Agenda

We can’t wait for you to join us!

Daily Details

WED. SEPT 17

REGISTRATION

Live Music with M’Gilvry Allen

9:00–10:00

James Moore Theater

WELCOME

Opening Remarks

Welcome to Responsive Conference 2025!
Robin Zander, Executive Director

10:00–10:30

James Moore Theater

MAINSTAGE

How To Not Know

Simone Stolzoff
Author, The Good Enough Job

A keynote about navigating uncertainty in an accelerating world.

10:30–11:00

James Moore Theater

15 Minute Transition

11:00–11:15

BREAKOUTS

11:15–12:15

What Organizations Can Learn From Political Campaigns

Addisu Demissie, Founder of 50+1 Strategies
Marie Szuts, Marie Szuts Coaching & Consulting

What can political campaigns teach us about leading teams and building trust? Drawing from Addisu’s experience running high-stakes national campaigns, they’ll unpack how values-driven communication, rapid iteration, and collective momentum shape effective teams.

James Moore Theater

Overwhelmed by Choice: How to Deploy AI in an Era of Radical Innovation

Todd Aetherwyn
Senior Director Enterprise Intelligence & Operations, UPSIDE Foods
Cadace Jones
Principal Technical Program Manger, Microsoft
Tim Bowman
Head of Market Strategy, Asana

In this 60‑minute facilitated discussion, experienced operators share practical strategies to build a durable AI deployment roadmap—what to prioritize, how to avoid tool‑churn, and when to back platforms versus shiny startups. You’ll leave with a clear approach for selecting and rolling out AI that fits your budget, reduces change fatigue, and delivers results.

Women's Board Lecture Hall

Depthfinding for Your Organization

Sam Spurlin
Partner at The Ready

Modern organizations face modern problems—but too often, they respond with outdated moves. Depthfinding helps teams get below the surface, identifying the misalignments, assumptions, and tensions that sabotage even the most thoughtful plans.

California Room

Lunch in the Garden

Don’t miss out on the Classroom Safari!

12:15–1:45

BREAKOUTS

1:45–2:45

A Funders’ Fishbowl

Eric Bahn, Co-founder at Hustle Fund
Danielle Strachman, Co-founder at 1517 Fund
Virginie Raphael, Founder at FullCircle Fund

Step into the Funders’ Fishbowl! In this interactive session, these three VCs will unpack what they’re seeing at the front lines of entrepreneurship and the future of work. With a fourth seat open to you, this is a rare chance to ask candid questions, challenge assumptions, and explore where innovation is headed—alongside the people investing in it.

James Moore Theater

Finding Leverage: Collective Intelligence and the Rise of Cognitive Offloading

Jesse Freese, Founder of StartupExperts
Marcus Sawyerr, Founder/CEO, EQ Community

Professional success now depends less on what you personally remember and more on how you curate knowledge and tap trusted networks. Communities, AI, and digital tools extend our thinking—making problem-solving faster, decisions sharper, and work less isolating. This session explores how leaders leverage collective intelligence to build a daily operating system that turns knowledge into clarity and confident action.

Women's Board Lecture Hall

Responsive by Design: Values, Data, and Leadership for a Changing World

Craig Forman, Founder of CultureC
Marta Riggin, Marta Riggins Consulting
Former Director of Employer Brand & Employee Communications at Instacart and LinkedIn

In today’s rapidly evolving social, political, and environmental landscape, organizations face mounting pressure to respond to change with speed and clarity. This interactive workshop will equip participants with a practical framework to proactively prepare for change, transition, and disruption. Drawing from internal assets like employee listening data, organizational mission, leadership values, and workplace culture, learn to align action with purpose, and activate decision-making frameworks that prioritize employees, customers, partners, and communities.

California Room

15 Minute Transition

2:45–3:00

SPEAKER-LED UNCONFERENCES

Speaker-led unconferences are informal, small-group sessions where attendees dive into topics they care about with a Responsive speaker. These intimate gatherings offer a chance to ask questions, share experiences, and connect directly—without slides or scripts.

3:00–4:00

15 Minute Break

4:00–4:15

MAINSTAGE

Human Innovation: Creativity and Connection in the Modern Workplace

Jaime Woolf, CEO Creativity Partners, former Dir. of Culture at Pixar
Danielle Feinberg, Visual Effects at Pixar
Chris Bell, President, Creativity Partners
Ashley Whilians, Harvard University

This session challenges our beliefs about work and demonstrates how space for storytelling, play, and human connection unlocks better ideas. Through interactive exercises and real examples, you’ll learn how to escape the efficiency trap and leave with a simple experiment to run at work next week.

