Speakers

Our speakers are regional experts and we carefully chose them to ensure attendees get a wide range of helpful information, skills, and knowledge. Because these professionals often have big responsibilities, we might have last-minute substitutions but we'll keep this updated. Most of these speakers will be available all day for you to network with. A few can only be here for part of the day so if you want to connect with someone, don't be shy!

NOTE: We have not finalized our agenda so there will likely be additional speakers added to this list!

Click here for an overview of the topics and the agenda.

David Garibaldi

Growing up in Sacramento, California, Garibaldi created from a young age in various forms. From playing the trumpet, graffiti, animation, and even dance, each would later play a role in kicking off his art career.

Though a high school animation teacher inspired Garibaldi to pursue art as a career and attend college, a meeting with his high school counselor was about to change plans. The young artist didn’t have enough credits to graduate high school on time, which was devastating and life-altering at that time.

From 18 years old to 20, Garibaldi was trying to figure out what’s next while working odd jobs and moving from place to place.

Then at 20 years old, he took action to start painting live at local jazz clubs and sell his paintings to make ends meet. This live painting quickly transformed into a live show experience after being inspired by the performance painting legend, Denny Dent.

From 2003 to 2012 Garibaldi set out to put performance painting on the map while doing 100+ live shows per year for large corporations, schools, nonprofits, and even an arena tour opening for Blue Man Group. He was determined to keep leveling up and setting a personal challenge to raise $1 million for charity through his art by age 30. Which he did before 2012.

In 2012 Garibaldi’s appearance and America’s Got Talent finalist status took him to a whole new level. From collaborations with Disney and Cirque Du Soleil to being the opening act for KISS’s Farewell World Tour, there was a momentum that seemed like it couldn’t be stopped.

Since early 2020 and post pandemic, Garibaldi has grown his online presence with now millions of followers and has continued doing live shows on tour. In addition, the 39-year-old artist started teaching his techniques online, launched a podcast, and even does weekly live streams to create and inspire the next generation of artists.

This current path has led to founding PAINT +, an on demand course and coaching platform. PAINT is built on the foundation of what Garibaldi calls a life method. “We are somewhere on our PAINT journeys of Passion, Action, Intent, New, and Teach. The goal is to discover where we are, and create where we go next. PAINT + is one vehicle to teach and inspire future creators.” -David Garibaldi

Here's a link to a brief video about Garibaldi...

Jason Jeffery

Jason Jeffery is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25 years of experience leading and scaling a US-based SaaS company. As the founder and CEO of Catapult K12, he built a thriving software business, driving innovation and growth, with a keen focus on customer service. Under his leadership, the Catapult competed and beat industry leaders like Blackboard and Raptor Technologies. This success ultimately culminated in selling two-thirds of the business in June 2024.

Jason is currently dividing his time between the remaining software products at Catapult and while being employed as VP of Strategic Partnerships at Centegix (Cent-e-gics), the company that acquired him. Jason is now exploring investing and advising early-stage, AI-focused, SaaS companies in the K12 market.

Barry Broome

Barry Broome serves as the first President & CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. Barry is responsible for leading community-driven efforts to attract, grow and scale new businesses; develop advanced industries, and guide new job-creation strategies throughout the six-county region.

In his role, he has established the first public/private partnership economic development organization led by chief executive officers in California. The organization is led by over 40 CEOs and 20 communities in the Greater Sacramento region.

Previously, Barry was the President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. In 2013, he was also named Arizona Economic Developer of the Year, Arizona Real Estate Executive of the Year and received the Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce award.

Prior to Arizona, Barry was the CEO of Southwest Michigan First, where he built an organization from the ground up, which was later listed in the top 20 companies in North America by Site Selection Magazine. Barry built and co-developed venture funds, angel networks, and 31 new ventures – primarily in the life science space in the Kalamazoo region.

Barry was named Michigan Economic Developer of the Year in 2001. Preceding Michigan, Barry led the economic development in Toledo, Ohio. There, he completed the largest industrial deal in the history of the United States, Project Jeep, which was built on 450 acres of brownfields in the North Central Toledo area.

