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Presenters

Spark Session: Career Success? Yes, and… Joy and the Intentional Journey | October 6

Karen Jaw Madson Expanded

Karen Jaw-Madson (Moderator)

Principal

Co.-Design of Work Experience

Karen Jaw-Madson

Principal, Co. Design of Work Experience

Karen Jaw-Madson is a catalyst for leaders, teams, and organizations, empowering them to close the distance between where they are and where they need to be. A former corporate executive with global experience, she has positively impacted over 50 companies and coached over 100 leaders to tap into their potential and achieve meaningful change. Her expertise includes coaching leadership and their teams, leveraging culture as an asset, optimizing talent, and driving organizational transformation. Beyond her coaching and consulting practice, Karen taught at Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program and is currently an instructor with LinkedIn Learning, where she shares her expertise with a wider audience. She is a published author and her insights have appeared in leading outlets such as Inc., Fast Company, and Forbes. Karen holds a BA from Bryn Mawr College and an MA in Organization & Leadership from Columbia University.

Speaker Bio
Robert Gebhardt 400 X 500

Rob Gebhardt

Global Workplace Experience
AMER Lead

JLL

Robert Gebhardt, FMP, CHP

Global Workplace Experience – AMER Lead, JLL

Rob Gebhardt leads Workplace Experience strategy across the Americas as a key member of JLL's Work Dynamics Global operations team. He directs industry professionals who architect comprehensive workplace hospitality ecosystems designed to amplify human connectivity, drive collaboration and optimize employee experience.

With three decades of hospitality leadership across private and public sectors, Rob brings executive experience in fine dining, retail, healthcare, and Fortune 500 environments. Over the past decade at JLL, he pioneered the firm's Global Workplace Experience function and innovative workplace transformation approaches.

Rob holds culinary training from the Culinary Institute of America, Hospitality Management studies from Sullivan University and executive education in Organizational Design and Change Management from Stanford University and UC Berkeley. He is a frequent industry speaker and SHFM Past President.

Speaker Bio
Carmen Miranda

Carmen Miranda

Senior Development Chef

Infuse Hospitality

Carmen Miranda

Senior Development Chef, Infuse Hospitality

Carmen Miranda's culinary journey began long before professional kitchens - at home, alongside the women in her family - her grandmother, mother and aunts - who taught her that food is love, sacrifice and resilience.

She began her career selling tamales to fund her education and her travels, eventually working in kitchens across Mexico, Thailand, Guatemala, France and the United States. Winning MasterChef Mexico became a pivotal moment, opening doors to an international career in which Carmen has led kitchens, built menus, developed culinary concepts and scaled food operations at an international level.

Today, as a culinary leader, Carmen stands at the intersection of tradition and innovation - not only creating memorable food, but also elevating culinary standards, inspiring teams and redefining what modern hospitality can look like. Her vision is to shape a future the future of food: where culinary innovation remains rooted in culture, and where the next generation of chefs, especially women, can see that leadership has many forms.

Speaker Bio
Natalie Nelson Headshot 300 X 300

Natalie Nelson

Director - Non-Commercial Foodservice

Red Bull North America

Natalie Nelson

Director - Non-Commercial Foodservice, Red Bull North America

Natalie Nelson is a Chicago-based leader with over a decade of experience in the CPG industry across both food and beverage. She has spent the past eight years with Red Bull North America, where she has held five roles across multiple levels of the organization and segments of the business - giving her a well-rounded perspective on the non-commercial channel. Natalie currently serves as Director of Non-Commercial Foodservice, where she leads a team responsible for managing all core partnerships within this industry. She is known for her collaborative approach, focus on building strong, lasting relationships and ability to zoom out and connect the bigger picture - bringing energy and curiosity to the work and helping teams move ideas forward in a meaningful way.

