Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) Ron Manuel leads the FBI Los Angeles Cyber Task Force, comprised of Special Agents, State and Local Task Force Officers, Intelligence Analysts, Computer Scientists and support staff. The Task Force investigates criminal cyber activity impacting the greater Los Angeles area and imposes consequences on those criminals. SSA Manuel has also led international terrorism investigations and previously ran FBI LA's training program for new special agents. Prior to his employment with the FBI, he was a supply chain planner for Motorola, Inc. and a U.S. Army Officer with multiple deployments. SSA Manuel received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Drexel University.

Joyce Ng, principal with Springboard Market Research, has focused on exploring the beliefs and behavior of teens and young people for more than two decades. Prior to establishing Springboard, Joyce served as director of marketing for Reebok International, led product development and marketing for Mattel Games and worked in product management at The Quaker Oats Company.

Briana Walker is a keynote speaker, author, model, dancer, spokesperson and humanitarian. At the age of 23, she fainted while driving and hit a cement median at 75 miles per hour, becoming a T11-12 paraplegic as a result. One year after her accident, she was the first female ever to be featured on the cover of Mobility Management magazine. Shortly thereafter she became the Krypto Girl for Colours Wheelchairs, and her images have been used globally on buses and billboards to change the face of disability. She also created one of the first-ever wheelchair hip-hop dance teams and performed a televised routine with rapper Ludacris, and in 2007 she became a spokesperson for Overstock.com.

Walker is a fan of extreme sports, and has gone skydiving, surfing, skiing and bungee jumping post-injury, in addition to completing several triathlons. She works with multiple non-profits, holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminology and justice studies, and is currently writing a book about her humorous anecdotes when faced with adversity.

Ben Grossman is the founder and co-president of Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205) and founder of SwagCycle, a service that helps brands deal with their obsolete and unwanted promotional products in an ethical and sustainable way. The 2022 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year revealed in an annual impact report earlier this year that SwagCycle has kept a cumulative 1.45 million items out of landfills and facilitated roughly $2.67 million in charitable donations.

Kathy Cheng is the president of WS & Co., one of Canada’s leading full-service apparel manufacturers, and the founder of Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627), its in-stock apparel line, which provides promotional and retail distributors with garments handcrafted in North America. A member of the Promo for the Planet advisory board, Cheng has spoken about sustainability to organizations including YPO, a global leadership community. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion has found her serving on the board of directors for the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) and as an ambassador for Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC).

Jamie McCabe is the president of McCabe Promotional Advertising (asi/264901), a B Corporation in London, ON. Giving back is an integral part of the distributor’s operations, which organizes a variety of fundraising campaigns throughout the year.

Andy Keller, a member of the Promo for the Planet advisory board, is the CEO of ChicoBag (asi/44811), a Chico, CA-based B Corporation that’s focused on helping humanity bag the single-use habit by making it easy for millions to switch to reusable bags. The supplier is also Climate Neutral Certified and a member of 1% for the Planet.

Pierre Montaubin is the CEO of Koozie Group (asi/40480) & IMAGEN Brands (asi/93990). He got his start in the promotional products industry when he took over the Hong Kong-based sourcing operations of BIC Graphic and Norwood Promotional Products in 2009. He fell in love with the industry, and in late 2017, moved to the U.S. to continue his work with the organization that would become Koozie Group. He has held multiple roles within in the company across service, sourcing, compliance, logistics, product development, and sustainability. In January 2023, he was named the company’s first Chief Product and Sustainability Officer.

Karri Ann Frerichs is the CEO/founder of Circular Fashion LA. A fashion industry entrepreneur and innovator since 2008, she has a focus on zero-waste, regenerative product development. She teaches circular economy and the business of fashion at Woodbury University, and in 2020, she became an Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Pioneer and mentor to the From Linear to Circular Programme. She also launched the Los Angeles chapter of the Circular Economy Club.