HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 SPONSORS!

Lunch Co-Sponsor: Raleigh Convention Center
Badge Logo Sponsor: Explore Cabarrus County
Facebook LIVE Sponsor: Explore Cabarrus County
Trade Show Speaker Showcase Closing Sponsor: Winston-Salem Marriott and Benton Convention Center
Tote Sponsor: Pioneer Specialties
Show Booth Services/Registration Counters: SES
Best Booth Awards: Wake Forest Awards & Engraving
Online Booth Map: mapD
Print & Signage: Triangle Corporate Printing
Audio Visual: EZAV
Photography Sponsor: RTP Photo and Video

SPAM WARNING: Trade Shows are notoriously targets for phishing and other spam emails promoting ways to purchase the attendee list or a hotel room. AENC does not charge for (or sell) our attendee list. We will send the full list of attendees out to Exhibitors in the days leading up to the event (when the list actually exists). Also, the only room block we currently have is the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel at the link above. If you see another email advertising hotel rooms that is not from AENC.

ScheduleFloor MapLocation & AccommodationsSpeaker ShowcaseExhibitorsAENC Gives BackAttendee Registration

AENC Speaker Showcase, presented by Attended Events, will take place Wednesday, December 10th at Raleigh Convention Center, prior to the 2025 AENC Trade Show.

The AENC Speaker Showcase offers association professionals the opportunity to discover their next great speaker. Attendees can preview a diverse lineup of talented presenters, gain fresh ideas for upcoming conferences, and connect with peers to exchange insights and recommendations. Whether planning keynotes, breakout sessions, or retreats, participants will find inspiration, new talent, and valuable networking at the AENC Speaker Showcase.

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Time: 8:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Raleigh Convention Center (prior to the AENC Trade Show)

Requesting 2.25 CAE & CMP CE Hours

Speakers and Topics (in alphabetical order):

The Art of the Smile: How Communication & Positivity Transform Workplaces

Speaker: Odell Bizzell

 In today’s fast-paced world, many professionals feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or undervalued — and it’s costing organizations in morale, retention, and productivity. In this engaging 8-minute talk, Odell A. Bizzell II shares insights from his work with companies over the years to show how something as simple as a smile, paired with intentional communication, can create lasting impact.

Attendees will learn:

• How smiling and positivity reduce stress, strengthen relationships, and build trust.
• Why communication is the most powerful tool leaders have to boost morale and inspire teams.
• Simple, practical actions they can apply immediately to create a workplace where people feel connected, engaged, and motivated.

Odell combines humor, research, and real-life stories to deliver a message that’s memorable, uplifting, and actionable — the kind of moment that sticks long after the event is over.

Can You Move?

Speaker: John Brown

This session is meant to inspire people to move in various ways. John will talk about times when he was presented with opportunities and various outcomes that he did and did not pursue, what inspired and led to those decisions, and what challenges he identified that he needed to work through to get himself to a different place.

“Releasing Emotional Baggage: Laughing Your Way from Burnout to Breakthrough”

Speaker: Dr. Kiana Dancie

In this empowering, laughter-filled keynote, Dr. Kiana Dancie guides leaders and professionals through the transformative power of releasing emotional baggage to unlock peak performance and peace. Blending humor, storytelling, and her proprietary 3R Framework™: Recognize, Release, and Realign; Dr. Dancie helps audiences identify hidden stressors that hinder creativity, connection, and productivity. Attendees will learn how laughter can reset emotional energy, strengthen relationships, and reignite purpose at work and in life. This interactive experience leaves professionals lighter, inspired, and equipped to lead with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

The Daily Deposit: Why Association Staff Are Leaving (And How to Keep Them)

Speaker: Dr. Sharon Grossman

Association executives face their most disruptive challenge: losing talented staff faster than they can replace them. Yet most retention strategies focus on compensation, missing what actually drives people to stay—feeling valued, resourced, and supported.

In this 8-minute session, Dr. Sharon Grossman reveals why culture predicts turnover 10x more than pay, and introduces The Daily Deposit: five simple daily practices that transform retention without requiring additional budget or HR support.

You'll discover:
- The invisible exit crisis (when employees mentally quit months before resigning)
- What association staff actually need to stay (Belonging, Achievement, Relevance)
- Five daily habits (Huddles, Acknowledgment, Barometer, Improvement, Tracking) that compound into retention results within 90 days

Perfect for association executives ready to stop losing their best people and build teams that actually stay.

From Caregiver to Culture Shifter: Leading from Lived Experience

Speaker: Chef Maria Kemp

What happens when the person who once managed a bakery now manages care for aging parents and transforms that experience into a roadmap for resilient leadership? In this engaging, story-rich session, award-winning French-trained Pastry Chef and Corporate Wellness Speaker Chef Maria Kemp shares how caregiving reshaped her approach to leadership, empathy, and organizational culture. Through dessert-inspired analogies and powerful real-world insights, she shows how lived experience can turn burnout into balance, compassion into connection, and pressure into performance. Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies to support their people, strengthen trust, and build workplaces that truly care for those who care for others.

Suicide Prevention as a Workplace Health and Safety Priority

Speaker: Frank King

Construction professionals tackle some of the highest stress and risk levels of any industry. Yet, despite advances in physical safety, the silent threats of stress, depression, and suicide too often go unaddressed. Frank King’s keynote draws from personal experience and industry best practice to arm leaders and crews with the tools to recognize warning signs, start crucial conversations, and create a culture where asking for help is a strength—not a weakness. With humor, candor, and actionable steps, this program makes mental health as much a part of safety as hard hats and steel-toed boots.

