FEATURED SPEAKERS
JUNE 23, 2025
OPENING KEYNOTE
PHILIPPE DEMERS
FOUNDER, MASSIVart
Philippe Demers is a creative entrepreneur and public art advocate dedicated to generating economic and social impact through art and culture. In 2009, Philippe founded MASSIVart and the Chromatic Festival. There, he leads a global team of passionate artists and urbanists in a perpetual quest to inspire and unlock the potential of public spaces.
Over the past decade, he has spearheaded the creation of more than 400 art and culture-driven destinations across the world, featured in Vogue, Architectural Digest, and The Globe and Mail. From stages at TEDxMontreal to PlacemakingX and the European Forum Lab, Philippe champions arts accessibility in public spaces, inspiring audiences with his vision for creative placemaking.
Philippe’s efforts have directly supported the artistic community, directing over million in artist fees while reshaping real estate developments, airports, and districts into vibrant, magnetic destinations that foster connection, identity, and belonging. Named one of CODAworx’s “25 Creative Revolutionaries Leading the Way to Positive Change,” he continues to drive impactful, art-driven initiatives globally.
A committed advocate for the arts throughout his career, Philippe has contributed to cultural committees for Burning Man, Culture pour tous, and SXSW, dedicating his work to building a future where art and culture remain integral to public life.
JUNE 24, 2025
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
JOSH MILLER
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IDEAS xLab
Josh Miller is a queer changemaker, public speaker, multi-disciplinary artist, and outdoor explorer based in Denver, CO. They are the co-founder + Co-Executive Director of IDEAS xLab and the co-founder of (Un)Known Project. Miller’s work is grounded in the belief that being visible can shift culture, and that sharing our stories can be the catalyst that changes how people see and move through the world.
They received an Arts Leadership Award from Fund for the Arts in 2024, a Soros Equality Fellowship from Open Society Foundations in 2022, and has been described as a "force in our community.” Miller is a 2x TEDx speaker who has engaged Fortune 500 and international audiences from Colorado to Salzburg.
Their work has been featured by The New York Times, The Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Miller received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First's Forty under 40. They hold an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree in art administration and business administration from Bellarmine University.
JUNE 24, 2025
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
HANNAH DRAKE
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IDEAS xLab
Hannah L Drake is a blogger, activist, public speaker, poet, and author of 11 books. She writes commentary on politics, feminism, and race and her work has been featured online at Cosmopolitan, The Bitter Southerner, Harper’s Bazaar and Revolt TV. In 2019 during Super Bowl Sunday, Hannah’s poem, "All You Had To Do Was Play The Game, Boy," which addresses the protest by Colin Kaepernick, was shared by film writer, producer and director Ava DuVernay, and then shared by Kaepernick. The poem has been viewed more than two million times.
Hannah’s commentary on life and challenging others to dream bigger have been recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama. Hannah Drake was featured on the Tom Joyner Morning Show with Jacque Reid to discuss her international movement, Do Not Move Off the Sidewalk, which addresses the power of holding your space. Hannah was selected by the Muhammad Ali Center to be a Daughter of Greatness which features prominent women engaged in social philanthropy, activism, and pursuits of justice. Hannah was selected as one of the Best of the Best in Louisville, Kentucky for her poem Spaces and recently was honored as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the Kentucky Governor recognizing an individual’s noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to community, state, and nation. Labeled as a change agent, Hannah’s message is thought-provoking and at times challenging, but Hannah believes that it is in the uncomfortable spaces that change can take place. “My sole purpose in writing and speaking is not that I entertain you. I am trying to shake a nation.”
JUNE 25, 2025
CLOSING PLENARY
THEO EDMONDS
FOUNDER, CREATIVITY AMERICA
Based in Denver, Colorado, Theo Edmonds is a Culture Futurist®, artist/poet, entrepreneur, and analytics innovator who bridges the creative industries, brain science, and technology with the future of work. With over 30 years of executive, artistic, and research experience spanning healthcare, social innovation, academia, and the creative economy, Theo has led groundbreaking projects for Fortune 100 companies, top-tier cardiovascular programs, city and state governments, family offices, universities, and national arts organizations. His mind-expanding approach to quantum storytelling and the use of wonder as tools for leading systems change has made him a highly sought-after keynote speaker and executive advisor.
A nine-generation Appalachian from Jackson, KY, Theo was recognized by Southern Living Magazine as one of the “50 People Changing the Face of the South” for co-founding the arts-science-business nonprofit IDEAS xLab in 2013. An unconventional researcher, Theo leverages his neurodiversity as a strategic leadership advantage, pioneering efforts in applying cultural data to workforce development. He led a National Science Foundation-funded team that earned the Epic Trailblazer Award for Research & Innovation for groundbreaking advancements in cultural analytics.
In 2024, Theo launched Creativity America, a decade-long collaboration with leading creativity research labs across the U.S. This initiative bridges the arts and sciences of cognitive, emotional, and social creativity to drive business innovation through a national network of Wondervation™ hubs. With the ambitious goal of increasing America’s Creative Brain Capital by 25% over the next decade, Creativity America aims to fuel the Wonder Economy—the human side of technology and the future of work.