This year, EXPLORE invites us to step boldly into new realms of thinking, to embrace the wonder and awe that curiosity can inspire, and to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of work, life, and community. Together, we will explore the possibilities that emerge when we open ourselves to new ideas, new experiences, and new ways of leading—within, without, and beyond.
The conversations will be BOLD and BRAVE, exploring spaces beyond expectation—from pioneering leadership in space travel to understanding the internal drivers that shape our lives. We’ll delve into the forces that define us and question the themes that may—or may not—truly represent who we are. Through workshops, panels, interactive discussions, music, and dance, we’ll examine the world as it unfolds, both seen and unseen.
Feel the energy as over 800 attendees gather in person, joined by thousands virtually, to share in the transformative experience of Generation W: EXPLORE.
Hollywood veteran Tina Lifford has played over 100 characters in her long-standing career, including most notably, the vivacious Aunt Vi on the critically acclaimed television drama Queen Sugar. Tina has starred opposite Hollywood greats including Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, and Bruce Willis. Outside of acting, Tina is the author of The Little Book of BIG LIES, released by HarperCollins and chosen by Forbes.com as a must-read to make 2021 your best year yet. Tina is a visionary thought leader in the field of Inner Fitness. As the strategist and architect behind The Inner Fitness Project, she brings deep wisdom, personal experience, and respect for the human condition that allows her to engage people in the process of internal transformation, healing, and resilience building. As an author and speaker, Tina fosters the idea that we can all live life well and thrive.
Actress, Author and CEO of Inner Fitness Project
Kelly J. Watson is a Senior Partner with IBM Global Business Services, where she leads a team of over 5,000 professionals delivering financial, risk, operational, and technology solutions for clients in Life Sciences, Healthcare, Government, and Higher Education. With more than 30 years of business and operations experience, Kelly also serves as a Lead Account Partner for a Fortune 50 company and oversees Market Development for the Public Sector in the Americas. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor for Sector Development to the New Jersey Governor’s Office and Economic Development Authority and had a distinguished career at KPMG LLP, where she held key leadership roles, including Partner in Charge of the U.S. and Americas Risk Consulting Practice and Office Managing Partner for New Jersey.
A passionate advocate for leadership development, Kelly is active in numerous philanthropic and professional organizations. She chairs the board of W.O.M.E.N. in America, serves as Dean of the C-Ahead Program for the Committee of 200, and sits on several boards, including the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and BioNJ. Recognized for her leadership, Kelly’s accolades include Consulting Magazine’s Top 25 in Excellence in Leadership and NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business. A Fordham University graduate and certified public accountant, Kelly resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children.
Senior Partner, IBM
Isaiah Oliver serves as the third president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Florida’s oldest and largest community foundation, which works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. In this role, he oversees an experienced, 25-person staff, which manages $649 million in assets as of 12/31/2023 and distributed more than $69 million in grants in 2023.
Prior to leading The Community Foundation, he served as the CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint (MI), a top 100 community foundation, established in 1988 with peak assets of $299 million. Isaiah serves as chair of the Association of Black Foundation Executives board of directors, as well as on the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy’s Leadership Council, on the Community Foundations Public Awareness Initiative steering committee, and is chair-elect of the CF Leads national board of directors. Isaiah is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Civil Society Fellowship, a Partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Isaiah earned his Bachelor of Applied Arts from Central Michigan University. He is a member of the Gamma Delta Boule’ of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
He and his wife, Shay, have four children: Zaiah, Carrington, Chelyn and Isaiah II.
President, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
Patricia McElroy “Patti” is the Vice President for Community Leadership and Outreach at VyStar Credit Union where she leads the philanthropic and community engagement efforts in each of the regions that VyStar serves. Patti came to VyStar from Baptist Health where she was the System Administrator for Spiritual Care. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Patti worked to create strategic alignment with the overall goals and priorities of the System, particularly around mission, DEI, and deeper engagement with the greater Jacksonville community.
Prior to moving to Jacksonville, Patti worked with hospitals across the country including the University of North Carolina Health System, The Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City, and CHI Franciscan in Tacoma, Washington. In her first career, Patti was a commercial litigator in Philadelphia with a special focus on securities and banking. She is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and Yale University Divinity School.
She sits on the Boards of Directors of OneJax, LiftJax, and Community Hospice and Palliative Care. She was recently honored as a 2021 Women with Heart through the Volunteers with Medicine. Patti lives in San Marco with her partner of many years, Elyse Gustafson, and their two dogs Birdy and Bodie. If it is a sunny day, you can find Patti out on the water or at least wishing that she were out on the water!
Senior Vice President President VyStar Foundation
Irene Chang Britt is an accomplished independent board director, serving on the boards of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Tailored Brands, Brighthouse Financial, and BayBridge Seniors Housing, where she is Chairperson. A National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow, Irene frequently speaks on corporate governance best practices and chairs the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees for multiple boards. She also serves on the NACD New York Chapter Board of Directors and has been recognized in the NACD Directorship 100 and as a Laureate of the New Jersey Business Hall of Fame.
