Thomas is one of the most respected executives in football due to his passion and vision for the Falcons, his dynamic drafting and philosophical approach to building a team – and since he joined in 2008, the team has experienced a level of consistency that is unmatched in the team’s 46-year history. After his first season with the Falcons, he was named ‘Executive of the Year’ and again went on to be honoured in 2010. He then helped guide the Falcons to their third consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in franchise history in 2012. Prior to his tenure at the Falcons he was with the New England Patriots between 2002-2007.

Mark took the reins at the Blue Jays in 2015 after a 14 year stint at the Cleveland Indians that started in 1991, in which time he was named Executive of the Year on two occasions. He joined the Indians as Director of Player Development and eventually made his way up to General Manager in 2001, and then Team President before leaving for the Rogers Centre. During his time in Cleveland, he was the architect behind building a pair of post-season teams with 90+ wins in 2005 and 2007. With Mark’s performance experience mixed with the requirements on the commercial side he has become one of the most highly rated leaders in the MLB. He is widely regarded as the man who built a small market team in Cleveland into a successful and competitive outfit, and during his first two years in Canada has improved the franchise off the field, and had an big influence on the culture, player development and team building on it.

General Robert B. Neller is the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Commander, Marine Forces Command from July 2014 to September 2015 and Commander, Marine Forces Central Command from September 2012 to June 2014.

A native of East Lansing, Michigan, General Neller graduated from the University of Virginia and was commissioned in 1975. He has served as an infantry officer at all levels, including command of Marine Security Force Company Panama during Operations JUST CAUSE and PROMOTE LIBERTY; 3d Light Armored Infantry Battalion during Operation RESTORE HOPE; 6th Marine Regiment; and 3d Marine Division.

General Neller is a graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, NATO Defense College, and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University.

David Epstein is author of the new book RANGE: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times bestseller, The Sports Gene, which has been translated in 21 languages. He was previously an investigative reporter at ProPublica, where he covered topics from healthcare to drug cartels. Before that, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he authored or co-authored many of the magazine’s most high-profile stories, including the revelation that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for steroids. He was at one time a geology graduate student living in a tent in the Arctic, and likes to think this contributed to his range.

Kelly Hulsey is the Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Hulsey has 35+ years of experience in adult acute and critical care nursing, hospital operations, and people leadership.

Ms. Hulsey received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, and a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing. She holds an advanced certification through the American Organization of Nurse Executives. Ms. Hulsey is a member of The American Organization of Nurse Executives and the American College of Healthcare Executives. She serves on the selection committee for the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award.

As a nursing leader, Ms. Hulsey’s accomplishments have focused on the professional development of staff, leadership development, succession planning, process improvement, and change management. During her leadership tenure, Piedmont Atlanta has seen significant and sustained improvements in quality and safety, staff engagement, and nursing turnover. Ms. Hulsey was recently recognized with the 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Nurse Executive Leadership Award.

Lars N. Minns is the Chief Human Resources Officer of the NAFTA region for Mercedes-Benz, with responsibility for the USA, Canada, and Mexico. He leads the organization in designing, implementing, and executing HR strategies that directly align with the company’s strategic objectives. Mercedes-Benz manages the marketing, sales, and distribution of passenger cars in the NAFTA region.
He and his team played a pivotal role in the successful onboarding of 300+ new hires since his arrival in March 2015, including the largest single year of hiring in the company’s 50+ year history. He is now poised to lead one of the world’s most admired brands through a large-scale transformation.

Prior to joining MBUSA, he served as the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition for The Home Depot’s Home Services division, commonly referred to as the “Do it for Me” business. He led his team in executing talent acquisition strategies for the company’s fastest-growing business segment.

As Global Director, Consumer Weather Strategy for IBM Services, Paul helps large consumer businesses reimagine how they systemically leverage weather and environmental data in both supply and demand chain systems — creating integrated enterprise processes that are more responsive and more resilient in the face of increasingly impactful weather conditions.