Barry has been featured and interviewed for his work in global and national media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Forbes and CNBC, among other publications.

Jennifer Edwards

Jennifer Edwards isn’t just a communication expert—she transforms conversation itself. As a Fortune 100 strategist and sought-after keynote speaker, Jennifer’s core belief is that the quality of our conversations determines our impact. With her formula—Event + Response Factor = Outcome (E + RF = O)—she teaches leaders to Regulate, Reframe, and Reconnect in the midst of chaos. Her viral TEDx talks and co-authorship of *Bridge the Gap* provide actionable strategies that drive results. Featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal, Jennifer empowers individuals and organizations to turn communication challenges into growth opportunities.

Jennifer Edwards is a transformative communication expert and Fortune 100 strategist who empowers leaders to connect, collaborate, and lead. As a dynamic keynote speaker, she teaches you to regulate, reframe, and reconnect using her groundbreaking formula, Event + Response Factor = Outcome. Jennifer’s two viral TEDx talks have captivated audiences worldwide and inspired countless professionals. As the co-author of Bridge the Gap: Breakthrough Communication Tools, she offers research-backed, practical strategies that deliver immediate results. Experience her warmth, passion, and powerful insights.

Bobby Pena

Bobby Pena is the President of BPcubed, Inc., a full-service public relations and communications firm. He is a proven communications professional with a solid track record of success in public relations, marketing, and outreach communication strategies.

With more than 30 years of experience, Bobby has demonstrated success in driving strong communications strategies with small businesses and large corporations, trade associations, non-profits, and organizations of all sizes.

Bobby has developed a solid and proven system to better understand your business/organization, your audiences, and how to effectively reach them, with messaging and strategies that hit the mark. He is a proven expert in community engagement.

Stacey Sommerhauser

Stacey Sommerhauser is the Director of Consulting Services for Silvers HR and has been delighting our clients for 10 years.

She holds three high-level Human Resources certifications from the HR Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Stacey has been a member of the Sacramento Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA) and SHRM for over 15 years. Her HR experience spans over twenty-five years in both the private and public sectors and over five years of sales and marketing experience. She has held management-level positions in Human Resources management in the transportation, finance, and construction industries.

She holds a BA from the University of California, Riverside in Sociology and Administrative Studies.
Much of Stacey’s work has been in employee relations, talent acquisition, performance management, legal compliance, and training handling multi-state and multi-site legal compliance. Stacey is known for her ability to coach senior-level business partners and provide effective training in harassment prevention, performance management, and communication skills.

When Stacey is not assisting clients, you may find her golfing with her family and friends in Placer County or walking her very energetic Boston Terrier, Jax.

Stacy was voted as the Top Event Speaker in 2024 and received the "Golden Microphone" award:

Scott Alvord

Scott Alvord is the CEO of Advanced Development Concepts, LLC, a company that he started as a custom software company while still in college. It’s now a business consulting firm with some small subsidiaries. He is president of the Advanced Business Roundtable mastermind group that organizes this event. Scott was also the original owner of A Dash of Panache, an award-winning restaurant he operated for over a decade in downtown Roseville until he sold it in 2016.

Scott earned an MBA degree from Sacramento State University. He also holds a Bachelor's in Computer Science from Pacific Union College.

Scott has been voted “Favorite Local Businessperson” and “Favorite Civic Leader” in the Style Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards. He was a 2015 & 2016 finalist in Gallina’s Business Person of the Year award.

Scott was elected to the Roseville City Council in 2016 re-elected in 2020 and termed out at the end of 2024 where he focused on aspects of economic development to help solidify the future of the region. He received formal federal, state, county, and city proclamations for his service as a city councilmember.

He served nine years as the President of the Downtown Roseville Merchants, has been an active Chamber member for decades, and has authored three books.

Scott served as a Senior Examiner for the California chapter of the national Malcolm Baldridge Quality Awards program. He led teams that evaluated the state’s top-performing corporations, hospitals, schools, civic governments, and even military programs for prestigious awards.

