The Leadership Reset

Amy C. Edmondson is Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and Author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Amy’s new book, “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well” provides the framework to think, discuss, and practice failure wisely, and was released in September 2023 and was selected for the Financial Times and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year award. Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #1 in 2021 and 2023.

Joanne Chang is a pastry chef/co-owner Flour Bakery and co-owner Myers + Chang James Beard Award-winning chef. She opened the first Flour bakery in 2000. More than two decades later, she now operates eleven Flour bakeries and sister restaurant Myers + Chang in Boston/Cambridge with her husband and business partner Christopher Myers. Joanne, Flour, and Myers + Chang have garnered local and national recognition from Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, the New York Times, the Food Network, Conde Nast Traveler, Inc. Magazine, O Magazine, Boston Magazine, and the Boston Globe. She is the winner of the 2016 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker. She is the author of five (soon to be 6) cookbooks, and she serves on the Board of Directors for Share Our Strength as well as Beacon Financial Corporation. Joanne appeared as a judge on the first season of Netflix’s competition show Baking Impossible. She also teaches classes and advises pastry cooks both within the bakery,a t area cooking schools, and virtually with her Bake Like a Pro session on MasterClass.

Kara Miller is the host of It Turns Out, a podcast and YouTube show featuring great researchers and authors, including Richard Reeves, Melissa Kearney, and Gary Marcus. The show was named an "Apple New and Noteworthy" podcast. She previously hosted the nationally-syndicated public radio program Innovation Hub, which won the Clarion Award for Best Radio Talk or Interview Program.

Since 2021, Kara has written the “Big Idea” column for The Boston Globe and has been a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe Magazine. She is also the owner of Laurel Way Productions, which works with companies and universities on media and memorable live events. Clients have included MIT, Columbia, Khosla Ventures, and Harvard.

Kara has served on the advisory committee of The Lemelson Foundation since 2016. She has taught at Babson College and the University of Massachusetts.

KeyAnna Schmiedl is Workhuman’s Chief Human Experience Officer, responsible for guiding all of the organization’s human experience strategy, including talent, total rewards, learning and development, culture, and employee experience, organizational design, corporate social responsibility, and DEI initiative. Previously, KeyAnna was the VP of Social and Environmental Impact (SEI) at Mozilla, the global head of Culture & Inclusion at Wayfair, and worked with top organizations such as Harvard University, Santander Bank, and IBISConsulting.

Keyanna has received the industry’s esteemed Diversity Leader Award granted by the Diversity Journal® due to her stand-out work in creating an open, equitable, and inclusive workplace culture. KeyAnna was also featured on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list and was named a DEI Trailblazer by Business Insider in 2021.

Her superpowers include navigating complex structures to grow relationships and opportunities, connecting key stakeholders, assessing organizational readiness to allow for dialogue on DEI and people process topics at appropriate levels for all constituencies, and challenging/equipping leaders to move from careful to thoughtful conversations.

KeyAnna holds an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Organizational Learning & Development from Suffolk University, an MBA in Human Resource Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Fitchburg State University. KeyAnna resides in the Greater Boston area with her husband, two boys, and a growing menagerie of pets.

Meisha-Ann Martin is the Vice President of People Research at Workhuman, where she leads groundbreaking research to improve the employee experience and advises clients on strategies to drive better business outcomes through human-centered workplaces. With a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and nearly two decades of experience as both a researcher and practitioner, Dr. Martin is a recognized expert in People Analytics and Employee Experience. She has held key roles at leading organizations such as Flex, JetBlue, and Raymond James Financial, and previously served as Head of Talent Management at ServiceMaster. A respected thought leader, Dr. Martin is a sought-after speaker on topics including employee recognition, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion, and psychological safety. Her insights are frequently featured in top-tier publications like Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, HR Executive, HR Dive, and Benefits Pro. She was also named one of the Top 100 HR Tech Influencers by HR Executive.

Dr. Syra Madad is Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Emergency Preparedness Leader. She is an internationally recognized crisis leader and epidemiologist with more than a decade of experience preparing for and responding to complex public health emergencies. Her work has spanned major infectious disease threats, including Ebola, Zika, COVID-19, mpox, and much more, as well as emergency planning for mass gatherings and large-scale events. She has worked in high-level biocontainment environments, advised elected officials during crises and collaborated with national and international organizations to strengthen preparedness and response around the world. Known for bringing clarity to fast-moving, high-stakes situations, Dr. Madad helps teams translate uncertainty into decisive, coordinated action. Her experience offers a compelling model of leadership grounded in foresight, adaptability, clear communication, and the ability to sustain trust and operational focus when circumstances change by the hour.