A former Fortune 500 C-Suite executive, Irene has a proven track record of transforming businesses for industry-leading growth. She spent over a decade at Campbell Soup Company, where she held roles including President of Pepperidge Farm and Global Chief Strategy Officer. Her leadership experience spans senior roles at Kraft Foods/Nabisco and Kimberly-Clark, where she excelled in marketing, sales, and R&D. Irene holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Experienced Board Chair and Committee Chair
Jannet Walker-Ford is the Advisory and Planning Business Line Executive at WSP in the U.S., overseeing business performance and integrating technical expertise with strategic solutions to deliver successful infrastructure projects across all sectors. Previously, she served as National Transit and Rail Leader, driving growth in national transit and rail markets, including systems, freight, passenger rail, and zero-emissions initiatives. With over two decades of expertise in management consulting, technology, and transportation systems, Jannet is a nationally recognized leader and advocate for equity in transportation and the transformative power of public transit.
A graduate of the University of Memphis (B.S. in Management Information Systems) and Central Michigan University (MBA), Jannet has been widely honored for her leadership and advocacy. She is the Immediate Past Chair of WTS International and serves on several national boards, including the APTA Executive Committee and the Eno Center for Transportation. Her accolades include the 2024 WTS International Jannet Walker-Ford Breaking Barriers Award, 2023 Railway Age Women in Rail, and 2022 APTA Business Member of the Year, among others, highlighting her impact on the transportation industry and her commitment to diversity and innovation.
US Advisory & Planning Executive, WSP
Considered one of the top voices in AI and the future of work, Ian Beacraft is a trusted advisor to the world’s most innovative companies. The founder and Chief Futurist of Signal and Cipher, Ian leads a strategic foresight and development agency guiding companies through the rapidly changing technology landscape to find meaningful routes to innovation that impact the bottom line, inspire cultural change, and create new products and services.
Previously responsible for P&L’s and innovation departments at the largest agencies in the world, Ian is known for making bleeding-edge technology understandable and monetizable. Brands he has advised include Samsung, Intel, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Universal Pictures, and dozens more.
He’s known as a Gonzo Futurist, actively experimenting with new and emerging technologies before they leave the research lab to understand the implications and applications for the future of work and society at large. Ian is the first person ever to host a news segment as a synthetic human, the Future Report on Defiance Media, streaming to over 100 million devices around the world.
Founder and Chief Futurist, Signal and Cipher
Patricia McElroy serves as President of the VyStar Foundation and Senior Vice President VyStar Credit Union, leading the philanthropic and community engagement efforts in each of the regions that VyStar serves. Throughout her career, Patti has worked to support non profit organizations and communities across the country and was previously a commercial litigator with a special focus in securities and banking. She is passionate about diverse and inclusive learning environments, the arts and community revitalization. She is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and Yale University Divinity School. She currently sits on the Boards of Directors of OneJax, LiftJax and the Jacksonville MOCA and is on the advisory board of the Jacksonville Symphony. She was honored as a 2021 Women with Heart through the Volunteers with Medicine.
President,
VyStar Foundation
Diya has more than 25 years of experience as a technologist and has been at AWS for more than six years. She leads global engagement with customers on Responsible AI. Diya has honed her skills in scaling products for acquisition, spearheading initiatives for inclusion, diversity & equity, leading operational transformation in enterprises across various industries, and leveraging the historical and social contexts that influence her approach to responsible and inclusive AI/ML products.
She grew up in New York City, and by third grade, knew she wanted to pursue a career in computer engineering when she received her first computer—a time when not every household had a computer. Already embodying a relentless drive, she maintained her interest in computers. Diya went on to pursue her degree in computer science at Spelman College, studied the Management of Technology at New York University, and AI & Ethics at MIT Sloan School of Management and Harvard University Professional School.
Diya is an international best-selling author and international speaker having presented at industry and DEI events across 15 countries including Ukraine, Belgium, Australia and for the United Nations General Assembly. Her model of leadership and advocacy has been recognized with the Sungard AS Pathfinder Award (2016), AWS Inclusion Ambassador Award (2020), Makers Influencers & Innovators in STEM (2021), ID&E Technologist of the Year (2022), 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (2023), VentureBeat Women in AI - Responsible AI (2023) and Business Insiders Top 15 People in Enterprise AI and Top 100 People in AI (2023).
When she isn’t working hard on the future of AI, she’s working hard to influence the future. For Diya, this starts at home with her two sons but extends to the dozens she mentors, whom she encourages to color outside the lines, defy the odds, and redefine boundaries.
Responsible AI Lead, Amazon Web Services (AWS),
Parking for the event is available in Lots 1 and 2, (both located by the Fine Arts Center Garage), as well as the Fine Arts Center Garage itself.
Guests will NOT need to enter an event code to park within these lots. If guests choose to park in different lots, they will need to pay for parking.
Hosted With
Address: 1 UNF Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32224
Monday – Friday
9am – 6pm
2320 3rd Street South, Suite 5
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