Speaker Bio
Athompson Headshot 2023

Amanda Thompson

Chief Executive Officer

E15 Group

Amanda Thompson

Chief Executive Officer, E15 Group

Amanda Thompson is the Chief Executive Officer of E15 Group, a leader in data-driven strategy and analytics within the hospitality industry. She leads a team that helps Fortune 500 companies, universities, healthcare systems, and sports organizations transform data into actionable insights that drive business performance and guest experience. In her role, Amanda oversees the development of advanced analytics, market research, and revenue optimization solutions used across Compass Group’s North America portfolio. Prior to joining E15, she held strategy and sales roles across high-growth ventures in Chicago. Amanda earned her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and her BS in Business Administration with Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Speaker Bio

Unlocking Limitless Possibility: The Power of Yes, And...  | October 7

Seb Terry

Seb Terry

Speaker, Author

Seb Terry

Speaker, Author

Shocked by the death of a close friend in his mid-twenties, Seb Terry experienced a moment in his life where he asked himself a simple question: "Am I happy?” The answer was NO, and so, he created a list of 100 things that he hoped would transform his life.

Dropping everything to pursue his list, not only has Seb’s life transformed through his incredible journey, but the ripple effect has gone on to help millions of people unlock limitless possibilities in their own lives, too. From Marrying a Stranger in Vegas (Goal #2) and Delivering a Baby (#23), to Living on a Deserted Island for 1 Week (#63) and Helping a Stranger (#26) by aiding a quadriplegic man to complete a half marathon by pushing him in his wheelchair, Seb’s story has been turned into books, reality shows and is constantly featured by ESPN and Discovery Channel.

Recognized for his unique approach in combining brilliant humor, piercing insight and real-time action, Seb’s revered storytelling and interactive teaching style has impacted millions of individuals and influenced thousands of organizations and Fortune 500 companies around the world.

Speaker Bio

Yes—And...Getting  Practical with A.I. | October 7

Joe Schumaker 9

Joseph Schumaker, FCSI

Founder CEO

FoodSpace®

Joseph Schumaker, FCSI

Founder CEO, FoodSpace®

Joseph Schumaker, FCSI is the Founder CEO of FoodSpace®, a foodservice design and management consulting firm with offices in Silicon Valley, CA, Huntsville, AL and their state-of-the-art Test Kitchen and HQ offices in Meridian, ID. Joe is a chef/operator turned consultant and has an extensive background in catering, operations, entertainment, workplace amenities, and design. His guest-oriented and innovative approach delves into the inner workings of foodservice operations to develop solutions that deliver FoodSpaces that matter. His work includes workplace projects all over the US including 23&Me, Palo Alto Networks, Tesla, Uber, Adobe, Google, Samsung, Waymo and many others as well as projects in other industry sectors including restaurants, bars, education, and healthcare.  Joe currently serves as Chair-Elect on the FCSI TAD Board of Trustees and is also the chair of the FCSI Worldwide Technology Committee.  He lives in Eagle, ID with his wife and two boys and enjoys the outdoors, cooking, football, soccer, and baseball.

Speaker Bio

Vested: The Art of the Partnership | October 8

Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek

Faculty | Author | Speaker

University of Tennessee

Kate Vitasek

Faculty, University of Tennessee | Author | Speaker

Kate Vitasek is an internationally recognized authority on building and sustaining highly collaborative business relationships. She has been named by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce.

Kate is a Distinguished Fellow and Graduate & Executive Education Faculty member at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business. She is driven by a passion for helping organizations transform the way they work together to create lasting value. Her award-winning research on the Vested® business model has been adopted by more than 150 organizations for its proven ability to foster true win-win partnerships grounded in trust, transparency and shared outcomes.

A prolific author and thought leader, Kate has written nine books and more than 400 articles featured in leading publications such as Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, The Economist, Fast Company, CIO Magazine and Supply Chain Management Review. Her work bridges academic rigor with real-world application, equipping leaders with practical tools to elevate performance through collaboration.

Speaker Bio

The Future of Foodservice 2036 | October 8

Mike Lee Headshot Cropped

Mike Lee

Author & Designer

Mise and Principal Futurist

Mike Lee

Author & Designer, Mise and Principal Futurist, The Future Market

Mike Lee is the author and designer of “Mise: On the Future of Food”, a book of scenarios depicting what our food system could look like decades from now. He is also principal futurist of The Future Market, a consultancy that researches the future of food.

Mike began as a chef, founding Studiofeast, an NYC pop-up restaurant, in 2007 and running it for over a decade. He later led product development at Chobani, then created scenarios and innovation strategies through The Future Market and Alpha Food Labs for clients including Danone, Mars and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

A frequent speaker, he has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and The New York Times, and writes at The Future Market. Mike also holds a business degree from Michigan and a design degree from Parsons.

Speaker Bio
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