Meet the 2027 GBA Annual Conference Keynote Speakers
GBA is excited to announce the keynote speakers for our 2027 Annual Conference: ALL IN, Uncompromising Commitment to the geoprofessions. These presenters will bring attendees fresh perspectives on high-performing teams, leadership in the age of artificial intelligence, and finding the courage to take bold action.
David Burkus
Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams
Organizational psychologist, Columbia University professor, and bestselling author David Burkus is recognized internationally for his work on leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. His keynote will examine why talent alone does not create a great team and reveal what the world’s highest-performing teams do differently. Attendees will leave with a practical blueprint for creating a team culture that helps everyone perform at a higher level.
Eric Termuende
Leadership and AI: Building High-Performing (All In) Teams in the New World of Work
Eric Termuende is a workplace culture and future-of-work expert who focuses on building trust, belonging, and stronger teams amid rapid change. His keynote will cut through the noise surrounding AI to explore what the technology really means for leaders and their teams, while showing why the fundamentals of trust and connection remain essential. Attendees will learn strategies to navigate uncertainty, boost engagement, encourage experimentation, and build resilient, high-performing teams in a workplace increasingly shaped by AI.
Angela Gargano
Be The First: Why Bold, Scary Firsts Build the Strongest Version of You
Angela Gargano is a six-time American Ninja Warrior, Miss Fitness America, former biochemist, and speaker whose career has been shaped by setbacks, reinvention, and extraordinary comebacks. Drawing on high-performance psychology and her own experiences, Gargano will challenge attendees to identify the step they have been hesitating to take and give them a framework for moving forward.
More Voices, More Practical Takeaways, More Reasons to Attend
The keynotes are only part of a thoughtfully designed program created to help geoprofessional leaders strengthen their firms, lead their people, and make smarter decisions. Industry professionals rounding out the speaker lineup include:
JaNette Bridgewater, All In on Leadership Development: The Partnership Behind Great Leaders, will show how Freese and Nichols brings HR and business leaders together to develop stronger managers, build a leadership pipeline, and support long-term business success.
Matt Lato and Corey Scheip, Most Firms Dabble. We Went All In: The Business Case for R&D in the Geoprofessions, will share how BGC Engineering has invested millions of dollars in research and development and why the firm is now going “all in” on AI, including how it makes investment decisions and balances emerging technology with engineering judgment.
Rachel Hile-Broad, The Key to Changing Behavior? Solving the Right Problem., will challenge common assumptions about performance gaps and give leaders a more effective way to diagnose what’s driving performance before deciding how to address it.
Jill Black, All In on Growth: How Expanding Firms Stay United While Growing Fast, will explore how firms can use brand, culture, and communication as strategic tools to maintain alignment as they grow through acquisitions, geographic expansion, new services, and workforce change.
Joe Laps, All In When It Matters Most: How a Hurricane Sparked Lasting Culture Change, will share how S&ME’s Asheville office responded to the disruption of Hurricane Helene and used the experience to build greater ownership, accountability, trust, and connection across its team.
The Full Annual Conference Experience
The 2027 GBA Annual Conference offers plenty of opportunities to connect and participate beyond the main stage. The schedule includes a Tech Summit, Business Round Tables, committee meetings, networking events, the Annual Recognition & Awards Banquet, and other opportunities to reconnect with colleagues and build new relationships.
From developing stronger teams and navigating AI to managing growth and investing in innovation, the Annual Conference will give geoprofessional leaders new ideas and expert insights to strengthen their firms today and position them for what’s ahead.
Registration opens on October 28.