Featured Speakers
Terry Jones
Founder & Former CEO Travelocity.com, Chairman of Kayak.com, Innovation Expert
Terry Jones is on the cutting edge of innovation and change. As founder of Travelocity.com, chairman of Kayak.com and Chief Information officer at American Airlines/Sabre, Terry has a proven track record of leading companies whose innovations have changed an industry. For the last five years through his consulting practice, as a board member and as a venture capitalist, Terry has been helping companies use the tools and techniques he’s developed to keep up with this rapidly changing world.
Terry has worked in small startups and the corporate world; he has a unique perspective on innovation and can offer audiences real world examples of how to create a culture of innovation in their companies.
A lively, humorous and entertaining speaker Jones always does the research necessary to customize his presentations for each audience.
Jones’ credentials have breadth and depth, in the 70s Terry helped create one the of the fastest growing business travel companies ever formed. In the 80s and 90s Terry led product development, programming and operations at American Airlines SABRE, the computer system that became a Harvard case study on automating your customers. And then in 1996 he founded Travelocity.com and took it from a team of 10 to a multi-billion dollar public company. But he didn’t stop there. After leaving Travelocity he became chairman of Kayak.com, a completely different travel site, that in three years is the size of Priceline.
A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Jones entered the business world in 1971 as a travel agent with Vega Travel in Chicago. Today he serves as principle of Essential Ideas a company he founded to help companies in the transition to the digital economy. He is chairman of Kayak.com and serves on the boards of ReardenCommerce, Smart Destinations and EarthLink. He is a special venture partner at General Catalyst Partners and serves on the boards of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and the Technical Advisory Committee of the Boy Scouts of America.
David Eagleman
Renowned Neuroscientist and International Bestselling Author
Often called the Carl Sagan of neuroscience, David Eagleman is a scientist and bestselling author who provides a new framework for understanding our brains -- and, by extension, ourselves. His speeches and articles deal with everything from how the brain rewires itself to why art and science must learn from each other. Known for a unique and active exploration of ideas, he throws himself into experiments, literally: he once dropped himself in free fall from a 150-foot tower to see if time could be perceived in slow-motion during times of fear. Erudite, engaging, and able to connect scientific discovery to daily life, Eagleman prompts audiences to celebrate the beauty of the brain, question what we perceive as reality, and re-think what we know about human nature.
David Eagleman holds joint appointments in the Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and is the founder and director of the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. His influential neuroscience books include Incognito, Live-Wired, and Wednesday is Indigo Blue. He writes regularly for the New York Times, Wired, Discover, Slate, and New Scientist, and is a repeat guest on NPR, discussing both science and literature -- his twin passions. Eagleman's novel, SUM, was named a Best Book of The Year by Barnes and Noble and inspired U2 producer Brian Eno to write twelve new pieces of music, which he performed, with Eagleman, at the Sydney Opera House.
Edward Jay Goldberg
Senior Vice President of External Affairs
Macy's
Ed Goldberg’s education began in Philadelphia where he received his BS from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science in 1965.
His professional experience began at Sears Roebuck & Company; Philadelphia, PA (1965-1975) Positions included Liquidation Manager, Eastern Territory, Liquidation, Surplus Store Operations Manager, Catalog Store Manager, and Regional Catalog Coordinator.
He later went to Bamberger’s Department Stores, in Newark, NJ (1975-1988) where he served as the Vice President Consumer Affairs: Managed Customer Service, Consumer & Government Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunications departments.
Later coming to Macy’s, New York (1988-1995) he managed & administered Government & Consumer Affairs, Lease Departments, Food Services, Warehouse Relations, East Region Store Alterations and Purchasing. Some of Ed’s community activities include serving as Board Director of the following groups: New York Metropolitan, National Choral Council (Board Chairman), Better Business Bureau, National Conference of Community and Justice, Board of Trustees Talladega College, Cool Culture, Workforce Investment Board of NYC.
Ed has been married for forty-three years to Judi (Fox) Goldberg, and has 3 sons, Scott, Jeffrey, & Todd. He has six grandsons: Jake, Sam, Tucker, Adin, Rex and Ian & two granddaughters: Sophie and Brooke.
Joan K. Woodward
Executive Vice President, Public Policy
Travelers
Joan Kois Woodward is Executive Vice President of Public Policy for Travelers. She also leads The Travelers Institute, which was created in May 2009 as a means of participating in public policy dialogue on matters of interest to the property casualty insurance sector, as well as the financial services industry more broadly. The Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management and the technical expertise of its risk professionals and other experts to provide information, analysis and recommendations to public policy makers and regulators. Ms. Woodward is a member of the company’s Management, Risk and Operating Committees and also serves on the Travelers Foundation Board.
Ms. Woodward joined Travelers in 2008 from Goldman, Sachs & Co., where she was the founding Executive Director of the company’s Global Markets Institute. During her nine years at Goldman Sachs, Ms. Woodward also served as Vice President and Director of Washington Research for Goldman Sachs’ Global Investment Research. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Ms. Woodward worked on Capitol Hill for 12 years, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance as well as Senior Economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget.
Ms. Woodward has bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Administration, all from the American University. She also studied at the University of London.
Ms. Woodward serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce. In July, 2010, Joan was appointed to the President’s National Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Export Council. She is engaged with numerous community and charitable groups including serving on the Board of Directors of the Bryce Harlow Foundation and the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Washington, DC. She is also a recipient of the 2009-2010 David Rockefeller Fellowship.
Ms. Woodward and her husband, Ned, have four children and live in Arlington, Va.
Steve Gross
Executive Director and Chief Playmaker, Life is good Kids Foundation
Steve Gross, M.S.W., is the Executive Director and Chief Playmaker of the Life is good Kids Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that uses play to strengthen and heal children whose lives have been deeply impacted by trauma. He has devoted his career to the service of our most vulnerable children. A pioneer in utilizing exuberant, joyful play to promote resiliency in children and their caregivers, and a leader in the field of psychological trauma response, Gross is committed to the healthy development of children facing the most challenging circumstances. Gross and his team are leading a national movement of childcare providers who have the skills, insights and artistry to use play with the children in their daily care in a way that promotes security, confidence and compassion.