Keynotes
Evy Poumpouras
Wednesday, July 8
For more than 12 years, Evy Poumpouras served as a Secret Service special agent in an action-packed career, where she was responsible for protecting some of the world’s most high-value assets. She was a member of the Presidential Protective Division for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and also safeguarded Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush. Beyond her time in the Secret Service, Poumpouras has built a dynamic career as a widely recognized multimedia journalist, host, and producer. She conducts headline-grabbing interviews and investigates major stories in the media, appearing regularly on “TODAY,” MSNBC, and “Good Morning America” to share her sought-after expertise on national security, law enforcement, and crime.
Currently, Poumpouras serves as NBC’s law enforcement and national security analyst, where she applies her deep expertise to breaking news and high-stakes global issues. Having mastered the arts of communication and psychology throughout her wide-ranging career—from the front lines of presidential protection to the national media stage—she offers unconventional strategies for tackling challenges and living fearlessly.
Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Poumpouras has been described as “the epitome of a badass” as she brings a welcome edge to talks focused on looking inward to begin the journey to becoming your best self at work and beyond. Her positivity emanates from the stage and through to the audience as she reveals hard-won lessons on building a more confident and resilient mindset, communicating for maximum impact, and unleashing your inner fighter as you push past the obstacles on the path to success. Poumpouras shares thrilling anecdotes from her experiences in the Secret Service, offering a rare behind-the-curtain look at one of the oldest and elite security forces in the world, and showing audiences how they can apply Secret Service principles of communication, leadership, psychology, and inclusion in their own pursuits.
In addition to safeguarding our nation’s heads of state, during her tenure in the Secret Service, Poumpouras worked complex criminal investigations, operated undercover, and was an interrogator for the agency’s elite polygraph unit specially trained in the art of lie detection, human behavior, and cognitive influence. She was among the first responders during the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and was honored with United States Secret Service Valor Award in recognition of her heroic efforts. In parallel to her work as a journalist and TV personality, Poumpouras is an adjunct professor for The City University of New York, where she teaches criminal justice and criminology.
Poumpouras’ online interviews and her TEDx talk on “Words: Your Most Powerful Weapon” have drawn millions of views, and she has spoken worldwide in front of many of the world’s top organizations, including NASDAQ, McKesson, United Technologies, Wells Fargo, and Corcoran Group. She is also the author of the bestselling book Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, Live Fearlessly, in which she introduces unique and actionable strategies for influencing any situation and transforming yourself into a stronger, more confident, and more powerful person.
Elizabeth Smart
Thursday, July 9
The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held prisoner for 9 grueling months. Through this traumatic experience, Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and National legislation.
Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to conviction. The Founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation”, Elizabeth has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, “My Story.” In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor’s guide, entitled, “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.” This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.
In 2018, Elizabeth wrote a powerful and inspiring book, “Where There’s Hope,” which is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future. Her most recent work releasing in December 2025, “Detours: Hope & Growth After Life’s Hardest Turns,” is a memoir-meets-guide empowering readers to navigate life’s detours, embrace resilience, and find healing and purpose after adversity. In Detours, she explores how trauma can derail one’s path in life and shares her struggles with captivity, reintegration, and resilience, offering four key “Rest Stops” for navigating difficult turns.
Elizabeth’s abduction and recovery continue to motivate parents, law enforcement, and leaders worldwide to focus on children’s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by “everyday” people and the belief that hope always exists to find every missing child. Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012, and they now have three beautiful children. Elizabeth’s example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after tragedy.