PMI-Madison PDD 2023

Keynote Speaker:

Martin Richards

Martin Richards has amassed a total of over twenty years’ experience as a hostage and crisis negotiator and is a kidnap management expert. He is an engaging speaker who talks about his experiences in hostage negotiation, and how these skills can be applied to the world of business. He spent thirty years in the UK Metropolitan Police and achieved the rank of chief superintendent with command responsibility over a series of high-profile major incidents, including terrorist bombings, UK’s longest siege, fatal police shootings and serious public order events. He is the author of ‘Just when you think you are winning’, a humorous book about the life of a police hostage negotiator. He has recorded several podcasts, such as ‘Convincing Conversations‘, detailing the skills of conversations taught through the lens of hostage negotiations. Martin has appeared on several BBC Radio stations and has been interviewed by various communication, business development and marketing organisations.

Martin was a leader within the Met’s firearms unit and was for 14 years an international hostage and crisis negotiator and coordinator, being responsible for the 24/7 deployment of all London’s police negotiators and formulating negotiation strategies. He deployed often to negotiate the release of UK citizens throughout the globe, including numerous deployments into the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. He was an advisor to overseas UK Ambassadors and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on international kidnaps. For his work in international hostage negotiation, he received several Chief Officer commendations and praise from the UK Prime Minister and Head of the UN. For the last 10 years, Martin has worked for two of the UK’s leading security and risk consultancies where he has continued to manage numerous kidnaps, piracy, threat and extortion cases throughout the globe. This has given him the unique experience of managing corporate kidnaps to compliment his experience of government led incidents. Martin has implemented over 200 training programs relating to the subject matter in over 40 countries. He is a firm believer in the transferable skills of hostage negotiations into business and personal conversations.

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Shawn Belling

Shawn is a globally-experienced technology executive, project management speaker and instructor based in Madison, WI. Shawn has held executive and management roles in higher education, software, consulting, bio-pharma, manufacturing, and regulatory compliance sectors. He is the Chief Information Officer at Madison College and is adjunct faculty at UW-Platteville, as well as UW-Madison and the University of Southern California. In addition to nearly 29 years of technology and project leadership experience, Shawn teaches, speaks, and consults for businesses, universities, and professional organizations on various project management topics and practices

Molly Beran

Molly Beran is the President and Founder of Projects By Molly, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in project management coaching, teaching and skills development. Previously, Molly was the Director of Project Management and Education at Strata Decision Technology, and a manager of multiple teams in IT at Lurie Children’s hospital. Molly was also a consultant for the Chicago-based Burwood Group, Inc., a boutique consulting firm specializing in IT management and infrastructure solutions. Prior to Burwood, Molly worked as a project manager and corporate trainer at Epic Systems Corporation, a Madison, WI-based healthcare software firm.

Jeff Bubolz and Chad Beier

Jeff Bubolz

Jeff is a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org, organizational agility advisor and speaker. He has been a Product Owner, Scrum Master and Development Team member and has worked with companies ranging from enterprise to small start-ups.



While working with many teams across many companies Jeff has found that most problems are not technology problems, but are organizational structure, process, and people problems. Jeff brings storytelling, a broad array of experience, along with a collaborative approach to teaching and speaking.



Jeff is the co-host of The Agile Wire podcast where he speaks with industry leaders around the world. He speaks at conferences across the United States and is active in the Wisconsin agile community - organizing meetups in multiple regions (Mad City Agility and Central Wisconsin Agile) and founder of the Mad City Agility Conference.



 Chad Beier

Chad is an organizational agility advisor, external change agent, and Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org. He promotes organizational agility and positive pressure for change through speaking, advising, coaching, and training.



As a trusted advisor, he works with all levels of the organization to optimize your business to respond to change. Progammer, project manager, product owner, business owner - Chad has a diverse background that helps him connect with people throughout the entire organization.



Chad is the co-host of The Agile Wire podcast where he speaks with industry leaders around the world. He speaks at conferences across the United States and is active in the Wisconsin agile community - organizing meetups in multiple regions (Mad City Agility and Central Wisconsin Agile) and founder of the Mad City Agility Conference.

Alex Gibson and Friends

Holding over 25 years of experience in technology consulting, Alex has worked with both small and large organizations across various sectors, providing tailored technology solutions to meet their specific needs. With an understanding of emerging technologies and their impact on business operations, Alex has helped clients optimize their IT systems to enhance efficiency and scalability. Alex is also a skilled communicator and collaborator, adept at building relationships with stakeholders and guiding them through complex technology initiatives.

