2026 Step Up SPEAKERS
Morning KEYNOTE: Ruchicka T. Malhotra,
national bestseller | founder & ceo | business journalist
Join us for an electrifying keynote session with Ruchicka T. Malhotra.
Ruchika T. Malhotra is the author of Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success. She is also the founder of Candour, a global inclusion strategy firm. A former business journalist, her writing appears regularly in publications such as Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, and more. She has previously held adjunct faculty positions at Seattle University and the University of Washington, where she now advises the Communication Leadership graduate program.
Ruchika is the author of Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, MIT Press’s top-selling book of 2022.
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MORE INFO HERE
Discover more about HER work here: https://www.ruchika.co/
Speaker: Jillian Youngblood,
Civic Genius | National Civic League
Democracy Innovation to Transform Civic Life
Jillian Youngblood is the executive director of Civic Genius and Director of Deliberative Democracy at the National Civic League. She has 20 years of experience focused on deliberative democracy and solutions-oriented public engagement.
Jillian leads the organization's civic assembly work, consults with governments to implement democracy innovations, and created a process to redesign congressional town halls. On Capitol Hill, she was a lead staffer for the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and worked on issues related to health care, urban planning, and appropriations.
Previously, she managed New York City’s federal and state legislative portfolios on public health under the Bloomberg Administration, and was a consultant to numerous nonprofit and corporate clients across a range of public policy issues. Jillian is a frequent speaker and trainer on transformative civic engagement. She serves as board president of the Seattle City Club and is a 2024 fellow of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
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Speaker: River Tesslar,
GSBA
Privilege & Allyship
River Teslar (she/her) is GSBA’s Business Training Specialist. She received an AA in music from Navarro College and spent four years as a pharmacy technician before finding her true home within the nonprofit sector advocating for underserved communities. In the three years River has been at GSBA she has developed the organization’s entire inclusion training curriculum and has conducted workshops for groups as large as 500 people. Participants appreciate her vulnerability, casual affect, and the open invitation to learn in a space free from shame. She is a spirited advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and delights in bringing her warmth and encouraging nature to business education and growth. As a trans woman with a background in advocacy and community work she is excited to put those skills to use for the GSBA and all affiliated organizations.
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Discover more about HER work here:
Speaker: Jahmad Canley,
Potential Unleashed Consulting | DiverseCity | Lead Up
The Selflessness of “Self Nourishment”
Jahmad Canley is an internationally recognized culture transformation consultant, peak performance coach, author, and masterful storyteller dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential. With more than 15 years of experience in Organizational Development and Change Management, Jahmad has partnered with leading organizations such as Microsoft, Amazon, Western Union, and USA Swimming to drive meaningful growth and results.
As President and CEO of Potential Unleashed Consulting, he helps organizations improve performance by applying cognitive science and culture transformation strategies that address root-cause barriers to success. His work spans corporations, educational institutions, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, athletic teams, and justice systems across five continents.
Jahmad also supports organizations in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by helping leaders build cultures where people feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute fully. Known for his engaging and authentic style, Jahmad inspires audiences to take action and achieve lasting change.
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