Keynote Speaking
Engage. Inspire. Challenge.
That’s what a great keynote speaker should do. It’s about great content, thought-provoking questions and valuable insights. Part teaching. Part engaging—and entertaining—storytelling. With a speaker from InitiativeOne, that’s what you’ll bring to your event. Our team of speakers combine story and strategy to reach deep into the hearts of your audience. Presentations are interactive and engaging, designed to inform, entertain and inspire your team or event attendees to make positive change in their leadership and lives.
Dr. Fred Johnson
Dr. Fred Johnson is a captivating speaker with a relentless passion for driving transformational change. Known for his authenticity and impact, he moves audiences from passive observation to bold, intentional action.
As a trusted advisor, author, and master facilitator, Dr. Fred has challenged and inspired leaders across some of the most recognized organizations in the world, including McDonald’s, U.S. Steel, TransAmerica, Caterpillar, Houston Methodist at UT Health, and JPMorgan Chase. In the NFL, he’s earned the reputation of “The GM Whisperer,” influencing the culture and leadership of the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears, along with elite collegiate athletic programs nationwide.
Dr. Fred equips leaders to build high-trust teams, eliminate workplace drama, and foster cultures where people thrive. His approach to proactive leadership and emotional intelligence will leave your audience energized, reflective, and ready to take action.
A national thought leader in emotional intelligence and organizational transformation, Dr. Fred has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, on CBS Sports Radio, The Paul Finebaum Show, ESPN, where his insights into leadership, culture, and performance are helping shape conversations across industries.
Whether you’re leading a Fortune 500 company or a championship-bound team, Dr. Fred will challenge and empower you to lead with courage, clarity, and connection.
Tracy Johnson
As a Keynote speaker, Tracy drives leaders and their teams to achieve extraordinary levels of leadership excellence. Tracy breaks down complex leadership principles into practical, actionable insights, helping leaders implement strategies that reduce drama and distractions while driving exceptional results. With over a decade of experience utilizing the InitiativeOne Proprietary Process, Tracy expertly identifies the leverage points that push leaders beyond their comfort zones, inspiring transformative growth.
Dr. Margaret Gilmore
Dr. Margaret Gilmore is the Deputy Vice President of Educational Leadership at InitiativeOne, where she collaborates with school districts and organizations to drive leadership growth and personal development. Leveraging over 42 years of leadership experience, she uses InitiativeOne’s tools and principles to create tailored solutions that foster sustainable growth, empower leaders to live by purpose and core values, and position teams for lasting success.
Before retiring, Dr. Gilmore served as Superintendent of Schools, leading advancements in student achievement, leadership development, organizational culture, and STEM initiatives. Under her leadership, the district achieved system-wide accreditation through COGNIA for the first time. Her career includes leadership roles in curriculum, instruction, and school improvement at the school, district, and state levels. A sought-after keynote speaker, she’s presented nationally on transformational leadership, purpose-driven leadership, and core values. Dr. Gilmore also serves as a Diagnostic Review Lead Evaluator for COGNIA and is a member of its Board of Directors.
Her contributions to education have earned her numerous honors, including the SCAAA Superintendent of the Year, Tennessee and South Carolina COGNIA Excellence in Education Awards, and the 2024 MLK Drum Major Award.
Dr. Gilmore is the Deputy Commissioner of Education for the national Churches of God in Christ Education Commission. She is married to Eugene Gilmore and is a proud mother of two adult daughters, two sons-in-law, and one granddaughter.
Dr. Dean Hess
Dr. Dean Hess is a transformational leadership facilitator who creates the conditions for real change, not surface insight.
His work challenges leaders to slow down, look inward, and take responsibility for how their behaviors shape culture, trust, and results. Dean leads with uncommon authenticity, modeling vulnerability, transparency, and self-awareness in a way that invites others to do the same. The result is not performative conversation, but honest engagement and lasting behavioral shift that shows up both professionally and personally.
Dean brings more than three decades of leadership experience across two of the most demanding environments possible: public education and military service. In education, he served as a science teacher, assistant principal, principal, and ultimately superintendent, leading districts through change that strengthened students, staff, and the communities they served. His leadership was marked by clarity, consistency, and a deep commitment to people development.
In parallel, Dean served more than 20 years as an officer in the United States Army and Wisconsin Army National Guard, including leadership roles as a company and task force commander in aviation units deployed to Kuwait
and Iraq. These experiences, often in high-stakes and austere conditions, forged his practical understanding of trust, accountability, and decision-making under pressure.
What sets Dean apart is not just where he has led, but how he leads. He brings lived experience, grounded presence, and a steady confidence that allows leaders to confront hard truths without defensiveness and move forward with intention.
Dean lives in the Oconto Falls area with his wife, Lucy, and their animals. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys hunting, fishing, reading, playing guitar, and investing deeply in the relationships that matter most to him.