Free Speakers Chicago is a pro bono speakers bureau. These Business guest speakers present at no cost on leadership, company culture, marketing, AI for business, operational efficiency, PR, and more. Every presentation is free to book, with no fees, no honorarium and no mileage.
Founder & President, Performance Advisors Group, Inc.
Mark James is an accomplished business improvement advisor with over 40 years of experience in workplace and channel performance, change management, customer loyalty, and measurement. He is the founder and President of Performance Advisors Group, Inc., which helps growing and mature B2B companies achieve sustainable growth and competitive advantage by eliminating barriers that get in
Founder, Cascade Communications
Jennifer Fortney is the Founder of Cascade Communications (est. 2001), a nationally acclaimed integrated PR and brand marketing agency serving startups, small businesses, and family enterprises — and author of "Be a Media Magnet: A Bootstrapper's Guide to PR" (Amazon, 2025). In her nearly 30-year career in PR and marketing communications, Jennifer has worked with
Business Coach, Potential In Motion
Tom Kelly is the founder and owner of Potential In Motion, Inc. As a coach, Tom is dedicated to working with salespeople, entrepreneurs, small business owners and corporate executives that want to reach their full potential in both their business and their life. Tom is focused on “coaching to the edge of what is possible”
Business Strategist/Consultant, Bounce Solutions Jean Kuhn
Jean Kuhn, Speaker, Author and Serial Entrepreneur, began her career on April 29, 1985, when the nurse put that first baby in her arms, and she knew she was not going back to a J-O-B she hated. In 2002, Jean bought her first of two bankrupt businesses and turned it around in 12 months adding
Founder and President, Shamrock Consultants
John P. Casey is a manufacturing and operations expert who founded Shamrock Consultants, where he works with organizations to improve leadership effectiveness, operational reliability, and continuous improvement systems. He has spent the last 30 years working with manufacturing leaders across multiple industries to break reactive cycles, strengthen planning discipline, and build reliability cultures that sustain
The Human Leader
There are three things almost everyone wants and virtually no one is ready for: Marriage, raising kids and leading others. As a clinical psychologist I've worked with people having all those issues. In the end, I became so concerned about the challenges that leaders face today that I decided to focus my clinical training and
Owner and Real Estate Entrepreneur, Baltazar Rentals
Daniel Baltazar is a real estate entrepreneur and co-founder of Baltazar Rentals, a family-operated real estate investment and property management business in Illinois. After spending nearly a decade working as a professional skydiver, Daniel transitioned into real estate investing, building a portfolio of residential rental properties and developing a business focused on acquiring, renovating, and
Founder and Managing Member, Black|Line Consulting
Jody Jankovsky, Founder and Managing Member of Black|Line Consulting, has acquired considerable experience in addressing client needs throughout his 30-year career in the IT industry. Mr. Jankovsky holds a B.S. in Computer Science with an emphasis on Accounting from Illinois State University and has continued his professional education through numerous technical and business focused classes
Partner/Owner, onPurpose Growth
Bryan McDonald has spent his whole 20+year career in new revenue growth and focused on a superior sales strategy that created a track record of success by serving vs selling people. He is a partner at onPurpose Growth, a coaching and consulting firm that serves entrepreneurs who have ambitious yearly or multiyear revenue goals, fulfill
Principal, Baker Logistics Consulting Services Inc.
Lauren is the founder and Principal of Baker Logistics Consulting Services, Inc., a consulting firm focused on addressing international transportation, trade and customs consulting needs. Her consulting services focused on 3PL selection and management, international air and sea transportation and customs and trade compliance. Prior to starting Baker, Lauren spent thirty years in senior roles
Owner, Full Throttle Leadership
Dennis Mellen brings years of leadership experience as a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, a twenty-eight-year retired Alaska Airlines Fleet Captain in charge of 550 pilots and 40 instructors, and a bestselling author. He is an internationally recognized speaker, an executive leadership coach, and a certified athletic mental performance master. His target audience is future,
CEO, Scott Hansen Consulting
Scott is a high performance coach, sought after speaker, podcast host, and a recent Best Selling Author. Along with working with Fortune 500 companies; he’s trained and coached entrepreneurs and executives on how to live a life of purpose and significance. Scott’s the creator of Ultimate Success System, a high performance coaching program teaching Entrepreneurs
Cyber Security Analyst, CCS Technology Group
Cybersecurity is a continual journey, and Chris's dedication to staying ahead of evolving threats makes him an invaluable asset for your attendees. Chris Higgins has a knack for making it both fun and informative. He breaks down complex cybersecurity topics into relatable terms, ensuring that everyone can understand and take away actionable steps to protect
Co-founders, BridgeWork LLC
BridgeWork is the brainchild of Anthony Bolden and Charles Cammack, whose combined passion and extensive experience in nonprofit and educational leadership form the cornerstone of our mission and operations. With over 20 years of collective experience, they bring a unique blend of insight and dedication to fostering emerging talent. Anthony Bolden, co-founder, brings a wealth
President, NaviAsia Advisors
Bill Liu helps U.S. companies enter the Chinese market. Most recently, he has also been assisting Asian companies to enter the U.S. market. Connecting companies and people globally is the focus of Bill’s career. Bill founded NaviAsia Advisors, where he is a consultant and Principal, which derived from NaviAsia Group, cofounded by Bill in 2001.
