Gain invaluable insights from our esteemed keynote speakers. This year, we’re committed to delivering the finest thought leadership—guaranteed to change how you think about the future of contact centers and how you approach your role. Through inspiring stories, engaging advice, and proven best practices, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives for success.
2026 Keynotes
Keynote Panel: The Best and the Rest: Pulling Ahead in a Time of Disruption
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Host: Brad Cleveland, Founding Partner and Senior Advisor, ICMI
Panelists:
Chris Bean, Coordinator, Access Operations, Mayo Clinic
Katie Knight, Senior Assistant Vice President, Amica Mutual Insurance Company
Beth Reedy, Manager of Integrated Systems & Customer Solutions, Black Rifle Coffee Company
The contact center world is heading in two very different directions. Some organizations are making smart, deliberate decisions about strategy, AI and other technology, and people. And it shows: more loyal customers, stronger innovation, and business outcomes turning heads in the boardroom. Others are chasing shiny objects, reacting to every trend, or operating as they always have while the world shifts around them. The good news? Any contact center, regardless of size or industry, can be among the leaders.
In this candid, high-energy kickoff panel, you'll hear from contact center leaders who are getting it right and proving it with measurable results. You'll leave energized, inspired, and ready to help your organization pull ahead.
Key Takeaways:
- The decisions that distinguish high-performing contact centers from their peers.
- The traps and distractions that derail well-meaning organizations.
- How leading effectively through disruption strengthens your organization and accelerates your career.
About the Speakers
Brad Cleveland is recognized globally for his contributions to customer strategy and management. He was a founding partner in ICMI and has worked across 45 states and over 60 countries for many of today's most recognized organizations—American Express, Apple, USAA, and others, as well as the governments of Australia, the U.S., and Canada. Brad is the author of Contact Center Management on Fast Forward, the profession's top-selling management book. His latest book, Leading the Customer Experience, is a recipient of the NYC Big Book distinguished favorite award. His LinkedIn Learning courses have reached over 1 million views. Today, Brad serves as Senior Advisor to ICMI, and is an in-demand speaker, trainer, and consultant.
Chris Bean is an Operations Coordinator at Mayo Clinic with extensive experience in contact center leadership, workforce management, and operational transformation. Over the past five years, he has supported initiatives focused on patient access, workforce optimization, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled solutions.
Before joining Mayo Clinic, Chris advanced from frontline agent roles to Operations Manager positions leading teams of up to 500 employees and contributed to the development of new contact center operations in the Philippines. Today, he is passionate about using data, artificial intelligence, and innovative workforce management strategies to improve operational performance, employee engagement, and the patient experience.
Katie Knight is a Senior Assistant Vice President at Amica Mutual Insurance Company, where she helps lead customer-facing operations, workforce strategy, and transformational initiatives across service and sales organizations. With more than two decades of contact center and insurance leadership experience, Katie has built and led high-performing teams across multiple states, with a focus on employee engagement, operational excellence, customer experience, and change management.
A recognized leader in workforce optimization and organizational transformation, Katie is passionate about helping organizations navigate evolving customer expectations while embracing emerging technologies, including AI. She holds CPCU and SHRM-CP certifications and brings a unique blend of operational expertise and people leadership to every conversation.
Beth Reedy is a Customer Experience and Operations leader at Black Rifle Coffee Company, focused on transforming how technology, people, and processes come together to create meaningful experiences. With over five years in CX and a background in psychology, her work spans AI, self-service, system optimization, and retention. Her work has driven measurable business impact, including more than a quarter-million dollars in direct revenue and tens of thousands of customer interactions enabled through self-service. Beth is passionate about challenging the status quo, turning complex problems into scalable solutions, and using technology to create space for genuine connection with customers and the teams who serve them.
Watch this video to learn more about Brad Cleveland's Keynote presentation.
Todd Henry
Podcast Host and Best-Selling Author
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 8:00 am - 9:30 am
Brilliance Under Pressure
In our fast-paced, accelerating world, the need to produce brilliant results can leave even the most talented leaders and professionals feeling uninspired and burned out. In this engaging keynote, Todd Henry provides a proven framework for maintaining peak creative problem solving, even under intense pressure.
Talent may get you in the game, but it’s your everyday practices that keep you at the table. Through engaging stories and practical insights, you’ll be equipped with powerful strategies to defeat the common “assassins” of creativity that rob you of focus and productivity, and you’ll discover how to master five areas of creative rhythm that will enable you to stay energized and avoid the pitfalls of burnout and frustration.
By the end of this keynote, you’ll be armed with a toolkit of practices that will transform your approach to creative work and enable you to consistently deliver brilliant results, no matter the circumstances.
Watch this video to learn more about Todd Henry's Keynote presentation.
About the Speaker
Todd Henry is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, best-selling author, and trusted advisor to leaders and organizations who want to unlock brilliance, build courageous cultures, and achieve lasting impact. For nearly two decades, he has equipped executives, creative professionals, and teams with practical frameworks to drive innovation, sharpen focus, and perform at their peak - even under intense pressure.
