2025 Keynote Speakers

Chris Moore is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the global nonprofit FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through hands-on, PreK-12 classroom and afterschool STEM programs. Chris has a passion for building programs that serve youth, families and communities.  For the past 25 years, Chris has driven considerable growth in both corporate and nonprofit organizations, serving in executive leadership roles.  Chris is a native Chicagoan, but currently resides in North Dallas, Texas, with his wife of 21 years, and two teenage sons. He earned a B.A. in International Relations from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill., and earned an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Rachel V. Rosen is a seasoned DEIB practitioner, executive coach, and the founder of SPARK Equity in Action. She believes that everyone's story matters and that intentional conversations are vehicles for change. With a master’s from Stanford, expertise in leadership development, and extensive experience leading DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging) systems-change efforts, her approach is grounded in theory, practice, and a commitment to helping people work better together. She and her wife live in Austin, Texas with their daughter, Ember, and doggie, Ella.   

Wednesday Keynote sponsored by Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.

Known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Ms. Opal Lee was present when President Joe Biden signed the bill that established “Juneteenth” as a federal holiday after her successful walking campaign and online petition that garnered over 1.5 million signatures for Juneteenth holiday awareness. She has received eight honorary doctorates and has been named 2021 Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News editorial board, the 2021 Unsung Hero of the Pandemic, Fort Worth Inc.’s 2022 Person of the Year, is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient. She is the second African American to have her portrait hung in the Texas State Senate. 

Dr. Rod Berger is a global media personality and editor at large for the international publication Fair Observer and has also contributed to Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines. Berger’s storytelling work has put him at the intersection of innovators, news and policymakers, Hall of Fame athletes, and entertainers worldwide. He has interviewed United Nations officials, had an audience with the Pope and the Crown Princess of Sweden, interviewed Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar, Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Karin Klein, and countless others.