Keynote Speakers
Prepare to be inspired by visionary leaders who will share groundbreaking insights and practical strategies to drive excellence and foster innovation within your organization.
Opening Keynote Speaker
Enhance Empathy
Spark Creativity
Keynote Speaker:
Michael Gold, Ph.D., will open the 2026 Baldrige Conference with a keynote experience unlike any other—one that blends leadership, collaboration, innovation, and the spirit of New Orleans through the power of live jazz.
A jazz bassist, organizational development expert, and founder of Jazz Impact, Michael has spent more than two decades helping leaders and organizations understand what high-performing teams can learn from the art of improvisation. His work reveals how listening, adaptability, trust, creativity, and shared leadership—the very qualities that define exceptional jazz ensembles—also drive exceptional organizational performance.
Through his engaging and highly interactive presentations, Michael transforms music into a powerful lens for understanding teamwork, problem-solving, and innovation. His clients have included IBM, Siemens, General Mills, Mayo Clinic, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Accenture, The United Nations, and many other leading organizations around the world.
A visiting lecturer for the Kellogg School of Management's Leadership Development Program since 2007, Michael is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in Arts-Based Learning for Business. He is also the recipient of The Paul D. Fleck Fellow Award from The Banff Centre for Leadership for his contributions to the field.
For this special New Orleans opening keynote, Michael will be joined by members of the acclaimed jazz ensemble Astral Project, creating an immersive experience that brings the principles of leadership and organizational excellence to life through live music and audience engagement.
Get ready to experience leadership in a whole new way—through the sound, energy, and improvisational spirit of New Orleans.
🔗 Visit Jazz Impact to learn more about Michael and Jazz Impact
🔗 Preview the sound of Astral Project
Michael Gold, Ph.D.
Closing Keynote Speaker
Keynote Speaker & Preconference Workshop Presenter:
Jovan Glasgow will lead a preconference workshop on Monday morning and deliver the conference's closing keynote on Tuesday, bringing participants a powerful combination of practical application and transformational insight.
A keynote speaker, performance advisor, and founder of Glasgow International, Jovan has built his work on one conviction: you cannot outperform your identity.
For more than a decade, Jovan has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, global enterprises, and mission-driven organizations to address the root cause of underperformance—the Belief-Behavior Gap™, the distance between what people believe about themselves and what they are actually capable of doing.
His proprietary PX3 Methodology™ integrates three dimensions of lasting transformation simultaneously—Mindset, Heartset, and Skillset—producing shifts that traditional training programs often fail to achieve because they focus on behavior without addressing the beliefs that drive it.
Originally from Antigua and Barbuda and now based in Dallas, Texas, Jovan brings a global perspective and an unwavering belief that transformation is not a moment—it is a lifestyle. His engaging style combines authentic storytelling, practical frameworks, and high-energy interaction that turn inspiration into action—and action into lasting results.
Jovan has been recognized as a Top 30 Global Speaker by ChoicePoint and ranked #2 on Yahoo Finance's Top 10 Motivational Speakers list. His work has been featured on NBC, Yahoo Finance, and NFL platforms.
🔗 Watch Jovan in action!
