Speakers

Bethany Hamilton

Soul Surfer

Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith, and hope. At the age of 13, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her career as a rising surf star. One month after the attack, Bethany returned to the water and within two years had won her first national title. In 2007, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and since then, her story has been told in a New York Times best selling autobiography and in the 2011 film, Soul Surfer. Bethany is involved in numerous charitable efforts, including The Beautifully Flawed Foundation, which reaches out to amputees and youth, encouraging and offering hope to overcome through Jesus Christ. Using her platform as a professional athlete to promote living a fit and healthy lifestyle, she authored the book Body and Soul in 2014. Bethany’s latest film project, Unstoppable, a surf documentary which showcases her as one of the best women surfers in the world, released theatrically in the USA on July 12, 2019, accompanied by a photo book and a children’s book. Passionate about family and about helping young women be unstoppable in life and faith,  Bethany launched the Unstoppable Living online courses in 2019, a mother-daughter mentorship program in 2022, known as the ‘Ohana Experience, along with another children’s book called Surfing Past Fear. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother, and she continues to touch and inspire lives globally as a professional surfer and motivational speaker.

Petra Krebbs

Clifton Strengths Coach

Petra Krebbs is a Speaker, Trainer and Business Consultant with a professional career that spans 20+ years in Training, Sales, Leadership and Development. Petra is part of a select team certified to speak & train on behalf of best-selling author Jon Gordon, and she is a certified Gallup® Strengths Coach.

She is an innovative, entrepreneurial thinker and built a thriving direct sales organization. Jon Gordon’s principles have been a guide in her personal and professional journey. Her positive energy is contagious and her focus on tangible outcomes is refreshing. Her experiences and
lessons drive her message and passion to help others in their quest for excellence.

Alex Chausovsky

Miller Group

Alex Chausovsky is the Director of Analytics and Consulting for the Bundy Group. He is a highly experienced market researcher and analyst with more than two decades of expertise across subjects including economics, manufacturing, automation, advanced technology trends, and business cycle analysis. He has consulted and advised companies throughout the US and Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia. In his investment banking advisory role, Alex is a trusted source of information for owners and executives of privately held firms who are seeking a business sale, acquisition, or financing (equity and debt).

Alex has delivered over a thousand presentations, webinars, and workshops to small businesses, trade associations, and Fortune 500 companies across a spectrum of industries, and is the go-to source of industry data and insights for business owners and leaders. Alex’s analysis has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, on the BBC, and on NPR, and he is a Top Economics Voice on LinkedIn.

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Eugene Chausovsky

New Lines Institute

Eugene Chausovsky is the Senior Director for Analytical Development and Training at the New Lines Institute, where he oversees the institute’s publication and content production process, manages institutional training efforts, and guides the development of analytical products.

He previously served as Senior Eurasia Analyst at the geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor for more than 10 years. His analytical work has focused on political, economic and security issues pertaining to Russia, Eurasia, and China, as well as global connectivity issues related to energy and climate change.

Eugene has contributed articles to a wide range of outlets including Foreign Policy, The National Interest, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Al Jazeera and has given interviews to global media outlets such as BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, Politico, and CNN. He’s delivered numerous presentations at international conferences and served as a guest lecturer at universities in the United States and abroad. He has also organized crisis simulations and delivered client briefings to numerous international organizations and businesses, including Fortune 500 companies.

He holds a Master of International Public Policy degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Texas at Austin.

Omar Nashashibi

The Franklin Partnership

Omar Nashashibi is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist and strategic consultant. Omar uses his over twenty years’ experience lobbying in our nation’s capital and contacts developed with government officials to help clients navigate the challenges and risks of public policy actions and how they impact a business or industry. Omar works with manufacturers, producers, distributors, and others to identify vulnerabilities in the supply chain and risks to customers caused by the imposition of tariffs or new trade agreements while also providing real time analysis of how new regulations and laws on taxes, OSHA, EPA, and others could cause disruptions or create opportunities.

Omar represents small and middle market businesses, hospitals, municipalities, non-profits, and others promoting their interests before the U.S. Congress, White House, and countless federal agencies and departments. Omar is able to use the real time intelligence he gathers from top decisionmakers in Washington to help clients develop a strategic plan to minimize risk and maximize opportunities. Whether working with senior executives to create a long-term growth strategy to assisting a company’s sales team to minimize vulnerabilities in their production and distribution process, Omar’s experience working with top policymakers and industry leaders is matched by few inside, or outside, Washington, D.C. 

Having worked with five Presidential administrations, with policymakers, politicians, and the media, he helps position clients to stay ahead of the competition by providing insight directly from the nation’s capital few others can. Prior to entering full time consulting in 2005, Omar worked for the Office of Management and Budget, part of the White House, a large multi-state law firm, and a non-profit public policy foundation. Omar graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Political Science and International Affairs.

Chris Yonker

Family Business Advisor

Chris Yonker, CFBA, specializes in helping family enterprises navigate the intricate and unique aspects of both being related and owning a business. He is a Certified Family
Business Advisor accredited through The Family Firm Institute. Chris helps to consciously navigate the challenges of succession, leadership transitions and family conflict, while creating long-term strategies for business continuity.

Dubbed a “Life Journey Sherpa,” Chris’ holistic approach allows each individual in the family to be seen as an integral piece to the work. He uses his experience as a Neuro-
Linguistic practitioner, a student of Philosophy and Psychology, and a thought leader on Personal Performance and Transformation to create a one-of-a-kind methodology
that fuses heart and soul — helping families achieve extraordinary results that become permanent ways of being.

Drawing upon more than 25 years of driving change and leading sales with 3M, and over a decade in Family Business and Executive consulting, Chris has built a process
that has become his special sort of alchemy. His strategy helps clients move beyond the obstacles family organizations face that often prevent them from leading deeply
fulfilling lives, both individually as well as collectively. Many of Chris’s clients say the process of working with him leads to profound healing within their families, bringing a
sense of deep peace, better relationships and higher levels of happiness alongside a thriving organization.

As a sought-after speaker, Chris has been a special guest of Camden Family Wealth, The Institute for Family-Owned Business, and The Center for Family Enterprise, and has been a featured contributor to Forbes.