What does the future of work demand of you, right now?
As artificial intelligence (AI) expands what is possible, leaders face consequential choices about how work gets done, how people develop, and what organizations need to succeed. Those choices will shape the year ahead.
Join the Future of Work Summit, a two-hour interactive virtual event exploring what comes next across talent, culture, AI, and leadership. Through expert perspectives, practical conversations, and guided reflection, examine the future of work through three lenses: yourself, your team, and your organization.
Explore where AI can strengthen performance, where human judgment remains essential, and how trust and connection influence our ability to navigate change. Bring the questions you are working through and consider the decisions that deserve your attention.
Leave with clearer priorities for 2027, practical next steps, and commitments you can put into action.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify emerging shifts in talent, culture, AI, and leadership that could influence their priorities for 2027.
- Assess what those shifts mean at the individual, team, and organizational levels.
- Distinguish opportunities for AI support from decisions that require human judgment, accountability, and care.
- Recognize ways to strengthen human connection and trust as work changes.
- Define actionable commitments for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
Speaker Information
Spencer Thornton is the Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. He uses his more than 25 years of learning and development expertise and his vision for high-quality content to help companies build productive, admired workforces. He oversees the team that selects the highest-quality elearning courses for the OpenSesame marketplace and for customers. Before joining OpenSesame, he held leadership roles at several global human capital management organizations, including SumTotal Systems (SkillSoft), GeoLearning, and Dice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Iowa State University.
Josh Blank is the President and Chief Product Officer of OpenSesame. He helps manage general operations and oversees product development for the OpenSesame elearning marketplace, working across marketing, software engineering, and customer teams to build products that meet customers’ needs. He co-founded the internet services agency Pop Art in 1997, which became the fifth fastest-growing technology firm in Oregon, and co-founded BlueVolt, an award-winning product training platform. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Southern California.
Kassy LaBorie is a connection strategist, virtual training pioneer, keynote speaker, author, and the 2026 Association for Talent Development (ATD) Outstanding Talent Development Professional of the Year. With more than 25 years of experience in learning and development, she inspires trainers and speakers to transform presentations into meaningful human experiences. She is the bestselling author of Interact and Engage! and Producing Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars, and she explores how technology, including AI, can help people become more effective, creative, and connected.
Thom Singer is on a mission to bring back the power of real human connection in a world that often feels disconnected. He is the CEO of the Austin Technology Council, the creator of The H.I. (Human Interaction) Blueprint, the author of 12 books, and the host of the podcast “Making Waves at C-Level.” He has spoken at more than 1,000 events over 18 years and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).
Aakash Relan leads OpenSesame’s company-wide data and AI function, reporting to the CEO, with cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, and enablement to reinvent how work gets done and drive enterprise-wide productivity at scale. Before joining OpenSesame, he led business transformation and data strategy at Integral Ad Science, Tripadvisor, LivePerson, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is a Standards Oversight Committee member for the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).
Louis Knupp leads the charge in leveraging AI to drive operational efficiency and innovation at OpenSesame. His leadership ensures that AI-driven solutions are both effective and impactful, empowering teams to achieve more with less manual effort.
Alvin Law has been impacting audiences around the globe since 1981. He has delivered more than 3,500 programs on five continents to over 2,000,000 people. Born without arms, Alvin learned to use his feet for hands and chose to pursue excellence. He was inducted into the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers in 2009, received its Peter Legge Philanthropist of the Year award in 2022, and was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2018. He is a CSP and the creator of Step Into Your Greatness.
John Chen is the author of the number one Amazon Hot New Book Release, Engaging Virtual Meetings. He has been having engaging meetings for over 38 years, has produced more than 4,000 engaging meetings, and is one of 700 CSPs designated by the National Speakers Association.
Liza Mucheru Wisner is an award-winning leader in talent development, AI, and workplace innovation. As Portfolio Lead of Talent & Workplace Culture at OpenSesame, she designs learning experiences that blend human insight with intelligent automation. A SHRM-award-winning strategist, author, and global influencer, Liza’s work helps organizations elevate learning, build stronger cultures, and prepare for the future of work.