4:15–4:45

James Moore Theater

CLOSING

Robin Zander

4:45–5:00

James Moore Theater

Happy Hour

Daily Details

THUR. SEPT. 18

PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION

Late Nite Art: Humanizing the Workplace
Adam Rosendahl, Founder of Late Nite Art
Lotus Malana Wong, Creative Muse Studios

How do we use creativity as a vehicle to communicate ideas? Join us for this pre-conference session to build meaningful connections and get outside your normal way of working!

8:30–10:30

Garden

WARMUP + REFLECTION

Opening Remarks

Robin Zander

10:30–10:45

James Moore Theater

MAINSTAGE

How to Robot-Proof Your Kids

Vivienne Ming, PhD
Professional mad scientist, Socos Labs & UC Berkeley

Dr. Vivienne Ming will dive into how AI and neuroscience intersect to reshape human potential. Her session explores practical ways to use AI as an empowering tool, helping us prepare future generations to thrive in a technology-driven world while maintaining creativity, emotional intelligence, and autonomy.

10:45–11:15

James Moore Theater

BREAKOUTS

11:30–12:30

Managing the Tensions of Leadership: Courge, Ethics, and Vision in a Changing World
Andrea Robb, CEO & Founder, ArcX
Doug Kirkpatrick, CEO, D’Artagnan Advisors
Tim Griffin, VP Procurement, Amy’s Kitchen

This session brings together two deeply reflective practitioners - Doug Kirkpatrick and Tim from Amy’s Kitchen - to explore how Peter Koestenbaum’s Leadership Diamond® serves as both a philosophical and operational guide amidst real transformation.

James Moore Theater

Today Was Fun: Navigating Work as a Source of Joy

Bree Groff
Author, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work

In this interactive workshop filled with client examples, research, and tools, Bree shares seven rules for better days at work (and in life). You will walk away feeling lighter, more human, more hopeful, and with practices you can use immediately in your own work and with your team to create better days.

Women’s Board Leture Hall

From Fear to Flow: Building AI-Ready Teams Through Hand-On Learning

Brian Elliott
CEO, Work Forward & author How the Future Works
Helen Kupp, co-founder Women Defining AI & author How the Future Works

In this interactive workshop, you'll experience firsthand the strategies that successful organizations use to overcome AI adoption barriers. We'll move beyond the hype to explore how AI transforms organizational structures and what it means for responsive leadership in practice. Bring your laptop!

California Room

Lunch

Live music by M’Gilvry Allen

12:30–1:30

SPEAKER-LED UNCONFERENCES

1:30–2:30

BREAKOUTS

2:45–3:45

Purpose and Redefining Work in an Age of AI

Suzy Welch, PhD
Professor of Management Practice at NYU Stern
Director of the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing
Author of Becoming You

Shelby Wolpa
Founder of Shelby Wolpa Consulting
Former VP at Instacart, One Medical, Palantir

A rare fireside conversation exploring career reinvention in the age of AI. While Shelby reflects on her pivot from people ops to personal transformation, Suzy will guide the conversation with the same candor and insight that’s made her one of the most trusted voices in modern leadership.

James Moore Theater

Politics at Work: A CPO Interview-in-the-Round

Becks Port, CHRO Sequoia
Kate Aiken, CHRO Arcellx, Inc.
Sally Thornton, Founder Forshay

In a world defined by constant change, the role of the Chief People Officer has never been more vital—or more complex. Join Becks Port (Sequoia), Sally Thornton (Forshay), and a circle of forward-thinking CPOs for a conversation about leading through uncertainty, supporting teams at scale, and redesigning work in real time. This session offers a rare inside look at how today’s top people leaders are navigating chaos with clarity and care.

Women's Board Lecture Hall

How To Build Bridges

Michael Masserman
Lectureer at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Former Head of Policy at Lyft
Former Obama Admin Official

Mike Masserman explores the utility and difficulty of bridging realms including spirituality, public policy, and corporate strategy. Through personal stories and practical exercises, he reveals how living as a bridge can unlock innovation and strengthen resilience in a world defined by rapid change

California Room

MAINSTAGE

The Future of Work is Human

Eldra Jackson III, executive director Inside Circle

In this final session, Eldra shares how personal transformation begins from within, and how building real connection can change the way we live, lead, and show up in the world. If you’re curious about what true change looks like and how we support it in others, this talk is worth your time.

4:00–4:30

James Moore Theater

CLOSING REMARKS

Robin Zander

4:35–4:55

James Moore Theater