Catch these speakers live at the USMA Annual Education Conference in Nashville


Jennifer Moss, International speaker and author of Why Are We Here, The Burnout Epidemic and Unlocking Happiness at Work
Jennifer Moss is an international speaker, award-winning journalist and author, workplace culture strategist, and cofounder of the Work Better Institute, a global workforce policy think tank. She is a nationally syndicated radio columnist and writes for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Fortune. As a workplace expert, Jennifer is regularly invited by global media outlets to share her research and insights.
Jennifer strategizes with leadership teams of large enterprise firms to measure well-being and improve organizational culture and performance. She is a former member of the Global Happiness Council, in partnership with Gallup and the UN, and contributor to their annual Global Happiness Policy Report.
Why Are We Here? is Jennifer’s third leadership book focused on workplace culture and wellness. Her last book, The Burnout Epidemic, was named by Thinkers50 as one of the 10 Best New Management Books of 2022. It was also shortlisted for the 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature Awards. Unlocking Happiness at Work was named a business book of the year in the United Kingdom. An updated second edition of the book will be released in April, 2025. Jennifer’s work also appears in the HBR Guide to Beating Burnout and the HBR Emotional Intelligence Series.
Jennifer has been acknowledged as a Canadian Innovator of the Year, an International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and is the recipient of a Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama.

John Sitilides, Global Supply Chain Threats, Advisor to the US State Department
John Sitilides is Principal at Trilogy Advisors LLC in Washington, D.C., specializing in U.S. government relations, geopolitical risk, and international affairs. Delivering exclusive geopolitical risk reports, webcasts, and related products and services to institutional capital market and retail clients, he is a professional speaker at corporate, investor, and industry conferences, and before government, military and intelligence community audiences, on geopolitical risk management and the business impacts of international security policies. He explores the complex geopolitical and geo-economic decisions that impact markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and worldwide, helping corporate executives, investment managers and civic audiences better understand, anticipate, and mitigate risk.
Under a U.S. government contract since 2006, Sitilides is the Southern Europe Regional Coordinator at the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department’s professional development and diplomacy academy for American foreign policy professionals. He was Board Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Center Southeast Europe Project from 2005-2011, following seven years as Executive Director of the Western Policy Center, an international relations institute specializing in U.S., NATO and EU interests in southeastern Europe and the Middle East, until he negotiated its 2004 merger with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
He has testified before Congress and is a frequent national security commentator on U.S. and international media such as Bloomberg News, CNN, FOX News, CNN International, Newsmax and NewsNation, and has interviewed or cited in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Politico, National Public Radio, Euromoney, Asia Times, Institutional Investor, South China Morning Post and other leading print and digital media.
His domestic client portfolio includes industry leaders in real estate development, home construction and agribusiness, along with aviation and emerging technology companies, with a specialization in environmental regulatory reform and private property rights protection. He launched his career in the U.S. Senate and on a series of successful political campaigns.
Sitilides serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of Leadership 100, a national Orthodox Christian foundation, and is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He previously served on the Board of Directors of 3doo, Inc, a VR/AR media technology company; the Board of Directors of International Orthodox Christian Charities, a global humanitarian organization; the Board of Directors of Biovest, developing personalized cancer immunotherapies; and the Board of Governors of the Advanced Imaging Society, promoting the global motion picture industry’s arts and technologies.
He is a member of the Association of International Risk Intelligence Professionals, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the Columbia University Club of Washington, D.C., and the Association of Former Senate Aides. Sitilides holds a Master’s Degree in International and Public Affairs from Columbia University. His wife is an attorney and businesswoman, and they have four sons.

