Known for her relatability and humor, Danielle Gray challenges her audience to reconnect with what make them human. As a keynote speaker and host, she fuses vulnerability with applicable tactics to make a lasting impression on her audience. Her goal is to empower each person to not just be a better businessperson, but to also be a better human. Her keynote topics include marketing, branding, passion, authenticity and inclusion.

As Founder/CEO of DG Marketing Company, she helps firms develop thoughtful and outside-the-box strategies that are equally authentic and effective. She blends her marketing experience in AEC with her strategic experience as a CEO to help her clients explore marketing initiatives that ultimately generate new business.

Danielle is a former Division I Basketball Player at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida and holds both a Bachelor's in Marketing and MBA from the institution. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her partner and three dogs. She also serve as CEO of the CBD company, Unoia that sells both human and pet CBD products.  

Heather Polivka is an internationally trusted business advisor accelerating the growth and success of progressive SMBs and their leaders through practical leadership, employee performance, and thriving workplace cultures.  Heather’s methodology unites over a decade’s worth of experience across marketing, HR and, operations to transforming people, processes, and profits of Fortune 10 organizations, 20+ acquired businesses, and SMBs of all sizes.

Dena has it covered when it comes to helping individuals and teams create more robust and dynamic personal interactions. She focuses on presentation coaching and strategy that helps firms win more work. A former Dale Carnegie instructor and trainer and founder of Marketing Evolutions, Dena brings more than 25 years of experience in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. She has also served as a mentor and has a passion for helping people reach their full potential. 

Krystn is a true powerhouse in engaging and empowering audiences with her dynamic speaking skills and deliberate facilitation. With a rare and coveted ability to bring big-picture ideas (and the actionable takeaways to get there) to life, she weaves wisdom, and humor together into a winning combination that captivates diverse audiences. As a former Division I college athlete, Krystn's competitive spirit and drive are evident in everything she does. She is no stranger to facing challenges head-on with a growth mindset to achieve success — an energy that shines through in her speaking engagements, inspiring with expert insight and strategy that spans industries.

As the founder + CEO of Summit Strategy, a game-changing integrated marketing + proposal consulting firm, Krystn is instrumental in helping B2G/B2B organizations achieve their goals through strategic planning, branding, proposal development, and training. With over 20 years of experience in the marketing + proposal profession, she has earned a reputation as an expert at assembling high-performing teams that deliver significant, demonstrable sales growth and improved win rates.

Krystn's passion for forging powerful connections that bridge organizational gaps and align goals has earned her widespread respect in the industry. As the former board chair for the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), she led an 11,000-member, $2.5M professional association to one of its most profitable years in 2021. Currently, she is an advisory board member of the UCI Customer Experience Program. In recognition of her exceptional leadership and achievements, Krystn was named one of the 20 Most Inspiring Women Leaders by Women Leaders Magazine in 2022.

Meagan is the owner of The Modern Take, a digital agency in Dallas, TX. She started The Modern Take in 2017 after 15 years of being a professional writer and editor. Now she works in the A/E/C space and with firms around the country to create intentional and powerful story-driven social media strategies.

A self-proclaimed word nerd, Holly Bolton, FSMPS, CPSM, grew up with her nose in a book and a pencil in her hand. Today, she channels that love of story into her role as owner of 3chord Marketing, a marketing communications firm that helps architecture, engineering, and construction companies understand and connect with their audiences through research, strategy, and storytelling. Holly’s 20+ years of experience include serving in a variety of marketing, business development, and corporate communication roles for architecture and engineering firms. The Society of Marketing Professional Service’s 2022-2023 president, Holly has also served as president of the SMPS Foundation and her local Indiana SMPS chapter. She is also a board member for Rebuilding Together Indianapolis. She has a bachelor of science in public relations with a creative writing minor from the University of Central Missouri. Passionate about both the built and natural environment, Holly enjoys exploring the U.S. national parks and hitting the trails with her husband.

Dr. Sweta Chakraborty is a climate behavioral scientist who is regularly interviewed on major, international news media outlets like CNN, the BBC, MSNBC, etc. Sweta is the CEO of North America for We Don't Have Time, the world's largest social media and communications company for accelerating climate solutions . She is a partner at Pioneer Public Affairs and is on the steering committee of the Global Commons Alliance. She is an Independent Director at Lightbridge Corp. where she chairs their ESG committee, and is on several advisory boards like the New York Academy of Sciences and Climate Power. She is a book author from her time as a postdoc at Oxford University. She is a TEDx, SXSW, and globally recognized keynote speaker and consultant for several Fortune 100 companies.

