KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Tom Gehring
Tom Gehring was born in Cologne, Germany in 1953, and lived in Germany, France, India and the United States before starting college at Rice University in 1971. He graduated with a double major in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, and then earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy in 1976, and following two years of intense training, he served at-sea for 18 years on four nuclear-powered attack submarines, two afloat staffs, and a large surface ship. In the final tour of a 22-year Navy career, he was in charge of the Pacific Fleet’s Quality Improvement Team, teaching and motivating process improvement throughout the Pacific. After retiring from active duty in 1998, he joined Booz∙Allen∙Hamilton as a senior strategic consultant, working at the boardroom level with a number of high technology military organizations.
From 2001 until his retirement in 2015, he excelled as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS), representing the 8000+ physicians in the 8th largest city in the US. Under his leadership, SDCMS was widely recognized as one of the most innovative and successful medical societies in the United States.
His first book, 7 Roles Great Leaders Don’t Delegate was published in late 2018. His second book, 11 Questions Great Managers Ask & Answer, will appear in the spring of 2020.
He teaches intensive one and two-day Socratic seminars on practical and actionable leadership for healthcare professionals, “The Leader’s Toolkit.” Tom is the Director of the University of California at San Diego’s (UCSD) Health Leadership Academy, a year-around top-level seminar for health care leaders. Tom is fluent in German and French, and lives in San Diego with his wife of 36 years, Catherine D. Moore, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice.
Chris Van Gorder
As president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000, Chris Van Gorder has been instrumental in positioning Scripps among the nation’s foremost health care institutions. Now, with his leadership team, physicians and front-line employees he is restructuring the $3.2 billion integrated health system to meet the new landscape of health care, with a focus on cost, quality and patient experience.
Van Gorder received his master’s degree in public administration/health services administration at the University of Southern California, completed the Wharton System CEO Program at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. He is a past chairman (2010) of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an international professional society of more than 40,000 health care executives.
Van Gorder’s rise to health care executive has been unconventional. His journey began as a hospital patient, when as a police officer he was critically injured during a family dispute call. After a lengthy recovery, Van Gorder continued his education in health care management and rose to levels of increased responsibility. Today, he continues to serve the public as Reserve Assistant Sheriff for San Diego County, and as a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT). Modern Healthcare magazine has several times named Van Gorder one of the nation’s “100 Most Influential People in Health Care. His first book – The Front-Line Leader: Building a High Performance Organization from the Ground Up – was published in November 2014.
INIVITED SPEAKERS
Jodi Bondi Norgaard is an expert in creating change and breaking gender stereotypes. She is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps for girls encouraging healthy and active play over fashion and body image. Jodi is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, author of More Than A Doll, and activist pushing media and retail to do a better job portraying girls beyond stereotypes.
Jodi is a leader in the toy industry breaking gender stereotypes since 2009 when she launched the plush sports dolls built-in specification to a real girl's body. Her inspiration came in 2007 after shopping for a doll with her then 9-year-old daughter and finding a doll with belly-baring clothing, high heels, and make-up, named 'Lovely Lola.' Initially, industry leaders dismissed her product because a sports doll was not mainstream. “Girls want fashion dolls,” she heard, over and over. She was not convinced and knew mainstream ideas never create change. By 2015, she had made significant strides and her product was launched in Walmart stores. In October 2016, the Go! Go! Sports Girls brand was acquired by Jazwares, an established cutting-edge toy company.
She has been featured on national media including The Today Show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, Forbes, Upworthy, Parents, Shape, Self, Runner's World, Advertising Age, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Huffington Post. In 2016, Jodi was invited by The White House to participate in a conference on breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys.
Jodi is a cultural expert and strategist advising on current social and business trends, co-chair of the Toy Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee, board member of Kaskey Kids an award-winning line of sports action figures, former board member of Girls on the Run – Chicago, and a founding member of The Brave Girl Alliance, a think tank of girl empowerment experts.
Scott Huennekens
Scott is a successful CEO, board member, entrepreneur, and investor in medical devices, having been involved in one of those roles in 10+ startup, growth and public companies with market valuations that have totaled over $20b and more importantly over 20 million patients that have benefited from the therapies and diagnostics of these companies. He completed his role as Pres & CEO of Verb Surgical at the end of 2018. Verb is Google & J&J’s Surgical Robotics start-up to revolutionize the future of surgery. Scott joined as employee #1. The big vision is being accomplished with robotics, connectivity, a digital platform with big data AI & machine learning, advanced instrumentation and enhanced visualization. J&J announced their acquisition of Verb Surgical in 2019. Previously, Scott led Volcano Corp. (NASDAQ: VOLC), as its first and only Pres & CEO, from start-up in 2002 to its IPO in 2006 and sale to Philips in 2015. Volcano 2014 revenue was > $400 million and its market capitalization peaked at nearly $2B. Prior to this, he was at Digirad Corp, a diagnostic imaging solutions provider, from 1997 to 2002, as President & CEO. Digirad went public in 2004 (NASDAQ: DRAD). He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Bus Admin from the Univ. of Southern California in 1986 and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1991. Current professional affiliations include Chairman Envista (NYSE: NVST) ~ $3B in revenue, Board Nuvasive (NASDAQ: NUVA) ~1.2B in revenue, Board ViewRay (NASDAQ: VRAY) ~ 100m in revenue, Executive Chairman Acutus Medical (Private EP company, just closed $200m Series D), Chairman Digma Medical (private catheter based Diabetes care company, VC funded), Board Member and past Chairman Medical Device Manufacturer’s Association (MDMA). Past affiliations include 9 other public and or VC funded medtech and biotech company boards of which 6 have had individual exits over $300 million. Scott has also been awarded E&Y’s entrepreneur of the year award in 2010 & was recognized by Goldman Sachs in 2016, 2017, & 2018 as one of the 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs at its annual Builders & Innovators conference.
Steve Jones
Dr. Steve Jones is the C.E.O. of JONES, a firm that specializes in leadership development, diversity, and organizational effectiveness. The mission of JONES is to “develop leaders and human systems that counter oppression through diversity, inclusion, and organizational excellence.”
Nationally known as one of "America's Top Experts on Diversity" (Diversity, Inc. magazine), he holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a Master’s in Multicultural Counseling, along with a master’s and Ph.D. in Industrial- Organizational Psychology.
Dr. Jones has inclusive communication skill development to companies such as UCSD Medical Center, CBS, Honda, Qualcomm, King Drew Medical Center, Toyota, and Honda. He is author of Journey to Excellence, a book that empowers readers to achieve their goals, both personally and professionally. He is in the process of completing his second book titled, “The Inclusive Workplace.”
Dr. Jones leads a dynamic team of Certified JONES consultants who deliver leadership development, strategic change management, organizational excellence, and leveraging inclusion for innovation for executives, senior managers, teams, and organizations at companies that include: Edwards Life Sciences, OneLegacy, San Ysidro Health, Harvard University, San Diego State University, St. Mary’s College, SUNY Purchase, UC Irvine, UC Boulder, Co., University of San Diego, University of Texas, El Paso, Vassar College, and more.
Interesting Fact: In the global arena, while he was studying business practices in Chang Mai, Thailand, Dr. Jones became the first person of African descent to be ordained as a Buddhist Monk at a 700-year-old monastery called Wat Umong. He has spoken in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Singapore, London, and Johannesburg.
Universities, corporations, and organizations across multiple industries seeking to make real change as they prepare to lead in the 21st century seek out Dr. Jones. He brings over 30 years of experience helping leaders throughout the country move beyond talk to action.