TWIST Conference Speakers

The following speakers have been confirmed for this year's TWIST Conference. Check back for updates as the dates for the conference draw closer.  

Kathleen Connolly, Ph.D.

Adjunct faculty at the McColl School of Business

Dr. Connolly’s approach to executive coaching is informed by humanistic and positive psychology, cognitive and psychodynamic theories, as well as an interest in emotional intelligence, particularly as it relates to leadership.  Dr. Connolly is licensed as a professional counselor with national certifications. Her career in psychology, mental health, and counseling has spanned over 25 years. In 2011, Dr. Connolly joined the faculty in the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte as an adjunct professor.

Lou Solomon, MSOD

CEO and Founder of Interact

Author, TEDx speaker and co-founder of TWIST Conference.  Her early struggle to speak up has been a gift since she created a curriculum to help people find their voice.  She hold an MS in Organization Development from the McColl School of Business at Queens and serves an adjunct faculty.  Lou recently published her second book, Freeing Your Radical Hero: Fighting the Impostor Mindset.

Will Sparks, Ph.D.

Dennis Thompson Chair and Professor of Leadership at the McColl School of Business

Dr. Sparks has published numerous research articles and co-authored, with Peter Browning, the book The Director’s Manual: A Framework for Board Governance published by Wiley 2016. He is the author of the book Actualized Leadership: Meeting Your Shadow and Maximizing Your Potential. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Development from George Washington University.

Carson Tate, MSOD

Founder and Principal of Working Simply, Inc.

Carson serves as a consultant and executive coach to executives at Fortune 500 companies including (but not limited to) AbbVie, Deloitte, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Heinz, Synchrony and Wells Fargo. The author of Work Simply: Embracing the Power of Your Personal Productivity Style (Penguin Portfolio, 2015) and Own It. Love It. Make It Work: How to Make Any Job Your Dream Job (McGraw-Hill, 2020) her views have been included in top-tier business media including Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Insider, CBS Money Watch, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review blog, The New York Times, USA Today, Working Mother and more. Tate is a co-founder of the TWIST Conference.