H. Hugh Shelton

General, USA (Ret.)
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

General Hugh Shelton became the 14^th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 1997 the nation's highest military position as the principal military advisor to the President. During his term, he visited more than 130 countries on behalf of the United States. He is one of the most respected public servants and business leaders in America.

After retiring from the Armed Forces, General Shelton served as President, International Operations, M.I.C. Industries from 2001-2005. He has also served as a director on a number of public company boards. Gen. Shelton is senior level executive with a proven record of experience and accomplishments in leading and directing organizations having wide-ranging international and domestic responsibilities requiring management, innovation, and team building. He is known as a leader with a strong sense of purpose, a commitment to excellence. He has significant achievements in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams resulting in the development of high performance organizations and organizational climates. He is noted for his integrity, innovation, flexibility and initiative.

Erik Qualman

Author of Socialnomics and Social Media and Technology Expert

Qualman has recently given international keynotes with the following: Coach, Sony PlayStation, National Restaurant Association, IBM, Facebook, SCG Thailand, ADP, National Bank of Canada, Credit Union League, Starbucks, M&M/Mars, Cartier, Small Business League, Raytheon, Chrysler, Home Furnishings Association, Montblanc, TEDx, Polo, Small Business League, UGG, Nokia, Google, AutoTrader and more. Qualman gave the commencement address to the 2011 graduating class of McCombs Business School (University of Texas).

Called a Digital Dale Carnegie, Erik Qualman is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. Socialnomics made Amazon's #1 Best Selling List for the US, Japan, UK, Canada, Portugal, Italy, China, Korea and Germany. His book Digital Leader helped him be voted the 2nd "Most Likeable Author in the World" behind Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. He also holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest continuous podcast. Socialnomics was a finalist for the "2010 Book of the Year" awarded by the American Marketing Association. Qualman produced "Social Media Revolution" the most viewed social media video series in the world, which has been used by NASA to the National Guard. Fast Company Magazine listed him as a Top 100 Digital Influencer.

Qualman is a frequently requested International speaker from Brazil to Thailand and has been highlighted in numerous media outlets including: 60 Minutes, The New York Times, WSJ, Mashable, USA Today, ABC News, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, CBS News, and The Huffington Post. He has been fortunate to share the stage with Julie Andrews, Al Gore, Tony Hawk, Sarah Palin, Jose Socrates (Prime Minister of Portugal), Alan Mulally, James Carville, and others.

Qualman is a MBA Professor at the Hult International Business School. For the past 18 years Qualman has helped grow the digital capabilities of many companies including Cadillac, EarthLink, EF Education, Yahoo, Travelzoo and AT&T. He is the founder and owner of socialnomics.com, which PC Magazine ranks as a Top 10 Social Media Blog. He sits on the Boards of Manumatix, Bazaarvoice Inc., and WannaBeeSocial. Qualman holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MBA from The University of Texas.

In 2011 Qualman was honored as the Michigan State Alum of the Year and in 2012 he was selected as one of the Top 50 Professors in the world. He was Academic All-Big Ten in basketball at Michigan State University and still finds time to follow his beloved Spartans while living in Boston with his wife and two daughters.