Free Speakers Chicago is a pro bono speakers bureau. Every speaker on this page presents at no cost, with no fees, no honorarium and no mileage. Browse the full roster below, or jump to a category, and request a guest speaker for your next meeting, workshop or community event.
Dynamic Life Strategist, Asjohnson Agency
Ask Adam Live is built on a simple belief: Life is always happening for us, not to us. Through transformational keynotes, workshops, and coaching experiences, Adam S. Johnson helps individuals reframe challenges, overcome limiting beliefs, and discover their soul's purpose. The result is greater clarity, renewed confidence, and a life lived with intention, passion, and
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
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
Breast Cancer Talks, Hope Cometh
Dr. Funmi Apantaku-Onayemi’s focus on populations’ studies - community engagement and participatory cancer research in the minority populations has spanned three decades. She was the Midwest Regional Director of the National Cancer Institute’s National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer. During her tenure, she formed 15 coalitions in 12 Midwestern states. Many of these coalitions were
Retired Professor of History and Law, College of William and Mary
Mark McGarvie, J.D., Ph.D., is an American historian who writes, teaches, and shares history so as to respect the integrity of the historical actors who made our history. Accordingly, he believes that the goal of studying history is understanding, not judgment. Too many scholars today condemn the past and those who lived through it without
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
Leadership Coach, Author, Speaker, Educator, Leading to Action
Dr. Susan Neustrom is dedicated to helping people and leaders make positive changes and do amazing things. With a wealth of experience in corporate and nonprofit leadership positions, Susan is a certified leadership coach, faculty at DePaul and National Louis University, and author of “The Comfort Zone Illusion-Leaving your Comfort Zone is not so Hard
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
CEO, Roland, Ruth & Mitchell
Matt Kinnich has over 30 years of sales and general management experience, most recently as CEO of a private equity-backed education company. Matt’s Education Sector experience includes: Higher Education, Professional Education, Credentialing, Corporate Training and PreK thru 8th grade. He is passionate about education as a lever to change the trajectory of individuals, organizations and
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
Founder, Sonder Private Wealth Management
With over 30 years of experience, Sonder Wealth provides high-quality, holistic, and unbiased fee-only financial planning and investment management services to families, business owners, and non-profit organizations. In concert with your other advisors, Sonder Wealth can address the entire spectrum of challenging financial issues you may be facing today. From growing to preserving wealth, funding
Director of Outreach, Citizens Utility Board (CUB)
Ivonne joined the Citizens Utility Board in 2012. As Outreach Director, she leads the team that educates Illinois consumers on various utility issues, establishes relationships with community organizations and serves both English- and Spanish-speaking constituents. Her favorite part about working for CUB is being able to make a difference in the lives of consumers and
USAF Veteran, former Sports Agent,Natural Bodybuilding Competitor, Stroke Survivor, Author
Brady Johnson is an Air Force Veteran; spending thirteen years in USAF/ANG serving his country. During a tour overseas, he survived a terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia and was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal. A medal that honored his achievements in restoring order, problem solving and achieving outstanding results.While serving his country, he opened
Former Steven Spielberg Project Interviewers, Personal History Interviews
Dan Gelfond is a former "Steven Spielberg project" interviewer. His company Personal History Interviews records the life stories of parents and grandparents across the U.S. to preserve their legacies for future generations. Dan is also the owner of Keepsake Family Tree Video a full service video production company. Dan will share stories of interviews he's
Mindset & Lifestyle Coach, Claudia Braun Holistic Lifestyle Coaching
Mindset & Lifestyle coach for professional women exhausted from over giving, obligation and guilt, creating a life based on more on who they think they should be instead of who they desire to be. Work with women to bring them back to fulfillment and inner peace, so they can flourish. Coaching women for 13 years,
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
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.
Terry Poppleton has lived in Glen Ellyn, IL for 53 years. He taught history for 33 years at Hadley Junior High School. He has had a lifelong interest in Native Americans. Since his retirement, he and his wife, Sharon, have made many trips to the southwest. It was on these trips that Terry became interested
Principal, JWillin Consulting, Ltd.
Jerilyn Willin is a leadership development consultant and career strategies coach with over 25 years experience in the field of performance and organizational development. Transitioning from a career as a psychotherapist, Jerilyn worked as an internal consultant for a decade before following the call of her entrepreneurial spirit and founded JWillin Consulting, Intl. She has
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
Professional Organizer, Arranged By Erin
After a successful sales career, I decided to follow my passion and started Arranged By Erin Professional Organizing. I have been organizing in Chicagoland for 11 years. I love to share my knowledge and speak about organizing.
Climate Reality Project Leader, Climate Reality Project - IL Chicago Metro Chapter
Donald lives in Arlington Heights, IL where he raised his family. He attended Michigan State University and earned his MBA at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Illinois. He retired as a product marketing professional in the high tech industry and is now pursuing a writing career. He recently became a climate activist by
Workplace Futurist, Human Potential Maximizer, Author, Possibility Partners
Dianne offers a pragmatic but innovative approach to guiding others to unleash their potential and to experience the power of possibility. As a Human Resources Futurist, and a Rearchitecting Work Consultant, she brings 30+ years of multi-faceted experiences in a diverse variety of enterprises, ranging from small, family-owned businesses, start-ups, political campaigns, and government agencies
Medicare Benefits Advisor, Premier Medicare Benefits
Tom Perrucci is a seasoned professional in the health insurance industry, specializing in helping clients navigate the complexities of Medicare. With a focus on building trust and prioritizing client needs, Tom goes above and beyond to ensure his clients receive the best possible Medicare options tailored to their specific requirements, financial situation, and eligibility criteria.
Founder, CFO-Pro
Interim CFO for the past 19 years; expertise is financial management and planning for small business owners and CEOs; MBA, CPA
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
Clinical Director / Executive Director, Counseling Speaks / In Her Shoes Foundation
Kasia Weresz has experience in working with children, adolescents, families and adults. Originally from Poland, Kasia has developed an appreciation for different cultures. She works to build a healing environment that helps facilitate personal growth and positive change. Kasia has extensive training and experience in crisis intervention, cognitive-behavioral therapy and positive psychology. Her areas of
President, Peak Development Strategies
Mary is a published author, dynamic speaker, professional Trainer/Coach/Consultant, She is the author of the book, "Communicating with the 5 Generations in the Workplace." She offers business professionals the development services they need to thrive in their business roles and cope with their ever changing workplace and market. Erlain founded Peak Development Strategies in 2007.
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