Margaret Morford, Author & HR Consultant
Margaret N. Morford is the CEO and Owner of The HR Edge, Inc., a global management consulting and training firm specializing in leadership development and human resources strategies. With extensive experience as a former Vice President of Human Resources and Senior Vice President of Human Resources Consulting, she has worked with high-profile clients such as Lockheed Martin, Chevron, Time Warner, and the U.S. Secret Service. She has also earned a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law and has worked as an attorney specializing in employment law.
Margaret is the author of two impactful books: Management Courage – Having the Heart of a Lion, which provides leaders with the tools to make tough decisions with confidence, and The Hidden Language of Business – Workplace Politics, Power & Influence, which uncovers the often-overlooked dynamics of workplace politics and how to navigate them for success.
Her expertise is frequently sought after, and she has been quoted in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Margaret also appears regularly on local television, sharing her insights on leadership and organizational dynamics.

Kate Vitasek, Author and faculty member at the University of TN
With 25 years of award-winning research on highly-collaborative partnerships, Kate Vitasek delivers actionable insights that empower teams to build strategic, win-win relationships that fuel innovation and sustainable growth. Hire her as your next keynote speaker to start creating the partnerships that will redefine your business success.
Lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce, author, educator and business consultant Kate is an international authority for her award-winning research and Vested® business model on highly-collaborative partnerships.
Her practical and research-based advice for driving transformation and innovation through highly-collaborative partnerships has been widely published in over 300 articles in respected academic and trade journals as well as in seven books.
Kate has appeared on Fox Business News, CNN International, NPR, Forbes Breaking News and Bloomberg Radio for her commentary on strategic partnerships. She is a popular keynote speaker and executive trainer/coach in the art, science and practice of developing strategic partnerships that enable organizations to go beyond simply saying strategic partnership into truly developing successful Vested partnerships that have the power to deliver transformational and award-winning results for the companies that follow Vested’s proven Five Rules.
Vitasek is a widely recognized expert. Honors include:
– inducted into the Sourcing Industry Group’s “Hall of Fame”
– named as a World Commerce and Contracting “Fellow”
– being on the Global Sourcing Association’s “A-List”
– honored as a “Woman of International Influence” by Global Executive Women
– recognized as a “Woman on the Move in Trade and Transportation” by the Journal of Commerce
– called a “Rainmaker” by DC Velocity Magazine
Prior to her renowned work on Vested – Kate was blazing trails in the supply chain industry as Founder of SC Visions – a boutique consulting. In 2009 she was honored as a finalist for a Stevie Award for woman entrepreneur of the year. Under her leadership, SC Visions was named “One of the Top 10 Coolest Supply Chain consulting firms” by ARC Advisory Group and was the smallest firm to make Supply Chain Brain’s “Top 100” list of service providers.

Alison Fragale, PhD, Closing speaker on
I empower women to get what they want, at work and in life.
My presentations are equal parts entertaining and educational. I speak and write about:
- Gaining status and power
- Mastering the art and science of negotiation
- Influencing without authority
- Navigating conversations about pay, promotion, and career advancement
- Leading from where you are
- Developing a powerhouse network
- Cultivating a strong, authentic personal brand
My speaking clients are high-performing organizations and industry groups who want to support their members’ growth and effectiveness by offering cutting-edge skills to live and work better. I customize each event based on the needs of the audience.
The Resume Stuff
- Professor at Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina (since 2004)
- Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University Graduate School of Business
- B.A. from Dartmouth College in Math and Economics
- Former management consultant for McKinsey & Company
- My research and commentary has appeared in news outlets such as Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, and The Financial Times.
The Fun Stuff
- I live in Chicago with my husband and three children, who are all named after professional athletes.
- I love, in no particular order: cheap coffee, not-so-cheap wine, fabulous shoes, home organizing, sushi, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Peloton workouts, Hallmark movies, and The Golden Girls.
- My favorite celebrity moment was playing bingo with Al Michaels. Buy me a coffee or wine and I’ll tell you all about it!









Plus over 40 additional speakers!
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Keep an eye on the website in late August 2025 for the launch of registration for the next event
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USMA continues its mission of providing sessions focused on delivering value you can take home and apply to keep your supply chain safe and reliable.
