A Lineup You Won’t Want to Miss

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Anousheh Ansari

Astronaut and Entrepreneur

Anousheh Ansari is an astronaut, high-tech serial entrepreneur and global leader. Anousheh is currently the CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, the world’s leader in designing and operating large incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Ansari, along with her family, sponsored the organization’s first competition, the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million competition that ignited a new era for commercial spaceflight. Since then, she has served on XPRIZE’s Board of Directors.

Prior to being named CEO of XPRIZE, Ansari co-founded and served as the CEO of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm. In 2006, she captured headlines around the world when she embarked upon an 11-day space expedition, accomplishing her childhood dream of flying to space. As a result of her mission, she became the first female private space explorer, first astronaut of Iranian descent, first Muslim woman in space, and fourth private explorer to visit space.

Ansari serves on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council and has received numerous honors, including the WEF Young Global Leader, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, among others. She is a UNESCO Good Will Ambassador and serves on the board of Jabil (NYSE: JBL) and Peace First, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations focused on STEM education, youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship.

She published her memoir, My Dream of Stars, to share her life story as inspiration for young women around the world.

Ansari holds a BS in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University, an MS in electrical engineering from George Washington University; and honorary doctorates from George Mason University, Utah Valley University, and International Space University.

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Lucas Miller & Dr. Sahar Yousef

Human Performance Researcher & Cognitive Neuroscientist

Dr. Sahar Yousef is a cognitive neuroscientist as well as and youngest faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She has conducted research on brain plasticity, human performance enhancement, and cognitive training, starting out in psychopharmacology and then transitioning to non-invasive training work through the Veterans Administration. Building on over 10 years of research in the field of human performance, her current consulting practice helps executives, creatives, and engineers become more productive and effective at work.

Professor Lucas Miller is a human performance researcher from UC Berkeley. A specialist in the science of learning, he is the best-selling author of Beyond Brilliance: The Blueprint for Learning Anything, an illustrated user’s guide to the brain, designed to equip students and professionals with the skills to accelerate their learning and reinvent themselves in a world of constant innovation and rapid change. Lucas uses his background in neuroscience as well as his expertise in physiology and sports nutrition to help executives improve their focus and avoid distraction, manage stress effectively, and maintain high daily energy levels.

Outside of the academic world, Sahar and Lucas co-run “Becoming Superhuman”, a training and consulting firm which teaches busy professionals who think for a living how to get their most important work done, in less time, with less stress. Their work has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Business Insider.

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Mona Vernon

Head of Fidelity Labs

Mona Vernon has a proven track record of applying data and digital technologies to solve customer problems.  Currently the Head of Fidelity Labs, the financial software incubator for Fidelity Investments, Mona has led her team to launch new businesses including Saifr, Catchlight, and ESG Pro. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Akoya, a business focused on simplifying data access for open finance.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Mona was the Chief Technology Officer at Thomson Reuters Labs, where she founded and scaled a network of global innovation labs, oversaw research and development, and managed the corporate start-up investment fund.  Mona is known for her authentic style, just as much as her commitment to supporting future leaders through her advisory roles with the Corporate Council at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and MIT’s Future of Data, Trust, and Privacy initiative.

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Shaun White

Olympic Gold Medal Winning Snowboarding Champion

Shaun White is regarded as one of the greatest action sports athletes of all time. A three-time gold medalist and one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history, White established himself as a dual-sport athlete (skate & snow) as a teenager before focusing primarily on snowboarding for the better part of his ongoing career that spans more than two decades. The action sports pioneer has been recognized for his entrepreneurial endeavors including corporate partnerships, signature products and fashion lines, and a global sports and music festival. White has been named among Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s 100 Most Powerful and Marketable Athletes, Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Brands and 30 Under Thirty among others. Born with a congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, he is an advocate for children battling illness and is an active supporter of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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Ron Carson

Founder and CEO, Carson Group

Ron Carson is Founder and CEO of Carson Group, which serves financial advisors and investors through its businesses including Carson Coaching, Carson Partners and Carson Wealth.

Carson Coaching gives financial advisors a coach, a plan and accountability to get organized so they can deliver results for their clients. Carson Partners helps financial advisors find their freedom by handling their marketing, compliance, technology, investment management and operations so they can grow their business.

The financial advisors at Carson Wealth are just as good at explaining investments as they are at making them, so clients fully understand what’s happening with their money at every stage of their financial journey.

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Julie Pine

Chief Legal Officer, Carson Group

Julie attended the University of Kansas where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Anthropology, graduating with distinction. She then attended law school at the university.

Prior to joining Carson, Julie served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Risk Officer at Lead Bank, a community bank located in Kansas City, which was recognized for its innovative banking as a service platform. She oversaw legal, risk, compliance, human resources, and information security. Julie began her career at McDowell, Rice, Smith & Buchanan, P.C. as a commercial litigator and equity shareholder. After seven years, she accepted a position as General Counsel of Mariner Wealth Advisors, a financial services company with over 60 firms nationwide.

Julie has been recognized for her leadership, receiving the Missouri Lawyers Weekly In House Counsel Rising Star award and being recognized in Kansas City as a NextGen Leader. In 2020, she graduated from the Greater Kansas City Chamber’s Centurions Leadership Program.

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Paul West

Managing Partner, Carson Wealth

Having built countless relationships with individuals and families all over the country, Paul holds the leadership role as Managing Partner of Carson Wealth.

Paul is also the former Managing Director of Carson Coaching. This role allowed Paul the ability to help both emerging and established advisors in many areas of their practice. It also led him into the current role he serves by advising clients of Carson Wealth, as well as serving as an Executive Leader for the enterprise.

Before joining Carson Wealth, Paul was both an owner and senior executive at a niche-focused RIA advising clients, and he spent more than nine years in leadership positions at a large broker-dealer, where his responsibilities included branch development, recruiting, retention, technology, consulting and operations.