Conference Keynotes
We've selected an amazing line-up of Keynote Speakers and Panelists for the 2023 Conference!
Robert Feeney (Industry Keynote),
Chief Vision Officer, Ringorang
Robert Feeney spent his early career in Hollywood entertainment, which is where the inspiration arose for his software solution Ringorang®. There he met his business partner BW Barkley, who invented a way to engage people through app-based nudges – and Ringorang was born. Robert took the software prototype, which started as a marketing tool co-developed by Coca Cola, into clinical trials where it was redeveloped with the U.S. Department of Energy, partnering with national laboratories, universities and millions of dollars in grants. The result was the first software solution to deliver behavior change at scale. More applications for Ringorang in the federal government and with world-leading tech companies led Robert and BW to form their business, Knowledge as a Service, Inc., which they moved from California to Wichita, Kansas. Now, they have developed the world’s first behavior-change algorithm – Ringorang’s underlying infrastructure known as A.S.K (attitudes, skills and knowledge) – to deliver workforce development and readiness at scale to address the nation’s growing workforce crisis. Robert is the owner of six patents and is proud to be a Wichitan supporting the rapid growth of the local technology industry.
Dr. Patrick Malone (Academic Keynote),
Director, Key Executive Leadership Programs, American University,
Washington, DC
Professor Malone is the Director, Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He is a frequent guest lecturer on kindness, gratitude, emotional intelligence, compassion, ethics, mindfulness, and leadership at various organizations, professional associations, and universities including the Fulbright Scholars Program. His research and teaching interests include human motivation, kindness, leadership, ethics, and organizational behavior. Dr Malone is a retired Navy Captain. While in the Navy, he served in a number of leadership and policy roles including as a professor of biometrics and preventive medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Academic Director; and Dean of Academics for Navy Medicine. His most recent publications include: “The Way Leaders Think,” “The Trusting Leader,” “Selfies in the Workplace,” “Kindness and Survival of the Fittest,” “Go Ahead, Laugh – Why Humor Makes for a Better Workplace,” and “VulnerABILITY - Can Managers Benefit from Extreme Exposure?” His TED Talk, “Thinking about Time,” is available at http://tedxtalks.ted.com and his co-edited book, The Handbook of Federal Leadership and Administration, was published in November 2016. His co-authored book Leading with Love and Laughter was released in Spring 2021. His new book Emotional Intelligence for Talent Development was released in October 2021.
Special Government/Non-Profit Panel Event
Join us Tuesday, April 25th at 8:30 for this very special panel focusing on the 10 Standards of Performance Improvment in the government sector. Programming descriptions are generated by speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ISPI.
Paul E. Baker
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Training and Development
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Paul Baker serves as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Training and Development and CBP’s Deputy Chief Learning Officer. In this role, Mr. Baker leads a staff of 775 employees, manages a $275 million budget, and is responsible for basic and advanced training across seven training academies. He leads the development and delivery of training and education programs supporting more than 60,000 employees world-wide, spanning technical to leadership training, mentoring, tuition assistance and distance learning.
Captain Timothy Hammond
Chief, FORCECOM Training Division
U.S. Coast GuardCaptain Tim Hammond reported to Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) in July 2022. In his role as the Chief of the Training Division, he oversees worldwide training and education for the U.S. Coast Guard. He is directly responsible for all resident and classroom training, distance learning and a training enterprise composed of 8 national training campuses and 12 regional, specialized training sites.
Tracy Siler, Esq.
Assistant Director, Office of Leadership and Career Development, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Ms. Siler manages the design, operation and evaluation of ICE training and leadership and professional development curriculum and programs. She serves alongside a dedicated team committed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of all employees by preparing them to perform their duties at the highest level through quality training and professional development opportunities. Ms. Siler, an attorney licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state of North Carolina, continues to serve as a reservist in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps and holds the rank of colonel.
LCDR Richard Russell
FORCECOM Organizational Analysis Section Chief
U.S. Coast Guard
PANEL HOST
LCDR Rich Russell reported to the FORCECOM-Training Analysis, Consultation and Evaluation Branch (FC-Tace) in July 2020. FC-Tace is the Coast Guard’s epicenter for performance improvement analyses for all 11 Coast Guard statutory missions from environmental response to search and rescue. In March 2023, after leading 12 analyses, he earned his Certified Performance Technologist certification from the International Society of Performance Improvement.
Speaker Spotlights