A leader of leaders, Sallyann is passionate about inspiring and motivating teams and individuals, maximizing their strengths to attain the goals in front of them. She is the Chief Revenue Officer at BSA LifeStructures, an integrated design firm focusing on Healing, Learning and Discovery environments. Passionate about BSA’s mission and values, Sallyann sees her work as truly improving lives. She is also certified by Gallup as a CliftonStrengths coach. Sallyann utilizes the StrengthsFinder to help others discover hidden talents which allows them to live their life at the top of their game.

Bolanle Williams-Olley is the CFO and co-owner of Mancini Duffy, a national design firm with over 100 years of history and a tech-forward approach based in New York City, where she oversees the firm's financial and operational performance. She has over 15 years of experience working in the AEC industry with a strong background in financial analysis and strategic initiatives. She is also the founder of four impact organizations serving children in low-income communities in Nigeria, women, small firms and creating awareness about NGOs across Nigeria.

As the author of Build Boldly: Chart Your Unique Career Path and Lead with Courage, she is passionate about helping individuals lean into their full potential at each step of their career, from applying to the first job to becoming a leader who empowers others. She urges leaders to challenge the status quo of what the corporate world should look like, introducing new methods to foster space for open voices, collective growth, and meaningful connections.

She is married with two kids, passionate about service and is obsessed with throwing really fun themed parties.

Lindsey Rem is Barton Malow Holdings’ Vice President of Business Transformation. In her role, she provides leadership for the continued development and alignment of innovative technology and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) strategy throughout the Family of Companies. She is also responsible for identifying new business models to ensure the long-term relevancy of the core business.

Lindsey began her 23-year career with Barton Malow, working on projects in the field before becoming a part of the SAP Implementation team, where she learned to deploy technology across the company effectively. Her strong passion for leveraging technology to increase project performance led her to establish a cohesive VDC and technology strategy across the company to increase Barton Malow’s competitive advantage.

Lindsey’s rise through the enterprise has included a bevy of achievements that transformed the way Barton Malow’s business capabilities. She established an operations specialist team to train and support various technologies, led the effort to digitize Barton Malow’s construction process, and created and scaled a VDC team throughout the organization. Lindsey is also an ardent advocate for the growth of prefabrication throughout the enterprise. Prefabrication can be described as building components off-site and then transferring them to the project site to be included in the project delivery.

Lindsey obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, Letters, and Society from the University of Chicago, where she was part of the varsity soccer team. Lindsey has been wired for team activities dating back to her competitive sports background. Her biggest passion is building strong teams of people that are dedicated to identifying forwardthinking solutions. Lindsey attributes her success to the talented teams she has worked with throughout her tenure.

Keelin is a creative thinker and problem solver with a focus on thoughtful interactions throughout the A/E/C industry. She is invested in marketing efforts that produce smart strategies and help her teams serve their communities. She is the owner of Adiuvo Marketing and the host of the AEC Marketeer podcast that explores A/E/C marketing and beyond.

As a speaker and facilitator, Troy shares his down-to-earth approach with clients throughout the United States and internationally. In his 20 years in the film industry, he has produced television series for Discovery Health and History Channel and also served as Director of Production for the Minnesota Film Commission, promoting Minnesota cities and venues to companies like Disney, HBO, and Netflix. During his tenure with SagePresence, Troy has coached and trained companies to over $5 Billion in project wins, helping individuals and teams increase their confidence and communication skills for live, virtual, and hybrid presentations. He has also attended numerous local, regional, and national SMPS, AIA, ACEC, DBIA, and AGC industry conferences and events.

Thiago da Costa is an entrepreneur best known for founding Lagoa, a cloud-based 3D visualization software acquired by Autodesk in 2014, and presently Toric, a cloud-based, no-code data platform that enables construction companies to interact with their data and perform extensive analysis.

 His significant expertise in designing, building and launching products led to his success in raising venture capital and negotiating competitive M&As. With a propensity for identifying opportunities, the insight to identify a compelling vision, and an uncanny ability to empower teams that enable and inspire individuals, he has quickly become a leading authority in the AECO data analytics space, cultivating an impressive following of industry peers and partners.

