SPEAKERS

Will Guidara is the author of the National Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Не is the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form a community. A graduate of the hospitality school at Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of WSJ Magazine's Innovator Award.

Meg Whitman was confirmed in a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate as the eighteenth United States Ambassador to Kenya on July 14, 2022. In Kenya she focused on accelerating economic growth and development, forged new conservation initiatives, supported good governance and democratic principles and oversaw significant humanitarian assistance. She returned home in December 2024 with the change in U.S. administration. Ambassador Whitman has significant experience leading business organizations, from start-ups to large multinational companies in Silicon Valley. She has served as the President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Hewlett-Packard Company, both multinational information technology companies. She also served as President and CEO of eBay Inc, an online marketplace and digital payments company. Ms. Whitman has also been a member of numerous corporate boards of directors, including those of Procter & Gamble and General Motors. Committed to equality in education and protection of the environment, Ambassador Whitman has been National Board Chair of Teach For America and a Member of the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy. Ambassador Whitman is married to Dr. Griffith Harsh, a neurosurgeon. They have two grown sons and three grandchildren. Whitman holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Economics from Princeton University.