Currently, he is the president of the Roseville Police Activities League (RPAL), president of the Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (RCONA), and he serves on boards of the Golden Sierra Job Agency and Roseville Public Safety Foundation.

Scott has been married to his college sweetheart for almost 39 years, is the father of 7 children (some by birth and some through adoption of relatives), and currently has 14 grandchildren.

Dr. Amy Schulz

Dr. Amy Schulz serves as the Executive Dean of Workforce and Strategic Initiatives at Sierra College. Dr. Schulz is dedicated to strategic workforce planning, managing external initiatives, and implementing workforce development programs that meet the evolving needs of the region.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Schulz served as the Dean of Career, Continuing & Technical Education at Sierra College for nearly seven years and oversaw workforce programming, including business, entrepreneurship, computer science, cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud computing, robotics, automation, CNC machining, welding, and public safety. Previous to her time at Sierra College, she was the Director of Career Technical Education & Economic Development at Feather River College, Vice President of Membership and Education for the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), and Business faculty member and Director of Working Connections at South Texas College. Dr. Schulz has consulted on several statewide and national initiatives, including the New World of Work, California Community College Strong Workforce Program implementation, and CCC Maker.

Dr. Schulz holds a PhD in Organizational Systems from Saybrook University, an MBA from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Michelle Scribner

Michelle Scribner is the CEO of Sum of All Numbers, a leading financial analysis and planning company with full-charge bookkeeping services. Her passion is working directly with entrepreneurial business owners, helping them achieve greater profitability as well as working through the ongoing challenges and stresses of running a business.

Taking over as CEO of Sum of All Numbers right in the heart of the pandemic, and then growing the business twice over since then. She manages a growing team of over 35 people in a rapidly changing industry. She is an expert on the importance of the Profit First philosophy and uses it in managing her business.

She comes from an entrepreneurial family with businesses based in real estate investing and development. She's a proud mother of 5 children, whom she and her husband adore.

Rebekah Richards

Rebekah Richards is a digital marketer and Certified Social Media Specialist who helps local service-based businesses to get found online. She passionately believes that most local businesses can no longer survive without a solid online marketing presence. She likes to ask prospective clients, "If you aren't online, does your business even exist?"

Her clients love her practical strategies that help their business stand out, stay top-of-mind, and drive more eyeballs to their offers.

Rebekah received a B.S. in Business from Chico State University and went on to work over 15 years on large-scale Information Technology projects before taking her technical and project management skills to the marketing world.

Rebekah, and her business, Jucebox Local Marketing Partners, have been serving clients since 2012. When not "nerding out" on marketing she likes to spend time with her husband, kids, and extended family.

Rebekah Richards Jucebox Local Marketing Partners

Dr. Brian K Gladden

Dr. Brian K. Gladden is the founder and CEO of The Strategy & Innovation Institute (SI2) - a management consulting firm that helps Mid-Sized Businesses create strategies, execute strategies, and innovate their business model so they don’t become obsolete!

Brian has 34 years of consulting/sales experience with start-ups and Fortune 500 firms such as Verizon, Sprint, Intel, Cisco, and CGI. Brian has worked for American, Japanese, German, Swiss, and Canadian companies. He has extensive experience with both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as the private and public sectors. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, and coach to executives.

He holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Strategy & Innovation from Capella University; an MBA from the University of Warwick, Coventry, England; a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Fresno State University; and an Executive Certificate in International Management from Thunderbird, The Garvin School of Intl. Management.

Dr. Gladden is an EIR with Sacramento State University Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a Mentor at both the UC Davis Child Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the University of Warwick Innovation Collective. He is a CFO Peer Group Forum Leader at REF Sacramento, and a Certified Coach at Strategyzer, LeanStack, and OKRs.com. He is also an Expert Consultant at Blue Ocean Strategy.

Brian lives in Rocklin and has been trying to make a positive difference in the World through Rotary for 40 years. He is married and has two teenage daughters.

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