Featured Speakers

Peter Monkhouse (keynote speaker)

Peter Monkhouse is a globally recognized speaker, educator, and consultant with over 40 years of experience in project leadership. He has taught more than 6,000 students at institutions like the University of Toronto and co-authored the bestselling book Gen P: New Generation of Product Owners Who Care About Customers. A former Chair of the PMI Board and PMI Educational Foundation, Peter is also co-founder of NewGenP and has consulted for leading organizations including CIBC, MetroLinx, and the City of Toronto.

Hillary Sawyer

Hillary is an experienced development and fundraising professional with over a decade of expertise, holding dual master's degrees in Health Care Administration and Nonprofit Administration from Grand Valley State University. She is the Donor Relationship Coordinator at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids. With a solid background in service-focused work, Hillary remains deeply committed to improving the lives of others through thoughtful and sustainable efforts. Her wide range of interests and experiences allows her to bring a well-rounded perspective to her work and to connect authentically with those around her. Outside of work, Hillary enjoys gardening, traveling, camping, and listening to true crime and suspense-thriller audiobooks.  

Lavagnon Ika

Lavagnon Ika, MSc, PhD is Professor of Project Management and Founding Director of the Major Projects Observatory at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. He is also an Extraordinary Professor at both the Graduate School of Technology Management and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GBIS) of the University of Pretoria. He is a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow, an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Project Management and the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, and a (former) member of the Academic Boards of the international project management associations PMI and IPMA.

Professor Ika is a key contributor to the most recent debates on major infrastructure delivery (e.g., project behavior or why projects experience cost overruns and benefit shortfalls), and he is considered the world leader of the research on managing global development projects (e.g., World Bank or Global Affairs Canada-funded projects delivered in Africa).

Professor Ika's work has earned him three Emerald Publishing House Awards of Excellence (Best Reviewer Award in 2018, Outstanding Paper in 2017 and Highly Commended Paper Award in 2011), as well as three IPMA Global Awards of Excellence (Research Award in 2017 and 2022 and Contribution of a Young Researcher Award in 2012). He won the PM World Journal Editor’s Choice Award in 2021.

He was a finalist of the 2023 UK Association for Project Management (APM) Award for the Research Paper of the Year. He was awarded the Telfer Innovative Researcher Award in 2017 and the Telfer Established Researcher Award in 2021. He is the co-author of the 2024 PMI Book of the Year Managing Fuzzy Projects in 3D and he is leading a handbook on project behavior to be published with Cambridge University Press in 2024. Professor Ika has provided guidance for the World Bank as external advisory panel member on their Results and Performance of the World Bank Group 2023 and for the PMI in 2024 as a lead scholar on how to measure project success.

Matt Brauning

Matt Brauning is an international keynote speaker and leadership trainer, a 3-time bestselling author, and a huge yo-yo nerd.
He has filmed in 2 movies, you've seen him all over morning Television on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and he has spoken at places like TEDx, McDonald's, NASDAQ, and the United States Air Force Academy. Matt delivers engaging keynote talks that are equal parts inspiring, actionable, and fun for corporate events, conferences, and association gatherings all over the world. Leaders, sales teams, and entrepreneurs get the opportunity to learn, grow and laugh all at the same time! Matt is also an avid motorcycle rider, rock climber, and pro wrestling fan! He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his amazing wife Lola, and awesome son Valiant.

Lisa Hammer

Lisa Hammer has more than 30 years of experience, specializing in project management and staff development for both large and small firms. She has managed the implementation of several multi-million-dollar programs, which included coordination of staff, consultants and subcontractors to achieve client goals while maintaining budget and cost controls across all activities. Her executive career has been highlighted by a broad range of qualifications, including proven leadership and analytical skills, collaboration with outside groups, along with a reputation for accountability, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

Lisa continues to be a Project Management practitioner, working with clients to improve their ability to execute against demanding deliverables in dynamic environments. Her client base includes many state and local agencies, non-profits and as well as public and private companies. Lisa understands that people who are satisfied with their employment experience are more engaged, which leads to improved quality, productivity and happiness. Her passion for professionalism shines through in her presentations on a wide range of project management topics. Using her broad and in-depth field experience she not only stands behind her training, she expects success!

Lisa has been selected to present multiple courses for PMI’s PMI Training® (formerly SeminarsWorld), a series of professional seminars, which are held annually in various cities throughout the United States and internationally.

David Newman

David B. Newman has over 30 years of experience, and holds a Master’s degree in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University. He has a diversified background in engineering and product development, is a certified trainer for leadership seminars, and loves to share his experience and extensive background with others. Project teams have excelled under his leadership as he has emphasized that the key to building a high-performance team is to integrate management skills with a collaborative philosophy to influence and motivate teams.

Audiences eagerly engage with David’s interactive presentation style. Through a mix of personal experience, hands-on activities and touches of PMBOK® Guide formality, David’s workshops are entertaining and educational. His passion and humor make his workshops fun while his focus on results drives attendees to reach for practical solutions to real challenges.

David has been selected to present multiple courses for PMI’s PMI Training® (formerly SeminarsWorld), a series of professional seminars, which are held annually in various cities throughout the United States and internationally.