal destination? (Ideally without an agonizing series of wrong turns.) Kyra is committed to creating memorable, actionable change that inspires her audiences to choose their best case scenario. With the learned skills of emotional intelligence, right-fit recognition, and intuitive action, she offers tangible tools for decision making that unite teams under a collective vision of success.