Keynote Speakers
Chad E. Foster
Chad E. Foster is a motivational keynote speaker, sales/finance leader, and inspirational change agent who works at Red Hat/IBM. He was the first blind executive to graduate from Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development. Despite going blind while attending college in his early twenties, Chad started at Accenture, and has built a career in the technology industry where he has directed financial strategies and decisions resulting in more than $45 billion in contracts.
He speaks to corporate audiences and professional athletes to help them develop resilience in the face of uncertainty. He has been featured in Forbes, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA Today, Harvard Lifelong Learning, BuzzFeed, Yahoo, Chief Executive Mag and continues to inspire audiences across the world with his personal story. He lives with his wife and his 2 children in Atlanta, GA.
Learn more about Chad and his recently published book "Blind Ambition: How to Go from Victim to Visionary" on his website: ChadEFoster.com.
Marsha Link, PhD
Marsha Link is an innovative and seasoned professional who has a broad range of expertise as a clinician, executive coach, human resource professional, and educator. She is recognized as an experienced professional who works effectively with a variety of people in diverse environments.
Marsha is Principal of Link Consulting, providing services to clients in the profit and not-for-profit sectors. Her background includes working in the medical field for decades, first as a psychiatric social worker at Indiana University Medical Center and then as a co-founder of Chiron Vision, an ophthalmic medical device company. She has been involved in the ophthalmology sector, not only as a businesswoman, but served as President for 3 years for OWL (Ophthalmic World Leaders), helping the organization develop its mission of advancing diverse leadership in ophthalmology. In 2016, she received the Visionary Leader Award from OWL. She has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of California and Webster University, both in Irvine, CA.
Marsha holds a Master of Arts and a Doctorate degree in psychology from the Fielding Graduate University and a Master of Science in Counseling and Personnel Services from Purdue University. In 2015, she was the recipient of the outstanding alumni award from the College of Education at Purdue University. She completed a certificate in Human Resource Management from the University of California, Irvine, where she subsequently taught. She received a Bachelor of Music Education from Manchester University where she received an honorary doctorate in 2009. Marsha served for three years as the Manchester University Chair for the Board of Trustees.
Marsha has served on a variety of not-for-profit organizations and has a strong sense of philanthropy. She currently serves as one of three co-chairs for the Foundation Fighting Blindness national campaign, Victory for Vision, and is honored to be a part of the VISIONS 2022 event. She is especially eager to find cures for retinal diseases since a family member is challenged with retinitis pigmentosa.
Marsha resides in Newport Beach, CA, and in Steamboat Springs, CO, with her husband Bill. She is a proud mother of Bradley and Elizabeth and grandmother of four wonderful grandchildren. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking, and enjoying performances in the arts. Marsha can be reached at: marshalink@4link.biz.
