From Saturday thru Tuesday, join us in the main plenary hall for a spectacular lineup of keynote speakers! Each session will have a key takeaway for attendees - the PERFECT way to start your IMSH day!
SUNDAY, JAN. 11
Opening Plenary Session - The Chad Epps Lecture | 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Tania Katan is a powerhouse keynote speaker who electrifies audiences worldwide with her signature blend of motivational comedy, bold storytelling, and actionable insights.
From Fortune 500 companies to global summits, she teaches individuals, leaders and teams how to tap into their innate superpower—creativity—to drive innovation, discover unlimited possibilities, and build cultures where people don’t just belong but long to contribute. Whether on stage, coaching, or leading workshops, Tania makes creativity and storytelling accessible, unforgettable, and—most importantly—immediately useful.
As a result, Tania is consistently one of the “Highest Ranked Speakers” at Fortune 500 companies, leading tech conferences, idea summits, marketing events, and more. Some of the organizations and major conferences impacted by her talks include: University of California Irvine, CiscoLive!, Sarasota Art Museum, National Association of Social Workers, Humana, Uber, Etsy, TJX, TED Talks, Expedia, Amazon, American Express, Talks at Google, INBOUND, Comedy Central Stage, and more.
Whether it’s in a convention center filled with 20,000 people or waiting in line at the grocery store, Tania uses good humor and powerful storytelling to give her audiences the tools and inspiration necessary to crack open their imaginations, find their unique voices, and create necessary connections. Turns out that earning a B.A. in Theatre (with an emphasis on playwriting), was more lucrative than any disparaging academic advisor could have imagined! This foundation has led to an unexpected and dynamic vocation: bringing more joy and imagination into places, processes, and people where it doesn’t obviously belong, but is needed.
Katan has proven that the best way to break barriers—whether in business, creativity, or life—is to rewrite the script and dare to play a role no one saw coming.
MONDAY, JAN. 12
The Lou Oberndorf Lecture on Innovation and Healthcare Simulation | 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
Kevin Brown’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.
Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He is a branding and culture expert with a 30+ year career in franchise development. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.
The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential, and grow their results. And, as the father of a child with autism he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.
As a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Kevin has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including American Express, Delta Airlines, PayPal, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, H&R Block, Sprint, Ernst & Young, Million Dollar Round Table, Merck, Booz Allen Hamilton, and many more.
Kevin is the bestselling author of The Hero Effect® (2017/2019). In his second book, Unleashing Your Hero (Harper Collins Leadership/Nov 2021), Kevin shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you. People who were willing to use their gifts and abilities to serve others at a high level. This book is a guide to help everyday people discover and unleash their hero at work and in life.
Kevin entertains, inspires, and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!
TUESDAY, JAN. 13
Michael S. Gordon Center Lecture on Medical Education | 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
As a globally recognized innovation strategist and bestselling author, Shawn Kanungo works at the intersection of creativity, business, and technology. He spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to help them better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. In his high energy keynotes, Kanungo draws on his extensive experience to provide audiences with an optimistic roadmap for the future; one that embraces unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant.
Since leaving Deloitte, Kanungo has worked with hundreds of organizations on their journey to digital transformation. He’s led complex projects incorporating artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, behavioural economics, Web3, and more. Today, Kanungo is a Partner with Queen & Rook, where he advises leading organizations and executives on disruptive trends and invests in early-stage ventures.
Kanungo is the first innovation expert to have a streaming special, released on Apple TV and Prime Video in August 2023. It complements and shares the name of his bestselling debut book, The Bold Ones, a playbook for individuals to become bolder and push their careers and organizations forward. It has been touted as one of McKinsey’s top decision-making books for leaders. Kanungo’s work has also been featured in the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV.
A prolific content creator, Kanungo’s content on innovation has garnered millions of views across LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. He’s been recognized by Edify magazine as one of their “Top 40 Under 40” and was called the “best virtual keynote speaker I’ve ever seen” by Forbes in 2021.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14
SSH Presents the Closing Plenary Session | 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
We’ve all heard “It takes a village!” But the vast majority of people are left wondering where exactly to find said village. Is there a number to call or a memo we missed?
Liz Bohannon, a leading workplace connection expert, knows you likely won’t “find” your village. But you can build it. She’s done it time and time again in both personal and professional settings and will teach you and your team how to design a life and organization that prioritizes human connection and relationships and unleashes your people and teams to reach their full potential by going faster and further together.
Designing workplaces that elevate connection and authentic community is the fastest path to collaboration, fulfillment and impact, and it is at the heart of The Community Quotient™, a dynamic and refreshing perspective from Liz Bohannon that disrupts conventional thinking on organizational design.
Liz's authenticity in championing workplace cultures of connection and community stems from her profound understanding of the human experience within organizations. Through her background as a Top 1% VC-Backed Female Founder, Internationally Renowned Keynote Speaker, and Bestselling Author, Liz brings a wealth of practical insights and heartfelt passion to her mission.
Liz’s dedication to fostering dynamic, authentic and vulnerable partnerships is evident in her international companies, where she has built and fostered community-driven organizations named by B Corp as the Best in the World in Building Community. What sets Liz apart as a transformative voice of authority in this domain is her unwavering commitment to designing organizations that foster and prioritize relationships, empathy, and human connection.
Through her innovative Community Agreements and The Community Quotient™ framework, Liz provides actionable tactics and strategies for cultivating workplaces where every member feels valued, understood, and supported. Her genuine belief in the inherent worth of each individual and the strength of collective collaboration resonates deeply, making Liz Bohannon an unparalleled advocate for authentic connections and thriving communities within organizations.
Named a Forbes Top 20 Public Speaker in the U.S. Liz has been featured in dozens of publications including, Vogue, Redbook, O Magazine, Inc, Fortune and others. Among other notable honors, Liz was named a Top Three Transformation Leader by John Maxwell while Bloomberg Businessweek named her as a top social entrepreneur.