Rescue Yourself: Reclaim Control and Confidence  Tools to help professionals reset, refocus, and re-energize when stress takes over.

Speaker: Kathy Lindert

This dynamic and empowering session offers a vital toolkit for professionals navigating the demanding landscape of modern work. When stress threatens to overwhelm, leading to burnout, decreased productivity, and a loss of personal well-being, it's crucial to have readily accessible strategies to course-correct. This program provides just that, equipping individuals with practical and actionable tools to effectively reset, refocus, and re-energize.

Participants will learn how to identify the early warning signs of stress, understand its impact on their cognitive and emotional functions, and develop personalized coping mechanisms. The session will delve into techniques for setting healthy boundaries and cultivating a resilient mindset. Through interactive exercises and proven techniques, professionals will gain the confidence to proactively address stressors, prevent their escalation, and ultimately, reclaim a sense of control over their work and personal lives. By fostering renewed energy and a clear focus, this program empowers individuals to not only survive but thrive in their professional journeys.

Unlearning and Rethinking

Speaker: David Phillips

"The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions." (Ellen Glasgow)

One of the most challenging habits for successful individuals, teams, and organizations to overcome is assuming that what worked in the past will continue to work in the future. For Associations, this could show up in various areas, such as programming, member experience, and/or recruiting & retention. To avoid the effects of unintentional stagnation, we must be willing to identify and question the assumptions, beliefs, and practices we hold dear. In this workshop, we’ll highlight some of the invisible forces and cognitive biases that can keep us locked on our current path, as well as what we can do differently.

He Carries the Business, We Both Carry the Weight

Speakers: Dr. Colleen Saringer & Scott Satory

There were nights I’d sit in the office and cry, but I couldn’t tell you because I knew it would stir up fear, concern, and set your anxiety into a tailspin based on your past experiences.” That’s what Scott Satory, Dr. Colleen Saringer’s husband told her 16.5 years into running his industrial roofing company. And in that moment, she felt two things at once: heartbreak that he had carried it silently for so long, and gratitude that he finally felt safe enough to say it out loud. Dr. Colleen has lived this story twice. First, as a child watching her father nearly lose his life to the emotional toll of her family’s sheet metal business. And again, as a wife, walking beside her partner as he carries the same business ownership weight she knows can kill you. It’s why they’re on stage together.

In this story-driven keynote, Dr. Colleen and Scott speak from both sides of the construction business experience: the field and the family. They’ll explore how the stress of running a business doesn’t stay at the shop, it follows you home, seeps into your relationships and your health. With a tone that’s candid, grounded, and emotionally resonant, this keynote aligns directly with the conference’s goal of helping construction communities move from surviving to thriving. Dr. Colleen and Scott offer a real-world look at how business ownership, especially the mental and physical health impact, is a family affair. They’ll share the everyday practices that have helped protect their marriage, safeguard their health, and sustain their business: from no cell phones at dinner, to asking “are you sleeping because you’re tired or depressed?” to emotional contract clauses that include taking vacations.

What Know, Like & Trust is Missing in a Post-Digital World: The Case for Strategic Care

Speaker: Jamie Shibley

We’ve spent years believing that the Know, Like, and Trust formula was enough to grow a business. And it used to be—when relationships had time to develop naturally. But today, we’re living in an era of always-on, digitally scattered communication where trust is harder to earn, and even harder to keep.
In this session, we’ll uncover what’s gone missing in modern business relationships—and what you can do about it. Backed by new research from the Strategic Engagement Index™, we’ll explore how intentional care, emotional connection, and a well-designed engagement strategy are no longer “nice-to-haves”—they’re business necessities.
You’ll learn:

    • Why traditional lead nurturing is falling flat in today’s digital chaos—and what to do instead.
    • The 3 scientifically proven needs that deepen relationships and drive conversion.
    • How to move clients and prospects from “connection” to “loyalty” using Strategic Engagement™ principles.
    • Why care is the new currency—and how to start measuring its ROI.

Microaffirmations: Small Actions, Big Impact

Speaker: Sertrice Shipley

Everyone in an organization has the power to make someone want to stay… or leave. Many diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) workshops focus on actions to avoid, but they often forget to highlight the behaviors we want to promote in our organizations. In this session, participants will learn about the positive impact they can have through small actions known as microaffirmations. By the end of the interactive session, participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of how small actions can lead to big changes, and a practical toolkit for fostering more inclusive, supportive, and positive environments wherever they go.

The Transformational Power of Showing Up: Lessons in Leadership, Love, and Living from 147 Days of Grace

Speaker: Andrea Wilson Woods

In this deeply moving and transformational keynote, Andrea Wilson Woods shares the unforgettable story of becoming her teenage sister Adrienne’s caregiver at just 22—and how 147 days forever changed the way she leads, loves, and lives. Blending raw honesty with humor and hard-earned wisdom, Andrea reveals how presence, advocacy, and resilience are the true cornerstones of leadership. Through powerful storytelling and actionable insights, audiences will discover how to navigate adversity with grace, communicate with authenticity, and build deeper connections in every area of life. Better Off Bald: The Transformational Power of Showing Up will leave participants inspired to show up more fully—not just for others, but for themselves—because while we may not control how many days we have, we can always choose how we live them.