A leading international expert on the impact of weather on consumers and business, Paul’s observations have been regularly featured in the US on The Weather Channel and CNBC, and he’s been quoted in many global media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and The New York Times.

Before joining IBM and The Weather Company, Paul served as Senior Vice President, Business Development at Atmospheric and Environmental Research (a Verisk Analytics company), Chief Strategy Officer at Storm Exchange, Inc., and Senior Vice President, Client Services/Analytics at Planalytics, Inc.

Prior to 1997 as a meteorologist in the United States Air Force, Paul provided weather-based intelligence support to war fighters and mission planners and served as the Chief of Weather Operations for the US Army’s elite 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm.

Ameet Shetty is the Chief Data & Analytics Officer for SunTrust Banks, Inc. In this role he leads the Enterprise Data & Analytics Office, with responsibility for driving the strategic vision and effective deployment of data and business intelligence capabilities to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enable strategic business growth. This includes deploying various analytical approaches to data management and governance programs; maintaining data operations; aligning SunTrust’s data strategy to business and IT goals; and managing business-aligned data teams.

Mr. Shetty’s additional leadership responsibilities include serving on the SunTrust Operating Council, the executive body charged with improving the client experience across business segments and channels.

Mr. Shetty’s professional awards and recognition include Oracle’s North American Big Data Leader of the Year (2016), the Technology Association of Georgia’s Creative Innovation Award for Analytics (2017) and the Celent Model Bank Award for Data Infrastructure Modernization (2018).

Chelsea Lane has more than 18 years of experience as a Sports Physiotherapist and she just finished her first year with the Atlanta Hawks as the Director of Athletic Performance & Sports Medicine. Prior to this move, she spent 3 seasons with the Warriors managing athlete care. Chelsea joined the Warriors from High Performance Sport New Zealand, the provider of sports medicine and athletic performance programs for the nation’s Olympic athletes. In that role, she worked with a multitude of Summer and Winter Olympians and their governing bodies to enhance performance.

David Tenney begins his third season as high performance director for the Orlando Magic. He joined the organization in September of 2017. One of Major League Soccer’s most respected and progressive minds in sports science, Tenney joined the Magic after spending nine seasons (2009-17) with the Seattle Sounders FC. He served as high performance director for the 2017 season after previous seasons as sports science & performance manager (2015-16) and head fitness coach (2009-14). While with Seattle, the Sounders were MLS Cup Champions in 2016, won the U.S. Open Cup for four successive years (2009-12) and made the playoffs eight consecutive years. Prior to joining the Sounders, Tenney served as both fitness and goalkeeper coach with Sporting Kansas City for two seasons (2007-08). Before his time in MLS, Tenney held the same dual role of goalkeeper coach & head fitness coach with the George Mason University men’s and women’s teams for two seasons (2004-06). In 2006, George Mason advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. Tenney played collegiately at Virginia Tech from 1989-91, serving as team captain during his final two seasons.

Nyaka NiiLampti, Ph.D. is currently the Vice President of Wellness and Clinical Services for the National Football League. In her role, she is responsible for the Total Wellness and Mental Health platforms and plays a strategic role in the Player Engagement department’s mission to have a lifelong positive impact on individuals inside and outside of the NFL family.

Nyaka most recently served as the Director of Player Wellness for the NFLPA, where she focused on providing resources and educating players on all aspects of wellness, including mental health and the NFL Program on Substances of Abuse. In addition, she served as an advocate for players by ensuring their rights are protected under the NFL Drug Policies.

Nyaka is a licensed psychologist with almost twenty years of clinical experience.

Tony Lesmes is a Partner of Together Good Deeds II, a small real estate brokerage and development firm in McKinney, Texas. He previously served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a Combat Rescue Officer leading Pararescue (PJ) combat search and rescue teams as far away as Afghanistan, and as close as Texas, where he was the lead officer for Hurricane Ike rescue operations. His leadership on over 200+ rescue operations was recognized in 2009 with the Company Grade Officer of the Year award for the 23rd Wing. Prior to serving, he was a track and field athlete at the University of Illinois and also holds an MBA from Cornell University.