Leading in High-Stakes Environments

Adam Mendler is a nationally recognized authority on leadership, renowned for his unique ability to deliver perspective-shifting insights shaped by interviewing more than 500 of America’s most successful leaders. The creator and host of the top-rated business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, Adam regularly elicits insights from America's top CEOs, founders, athletes, celebrities, and political and military leaders. A keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations, Adam has written extensively on business and leadership, having authored more than 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc., and HuffPost. A Los Angeles native and lifelong Angels fan, Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA, serves on the board of UCLA’s Master of Applied Statistics & Data Science program, is an emeritus member of USC’s Board of Governors, and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders.

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen Gibson has nearly 40 years of experience in intelligence, cyberspace, and security roles, culminating her military service as Deputy Director of National Intelligence at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she led national-level space and cyberspace portfolios. She previously served as Director of Intelligence for U.S. Central Command, where she wielded national and defense intelligence assets to support national security objectives and military operations in the U.S. Central Command region; Director of Intelligence for Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq; and as Deputy Commanding General for U.S. Army Cyber Command, where she designed and built U.S. Cyber Command’s first functional Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber for synchronizing offensive and defensive operations in cyberspace. Ms. Gibson also led intelligence operations centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, and East Africa and taught at Georgetown University for two years. Following the January 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, Ms. Gibson was asked to serve as U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, where she worked across the legislative and executive branches to rebuild the Capitol’s security programs and restore faith in the Senate’s security. She was responsible for personal, physical, and cybersecurity in the Capitol and Senate buildings and in 450 Senate offices nationwide; managed the Senate’s emergency, life safety, and continuity of government programs; and was responsible for the Senate’s technical communication and cybersecurity, as well as a broad array of installation support services for the Senate community.