Ida is the Chief Catalyzer & Founder of Ability to Engage, Inc. Ability to Engage helps brands develop marketing communications, product ideas, brand strategies (brand personality, equity, and architecture), and consumer segmentation. The A2E team also develops and facilitates innovation sessions, strategic meetings, and team effectiveness workshops. Clients include start-up companies, international government groups, and some of the world's largest and most respected companies in brand and marketing such as Clorox, ConAgra Foods, McGraw Hill, Ogilvy, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, and Red Bull. In addition to running a boutique consultancy, Ida has been a top-selling author (top 1.5% of books sold on Amazon and Top 50 book in "self-help journals" in the first week of publication) and professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, teaching a graduate course, Creativity & Design Thinking- Strategies for Innovation. She serves on several boards including, Global Board of Directors, for the P&G Alumni Network, Advisory Board Member for Key Bank in Michigan, and Trustee of Ohio Business Week. She has also been a member of Forbes Agency Council, an invitation-only organization for senior-level executives in successful PR, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Ida holds six patents with the USPTO and has been published in Prentice Hall, YOUNG MONEY magazine, and several blogs. As a certified Laughter Yoga instructor, she also enjoys getting people to find their "inner child" through laughter.

As Founder and President of Volar Consulting, LLC, Michelle Cantor has a demonstrated track record of designing and implementing successful Leadership Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. A skilled strategic thinker, Michelle brings over 25 years of human performance coaching and consulting to her clients. She is a Certified Diversity Executive® and ICC Certified Coach.

Cantor earned her BA in Spanish and a Teaching Certificate from the University of Michigan. She then taught English as a Second Language to Hispanic immigrants gaining citizenship. Wanting to advance in management, Michelle pursued an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Volar Consulting, LLC’s roster of clients includes numerous organizations in the Detroit-Metro area such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The William Davidson Foundation, and The Library Network (the state’s largest library cooperative).

Paula J. Caproni is a faculty member in the Management and Organizations Department at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Professor Caproni received her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Yale University.

In addition to teaching about leadership skills, effective coaching, developing power and influence, and creating high performing teams in the University of Michigan MBA and Executive Programs, Professor Caproni served as the Academic Director of the Full-Time and Part-Time MBA Programs. She has coached over 500 executives and served as the lead Professional Development Coach for the Executive MBA Program and several Executive Education programs. 

She has presented her research at several conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Her article, “Work Life Balance: You Can’t Get There From Here” received the McGregor Award by the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.

Jason Daniels is a strategist, visionary leader, and master collaborator recognized with an award by the United Nations in 2023 for his impactful work as a founding member of Toledo’s HeForShe network, a UN Women’s Solidarity Movement for gender equality. As President and CEO of JAYRAMON, Jason leads a consultancy specializing in forward-thinking strategy and executive leadership development. With a proven record of guiding initiatives from concept to full-scale implementation, he has contributed to national business cohorts focused on advancing leadership and organizational excellence. Jason, along with his wife, co-founded the L.I.F.T. (Leadership, Influence, Focus, and Talent) Midwest African American Professionals and Allies Conference, which champions diverse executive representation by partnering with allies who value diversity, inclusion, and equity. An experienced speaker, trainer, and facilitator, Jason is also the author of Get Off the Gerbil Wheel: A Remarkable Way to Stop Running and Going Nowhere in Life, and a proud graduate of the University of Toledo.

Dave Mayer, Ph.D. is the John H. Mitchell Professor of Business Ethics and Chair of the Management and Organizations Area at the Ross School of Business at the University Michigan. An award-winning researcher and highly rated and sought after teacher and speaker, he is an expert on helping people and organizations lead ethically, inclusively, and positively. 

Dave earned his BA in psychology from the University of California, Davis and Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Maryland in 2004. He has published over 60 articles and book chapters including over 30 articles in leading refereed management and psychology journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Personnel Psychology. 

He has been awarded multiple career awards such as the Early Career Award from the International Society for Justice Research and the Cummings Scholarly Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior (OB) Division of the Academy of Management. He is also a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, American Psychological Association, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. And, he was honored with the Executive Education Teaching Impact Award at Michigan Ross.

He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company, and his research and ideas have been covered in Bloomberg, Business Insider, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, Huffington Post, HR Magazine, LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, NPR, Psychology Today, Slate, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

He has worked with leaders in dozens of organizations around the globe to improve their leadership skills and to help them develop more positive work cultures. He regularly gives keynote addresses and conducts workshops in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Darlene R. Slaughter is a visionary with a passion to remove barriers and provide equal opportunities for all.  As the first appointed Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Darlene will support leading a culture of engagement, innovation, accountability, trust, and diversity and inclusion for the 13,000 employees. 

Prior to joining WMATA, Darlene served as the Chief Diversity Officer for March of Dimes; United Way Worldwide; Linkage Institute for Leading Diversity and Inclusion; and led an integrated strategy to utilize and support the talents of the employees as Fannie Mae’s Chief Diversity Officer. 

Darlene’s work as a leader and in Diversity continues to be recognized. She has received many awards and honors, including Diversity Woman Media Elite 100; SAVOY’s Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America, Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching, Black Enterprises’ Top Executives in Diversity, and Heart & Soul’s Women of Substance in Finance, in addition to grace the cover of Inclusion Magazine. Darlene served on Twitter’s ICD Council, American University President’s Diversity Council and Alumni Board, and Springboard Foundation for Disability. She is a fellow and board member at Simmons University Inclusive Leadership Institute and a board member of the Social Capital Academy at Fullerton University in California.

Darlene holds a M.S. in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development from American University and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Howard University.

Deborah S. Willis is a passionate, enthusiastic administrator, educator, and certified executive leadership coach. As an Assistant Vice Provost she works with the leadership team to develop strategy and tactics that lead to institutional transformation around diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice issues. Her role focuses on the student experience and she works closely with numerous student-focused units including Student Life and Rackham Graduate School. Prior to joining ODEI, she was an Assistant Director for Professional Development and Engagement at Rackham Graduate School and led the Rackham Professional Development DEI Certificate, a program she designed to prepare participants to work in a diverse environment while fostering a climate of inclusivity.

Throughout her professional career, Dr. Willis has provided vision and advocacy in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice and leadership development. Her engaging style of collaboration and coaching encourages progressive, actionable and tangible growth for the people she serves. She is committed to creating initiatives that support an inclusive community and promote institutional change. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children, enjoying nature, walking, and listening to music. Dr. Willis holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan and is a proud wolverine.

Diana J. Wong is an Associate Professor, Strategy and Organization Development at Eastern Michigan University and founder of Sensei Change Associates, LLC, a consulting practice that supports strategic change for leading organizations. Her life purpose is to contribute towards rebalancing the inequities of our world through creative designs for transformational change.  The portfolio of practices include strategic planning, organizational culture change for implementing strategies, training and development for competencies to enable change, and executive coaching to facilitate crucial pivots of growth. Diana resides in Ann Arbor with her family that also embraces a bi-coastal extended family.