Gary Gray
Keynote speaker
Dr. Gary Gray PT, FAFS, Chief Executive Officer of the Gray Institute®
Gary received his initial education as a Physical Therapist in the mid-1970s. He immediately pursued additional training as an Athletic Trainer, Personal Trainer, and as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Realizing the common thread of creating transformational environments to enhance the lives of others being the science of movement, he developed the discipline of Applied Functional Science™. With his ongoing passion and mission of learning and sharing more, and with the goal of educating, empowering, and encouraging others through an appreciation of the wonderfully and fearfully made human body, Dr. Gray established the Gray Institute. Gary has been married to his 7th grade sweetheart (Cindi) since 1976 and has been blessed with two sons and daughter-in-loves (Brad and Shallon, Doug and Valerie) and six grandchildren (Denyon, Aryah, Calyx, Zion, Xyler and Lawson)
Nagham Alsamari
Session: Train Your Resilience Muscle™: Stop Reacting, Start Responding in Difficult Conversations
Nagham Alsamari is the Founder, Behavioral Resilience Trainer at Imkan Leadership Development. She created the Train Your Resilience Muscle™ framework and the Reactor Pattern™, tools that help managers and HR leaders catch their automatic reactions under pressure before those reactions do damage, and choose a response instead. Nagham arrived in the United States as a refugee at 13, and that experience of rebuilding from nothing shapes everything she teaches: resilience isn't a mindset, it's a muscle you train on purpose. A Maxwell Certified DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant with 13+ years of training experience, she brings that same directness to every stage, delivering practical tools people can use the next morning.
Michelle Burkhard
Session: Human First: Navigating Difficult Conversations with Clarity and Courage
Michelle Burkhard is the CEO and Founder of Grow By 1, a leadership and career development company that helps individuals, teams, and organizations grow intentionally, one insight at a time. As an IACET Accredited Provider, Grow By 1 also equips organizations and trainers to offer internationally recognized Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that support high quality professional learning.
A speaker, executive coach, and leadership development professional, Michelle is known for helping people communicate more effectively, build stronger relationships, and lead with greater confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Through speaking, coaching, and training, Michelle has helped thousands of professionals across multiple industries and countries strengthen communication, navigate conflict, develop emotionally intelligent leadership skills, and create healthier workplace cultures. She believes the most effective leaders balance accountability with compassion, curiosity with courage, and measurable outcomes with meaningful human connection.
Whether teaching communication styles, coaching emerging leaders, or facilitating organizational growth, Michelle's mission remains the same: to help people see the human first, communicate with intention, and create lasting positive change.
Jennifer Ellis
Jennifer Ellis is an accomplished educational leader with more than 12 years of administrative experience and a passion for developing high-performing teams and organizations. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her collaborative leadership style, commitment to authentic relationships, and ability to cultivate positive school cultures where students, staff, and communities thrive.
As a visionary leader, Jennifer has successfully guided strategic planning initiatives that unite stakeholders around a shared purpose, aligning organizational goals with meaningful actions that improve student outcomes and strengthen district culture. She is known for building trust, fostering collaboration, and empowering others to lead, creating systems that encourage innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Jennifer's expertise includes leadership development, team building, conflict resolution, organizational change, and community consensus building. She has extensive experience facilitating difficult conversations, navigating complex challenges, and bringing diverse perspectives together to develop sustainable solutions that benefit organizations and the communities they serve.
In addition to her leadership experience, Jennifer is a Statewide Autism Training and Research (START) approved trainer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, and an Education Specialist degree in Special Education and School Leadership.
Jennifer is passionate about helping leaders create cultures of trust, engagement, and shared ownership. Through her presentations, she provides practical strategies and evidence-based approaches that inspire leaders to strengthen teams, develop authentic leadership practices, and build organizations where people are empowered to do their best work.
Session: Building Strong Teams Through Authentic Leadership, Trust, Vision, and Shared Responsibility
Valerie Herr
Session: The Art of Saying No
Valerie Herr is an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience leading organizations through growth, change, and community impact. Her career has encompassed community engagement, fundraising, development, program management, volunteer coordination, and executive leadership, giving her a broad perspective on what it takes to build strong, sustainable organizations.
A firm believer that organizational success begins with trust, Valerie has cultivated a leadership style centered on transparency, authentic communication, and collaboration.
She believes that open and honest communication is more than a leadership strategy—it is the foundation of a healthy organizational culture that empowers teams, strengthens relationships, and inspires communities.
