INSPIRE
Thank you to the 500+ leaders who attended #INSPIREKENOSHA on October 11, 2024. It was an amazing day full of connection, energy, and inspiration.
Thank you to our incredible keynote speakers: Neil Hoyne, Frans Johansson & Jeff Shinabarger; and our panel of dynamic higher education leaders from Carthage College, Gateway Technical College, Herzing University – Kenosha & University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
We also want to give a shout out to our high energy co-emcees Lawrence L. Kirby and Justin Mathews who led us through the day.
Pictures from the event can be found on our Facebook page, KABAConnectHere. Videos featured at the event can be found at our You Tube channel, KABAConnectHere.
Looking forward to bringing you another amazing INSPIRE event in 2025.
INSPIRE is a premier one-day leadership development experience located centrally in the Chicago- Milwaukee corridor, featuring high-caliber national and regional speakers & experts providing inspirational content to elevate your personal and professional leadership journey.
INSPIRE brings out the best in our lives, our work, our teams, and our community through intentional and positive leadership.
As the Chief Strategist at Google, Neil Hoyne has spent almost 9,000 hours talking to CEOs, boards, and investors about how they make decisions and navigate change. Whether it’s a new marketing strategy or exploring what AI can do for business, he knows what the competition is doing—and how to outpace them.
Neil will share the information he’s gained from working with hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, equipping you to work with what you have to take more risks, innovate, and move faster.
Neil will bring his decades of experience to life with his expertise on topics such as digital transformation, customer relationships, behavioral science, marketing attribution, product development, AI, and many more. Bridging the gap between leaders and data, he helps you become more comfortable and contribute in boardroom discussions, understand what the data means and how it can benefit your company.
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For nearly 20 years, Frans Johansson has been at the forefront of helping organizations be more innovative. Johansson’s journey as an author began with
the publication of The Medici Effect. This debut book quickly became a landmark on innovation, famously cited by Clay Christensen as “one of the most insightful books on managing innovation I have ever read.” It explores how diversity drives innovation and has influenced a wide array of industries including architecture, design, economic development, education, and investing.
Building on the success and ideas of The Medici Effect, Johansson founded The Medici Group. As CEO, he has led the organization to advise executive leadership at Fortune 500 companies, including Disney, IBM, ESPN, and Nike, operationalizing his theories into large organizations’ strategies and practices. Johansson then authored The Click Moment, further establishing his thought leadership by challenging conventional wisdom of the 10,000-hour rule and traditional business-school thinking. This book was hailed by Fast Company for its groundbreaking approach.
Throughout his storied career, Johansson has spoken to audiences on six continents, in virtually every industry and across disciplines, from creatives to engineers, financiers to scientists, and politicians to humanitarians.
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Jeff Shinabarger is a social entrepreneur, author, podcaster and Founder of Plywood People as well as the host of the Social Impact Leader podcast. For more than a decade, Jeff
has personally trained and advised over 1200 social impact leaders, Jeff is an expert in vision casting, leading, and sustaining social enterprises and nonprofits. Jeff uses the tensions he faces as a leader to engage and empathize with others. He builds bridges across industries and challenges the way leaders think and act for the better. His work has been featured in CNN, Forbes, The Today Show, Huffington Post, and more.
Having worked in the marketing and creative industries, Jeff uses his skills to innovate spaces that need new breath through the lens social concern, from brands like Chick-fil-A, to Catalyst, fab’rik, and more. Jeff is someone who “tells it as it is,” but he doesn’t stop there. Caring for leaders drives him to create sustainable business models and teams that thrive, innovate and create a better future.
Jeff lives in East Atlanta with his wife Andre, daughter Jada, son Neko, and dog Josie. When he’s not advising leaders and founders, he can be found traveling around the world to learn from different cultures.
The leaders of Kenosha County’s four colleges/universities joined us for a panel discussion about the future of higher education in the region.
- Dr. Lynn Akey, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin – Parkside
- Dr. Jeff Hill, Regional Vice President of Operations – Midwest Region, Herzing University
- Dr. Rita Raju, President & CEO, Gateway Technical College
- Dr. John Swallow, President, Carthage College
Lawrence L. Kirby II is the Vice President Community Manager for JP Morgan & Chase Co. Kirby is responsible for working with bank personnel to build the financial institution’s community outreach and engagement platforms. He is the organization’s community liaison, supporting financial education in his local market. He implements the bank’s national community playbook to engage stakeholders in southeastern Wisconsin. With a strong foundation in urban ministry and an unwavering passion for forging connections across diverse communities, Kirby is dedicated to building bridges and catalyzing impactful collaborations.
Beyond his role as Vice President Community Manager, Kirby has been recognized as a community leader and a force for positive influence in Kenosha. He has contributed his expertise and dedication to numerous organizations, serving on the board of directors of the United Way of Kenosha County, Building Our Future’s executive committee and Leadership Table, Kenosha’s Police and Fire Commission, the governance board at KTEC School, Kenosha County’s Health Equity Task Force, the Shalom Center in Kenosha, and as a member of the executive committee for Bread for The World.
Kirby serves as a Pastor at One Voice Church, alongside his friends Matt Myers and David Johnson and as a frequent guest speaker at churches across the country. Kirby’s exceptional aptitude for relationship-building spans multiethnic and multigenerational groups, making him a catalyst for a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust.
Kirby is happily married to his best friend, Chandrika, and takes immense pride in being the devoted father of three wonderful children: Reginald, Kennedy, and Marley.
