CEO and Strategy Catalyst, Vista Cova

Lowell Aplebaum, CAE, CPF is the CEO and Strategy Catalyst of Vista Cova – a company that partners with organizations on strategic visioning and planning, creating stronger stakeholder connections, and reimagining value and engagement. As a Certified Professional Facilitator™, Lowell frequently provides dynamic sessions to organizations – getting volunteers, members, and staff involved through experiential learning approaches. 

Lowell currently serves as the Chair for the overseeing commission for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification. He chaired ASAE’s Task Force on CEO Pathways, and previously served as Chair for ASAE’s Component Relations Council. He is the creator of a master-level learning series, Through the CEO Lens, and Association Charrette – a co-creation retreat experience. He is the co-Executive Editor and Contributing Author for ASAE’s Component Relations Handbook, 2nd edition, and contributed chapters to the latest versions of Professional Practices of Association Management as well as Membership Essentials. He is also a mentor for ASAE’s Diversity Executive Leadership Program. His work on global efforts for associations includes experience across five continents, hundreds of volunteer groups, and all 50 states in the U.S. 

Author, speaker and business strategist

Voted one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch by Currency Fair, Meridith Elliott Powell is an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. With a background in corporate sales and leadership, her career expands over several industries including banking, healthcare and finance. Meridith worked her way up from an entry-level position to earn her seat at the C-Suite table. She is Certified Speaking Professional, a designation held by less than twelve percent of professional speakers, and a member of the prestigious Forbes Coaching Council. 

She has a cutting-edge message, rooted in real-life examples and real-world knowledge. She is the author of four books, including Winning In The Trust & Value Economy (a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards) and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose about how to build cultures the inspire ownership at every level to create profits at every turn. Meridith writes, speaks and is passionate about helping her clients understand everything they need to know about how to make this economy start working for them. 

In her highly engaging keynote-speaking sessions, Meridith shows her audiences how to attract more business, retain top talent, and leap into position to win in this new economy. No walking on coals, no breaking boards, just real-life strategies you can put into place first thing Monday morning.

Author, speaker

Acclaimed speaker and New York Times best selling author Andra Watkins lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University.

She’s the author of four books and counting. Her acclaimed first novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was published on March 1, 2014. Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace is a memoir about her dysfunctional family adventure; it is a National Book Award nominee and a New York Times best seller. Natchez Trace: Tracks in Time is a book of photography, shot during her 15-mile daily hikes on her 444-mile Natchez Trace walk.