As Executive Director of the Adrian Center for the Arts, Valerie leads a team of 15 directors while advancing a bold vision of making the arts accessible to everyone.
Under her leadership, ACA has expanded programming, forged innovative community partnerships, and removed financial and physical barriers so people of all ages and abilities can experience the transformative power of the arts.
Outside of ACA, Valerie serves on the Lenawee Cares committee, chairs the Board of Directors for the Star Theatre in Brooklyn, and is a contributing writer for The Lenawee Voice. She and her husband, Matt, live in Brooklyn, Michigan, where she enjoys lake life, cooking, gardening, and volunteering as a Master Gardener with Michigan State University Extension.
Through her presentations, Valerie shares practical leadership strategies and real-world experiences that help nonprofit professionals foster transparency, build resilient teams, and create organizations where people and missions can thrive.
Sonja L. Howell, PhD
Session: Reduce Friction. Build Traction. AI Through the Lens of Transformative Mindset Instructional Design (TMID)
Sonja L. Howell, PhD, is a researcher, author, speaker, and instructional designer specializing in artificial intelligence, transformational systems, and human-centered innovation. She is the creator of the Transformative Mindset Instructional Design (TMID) framework, which explores how trust, engagement, and system design reduce friction and build traction in learning and the workplace. Through her work, Dr. Howell helps educators, leaders, and organizations integrate emerging technologies to strengthen communication, accessibility, and meaningful human connection.
Tenille Marowelli
Session: The Courage to Connect: Active Listening, Meaningful Communication, and Difficult Conversations that Build Healthy Workplace Cultures
Tenille Marowelli is honored to partner with Lenawee Forward for its inaugural event and is excited to contribute to an initiative dedicated to strengthening leadership and community throughout Lenawee County. As the Strategic Partnership Manager at Red Letter, a technology integrator and managed services provider, Tenille is passionate about building meaningful relationships that help organizations thrive through innovative technology solutions. She also serves as the Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at Lenawee Christian School, where she is committed to developing leaders on and off the court.
Drawing from a diverse professional background spanning technology, education, athletics, hospitality, and sales, Tenille has cultivated a leadership style rooted in authentic connection, intentional communication, and a people-first mindset. Whether collaborating with business leaders, mentoring student-athletes, or serving her community, she believes that lasting impact begins with meaningful relationships and courageous conversations.
Tenille is passionate about inspiring others to lead with purpose, communicate with confidence, and create healthy, high-performing cultures where individuals and organizations can flourish.
Jessica Vasher
Session: Peers Influencing Peers - Creating Positive Influence for a healthy Workplace Culture.
Jessica Vasher has spent the past 15 years serving Gleaner Life Insurance Society, where she currently leads the Community Engagement Department. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about helping people build meaningful connections, strengthen relationships, and create opportunities for others to succeed.
A self-proclaimed student of employee engagement and emotional intelligence, Jessica enjoys exploring how people influence one another through everyday interactions. She believes that the strongest leaders are not always the loudest in the room, but the ones who inspire trust, encourage others, and create cultures where people feel they belong.
Originally a transplant to Michigan 23 years ago, Jessica now proudly calls the Great Lakes State home. She and her husband are raising three children and share their home with one very spoiled cat. Her love of animals extends beyond her home, as she proudly serves on the board of her local humane society. When she is not working, you'll often find her embracing her creative side through crafting, designing, or finding new ways to bring ideas to life.
Jessica is excited to share practical insights on the power of peer-to-peer influence and how every interaction, no matter how small, has the potential to create lasting impact.
Joni Woods
Session: Communication Breakdown: The Leadership Skill We Think We Have but Rarely Practice
Joni Woods is an author, keynote speaker, and Human Connection & Culture Specialist, who helps organizations build healthier workplace cultures through communication, emotional intelligence, and trust-centered leadership. Drawing from more than 20 years of leadership experience in ministry, workforce development, hospitality, recruitment, and coaching, Joni brings a practical and relatable approach to professional growth.
As a former Recruitment Specialist and Human Connection & Culture Specialist, she has developed onboarding programs, leadership training, communication frameworks, and employee engagement initiatives designed to improve retention, collaboration, and workplace culture. Joni is the author of Burned, Blocked, and Better Than Ever and has spoken for organizations including DisruptHR, Walsh College, TEDx, First Merchants Bank, and numerous professional associations. Her engaging presentations combine real-world experience, actionable tools, and authentic storytelling that inspire participants to strengthen relationships, improve communication, and lead with greater intention and impact.