KeynotersVoices shaping Learning 2018
Authentic conversations with colleagues, experts, innovators, and thought leaders — all focused on how learning is changing.
Laura W. Bush
Laura W. Bush joins Learning 2018 as a keynoter, bringing her perspective from years of public service to the conference's exploration of how learning is changing.
Thought leaders on the main stage
Dan Pink
Shares research-driven insights on motivation and timing that inform how organizations approach learning.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Brings a performer's perspective on growth and resilience to the Learning 2018 stage.
Elliott Masie
Guides the conference's conversations and curates the sessions that define Learning 2018.
Richard Culatta
Speaks on how learning approaches and technology are evolving together.
Tara Deakin
Contributes to Learning 2018's lineup of voices on learning innovation.
Karl Kapp
Joins the Learning 2018 keynote program alongside the conference's global speaker roster.
Zenganqi Wang
Speaks on artificial intelligence and learning developments taking shape in China.
Rebecca Stromeyer
Brings an international perspective to the Learning 2018 keynote conversations.
Nick van Dam
Shares a corporate learning perspective as Chief Learning Officer at McKinsey & Company.
Vicki Lau
Speaks on virtual reality and its growing role in learning experiences.
Bob Mosher
Part of the Learning 2018 program of speakers addressing learning in the workplace.
Kathy Tague
Joins the Learning 2018 lineup of speakers on learning and innovation.
Rob Lauber
Contributes to the conference's exploration of how learning is changing.
Nigel Paine
Speaks as part of the Learning 2018 keynote program.
Norfolk Police Department
Representatives share perspectives on learning drawn from their organization's experience.
Continue exploring Learning 2018
These keynoters join a wider program of sessions, intensives, and showcases built around how learning is changing. See where their talks fit into the full agenda.
Learning 2018 gathers innovators, practitioners, and curious professionals around a shared question: how is learning itself changing, and what does that mean for the people and organizations doing the work? The conference frames change not as a single trend but as a convergence of shifting learner expectations, evolving formats, and new expectations of the systems that support development. Held annually, it has become a forum where these shifts can be examined side by side rather than in isolation, inviting participants to compare notes across industries and roles.
Speakers are chosen to reflect the breadth of that conversation. Keynoters include bestselling authors, researchers, technologists, and senior organizational leaders, each approaching the future of learning from a different vantage point. The program emphasizes ideas that can travel between classrooms, corporate academies, and global teams. Featured voices have explored topics such as motivation, design thinking, data and analytics, talent development, diversity and inclusion, gamification, apprenticeships, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping learning experiences.
Beyond the keynote stage, the conference offers curated sessions, labs, and discussion formats that move from inspiration toward practical application. Attendees can engage with featured suppliers and partner organizations showcasing emerging technologies, including chatbots, smart content tools, and platforms built around experience and interoperability standards. Special topics and field reports are woven into the schedule to keep the conversation grounded in real practice. The result is a program designed to help participants translate shifting ideas into approaches they can carry back to their own learning cultures.
Adding a keynoter such as Laura W. Bush, whose public service career included sustained attention to education and library initiatives, brings an additional dimension to the program. Her perspective complements the range of voices already announced, from bestselling authors and researchers to corporate learning leaders and technologists. The aim is not simply to broaden the speaker list but to deepen the conversation about who learning serves and how it can evolve responsibly. By welcoming perspectives from public life alongside those from business, academia, and innovation, the conference signals that the future of learning will be shaped by many fields working together rather than by any single discipline alone.