speaking & events

Fix What’s Broken. Build What Works.

We don’t speak to inspire.

We speak to clarify.

GBS participates in conferences, events, and leadership forums because complex problems don’t get solved in isolation.

Our speaking work focuses on making sense of what isn’t working in employer brand, hiring systems, media, and organizational decision-making—and offering grounded, evidence-informed ways forward.

If you’re looking for motivational storytelling, this isn’t it.

If you want clear thinking that holds up after the applause fades, it is.

Topics and sessions are always adapted to audience context—because generic insight doesn’t change behavior.

what we speak about

Our speaking work reflects the same systems-level thinking we bring to consulting and client delivery.

Common themes include:

How our speaking is different

GBS speakers don’t deliver recycled decks or trend commentary.

Our sessions are:

• Grounded in real client work and applied research
• Informed by behavioral science, systems thinking, and experience design
• Candid about trade-offs and constraints
• Designed to provoke better questions—not just agreement

Audiences leave with language, perspective, and insight they can actually use.

Our goal is simple: to contribute clarity, not promotion.

For conference audiences, that means the content stands on its own—before, during, and long after the event.

A note on independence and integrity

GBS—and particularly Crystal Miller Lay—does not pay for speaking spots, nor can we accept payment to speak at conferences.

This is intentional.

Because of our academic and university research relationships, our speaking work must remain independent, evidence-informed, and free from commercial influence. That independence allows conference organizers and attendees to trust that our sessions are not designed to sell a product, promote a platform, or advance a commercial agenda.

GBS manages organic and paid social as a unified system, ensuring:

book our speakers

Crystal Miller Lay

CEO & Chief People Officer

Crystal Miller Lay speaks on employer brand, hiring systems, neuroinclusive design, behavioral psychology at work, and the real-world impact of broken people systems.

Her sessions blend strategy, research, and lived experience—offering clarity for leaders navigating complexity, growth, and change.

Dwane Lay

Chief Innovation Officer

Dwane Lay is a global speaker, author, and Six Sigma Black Belt who speaks on leadership, culture, process improvement, and predictable hiring systems.

His work helps leaders understand where systems fail—and how to design processes that support both performance and people.

Jenny (JCK) Cotie Kangas

Vice President of Innovation

Jenny Cotie Kangas (or JCK) speaks on systems design, talent technology, AI, user experience, and the operational realities of hiring platforms.

With leadership experience spanning WhiteRock, Eightfold, Veritone (PandoLogic), and enterprise digital experience roles, Jenny brings a rare, practitioner-level perspective on why talent systems break—and how to redesign them so people can actually use them.

Her sessions focus on:

• Designing hiring and talent systems that reflect real workflows
• Reducing friction between technology, process, and human behavior
• Translating complex systems into usable, scalable solutions

Formats we support

GBS speakers are available for:

• Keynotes
• Panel discussions
• Fireside chats
• Executive workshops
• Client and partner events
• Internal leadership sessions

We don’t do one-size-fits-all talks. Sessions are scoped intentionally based on audience, context, and goals.

Why organizations invite us back

Organizations invite GBS speakers because:

Speaking is not separate from our work. It’s an extension of it.

Why organizations invite us back

Organizations invite GBS speakers because:

Speaking is not separate from our work. It’s an extension of it.