World-Class Leadership Development. No Travel Required.
The LeadingBetter™ Summit returns April 22, 2026. This year, you don’t have to be in the room to be in the room. Join the full main stage experience as a live virtual attendee and walk away with the same ideas, the same energy, and the same nationally-recognized voices as everyone in Louisville.
Trusted by 200+ organizations. Attended virtually by leaders across the country. One transformative day.
SAVE WITH GROUP REGISTRATION
April 22, 2026
8:00am-4:30pm ET
VIRTUAL EVENT - POWERED BY GOFUNDMEPRO LIVE EVENTS
2026 Main Stage
Meet the voices shaping this year’s Summit
The Same Voices. The Same Stage. Available Wherever You Are.
From influence and AI to generational collaboration and leadership accountability, each session is built to help leaders communicate better, work smarter, and lead with greater impact.
Virtual attendees hear every speaker on the 2026 main stage. No exceptions. These are nationally recognized thought leaders, bestselling authors, and practitioners who have led at the highest levels. This is the lineup.
Best-selling author of "Likeable Badass"
Alison Fragale
Leading from Where You Are: The Art and Science of Building Status
Alison Fragale is an organizational psychologist, professor, and author whose research on status, influence, and negotiation has shaped how leaders think about their own power and how they use it to lift others. Her work is equal parts rigorous and immediately actionable.
Why this matters: Leaders who understand status communicate better and move work forward faster.
Leading Through AI Disruption: Intentional Choices for Uncertain Times
Diya Wynn leads Responsible AI at Amazon, where her work sits at the intersection of ethics, innovation, and human-centered leadership. In a moment where AI is reshaping every industry, she offers a framework for leading with clarity and intention rather than reaction.
Why this matters: Trust and decision-making will define success in the AI era.
Better Together: Building Success Through Generational Synergy
Dr. Derek Greenfield is a scholar, speaker, and leadership educator whose work focuses on how teams with different generational perspectives can stop tolerating each other and start building something better together. His session is part research, part call to action.
Why this matters: Bridge generational differences and unlock stronger collaboration. The best teams turn differences into performance advantages.
Marcus Canady, Former U.S. Coast Guard Commanding Officer
Intrusive Leadership: The Most Critical Leadership Style for the Future
Marcus Canady commanded at the highest levels of the U.S. Coast Guard, where leadership failures have life-or-death consequences. His concept of intrusive leadership challenges the hands-off management norms that quietly undermine team performance and safety. In every industry.
Why this matters: Teams need leaders who engage early and lead decisively.
Win-Win Negotiation: Listening Is Your Strategic Advantage
Cynthia Knapek brings decades of experience in leadership development, negotiation, and organizational strategy to a session that reframes listening as one of the most undervalued leadership tools available. Her approach is practical, grounded, and immediately transferable to the conversations you're already having.
Why this matters: Leaders who listen well negotiate better and build stronger relationships.
Everything That Matters. Delivered Directly to You.
Virtual attendance at the LeadingBetter™ Summit was built from day one to be a complete leadership experience. Not a workaround. Here’s what you get full access to.
1
📺 Live Access to Every Main Stage Session
Every keynote. Every insight. Every moment. Virtual attendees watch the full main stage program in real time alongside hundreds of leaders in the room. The content is identical. The quality is identical. The only difference is where you’re sitting.
2
🎥 On-Demand Recordings After the Event
Life happens. If you step away during the day, or you want to revisit a session that hit differently, your recordings are there. Every main stage session is available to you after April 22 so you can absorb what you heard at your own pace.
3
💬 An Interactive Experience, Not a Passive One
This isn’t a YouTube video playing in a browser tab. The virtual platform is built for engagement: real-time chat, networking opportunities, and direct interaction with the ideas being presented. You’re a participant, not an observer.
4
🌐 Access to the LeadingBetter™ Community and Resources
The LeadingBetter™ network is one of the most influential civic leadership communities in the country. As a Summit attendee, you step inside that circle. You get access to curated resources, ongoing conversations, and a network that extends well beyond April 22.
Leadership Development Doesn’t Stop at the City Limits.
The LeadingBetter™ Summit Virtual Experience was built for leaders with different circumstances. Not whose ambitions are lesser. If any of the following sounds like you, this day was designed with you in mind.
You’re Outside Louisville (and You’re Not Changing That for a Conference)
The caliber of content at this Summit no longer requires a flight to access. Whether you’re in Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, or anywhere else, you get the same speakers, the same sessions, and the same ideas that leaders inside the room are walking away with. Virtual access was built specifically so that geography is no longer a reason to miss this.
You’re Building a Culture of Leadership Across Your Organization
If you’re in HR, L&D, or People Operations and you’re trying to develop multiple leaders at once without a travel budget to match, virtual access changes the math entirely. One registration per person. No flights. No hotel rooms. No out-of-office disruption. Just development, at scale.
You’re a Senior Leader in Louisville Who Can’t Walk Away for a Full Day
You want the content. You don’t have eight hours to clear from your calendar and relocate across town. The virtual experience is designed for exactly that tension. Join from your desk, participate on your terms, and step away when you need to. The recordings have you covered.
Ready to Invest in a Day That Changes How You Lead?
Virtual seats for the 2026 LeadingBetter™ Summit are available now. Registration closes April 20th, and once it closes, it closes.
Leaders don’t just attend, they leave thinking differently
“This was one of my top 5 leadership events in my 35 years of leadership. The content was clear, applicable, and presented in very engaging ways. Our team is already excited about next year!”
Chris Hahn COO, Dean Dorton
The Summit is a great blend of strategic and tactical learning. I came away with practical applications and felt motivated to be a better leader!
Carlie Palmer Principal, Cerity Partners
LeadingBetter™ Summit Agenda Details for Virtual Attendees
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (ET)
8:00 AM – Virtual Event platform opens for networking, powered by gofundmePRO
“Better Together: Building Success Through Generational Synergy”
4:30 PM – Event Concludes
Location
In-Person
Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts
(501 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202)
In-person attendees will have access to the virtual event platform and main stage session recordings after the event.
Virtual Event
Virtual attendees have live access to all main stage sessions, as well as recordings after the event.
Breakout sessions will not be available for virtual ticket holders.
Get Tickets Today
Virtual attendees will experience a high-quality and interactive event, with features that will leave participants feeling engaged, connected, and prepared to lead now and into the future.
This annual event offers your organization the opportunity to be among an elite group of businesses and leaders who are the pulse of our community’s success.
April 22, 2026
8:00am-4:30pm ET
VIRTUAL EVENT - POWERED BY GOFUNDMEPRO LIVE EVENTS
