Susan Reilly Salgado, Ph.D.
Represented by Rave Speakers
Susan Reilly Salgado is a consultant, speaker, and thought leader whose expertise lies at the intersection of organizational culture and customer experience. Susan leverages 20+ years of academic and professional experience to help clients build remarkable teams who can deliver remarkable customer experiences.
Upon completing her dissertation in 2003, Susan was invited to join Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) as its first-ever Director of Culture and Learning. In this role, she created and implemented the company’s leadership training programs, which were a fundamental component of the company’s success in growing its culture throughout significant growth, including the creation and scaling of the Shake Shack brand. In 2010, she partnered with Danny Meyer to open a consultancy, Hospitality Quotient, and in 2017 founded her own firm, Grason Consulting, to provide consulting and training services.
Susan’s consulting work and speaking engagements have allowed her to work with companies across more than 20 different industries, such as Delta Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Goldman Sachs, Chanel, Cedars Sinai Hospital System, Chick-Fil-A, Sotheby’s, Condé Nast, and Coca Cola. In addition to her PhD from NYU-Stern School of Business, Susan holds a BS and an MBA from Lehigh University and has been an invited speaker at numerous universities. Susan has been a contributor for Inc. Magazine, has recorded a TEDx talk, co-founded the NYC chapter of Conscious Capitalism, and was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.
Susan shares her leadership experiences from Danny Meyer's 15 New York City restaurants and his famed Shake Shack chain as she addresses the key workforce topics of Exceeding the Client Experience, Leadership, Empowerment, Hiring and Retaining the Best Team Members, and of course Creating a People-First Culture in Your Organization. Her financial services clients include JP Morgan, National Financial Partners, Luxon Financial, Edward Jones, and Barron's. Join the movement at www.susansalgado.com.
Michele Rigby Assad
Represented by Goodman Speakers
Michele Rigby Assad began her career in the government relations department of an international relief and development organization in Washington, DC, in 1995. She joined the CIA in January 2002 to work as an intelligence officer in the Directorate of Operations, the covert arm of the agency. Specializing in counterterrorism and counterintelligence issues, Michele worked in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations. To date, Michele has lived in six countries in the Near East region and traveled to more than forty-five others.
After a decade of government service, Michele left the undercover life to serve as a public speaker, author, trainer, and international security consultant focused on the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Her book, Breaking Cover: My Secret Life in the CIA and What It Taught Me about What’s Worth Fighting For, published by Tyndale Momentum, was released February 2018 and is currently in production to be made into a major motion picture.
Michele writes about her many passions at www.michelerigbyassad.com, where she features articles on counterterrorism, personal security, the Middle East, faith, and inspiration.