You may have seen Peggy Klaus on Nightline, the Today Show, and 20/20, or read her advice in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune and O magazine. Author of two best-selling books, BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It and The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish They’d Learned Sooner, her client list reads like a who’s who of Fortune 500, mid size and start-up companies.

Named 2016’s coach of the year, Peggy brings her vast expertise in leadership and communication to all levels of the organization, from the C-suite to managers and associates, with a host of soft skill topics including Executive Presence, Branding, Navigating the Narrow Band, Succeeding Despite Gender Barriers, Setting Vision & Strategy, Making the Perfect Pitch and of course, the Art of Bragging. After the 2016 election, Peggy added yet another dimension to her work, coaching political candidates and PACS to effectively communicate their values and vision with authenticity and candor.

Taking her message from the boardroom to the classroom, she has lectured to both students and faculty at universities across the country including: the University of California, Berkeley (Haas School of Business, Boalt School of Law, and the School of Public Health & Sciences), Harvard University’s School of Public Health, Wharton’s Executive MBA Program, the University of Virginia, Pepperdine University School of Law and the Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University.

The youngest of four girls, Peggy’s life-long dedication to the empowerment of girls and women can be seen throughout her career, from her BRAG! Connections program which reaches  thousands of aspiring teens and disadvantaged women, as well as her work as a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco, the Young Women’s Leadership Network, the Grace Institute and SAGE Scholars program. Because of her cutting-edge work around women in leadership she continues to be sought-after as both a coach and speaker for leading women’s groups including The Network for Executive Women, the National Association of Female Executives and LeanIn while also contributing regularly to top media outlets on issues of gender, communication & leadership.

In an earlier incarnation, Peggy earned advanced degrees in drama, speech, and theatre from the London-based Royal Academy of Music and the Drama Studio. She began her career as an actor and classical singer before moving to Hollywood to become a producer, director and talent coach., working with actors, comedians, musicians, and broadcast news talent in productions for Paramount Studios, Warner Brothers, ABC, CBS, and NBC.

On November 6, 2018, Mike DeWine was elected to serve as the 70th Governor of the State of Ohio. The Governor has had a long and distinguished career in public service, focusing on protecting Ohio children and families. He was previously the 50th Attorney General of Ohio and has previously been elected to serve as Greene County Prosecutor, Ohio State Senator, U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, U.S. Senator.

Mike DeWine’s story is a true Ohio story. Raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Mike DeWine and Fran (Struewing) met in the first grade and married while students at Miami University. They’ve been blessed with eight children and 26 grandchildren. Family is at the core of everything Mike DeWine does, and that’s why he has devoted his life to fighting for Ohio’s families. He knows when families are strong, Ohio communities are stronger, and our future is bright.

ANGELA N. CAULEY, Coalescence, LLC

Angela N. Cauley is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Coalescence, LLC, a Columbus, Ohio-based custom food ingredient company, specializing in creating healthy, flavorful solutions for food and beverage manufacturers. Together with her husband Ian Blount, she started the business in 2005, with the goal of creating nutritious, functional products to address health disparities plaguing the global community.

Angela, who has 30 years of Food Science and Nutrition Research experience, is responsible for the overall viability of the Coalescence, with special emphasis in the areas of Research & Development, Quality Assurance, Food Defense & Security, Marketing and Sales. Her specialized skills and training in product formulation, sensory evaluation, and pilot scale processing, as well as physical and chemical analysis helped facilitate the company’s substantial growth.

Mrs. Cauley believes that by reaching back and believing in our youth, we are not only strengthening our future, but society as a whole. In 2013 she was instrumental in launching The George Washington Carver Food Research Institute. This non-profit organization was devised to expose underrepresented students to Agricultural STEM career paths and to assist them in developing critical skills necessary to create and sustain food-based businesses.

MICHELLE TILLIS LEDERMAN, CSP, SCC, MBA : The Connector’s Advantage, 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact

Michelle Tillis Lederman, CSP, SCC, MBA is known for her energetic, engaging, and authentic presentations. An expert on workplace communications and relationships, Michelle's mission is to help people work better together and advance their individual impact. She is an accomplished speaker, trainer, coach, and author of four books including The Connectors Advantage and the internationally recognized, The 11 Laws of Likability.

Michelle, named one of Forbes Top 25 Networking Experts, is a connection creator and CEO of Executive Essentials, which provides customized communications and leadership programs for fortune 500, non-profit, university and government clients. Her clients include JPMorgan, J&J, Deutsche Bank, Michigan State University, MetLife, Sony, Ernst & Young, the Department of Environmental Protection, and Madison Square Garden. Passionate about education, Michelle served as an Adjunct Professor at NYU, on the faculty of the American Management Association, Lehigh Executive Education, and Rutgers Executive Education.

A former finance executive and NYU Professor, Michelle is a regular in the media appearing on CBS, NBC, Fox, NPR, CNBC, the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, Working Mother, US News & World Report, MSNBC, Forbes and USA Today among many others.

Michelle spent a decade in finance with positions in audit, M&A, financial consulting, VC, and hedge fund investing. She received her BS from Lehigh University, her MBA from Columbia Business School, holds the PCC designation from the International Coaching Federation, and is certified in Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centered Coaching method. Executive Essentials is a certified Women Business Enterprise.