He is the author of seven acclaimed books, including The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Herding Tigers, and The Brave Habit, which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and used by organizations worldwide to transform the way they lead and create.
Todd’s award-winning podcast, The Daily Creative, has been downloaded more than 20 million times, making him one of the most trusted voices on creativity, leadership, and productivity. His work has been featured by global media outlets, and he has delivered keynote speeches and workshops to hundreds of organizations across industries—from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups—empowering them to unleash the untapped potential of their people.
As a thought leader at the intersection of creativity and leadership, Todd Henry has developed a comprehensive framework that helps leaders and teams:
- Build brave habits that drive clarity, courage, and cultural resilience.
- Conquer creativity killers and overcome stagnation with practical, repeatable strategies.
- Maintain brilliance under pressure by mastering rhythms of productivity and avoiding burnout.
- Lead high-performing creative teams with focus, empathy, and confidence.
Kevin Lee, NiCE
Chief Technology Officer & Key Pursuits Leader, NiCE
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 8:00 am - 9:30 am
The More You Automate, the More You Need to Manage
You didn't get here alone. And neither will the people you lead.
Learn why scaling AI requires scaling observation and analysis. This session looks at why automation, without automated observation and analysis, creates a growing blind spot. You'll leave with a clearer view of what to watch as contact centers evolve, including a metric or two you're probably not tracking yet.
Presented by:
About the Speaker
Kevin Lee serves as Chief Technology Officer and Key Pursuits Leader at NiCE, where he leads the company’s technology vision and its most strategic customer engagements by aligning platform capabilities, AI strategy, and architectural vision to deliver differentiated outcomes.
Kevin joined NiCE in 2021 and has held multiple leadership roles across the company’s digital and go-to-market organizations. He founded and scaled the Customer Service Automation team, transforming it into a cornerstone of NiCE’s growth strategy. He has played a pivotal role in many of NiCE’s most competitive and high-impact pursuits, shaping both technical and commercial strategy across global opportunities.
Prior to his current role, Kevin served as Global Head of Digital Sales & Strategy, where he led the growth of NiCE’s digital portfolio and helped customers transition into the self-service era. With more than 15 years of experience in cloud and software sales, Kevin brings a comprehensive approach to account strategy, technical storytelling, and executive engagement. Kevin holds a deep commitment to cross-functional collaboration and continues to serve as a senior technical advisor across NiCE and its customer base.
Rachel Druckenmiller
Award Winning Speaker and Engagement Expert
Thursday, October 29, 2026 | 8:00 am - 9:30 am
THE POWER OF BORROWED BELIEF: How Great Leaders Grow Themselves and Others
You didn't get here alone. And neither will the people you lead.
Think about the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself. The one who told you a hard truth when you needed to hear it. Who held up a mirror and showed you what they saw. Who said "keep going" when you wanted to quit. Who pointed you toward the path when you couldn't see it yourself.
Every leader carries the fingerprints of people who showed up for them in exactly the right way at exactly the right moment, people whose belief became the bridge between who they were and who they could become. But here's what most leaders don't realize: someone in their world right now is waiting for them to be that person.
In this thought-provoking and deeply personal keynote, Rachel introduces four evidence-based leadership archetypes and the specific ways each one shapes identity, unlocks potential, and leaves a lasting impact on the people they lead. Because the most powerful thing a leader can offer isn't a strategy or a framework. It's the belief that someone can do something before they're sure they can.
When leaders learn to borrow belief and to offer it, they don't just grow themselves. They change the trajectory of someone else's life.
Watch this video to learn more about Rachel Druckenmiller's Keynote presentation.
About the Speaker
Rachel Druckenmiller is a leadership strategist and keynote speaker who guides people to stop holding back and start showing up with clarity, confidence, and courage so they come alive at work. She's here to help people live an UNMUTED life.
With nearly 20 years of experience in workplace culture and leadership, Rachel works with high-performing professionals to help them show up more fully and step up more courageously, so they lead with greater impact and influence. She spent the first 13 years of her career working directly with HR leaders helping them elevate wellbeing, employee engagement, and corporate culture.
Rachel’s approach brings together psychology, leadership insight, and real-world experience, delivered through stories that stick and tools people actually use. She’s known for making complex human dynamics—like self-silencing, burnout, and self-doubt—feel understandable, relatable, and actionable.
A TEDx speaker, Rachel has been recognized by Forbes, Smart Meetings, and Workforce Magazine for her work helping people build confidence and lead from the inside out. She’s worked with a wide range of organizations and in the HR field including SHRM, BambooHR, paylocity, Anthem, Cigna, and numerous benefit consultants and insurance carriers.
Rachel is respected for her ability to challenge assumptions, elevate thinking, and create moments of insight that continue to shape how leaders show up long after the session ends.
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