conference speakers

Maia McGill

Maia McGill, CEO of Maia McGill Consulting, LLC and Founder of the Inclusive Philanthropy Institute, is a seasoned industry leader with more than 18 years of experience in the higher education and philanthropic sectors. She is considered a notable authority in inclusive philanthropy and co-founded the former Office of Inclusive Philanthropy at the Florida International University (FIU) Foundation, which was the first of its kind in the nation.

The FIU Foundation Office of Inclusive Philanthropy (FOIP) brought together development professionals with community and industry partners from diverse backgrounds to inform, implement, and evaluate philanthropic strategy and programming that promoted systemic change.

FOIP’s targeted initiatives included scholarships and wrap-around support services for students, increased faculty diversity, strong and inclusive advisory board governance, social equity research, cultural competence trainings, and improved health and education outcomes.

Within FOIP, Maia cultivated a fundraising team composed of individuals with diverse cultural, racial and religious backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations – representation that was integral to the Office’s work and to understanding the needs of the university’s student body. By June 2023, more than $50 million dollars was raised to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives university wide.

Maia’s expertise has been featured in the “Focus Forward Wisdom” series of Marts&Lundy’s “What We Think” podcast. She has also presented on the topic of inclusive philanthropy at multiple conferences, including the Counsel for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Annual Conference for College and University Foundations, the African American Development Officers Network Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership; and more.

In February of 2024, Maia was awarded the CASE Opportunity and Inclusion Award for District III.

Maia is the former Senior Executive Director for Foundation Relations at Florida International University (FIU), raising more than $70 million dollars over her 6-year tenure. Prior to FIU, her roles in higher education included serving as the Director of Community and Multicultural Affairs at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In that position, she facilitated and guided proposals and white papers for diversity research grants and initiatives; and she directed several community-based programs and screenings serving underserved and vulnerable populations — impacting thousands of residents. She also successfully cultivated and maintained relationships with key leaders in both the public and private sectors, including foundations, healthcare providers, researchers, faculty and community-based organizations.

Sequoia Owens 

Sequoia is the Founder & Chief Consultant of The Brilliant Lead and serves as a workplace culture strategist and leadership coach trained in trauma-informed care with over a decade of experience within the nonprofit sector.

​Holding a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling, she leverages her expertise to guide organizations in implementing strategies that align leadership practices with a culture that fosters employee wellbeing and psychological safety.

The Brilliant Lead is a Black woman–owned training and organizational culture development company that equips leaders with the tools to build personal wellness and create positive, healthy work environments. With Sequoia as one of its key leaders, organizations gain access to a team of experts dedicated to fostering inclusive, trauma-informed, mission-driven workplaces where people can thrive.

Mitchell Spearman

For sixteen years, Mitchell Spearman has partnered with entrepreneurial families across the United States, Asia, and Europe, with the shared goal of connecting families across generations to achieve transformative goals.  Fun is always in the mix.

Spearman has focused on developing deeper ties within multi-generational families, through family conversations and curated moments, to provide opportunities for rising generations to build their identity and emerge as future leaders and to gain a wealth of knowledge from leading generation voices.  When voices are aligned – the magic happens.  Mitchell also believes that a taco night and a family trip can jumpstart almost any conversation.    

Mitchell has also served as an advisor to single family office leadership as they build deeper ties and meaningful connectivity to their respective families.   Some of the most incredible moments have occurred between family office team members and their families-celebrating a spelling bee winner can bring people together like no other!

Mitchell is based in Austin, Texas and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.   Two precious nieces in Charlotte call him Uncle Mitchie – and that’s the greatest title he has ever held.

Amy Steindler

Amy Steindler is a certified coach and founder of Ovation Coaching, which offers groundbreaking and creative corporate emotional intelligence programs like Through Your Own Lens ® , along with industry-leading EQ assessments, leadership training, group emotional intelligence training, and executive and personal coaching.

Amy spent 30 years in high-performing corporate environments:Bernstein Private Wealth Management (a division of AllianceBernstein), media giant AOL-Time Warner, international IT product distributor TechData, and banking technology leader Diebold, with leadership roles and P+L responsibilities in sales, marketing and training.

She holds coaching certifications from ICF (International Coach Federation), AACC (Anne Arundel Community College), and MBI (Martha Beck Institute). She holds three emotional intelligence certifications: as a certified EQ-i 2.0 practitioner and certified MIPI (Multidimensional Inventory for Personal Intelligence) coach, and accredited MMP TM Qualified Specialist, as well as a certificate from the internationally recognized “Search Inside Yourself” course developed by Google engineers to teach neuroscience- based mindfulness as a path to stress reduction, resilience, and greater happiness.

Her signature program, Through Your Own Lens ® , applies neuroscience to the practice of meditative photography, which supports creative leadership, shifts perspectives, and provides a method of idea generation that drives innovation, connection, and breakthrough decision-making.

Amy writes and speaks on topics related to emotional intelligence, creativity, and personal and professional relationships. She holds a BA from the College of William and Mary, where she has taught emotional intelligence classes at the McLeod Wellness Center, and is a co-creator and co-facilitator of the “Navigating Transitions” program for alumnae. She has also served on the faculty at Anne Arundel Medical Center as an emotional intelligence trainer for their in-house leadershipdevelopment program.

Experienced https://ovation.coach/ Strategy and Communications Leader with over 17 years of experience ovhttps://ovation.coach/erseeing Marketing Teams, Brand Planning, and Communications Strategies in New York City and DC, with strong skills in Brand, Comms, Digital, Social, Experiential, and Partnership Marketing. Graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia.