Celeste Edmunds

Executive Director, The Christmas Box House, 
Author “Garbage Bag Girl”

“From Darkness to Advocacy:
One Survivor’s Journey to Empower Vulnerable Children”

Christmas Box House Executive Director Celeste Edmunds understands what the children she serves at The Christmas Box Houses are going through. She went through it herself. Her biological parents were addicts, and her childhood was an ongoing cycle of police calls, fighting, and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. At age 7, Celeste was taken from her home and placed into a child welfare system, where moving every few months to a new environment became normal. By age sixteen, she had lived in more than 30 cities. 

Celeste views her childhood as a difficult but essential growing experience. There were terrible things, but there were also caring people along the way who did what they could to protect and nurture her. She was author Richard Paul Evans’ assistant when he founded The Christmas Box International. She quickly became an integral part of its creation, helping to build and refine the original shelters for a decade before taking a new position in Corporate America. Working in the corporate world gave her valuable knowledge of a different kind, with experience in marketing (receiving Marketer of the Year by Utah Business Magazine), public relations, community giving, and team management. Combining her nonprofit and corporate experience, Celeste is uniquely fit to guide The Christmas Box International. Celeste is passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and the child welfare system so that others may not have to go through the same experiences she had. 

The Christmas Box International celebrates 28 years of defending more than 155,000 children. That is enough to fill Madison Square Garden more than seven and a half times.

Celeste believes that The Christmas Box International is more than a place–it is a concept where community, government, and nonprofits come together to bring the resources to children that they need. As a child who grew up in the system, Celeste understands the importance of providing these youth the opportunity for a better life by providing them with safety, dignity, and hope. Her goal is to give these beautiful children everything she wished for as a child, including hope for a better future.

Celeste released her book last fall titled Garbage Bag Girl. She hopes to bring more awareness to the issues that face children in the child welfare system and help them know that they deserve a childhood and are worthy of safety and love.

Ann Ranson

“Using Hope to Build an Effective Engagement Strategy”

Ann Ranson is a teacher, facilitator, and guide for powerful breakthroughs that support personal and professional growth.

After 30+ years in the hard-scrabble media industry and a career spanning Fortune 500 experience, Ann found a way to combine her sales and marketing background with strategy and coaching. Her passion for helping others live life to the fullest has helped countless clients dig deep into the root of their situations and find ideal outcomes for happiness and success.

As a two-time TEDx speaker, author of “Intentions at Work: 83 Spiritual Tools to Succeed in Business” and volunteer advocate for AARP Texas, Ann expertly tailors her strengths to any audience and gains insights that help provide solutions for strategic progress.

No matter where you’re starting from, Ann will meet you there and help you work with intention towards your best direction forward.

MaryAnne Adams

“Thrive, Grow, and Make a Difference”

MaryAnne Adams, speaker, mentor, and author of “Moving Mountains One Rock at a Time: Rewrite Your Story and Restore Your Hope,” inspires women to up-level their lives with their Powerful Life Vision. She has seen women become successful in their businesses, find the love of their life, and feel that deep sense of personal fulfillment. MaryAnne will show you how a successful mentoring program will propel you to become your own life author, write the story of your life, and live it powerfully! She is thrilled to share her vision of how to connect and influence women at all stages of life. 

Drawing upon Masters of Education degree, 30 years of teaching and much life experience, MaryAnne Adams has the unique ability to coach individuals through life transitions and into balanced, healthy lives, filled with purpose, trust, and love.

MaryAnne’s natural enthusiasm and incredible heart create a safe space for clients to build inspiration and motivation. She is a spiritually-minded, professional life coach with the experience and skills needed to help single or married women in midlife, transform their lives and find hope and purpose. She will help you let go of the fears that hold you back and empower you to build a stronger, happier life. MaryAnne will help you create more joy, self-worth, confidence and clarity. 

Cheryl Knowlton

“Burn the Hamster Wheel”

Stress Management Strategies

As the CEO and Chief Energy Officer of Dynamite Productions, a national real estate educator, broker, coach, author, podcast host and 23+ year veteran of the real estate and mortgage industries, Cheryl Knowlton specializes in enthusiastically empowering excellence by consistently delivered highly engaging, timely, and relevant tools to help today’s real estate professional raise the bar – in business and in life.

Cheryl began her career in 1999 in the California Bay Area. She now holds 17 NAR Designations and Certifications, and regularly teaches most of those courses via Zoom to agents all over the country and internationally. She also loves creating and teaching her own custom courses for state and local Associations of Realtors as well as creating and teaching Instructor Development Workshops for many states.

After years of fighting the nickname “The Compliance Queen,” Cheryl now embraces that title. She has been a part of creating three Utah pre-licensing schools and is now in the process of creating her own brand-new Utah pre-licensing and Broker school. Cheryl is a 12-year member of the National Speakers Association, and is a proud holder of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Designation, which is held by only six Real Estate speakers in the United States.

When she is not taking up temporary residence in a Disney theme park, Cheryl loves traveling the country, educating Realtors and brokers, as well as sharing her energetic expertise with international brands and franchises. In her spare time, she also loves to hike, ski, read, run half marathons, (she has completed 30), spend time with her Prince Charming, and play with her 14 (including Moira) grandchildren and her dog Scooby.

TEDxPurdueU Presentation by Karen Eber, Leadership Consultant:

“How your brain responds to stories – and why they’re crucial for leaders”

As WOVI’s first Virtual Chapter, WOVI VC Prime provides a unique format to share prerecorded presentations by women and for women – with a space to discuss our impressions and opinions with our fellow attendees, and experience a MentoRing activity that expands on the presentation, providing an added dimension, impact, and value for each of us.

Please join us in viewing a TEDxPurdueU presentation by Leadership Consultant Karen Eber that explains how the best leaders earn trust –– by not just presenting data, but by also telling great stories. With impactful examples Karen explains the basics of effective storytelling and how stories allow your audience to empathize with and better understand data.

Author, Speaker, Leadership Consultant Karen Eber is a culture transformation expert and leadership development whisperer. As the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Eber Leadership Group, Karen helps companies reimagine and evolve how they build empathic and curious leaders and teams, transform culture and inspire with storytelling.

Karen works with Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, ADP, Carrier, Guardian Life, Kraft Heinz, Facebook, and Big Four Consulting Firms. She also guest lectures in Universities including MIT and London Business School. Karen has inspired many through her articles published in Fast Company, CLO Magazine, and Training Industry Magazine.

With 20+ years of experience, Karen has been a Head of Culture and Chief Learning Officer at General Electric and a Head of Leadership Development at Deloitte. She’s developed 90,000 employees in 150 countries and is a four-time American Training and Development winner. Her book, “The Perfect Story: How to tell stories that inform, influence and inspire” is coming in Fall of 2023.

Find out more about Karen and subscribe to her podcast, “Brain Food,” at kareneber.com