Justin Mathews is passionate about people and their stories. He was actually able to build a whole career out of it.
Justin’s professional journey took several turns, each driven by a deep curiosity and a love for people and their stories. From technology, event production, live streaming, video production, customer service and business management, his work has been felt across both the non-profit and private sectors.
Justin dreams big at the intersection of technology and storytelling, and his experience and passion sparked the launch of his own business, Upload Partners, in February 2020. In April 2024, he acquired shared ownership of Kenosha’s American Laser Mark (ALM). Through his work, he’s committed to using the power of technology to create genuine connections, bring stories to life, and help individuals and companies achieve positive outcomes.
Community involvement is also a big part of Justin’s life. He currently serves on the board of the Kenosha Achievement Center, Kenosha YMCA, and Great Lakes Church. These roles allow him to contribute to the community’s growth and well-being while staying connected to the people and stories that inspire him daily.
Justin has been married for 17 years to his wife, Lisa, and together they have two amazing children, Tommy and Maddy. A lifelong resident of Southeast Wisconsin, Justin has deep roots in the community he loves and a vested interest in ensuring it’s a place everyone is proud to call home.
Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of INSPIRE 2024:
KABA is excited to bring Inspire to Kenosha, WI, for the eleventh year! What began as an event with approximately 75 people in a small lecture hall at Carthage College has evolved into a highly produced leadership experience with more than 600 energized professionals engaging with our speakers at each other in the auditorium at Journey Church. The goal of Inspire was to empower attendees to make real connections, learn new and motivating content, and hear uplifting stories the local community – and ultimately help develop better leaders and community members.
And did you know? Proceeds from Inspire directly benefit the KABA Education Foundation! The Foundation, formed in 1996, to develop educational initiatives in collaboration with local Kenosha schools. The Foundation aims to increase graduation and educational attainment rates, improve the overall quality of education and foster the best school system in the state. Some of the initiatives of the Foundation include an elementary school mentoring program, annual scholarship awards for local students attending local schools, and support for various other educational initiatives such as Building our Future and the Gateway Promise Program. Read more about the foundation here.
Previous speakers include:
- Nick Pinchuk, Chairman & CEO, Snap-on Incorporated
- Liz Wiseman, NYT Best-selling author & CEO The Wiseman Group
- Raven Jemison, EVP, Business Operations, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jon Acuff, NYT Best-selling author and top leadership speaker
- Dan Heath, Best-selling author of Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before they Start
- Fawn Weaver, CEO of Uncle Nearest Whiskey
- Shawn Seipler, founder & CEO of Clean the World
- Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer prize-winning columnist for the New York Times and author of Smarter Faster Better
- Sam Walker, Leadership columnist for the Wall Street Journal and author of the The Captain Class
- Victoria Arlen, US Gold Medalist, ESPN on-air personality and Jockey International spokesmodel
- Greg McKeown, international best-selling author
- Jon Gordon, leadership expert and best-selling author
- Rick LaBerge, COO, Haribo North America
- Hannah Brencher, Author, TED Speaker & Social Activist
The Inspire On Leadership columns are designed to share thoughts on leadership from local business and community leaders and features a regular column from leadership expert Aleta Norris of Living as a Leader.
Spring 2024
Delegation – Getting Unstuck!
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Leadership is Empowerment
By Brandon Morris, Vice President, Evolution Basketball; Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, Kenosha Tremper High School
Fall/Winter 2023
Are You More Special Than Those Around You?
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Summer 2023
Practice Sonder on the Street
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Tea and Three Ts
By Dr. Rita Raju, President, Gateway Technical College
Winter 2023
Are You More Special Than Those Around You?
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Summer 2022
Do the Right Thing
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
How Humor Strengthens Influence
By Steve Scherer, Vice President of Sales, CCB Technology
Spring 2022
Equip Your Employees to Problem Solve
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Leading Through Relationships
By Carolynn Friesch, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Kenosha County
Fall 2021
One Sentence Matters
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Growing Leaders
By Donna Jamieson, President, Aurora Medical Center – Kenosha, Advocate Aurora Health
Summer 2021
Five Considerations for Leading Your Hybrid Team
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Spring 2021
Thank Your Employees for Doing Their Job
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
The Benefits of Servant Leadership
By Jeff Hill, Regional President – Wisconsin for Herzing University
Fall 2020
Two Ways to Help Your Employees Be Accountable
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Leadership During Crisis
By Lisa Just, Patient Service Area President, South Wisconsin, & President, Aurora Medical Center- Kenosha
Summer 2020
Master Tips for Asking Great Questions
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Spring 2020
Leaders! Shift from DOING to LEADING
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Positivity x Progress x People
By Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside
Fall 2019
Small nuggets, big difference
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
It takes a village to have a successful career
By Jamie Hogan, President of Specialized Accounting Services LLC
Summer 2019
Tips for First Time Managers
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
True LEADERS must be SERVANTS first!
By Tamarra Coleman, Executive Director of the Shalom Center of Interfaith Network of Kenosha County, Inc.
Spring 2019
Time for extreme self care
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Work hard. Treat people the right way. Be accountable. Lead by example.
By Jake McGhee is the Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha
Fall 2018
Responsibility Requires Confidence
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
The ROI that Beats the Stock Market
By Lynn Debilzen, Manager, Birth to 8, Building our Future
Summer 2018
Leadership is Everywhere
By Aleta Norris, Principal, Living as a Leader
Something Entirely my Own
By Kimberly Warner, Owner, Authentique Gifts in Downtown Kenosha