2026 Speaker Lineup
Sarah adams
Emcee
Sarah Adams is the Creative Director for the University of North Texas Division of Advancement, where she leads storytelling and creative strategy that connects alumni and donors to the impact of philanthropy. With more than 15 years of experience in film, communications, and multimedia production, she specializes in bringing ideas to life through video, design, and brand storytelling. Sarah is also a filmmaker and creative producer whose work has been featured at film festivals across the country..
Heather Steele +
Randi skinner
KEYNOte speakers
Randi Skinner and Heather Steele are co-founders of VBM Strategy, where theyhelp business leaders replace scattered marketing with disciplined, vision-aligned execution.
Together, they created the Vision Value Model™- a practical framework that moves organizations from overwhelm to clarity by aligning vision, values, and real-world capacity. They work with owners and leadership teams who are doing “all the right things” in marketing-yet still feel stuck, scattered, or exhausted.
Through the Vision Value Model™ and their PiPP framework, they help businesses simplify decisions and concentrate effort. They don’t teach marketing trends or isolated actics-they teach leaders how to build marketing systems that support the business instead of consuming it.
Louis korom
Breakout Session speaker
Louis Korom (Lou) is a marketing professional that specializes in building websites, doing SEO/AIO, and email marketing. Working for the past 17 years in Denton with the small business and non-profit communities has given him an edge about how to position marketing materials to reach the right audience and how to leverage those materials to gain additional insights about a business's most valuable customers.
Orion Fern Schiada
Breakout Session speaker
Orion Fern is the two-time award-winning multidisciplinary artist of 'THE FOX WHO BECAME A GIRL' with a BFA in Media Arts & Animation who is supported by The Greater Denton Arts Council, The Comic Advocacy Group and the Denton Musicians and Artists Collab. They are a small business owner that has been vending in Denton, TX since 2023 selling comics, zines, and fun merch featuring their artwork. He has been doing graphic design and animation commissions for local businesses, non-profits, and individual clientele from all over the world remotely since 2017. During the week, you can find him helping local makers at Thistle Creative Reuse. Orion sees it as his sacred duty to be a helper in all ways, volunteering weekly with The Denton Water Project and The Community Hunger Initiative. He is frequently seen spreading positive anti-fascist hopepunk art and zines around Denton that help to illuminate a vision of a brighter, kinder, and more just future that we can all help contribute to building today.
Amanda Brooks
Breakout Session speaker
Amanda Joy Brooks is a financial professional with over 15 years of experience helping individuals and families build long-term financial stability and confidence. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with clients to develop personalized strategies that support wealth building, protection, and financial clarity across different life stages.
Amanda is passionate about financial education and believes that understanding money is a critical component of personal empowerment. She enjoys helping people simplify complex financial concepts so they can make informed decisions about their future. Through her work and speaking engagements, Amanda focuses on practical financial strategies, long-term planning, and helping individuals develop a healthier relationship with money.
Avi Tejeda
Breakout SEssion Speaker
Avi Tejeda has a background in psychology and an interest in behavioral economics and financial decision-making. Through her work in financial services, she explores the psychological and social factors that influence how people approach money, planning, and long-term goals. Avi is particularly interested in the human side of financial conversations—how mindset, identity, and decision-making patterns shape the way individuals build financial confidence.
Colleen Clark Lay Breakout session speaker
Colleen Clark Lay is a veteran psychotherapist with 25 years of experience in individual and couples counseling, now dedicated to women's empowerment coaching. As the owner of CCL Coaching and co-founder of Woven Networking Group, she translates clinical depth into high-octane empowerment for women. Through her workshops, community building, and coaching, Colleen helps women audit their lives for alignment, ensuring they fuel what actually matters. She believes that true success isn't lived in a box- it's a self-defined badass journey designed by choice, not default.