Scheduled To Appear

Emmitt Smith

Pro Football Hall of Fame Running Back
Speaker and Entrepreneur

Emmitt Smith is a professional football icon and one of the greatest to ever play the game. In his 15 seasons as a running back in the National Football League, Smith amassed many records that still stand today, including most career rushing yards and most career rushing touchdowns. Smith’s impressive resume includes three Super Bowl championship rings, his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and, most recently in 2019, his selection to the NFL 100 All-Time Team (a prestigious list honoring the best players of the NFL’s first 100 years).

As a first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith was the cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys offense for 13 seasons. The eight-time Pro Bowler was the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and on October 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

After his playing days, Smith served as a football analyst and then took his television career a step further when he won the third season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, during which he was dubbed “the king of effortless cool.” He also added author to his list of accomplishments, publishing Game On, which outlines the principles that helped him succeed both on and off the field.

Smith then transitioned to the role of entrepreneur and runs several companies spanning real estate, construction, and technology. He is active in charitable outreach in the Dallas area and on a national level, providing educational opportunities and unique experiences for underserved youth. In addition, Smith is in-demand as a motivational speaker.

In August of 2021, it was announced that Smith has become a co-owner of a NASCAR team partnering with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. A major theme of Smith and Iwuji’s partnership will center on STEM education for lower income communities and diversity and inclusion initiatives within the sport of NASCAR.

Smith resides in Dallas and, among his athletic accomplishments and business endeavors, is foremost a father of five children.

Lisa Atherton

Lisa Atherton is the president and chief executive officer of Bell, and a member of Textron’s Corporate Leadership Team. She leads a multibillion-dollar business that provides innovative products for defense and commercial customers across the globe.

Atherton most recently served as the chief operating officer of Be ll. In 2017, she was named the president and chief executive officer of Textron Systems. Textron Systems’ businesses provide innovative solutions to the defense, aerospace and general aviation markets.

Atherton joined Textron Systems after five years with Bell. During her time at Bell, she was the executive vice president, Military Business, where she was responsible for providing strategic direction and overall management for all government programs and business development efforts. Prior to that role, Atherton was the vice president, Global Military Development, where she led the company’s domestic and international military business development activities. She also held several other positions within Military Programs, including V-22 program manager and director of Military Programs. Prior to joining Bell, Atherton was the vice president of Area Attack at Textron Systems, where she also served as the vice president of Business Development.

Before her career with Textron, Atherton spent eight years at Air Combat Command’s Directorate of Requirements, helping to shape the budget and operational requirements and needs for the Combat Air Forces and was a contracting officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Atherton currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation (AFAAC), Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, Southwest Airlines Co., and the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA). Atherton earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the Mason School of Business at The College of William and Mary and a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and has also completed Textron’s Senior Executive Leadership Programs at the Thunderbird School of Global Management as well as Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Ryan Holiday

Few writers have done more to bring ancient, timeless wisdom and cutting-edge marketing strategies together than Ryan Holiday. His philosophically driven bestselling books have sold over five million copies and spent more than 200 weeks on bestseller lists. His books are taught in colleges and marketing programs around the world, including Trust Me I’m Lying, which revealed the massive vulnerabilities (and opportunities) in the global media system in 2012. He has directly influenced Super Bowl-winning teams like the New England Patriots, NBA Champions like the San Antonio Spurs, and Olympic Gold Medalists, as well as sitting Senators, military leaders and some of the biggest and most important companies in the world like Google, Twitter and Microsoft.

Tiffany and Leon Chen

Tiffany and Leon Chen started the nation’s first on-demand, baked-to-order, warm cookie delivery brand in 1999, as 19-year-old sophomores while in college. Over the next 20+ years, they’ve grown the business from one store to over 90 locations and counting, employing thousands and being valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

They both graduated the University of Texas in 2001 and live in Austin with their boy/girl twins. In addition to running Tiff’s Treats, they often keynote at events such as SXSW and for companies like Southwest Airlines and Dell Technologies. They’ve been chosen as Ernst and Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and Leon has been named as an Outstanding Young Texas Ex. They are also investors in dozens of other companies and are active in supporting

local non-profits such as Foster Angels of Central Texas, The Andy Roddick Foundation and the ConnorMan Foundation.