BARONESS VALERIE AMOS  became the first black woman in a British Cabinet in 2003, when she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. Later in the same year she was promoted and became Leader of the House of Lords. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the British Parliament. Born in Guyana, South America, Amos migrated to the United Kingdom with her family in 1963.

Amos has a long standing commitment to development issues, particularly on the African continent. She was Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal representative to the G8 on Africa and recently represented Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the European Union/African Union Summit in Lisbon. She also played a major role in the British Government's diversity and community cohesion agenda and continues to be active in the promotion of human rights and social justice globally. In 2006 Baroness Amos was named the most powerful black woman in the United Kingdom. In this keynote, she will help participants understand the importance of social responsibility on a global scale.

JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN is the author of ten books, including the memoir She's Not There, the first best-selling book by a transgender American. She is a professor of literature and creative writing at Colby College in Maine where she is known for her sense of humor, which defuses and illuminates the highly charged issues of gender, culture, and love. Time Magazine said She's Not There was a "story that even family values folks would like." Anna Quindlen, in Newsweek, described the memoir as "a funny memoir of growing up confused and a smart consideration of what it means to be a woman."

In this powerful message, Boylan will speak about gender, culture, imagination, and the redeeming power of love. She will inspire each of us to share our personal stories while opening ourselves to the stories of those around us. We will learn that through story-telling we can find common-ground, build understanding and compassion, and make the previously unthinkable a more comfortable place to tread.

TED CHILDS is IBM's former vice president of Global Workforce Diversity, which entailed worldwide responsibility for workforce diversity programs and policies. Today he serves as principle of Ted Childs, LLC, a diversity consulting company. It is safe to say that Childs pioneered the diversity movement in Corporate America. His work played an integral part in moving diversity from representation to a key strategic imperative. Ted Childs has been hailed as one of the most effective diversity executives with his captivating management training programs and hard hitting diversity messaging.

In this thought provoking keynote address, Childs will explore the changing role of diversity, and more importantly, it's future impact on the strategic effectiveness of our organizations. The discussion will focus heavily on a global perspective and the increasing relevance of diversity and the diversity practitioner.

DOUGLAS R. CONANT is president and chief executive officer of Campbell Soup Company, a global manufacturer and marketer of high quality foods with annual revenues in excess of $7.8 billion. He is Campbell's eleventh leader in the company's nearly 140-year history.

Under Conant's leadership, Campbell has reversed a decline in market value and employee engagement. The company has made significant investments to improve product quality and packaging, to strengthen the effectiveness of its marketing, and to develop an innovation pipeline. Today, Campbell is delivering total shareowner returns in the top tier of the global food industry, has enhanced its customer relationships, and improved employee engagement levels. As a result, the company is well on its way to achieving its mission of building the world's most extraordinary food company by nourishing people's lives everywhere, every day.

Conant will share the story of Campbell's transformation and the role that diversity has played in it, including how diversity and inclusion practices are integrated throughout Campbell's global businesses and have contributed to revenue growth, culture, change, and innovation.

STEVE HANAMURA is president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc., a firm he founded in 1986. He brings more than 30 years experience to the consulting, training, and speaking profession. He has authored two books, In Search of Vision and his latest work, I Can See Clearly. Hanamura has served as past president for the Portland chapter of the American Society for Training and Development and was chair of the board for the Oregon Commission for the Blind from 1991-1997. Among his professional honors is the Meritorious Service Award for the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. He was named Multi-Cultural Network Trainer of the Year by the American Society for Training and Development. Also, he was privileged to be one of the Torchbearers for the 1996 Olympics.

In this speech, Hanamura will focus on leadership and authenticity as they relate to diversity and inclusion. He will help us build courage in a world where fear and retribution of making mistakes can often debilitate even the most well-intended. He will help us to weigh risk and reward in our diversity interactions and ensure that our authenticity shines through.