Founder and CEO, Witter Enterprise Solutions, LLC
Jennifer Witter is a finance executive, consultant, and founder of Witter Enterprise Solutions LLC. With extensive experience in accounting and financial leadership, she helps organizations strengthen financial operations and strategic decision-making. Jennifer is also pursuing certification in artificial intelligence to help businesses understand how emerging technologies can enhance financial analysis, operational efficiency, and leadership strategy.
President, The Prizant Group, Ltd.
Married with three grown-up boys (Elliot-28, Ethan-25, Ben-21), a lovely wife, Juli and two mischievous Labs (Dexter/Blanche). I run my own pension consulting company (The Prizant Group,Ltd.). My interests are politics, Zen, fitness, history, and the Indy 500.
President & Founder, Payables Solutions Partners, LLC
Nicole Caley stands at the forefront of the Operational Accounting world, bringing over 20 years of diverse and extensive experience, using her results- oriented, entrepreneurial mindset and leadership ability to drive change. As current Senior Accounts Payable (AP) Director with AAR Corporation and Founder & President of Payables Solutions Partners, LLC, she not only leads
Lawyer / Partner, Kreiter, Byck and Associates, LLC
Paul M. Byck is Managing Partner of Kreiter, Byck and Associates, LLC. Paul has lectured attorneys throughout the country on the importance of communicating with clients. He is a lecturer for the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education. Paul earned his law degree from DePaul University Law School in 1990 and in the same year
Social Media Strategist, Time2Mrkt, Inc.
Dee Reinhardt loves social media. It feeds the right side of her brain and helps her creative juices flow. She helps small business understand the how and why of marketing with social media. She can help you design build or remodel your marketing to incorporate social media into your overall plan. Dee is a certified
CFO, Bear & Kenmore LLC
Barrett Willich has extensive experience working with companies on strategic initiatives, capital raising, implementing day-to-day processes, and overseeing general operations. He has a unique mix of investing in companies and running companies, allowing him to navigate investors' needs with management's needs. Prior to Bear & Kenmore, Barrett was Vice President of Investments at a family
Managing Partner, The Alliance Strategic Group
J. Michial Schickedanz is the founder of Strategic Intercept International, where he works with executive teams and department leaders to close the gap between stated values and actual decisions, and long term strategy. His work treats culture as an execution system, not a values exercise, giving leaders a structural way to see why teams stall
Principal Storyteller / Founder, Be More Human
Leilani spent more than two decades in corporate sales and leadership, navigating high-stakes environments, leading teams, and closing multi-million-dollar deals. But behind every win, she saw what most companies were missing: connection. In rooms focused on performance metrics, she paid attention to what moved people, what shut them down, and what made them feel seen.
Finance Transformation Leader, Clever Fox, LLC
Diane is a finance transformation leader and ASQ certified Six Sigma professional with more than 12 years of experience leading process improvement initiatives for large corporations. She is an innovative, problem-solver that thrives in a fast-paced environment. As part of role as a transformation leader, she actively conducts client workshops and trainings. She enjoys public
Music Label Manager, MEGAO Inc.
Valeria Gershanova is a creative entrepreneur, music label founder, author, and marketing strategist dedicated to helping creators transform their talent into sustainable income. As the founder of MEGAO Music, she has built a diverse portfolio of ventures spanning music, publishing, digital products, and media. Valeria’s work is rooted in the belief that talent requires a
Founder, CFO-Pro
Interim CFO for the past 19 years; expertise is financial management and planning for small business owners and CEOs; MBA, CPA
Sales Success Trainer, 1st Ayd Corporation
Joe Rosner is a Certified Hypno-Therapist and a well regarded public speaker. In addition his training in hypnotherapy, he has studied the human mind in a variety of disciplines including martial arts and Vipassana Meditation.
President, TractionLeadership, LLC
As a life-long learner and passionate believer in the power of business to impact our lives and our world, John has always been drawn to ideas and principles that are grounded in the notion that success is defined not only by achievement, but by effort as well. The power of setting and achieving goals is
Director of Business Development, Digital Third Coast
Lyndsey Maddox is the Director of Business Development for Digital Third Coast Internet Marketing. DTC specializes in search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaign management & content marketing for both local and national marketing campaigns. The company's mission is to make a measurable difference for our clients' businesses, by dramatically increasing targeted traffic to their website. Founded
President & Co-Founder, Davisware, Inc.
At age 17, Jennifer Davis became the co-Founder of Davisware, alongside of her now husband, Dan. That business was at the epicenter of technology transformations in thousands of field services businesses during her 30+ years in the technology business, where Jennifer led the industries, they served with thought leadership on scaling a business, technology, and
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