WACUBO 2022 Keynote Speakers

Shawn Achor is the bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential. He spent 12 years at Harvard, where he won over a dozen distinguished teaching awards, and delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class at Harvard. Shawn graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and earned a Masters from Harvard Divinity School in Christian and Buddhist ethics.

Shawn has since become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. Shawn has now worked with over a third of the Fortune 100 companies, and with places like the NFL, the Pentagon and the U.S. Treasury. To do his work, Shawn has traveled to 51 countries, speaking to farmers in Zimbabwe, CEOs in China, doctors in Dubai and schoolchildren in South Africa. In 2014, Oprah Winfrey did a two hour interview with Shawn on the science of happiness and meaning. His research on happiness made the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 22 million views, and his lecture airing on PBS has been seen by millions

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Ana Navarro is a well-known Republican strategist, political analyst for CNN, CNN en Español, and Telemundo, and co-host of ABC’s The View. The Miami New Times named her a “Republican power-consultant,” and the Tampa Bay Times called her “a sought-after voice in Republican politics and an adviser for any presidential hopeful,” saying, “with confidants Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio she is poised to play a big role in the GOP response to immigration reform and Hispanic outreach.” Respected on both sides of the aisle for her straight shooting and candor, Navarro frequently appears in the media, sought after by Meet the Press, Bill Maher’s Real Time, Anderson Cooper 360, and The View, to name a few. “Ana speaks the truth, and she is willing to speak the truth to power without reservation…She has the ear of lots of elected officials,” said Republican consultant Brett O’Donnell. She is in touch with the political issues people are talking about, and in presentations, she discusses the latest hot button issues in politics, giving audiences an insider’s view of the upcoming elections and a roadmap for where the country is headed.

Political Expertise: Navarro most recently served as the national Hispanic co-chair for Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 campaign and the national co-chair of John McCain’s Hispanic Advisory Council in 2008, where she was also the national surrogate for the McCain 2008 campaign. She has played a role in several federal and state races in Florida. She served on Governor Jeb Bush’s transition team in 1998 and was his first director of immigration policy in the Executive Office of the Governor.

In 2001, she served as ambassador to the United Nation’s Human Rights Commission, devoting much of her energy to condemning human rights abuses in Cuba. In 1999, she worked in the private sector, representing private and public clients on federal issues, particularly related to immigration, trade, and policy affecting Central America. In 1997, she was a special advisor to the government of Nicaragua and was one of the primary advocates for NACARA (Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act).

Education and Immigration: Navarro is a graduate of the University of Miami. In 1993, she obtained her BA in Latin American studies and political science. She obtained a Juris Doctorate in 1997. She was born in Nicaragua, and in 1980, as a result of the Sandinista revolution, she and her family immigrated to the United States.

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Doyin Richards is a dynamic keynote speaker who inspires people to be open about mental health, and to embrace anti-racism at work and in their communities. We are in the midst of two major crises in America: mental health and race-relations. They impact our homes, schools, businesses, relationships, and (obviously) sanity — but do we recognize the signs of these problems? Are we doing enough on the front-end to prevent personal and professional disasters from happening? As a keynote speaker, consultant, and workshop facilitator, Doyin provides tangible, actionable solutions that provides results for his clients all over America. Amgen, Cisco, Workhuman, Bark, Salesforce, and Wayfarer Studios are a few of the companies where he recently delivered a keynote address/workshop. Mainstream media values his message as he's often called on to make appearances for NPR and HLN, and has been interviewed by the TODAY Show, ABC News, Essence Magazine, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, CNN, Parents Magazine, Yahoo!, the New York Times, Sunrise Australia, and more. His message isn't just for adults. Doyin authored two picture books for children published by Feiwel & Friends (an imprint of mega-publisher Macmillan). His latest picture book WATCH ME tells an inspirational personal story of what it’s like to immigrate to America from a 3rd world country while overcoming racism and other intense obstacles. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? tackles the tough topic of introducing kids to positive race-relations without raising them to be "colorblind." Both books were #1 new releases in their categories on Amazon. Through his books, recent TEDx Talk, workshops, media appearances, and his new Anti-Racism Fight Club virtual seminar, Doyin regularly demonstrates that he is a leader in the fields of mental health, anti-racism, healthy masculinity, and fatherhood.

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