Tom Henricksen

Tom Henricksen is a problem-solving technology professional. He has worked in various roles in technology for over twenty years. Tom has learned how to solve challenging issues in technology and lead technical teams. He can help you develop those skills too!

Lori Klinka

Lori has used her skills as a speaker, trainer, speaking coach, project manager, educator, producer and actress to bring an entertaining and informative style to her presentations and workshops. She is a member of the National Speaker’s Association for 17 years and was voted “Member of the Year” of the Illinois chapter. She was a project manager for 15 years and produced over 600 presentations for trade shows internationally for major corporations. Lori also currently teaches Speaking and Acting at Columbia College in Chicago. Lori has worked with Fortune 100 companies, healthcare, small businesses, non-profits, associations as well as doing individual coaching. You can find more at her website:

www.loriklinka.com

Jacy Imilkowski

Jacy coaches individuals and groups and speaks internationally at conferences, corporate retreats, and workshops. Curiosity is one of her biggest drivers, combined with a true passion for improving resilience, communication, and happiness for teams and individuals. Her industry background and experience is diverse, including 10 years as a professional trainer and IT project manager, and her mission in life is to connect people to their lost choices and help them see a more meaningful, resonant future

Lance Larsen

Lance Larsen is a Microsoft MVP, a founder and the Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of Holosoft™ as well avid Community Speaker -and- president of MADdotNET, Madison Wisconsin’s .NET developer community!

Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer is the Manager of Chapter Engagement for North America at the Project Management Institute, with a mission to deliver impact through chapter participation, satisfaction, and retention. Previously at the International Association of Privacy Professionals, she brought about a transformative increase in engagement, inspiring and empowering privacy professionals to connect globally. Amanda is an experienced facilitator, community builder, and volunteer culture expert, with a deep understanding of the engagement landscape and the strategies that help communities come together.

Andrea Pence

Andrea Pence is our Master of Ceremonies for PMI’s Professional Development Day.

Andrea Pence is an Associate Director of IT Business Solutions at Exact Sciences in Madison, Wisconsin. With 17 years of experience in Project Management, Andrea has worked in the industries of non-profit, structured cabling, managed services, and molecular diagnostics. She holds PMP, BRMP, ITIL 3, and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certifications.

Andrea believes that Project Management doesn’t have to be boring; that you can have a great experience and lead a great team all while delivering on time within budget and scope. Looking forward to PDD 2023!

Joe Perzel

Joe Perzel has been leading projects of all sizes and managing staff since 1982 in both a corporate and vendor capacity. He has a background in multiple industries including healthcare, insurance, finance, government, non-profit, K12, and higher education, audit and compliance, manufacturing, and agri-business. Presently, Joe is a partner at JPerzel Inc. as well as Program Manager at Surescripts LLC. He has also held leadership positions at Cargill, MN Workers Compensation Insurers Agency, Thomson Reuters, and International Multifoods.

Mark Swiderski

Mark Swiderski is a certified project manager (PMP) with more than 30 years of business experience and 20 years of practice in helping companies achieve their goals through the skills of people, improved methods and helping others growing their capabilities. He has led or participated in teams that have delivered more than $1B in project scope in a wide variety of industries and job functions. He received his M.B.A. from DePaul University (go Blue Demons) and is now the owner of Praxilient (Praxis – the application of relevant knowledge; Transilience – The movement from one point to another), who provides Wisconsin (Go Pack!) and the U.S. with services that improve strategic performance and help achieve project results.



His company delivers customer results by first taking the time up front to understand the challenges that the organization faces and deliver solutions that produce results that fit their culture and state of readiness.

Kit Welchlin

A born public speaker and trainer, Kit Welchlin began public speaking at the age of 9 in 4-H. By 16, he was organizing and facilitating presentations on leadership, citizenship, community service and motivation for the 4-H and Future Farmers of America.

Kit Welchlin purchased his first manufacturing company at age 21, and by 26 was CEO and Chairman of the Board of three manufacturing companies in three states. He’s been an instructor with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, where he has been repeatedly nominated Outstanding Faculty. He is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association.

Kit has a B.S. Degree in Speech Communication, Business Administration and Political Science. He earned an M.A. Degree in Speech Communication and Business Administration.