As chief operating officer and group president for Starbucks, Roz Brewer leads the company’s operating businesses across the Americas (Canada, U.S. and Latin America), and Starbucks license stores as well as the global functions of marketing, technology, supply chain, product innovation, and store development organizations. Roz was appointed to the Starbucks board of directors in March 2017 and continues to serve on the board. 

Prior to joining Starbucks, Roz served as president and chief executive officer of Sam’s Club, the eighth largest U.S. retailer with sales of $57 billion for fiscal year 2016. Roz joined Sam’s Club, the members-only warehouse channel of Walmart Inc. in 2012 and made history by becoming the first woman and first African American to lead a Walmart division. In 2018, Fortune ranked her #33 on its list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. During her time at the helm, she led the growth of Sam’s Club by focusing on three core areas: growing membership; transforming merchandise; and amplifying the use of digital technology to enable a seamless shopping experience at scale which led to sequentially improved comp sales.

She joined Walmart in 2006 as regional vice president and later became president of Walmart East, where her P&L responsibility exceeded $100 billion. Prior to Walmart, she was with Kimberly-Clark Corp. for 22 years, starting as a scientist and ultimately serving as president of the Global Nonwovens Sector in 2004. Roz earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College and attended Wharton’s Advanced Management Program and Stanford University’s Directors’ College. She is a current director of Amazon and a former director of Lockheed Martin and Molson Coors Brewing Company. She also chairs the board of trustees at Spelman College.

James H. Johnson, Jr. is the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of strategy and entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center in the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include community and economic development, the effects of demographic changes on the U.S. workplace, interethnic minority conflict in advanced industrial societies, poverty and public policy in urban America, and workforce diversity issues. He has published more than 100 scholarly research articles and three research monographs and has co-edited four theme issues of scholarly journals on these and related topics. Currently he is researching strategies to combat hyper-segregation,  persistent and concentrated poverty, and gentrification-induced residential and economic dislocations in U.S. cities. And he currently works with gentrifying cities to develop roadmaps for inclusive and equitable economic development that creates shared prosperity. Fast Company profiled him in “Hopes and Dreams.” He received his PhD from Michigan State University, his MS from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his BS from North Carolina Central University.

Judi Holler is a keynote speaker, best selling author, and a professionally trained improviser and alumni of The Second City’s Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois. Judi studied and performed improv theatre at night while working full time by day in the meetings industry in sales and marketing for companies like Marriott, Omni, and Starwood Hotels before starting her company, HOLLA! Productions, in 2013.

Judi is a past president of Meeting Professionals International, Chicago Area Chapter, and was named one of the 40 under 40 in the meetings industry by Connect magazine in 2015. Judi has a passion for the meetings industry and is proud to work with Meetings Mean Business® to advocate for the undeniable value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities.

Judi’s book on Fear, titled “Fear Is My Homeboy®: How to Slay Doubt, Boss Up, and Succeed on Your Own Terms”, was recently endorsed by Mel Robbins calling it: “relatable, relevant and most importantly ACTIONABLE!” Fear Is My Homeboy® was officially released May 28, 2019 and is available on Amazon, 800 CEO Read, Barnes & Noble, and across the country in airports nationwide.

When Judi is not keynoting conferences, testing out new fear experiments and/or creating content for you … she is most likely riding her Peloton bike, deep in a book, and hanging out with her husband Scott and their golden retriever, Tito!

Judi likes her books non-digital, her wine bubbly, and her music hip-hop.

Judi’s Mission: To help you transform fear into a powerful secret weapon so you can fear LESS and succeed on your own terms.

Judi’s Vision: A world so brave that fear is actually a motivator and a world so courageous that regret has been removed from the dictionary because you are way too busy making things happen for yourself!

Influencers in Judi’s work: Brené Brown is her Beyoncé. Mel Robbins is her spirit animal. Amy Poehler is her favorite funny girl. Marie Forleo reminds her that “everything is figure-out-able”. Steven Pressfield is her Fear Doctor. Dr. Dre reminds her to roll to the beat. And Seth Godin inspires her to go make things happen.

Learn more by visiting www.judiholler.com.