As many organizations begin returning to the office, the acute challenges of navigating work during a pandemic are shifting once again. Whether it be finding a rhythm with a newly hybrid team, striking a balance between professional demands and personal lives, or championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in a hybrid work environment, these speakers offer unique ideas and actionable steps for building the future of work.

Anne Helen Petersen

Author of Can’t Even and co-author of Out of Office

Anne Helen Petersen is here to tell you that the future of work is flexible. As co-author (with Charlie Warzel) of the upcoming book Out of Office (December 2021), she proposes a radically future-looking treatise on the transformational potential of working from home. The groundbreaking book reshapes our entire relationship with the office, outlining a path toward a new kind of work-life balance that can improve our lives and strengthen our communities. Petersen is also the author of Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, based on the viral Buzzfeed article of the same name. In her relatable, well-researched talks, Petersen dissects our current relationship with work, and encourages companies and employees to use this post-pandemic inflection point to experiment with new models to make people happier and more productive, and organizations more profitable.

Charlie Warzel

Award-winning technology reporter and co-author of Out of Office

Charlie Warzel is a writer and reporter who studies the intersection of technology and culture. Formerly a writer-at-large for the New York Times Opinion page and a senior technology writer at BuzzFeed News, Warzel was the recipient of a 2019 Mirror Award for his reporting on Facebook’s privacy struggles. He is the co-author (with Anne Helen Petersen) of the upcoming book, Out of Office (December 2021), a game-changing look at the radical, transformational potential of working from home. Building off groundbreaking reporting and lived experience, Warzel opens audiences’ eyes to the changing needs of workers, emphasizing the importance of productivity, sustainability, and happiness at work in a post-pandemic world. He also draws on his experience as a technology reporter to talk about the ever-shifting media landscape and the rise in digital disinformation.

Porter Braswell

CEO and co-founder of Jopwell and author of Let Them See You

Porter Braswell is the CEO and cofounder of Jopwell, the leading career advancement platform for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals. A diversity expert, Braswell advises over 100 of America’s leading companies on how to achieve a more representative workplace, while also creating professional opportunities for Jopwell’s community. In Let Them See You, Braswell offers a clear and compelling roadmap for professionals of color looking to rise in their careers. Braswell gives action-oriented presentations to organizations and teams, acknowledging the clear gaps in equitability for workers of color and offering concrete steps for both employers and employees to make their future workplaces more representative and sustainable.

Ximena Vengoechea

Author of Listen Like You Mean It, UX Researcher, Illustrator

As a user experience researcher at some of Silicon Valley’s top tech companies, Ximena Vengoechea has spent years facilitating conversations at LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest. Drawing from her own research sessions, as well as stories and interviews with real-life listening experts, Vengoechea teaches audiences how to feel heard, connected, and understood in a world that keeps turning up the volume. In her lectures, she outlines useful tools to help audiences self-assess and improve their current listening habits so they can give and receive honest feedback, make connections that will endure for the long haul, and discover who people truly are at their core.

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Co-authors of the #1 New York Times-bestselling book Designing Your Life

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans have spent their careers immersed in the principles of effective design, and in teaching individuals how to apply those principles both personally and professionally. In a video series modeled off their book, Designing Your Work Life, Burnett and Evans apply design thinking principles to the past year and a half of turmoil with “Designing Your COVID Life.” In their presentations, Burnett and Evans help teams design their way through disruption (personal as well as global) and navigate these uncharted waters by discussing things like how to move from a “new normal” to “normal,” how to build teams and trusted networks while in hybrid offices, and how to effectively prototype and iterate the way to a better future.

Rob Walker

Journalist and author of The Art of Noticing

Rob Walker is a journalist and educator who writes about design, technology, business, and the arts. In his book, The Art of Noticing, and his talks, Walker outlines simple and playful practices to help audiences become more mindful of the world around them and find inspiration in professional and everyday life. Now that our working lives are transforming once again, Walker’s work is incredibly applicable, helping audiences find ways to connect and become more creative team members. Walker teaches that despite the distractions that may present themselves in a hybrid environment, we can become more grounded in the present through deep engagement with our surroundings.

Highlights

Building the Future of Work