Specialties include SaaS Products and technology, startups, and building core teams that deliver. He thrives on data analytics and real-time collaborative software architectures. His experience encompasses a broad range of 3D industries (Visual Effects, Games, Mechanical CAD, Cloud Platforms). Fluent in English, Portuguese and French, he has conducted business in the US, Canada, and Europe. His roles include managing global teams spanning North America, Europe, and Asia.

Greg is the founder and CEO of Sourcetoad, a customer application development that builds mobile and web applications for companies who want to make a dent in the world. 

Founded in 2008, Sourcetoad has grown to 65 employees and has support centers on three continents. They have built systems for clients like Viking Cruises, Jackson Hewitt, Procter and Gamble, Luxottica, the US Special Forces, and dozens of startups. 

Greg is also the author of Herding Cats and Coders, a guide to software development for non-techies.

He has a passion for Startups, squash, and scotch, and would be happy to talk at length about any one of them. 

Kristin Kautz is a CPSM and received the 40-Under-40 Award from Building Design and Construction in their inaugural year. She received her degree in Art and Political Science from Trinity University (San Antonio) and has spent the past 25 years in marketing and business development for non-profit, corporate, business-to-business, and customer service firms. 

 
She is the currently a Partner at JAM Idea Agency. She was most recently the Director of Corporate Marketing at LJA Engineering, overseeing marketing, BD, and events for 1300 personnel across 45 offices with a marketing budget of $18 Million. Her career included Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum; Director of Corporate Marketing at Jones|Carter; Partner and Director of Marketing with PhiloWilke Partnership; Senior Associate and Director of Marketing for Bermello, Ajamil and Partners; and, Marketing Professional at Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum (HOK).
 
She has been active in SMPS for the past 20 years including: 2016 Marketing Excellence Award from SMPS Houston; Earned CPSM; Houston Chapter Board as Membership Director 2014-2016; Mentor; Programs Committee; Business Development Roundtable; Presenter at multiple past conferences (national, regional, and chapter education events); Design awards winner; and Chapter Diamond Sponsor.

Brent Britton is the Founding Partner of Core X Legal. Since the early 1990’s Brent C.J. Britton has been assisting entrepreneurs and technology companies of all sizes in corporate and intellectual property transactions. A dot-com era Silicon Valley veteran, Britton’s legal career has included tours of duty in several major firms in San Francisco, New York City, and Tampa. In his third year out of law school, Britton founded the noted San Francisco technology law firm, Britton, Silberman & Cervantez, LLP, which was later acquired by Thelen Reid & Priest, LLP. Britton has been a prominent voice for the cultivation of Tampa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem while maintaining strong roots in the San Francisco Bay Area’s emerging companies community.

Britton’s clients range from startups to international conglomerates in the fields of digital media and software development, video games, AI, virtual reality, data analytics, education, mechanical devices, entertainment, telecommunications, healthcare, cybersecurity, blockchain, and cryptocurrency. Britton’s legal work covers a full range of services of value to technology companies, such as corporate formation, venture funding, technology licensing and transactions, intellectual property strategy and prosecution (patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets), due diligence and auditing, innovation lifecycle management, mergers & acquisitions, website policies and terms of service, sweepstakes and gambling rules and procedures, privacy, data security, GDPR, employment agreements, responding to employee claims of hostile workplace or wrongful termination, digital token sales, and a broad spectrum of regulatory advice.

While in law school in the early 90’s, Britton was the founding Editor in Chief of the B.U. School of Law Journal of Science and Technology Law, and he also clerked for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. A former computer scientist and software engineer, Britton is the only lawyer who holds a graduate degree from the MIT Media Laboratory. Alongside his Master of Science from MIT, Britton also holds a Bachelor of Arts in computer science from the University of Maine and a Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of law. Britton is admitted to practice law in California, New York, and Florida. He has been an adjunct professor of Creativity and Innovation at the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. He is the co-founder of several startups, and he writes and speaks frequently on entrepreneurship, creativity, ethics, and the philosophy of happiness and success. Britton’s book, “Ownability,” an introduction to intellectual property law, is available on amazon.com.

Allison Tivnon is a Senior Marketing Strategist at Middle of Six, an A/E/C marketing consultancy. She has dedicated her career to city and regional planning—partnering with Cities, Counties, regional governments, DOTs, and others on behalf of urban planners, architects, general contractors, transportation engineers, economists, and policy analysts. She presents at events, conferences, and in webinars for the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and the Association of General Contractors (AGC). Allison is also the author of Marketing at Low Tide: How to Recession-Proof Your Marketing Department. Outside of work, she serves as a City Councilor for the city of Beaverton, Oregon.