I began LeadersConnect in 1998 with just about 10 people gathered around a table at Zingerman’s Deli to hear Bob Quinn discuss his brand-new book, Deep Change. While I didn’t have a business plan at the time, somehow the program has continued—thrived, even—for over 25 years.
Recently, I began reflecting on all the incredible speakers who have presented at LeadersConnect over the years. As best as I can recall (and find online), here’s a list of many of those individuals. One of the most rewarding parts of this reflection is realizing that many of these speakers have become lifelong friends.
I’m proud to have created a space where leaders from all sectors can come together to connect and learn from one another—whether from nonprofits, business, higher education, public and private schools, entrepreneurship, athletics, science, medicine, psychology, the arts, and more.
If I’ve unintentionally left someone out, please forgive me—and feel free to send their name so I can include them in this list of esteemed LeadersConnect speakers.
1998
– Bob Quinn – Deep Change discussion at Zingerman’s
– President Mary Sue Coleman at the University of Michigan
– Pioneers of tech in Ann Arbor: Dave Ross, Rick Inatome, Herb Amster
2011
– Robert E. Quinn – Leading Change
– Don Welch, Mike Klein, Gary LaRoy – The Future of the Internet
– Jane Dutton – Cultivating Flourishing from Within
2012
– Bill Hermann – Succession Transition
– Ken Dallafior – Coaching Techniques in Leadership
– Rob Pasick – Occupational Sweet Spot workshop
2013
– Doron Levin – Managing Online Reputation
– Dick & Steve Sarns – The NuStep Story
– Kim Cameron – Positive Leadership
2014
– Gary Magenta – The Un-Bossy Boss
– Wayne Baker – United America
– Larry Freed – Innovating Analytics
– Len Middleton – Innovation in a Rapidly Changing World
2015
– Liz Ross & Molly McFarland – The Future of Media
– Elliot Soloway – Learning Models
– Bob Quinn & Gretchen Spreitzer – Public Organization Practices
– Tracy Brower – Bring Work to Life
2016
– Michael Samuelson – Power of the Possible
– Demond Johnson & Panel – MLK Leadership Lessons
– Kathy Sample & Panel – Growing Local Food Economy
– Wayne Baker – Give & Get App
– Jim Hackett – AI & Autonomous Vehicles
– Sylvia van Meerten – Leadership conversation
2018
– Heather Feldkamp, Kathy Macdonald, Larry Eiler, Steve Sarns – Cancer Survivor Panel
– School Safety Panel – Guns and Bullying
– Rob McCurdy and Connie Doyle – Emergency Medicine Panel
– Thomas Zurbuchen – NASA Innovation
2019
– Sonya Jacobs, Marvin Parnes, Lori, Paul Saginaw – MLK Panel
– Nonprofit Leaders Panel
– Mike Cole & Panel – Financing Innovation
– Wayne Baker – All You Have to Do Is Ask
2020
– Physician Panel – COVID Frontlines
– Jim Hackett & Fares Ksebati – Leadership in Crisis
– Rich Berens – What are your Blind Spots?
– Ivy Lewis & Steve Angerman – Self-Employment Discussion
– Jeanice Swift, Nikolai Vitti, Scot Graden, Adam Pasick, Amy Dittmar – Covid in the Schools
– Jonathan Quarles – Making Dollars While Making Change
– Michael Traugott – Campaign Status Report
– Len Middleton – Shifting Your Perspective to Grasp New Opportunities
– Ken Fischer – Everybody In, Nobody Out: Inspiring Community at Michigan’s University Musical Society
– Rob Pasick – Is Self-Employment Right for Me?
– Mike Dergis, Kristi Stepp, David Tarver, Shirley Kangler – The Human Factor During the Coronavirus Crisis
– Doug Armstrong, Ami Walsh – Resilience During the Time of the Coronavirus
– Bill Brinkerhoff, Kathy Sample, Randall Faber, Richard Sheridan, Ed Davidson – How Business Owners are Coping with the Coronavirus
2021
– David Tarver – MLK Day Insights
– Ken Fischer – Michigan’s Greatest Storyteller
– Richard Sheridan – The Future of the Workplace
– Eric Fretz, Rob Pasick – Life Lessons from 9/11
– Thomas Zurbuchen – Journey to Mars
– Rob Pasick – How to Leverage Your Goals to Become Your Best Self
– Ethan Kross, Rob Pasick – Behavioral Health Goals
– Rob Pasick – Goal Setting for 2021
– Britany Affolter-Caine, Steve Angerman – Goal Setting Workshop – Fitness Goals
– Leah Robinson, Elke Lipka, Naomi Andre, Lisa Barry – What Martin Luther King’s Teachings Mean to Me: Perspectives of Four Women
2022
– Danny Ellis – Renewable Energy
– Doug Schneider – The Risk Paradox
– Rob Pasick – How to Create Your Personal Leadership Plan
– John U. Bacon – Let Them Lead
– Thomas Zurbuchen – Webb Space Telescope
– Rich Sheridan – Chief Joy Officer
– Reggie Barnett, David Tarver – Celebrate Black History Month: Achieving Success in Multicultural America
– Suzy Francoeur, Robert McCurdy, Matthew Ajluni – Covid Update with 3 St. Joe Healthcare Providers
2023
– Carol Hutchins, Jordan Acker, Claiborne Green, Karan Higdon – Future of College Sports
– Thomas Zurbuchen – Reflections on Science Leadership
– Bob Royce, Steve Schwartz, Mike van Lent, Michael Cole – The Business of AI (Hype & Reality)
– Kelli Dobner, Mihaela Mitrofan, Shavonne Brown – From Struggles to Strength: Empowering Michigan’s Refugee Community
– Ari Weinzweig – The Story of Visioning at Zingerman’s
– Sheryl Szady, Joanne Rau, Stefanie Simmons, Susan Westhoff, Christine Sing – How Women Lead
– Mike van Lent, Jack Zaintez – AI
– David Whitinger, Bill Milliken, Peter Allen – Reimagining Workspace and Housing
– David Behen – Cyber Security- Where do you stand?
2024
– Lisa Wozniak, Phil Roos, Tim Dekker, Dunrie Greiling – Environmental Sector Leadership
– Bhushan Kulkarni, Lisa Schultz, Kemper Sosa, Jeremy Seligman, Jeremy Lopatin – Business
Scaling Panel
– Carol Hutchins, Danielle Davison, Abigail Eiler, Chris Sing, and Leslie White – The Business of Women’s Sports
– Ari Weinzweig – A Revolution of Dignity in the Twenty-First Century Workplace
– Michael Cole, Governor Snyder, Kelly Sexton, Skip Simms, Mike Klein, Tim Marshall – The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Part I
– Margarita Hernandez Len Middleton, Rishi Narayan, Angela Peat, Mathew Bower – The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Part II
– Stefanie Simmons, Eric Fretz, Kemper Sosa, Rob Pasick – Mind, Body, Spirit, and Heart
– Kimberly Andrews Espy, Denise Brooks Williams, Kristi Stepp – How Women Lead Panel
2025
– Thomas Zurbuchen – A Conversation with LeadersConnect
– Ari Weinzweig – Life Lessons I Learned from Being a Line Cook
– Patricia Garcia, Noah Kaplan, Jennifer Cornell Queen – Music & the Arts as Drivers in the Local Economy
– David Tarver, Rob Pasick – Leadership Lessons from MLK
And many more — including authors the late Jeffrey Zaslow, Steve Gill, University of Michigan football coaches Lloyd Carr and Brady Hoke; basketball coach Tommy Amaker; and CEOs Roger Newton, Ted Dacko, and Phil Lynch.