A workplace strategy expert and researcher, Stringer works for EYP, an architecture, engineering, and building technology firm. She is the author of two bestselling books including The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Well-Being of Your Employees — and Boost Your Company’s Bottom Line.

A former Microsoft engineer, Shih worked at Google and Salesforce.com before developing the first social-business application for Facebook, called Faceforce. Hearsay Social is an enterprise social-marketing tool used by  JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Allstate, among others.  She’s a frequent keynote speaker on the topic of social media.

Gielan, the author of Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change, studies the link between happiness and success.

Ross, who describes herself as a “vitality advocate,” expanded her SARAjROSS + Co. Consulting firm with research arm BrainAMPED, which develops, tests, and curates strategies to transform how people work and live.

Baker, of 7Concepts design consultancy, specializes in digital marketing, design research, strategic planning, engagement, and experiential marketing.

Kanzaki is a self-described “wellness architect” who received a master’s degree in public health from Loma Linda University and has more than a decade of experience working as a clinical dietitian.

Davis, who has a Ph.D. in business and organization management, is president and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, which specializes in such areas as talent management, diversity and inclusion, and personal and professional reinvention.

Nelson’s startup, SoulTour, is a technology and media platform for upliftment and spiritual well-being. She is the author of three books, including Transformational Consumer: Fuel a Lifelong Love Affair With Your Customers by Helping Them Get Healthier, Wealthier, and Wiser. Previously, Nelson was chief marketer of MyFitnessPal. She recently was named by Business Insider as the No. 1 woman Silicon Valley tech companies should be naming to their boards.

Marketing consultant Martell was CMO and co-founder of customer intelligence startup Cintell and director of buzz at NetProspex. Now at Boston Content, the city’s largest community of content professionals, she is a frequent speaker and emcee at conferences including TEDx, B2B Summit, and Women in Digital.

Nadya Okamato is the founder of PERIOD, a nonprofit, youth-oriented organization dedicated to social change for menstrual equity. Her next goal? Making PERIOD a global movement and a key component of the fight for gender equality.

As U.S. states begin to recognize that the gender spectrum spans beyond male or female, Equality Institute founder Bernadette Smith thinks business events have an opportunity to follow suit — thereby creating an inclusive, respectful environment for all attendees.

Ideological polarization should be an opportunity, not a deterrent, to raising the profile of diversity and inclusion in the meetings industry.