Stuart D. Kliman – Head of Business Development of PrescriberPoint & Co-Author of All the Difference: Six Leadership Actions to Bridge Perspectives, Strengthen Teams, and Create Value The worst thing to do is learn what you have or maybe don’t have after the event has already happened. Stuart D. Kliman is a business development executive, leadership advisor, entrepreneur, and collaboration expert with more than three decades of experience helping leaders, teams, and organizations work together more effectively. As Head of Business Development at PrescriberPoint, he focuses on building strategic partnerships that help healthcare providers improve patient access to essential therapies. Throughout his career, Stuart has specialized in leadership development, organizational culture, negotiation, and creating high performing partnerships across a wide range of industries. Stuart is the founding partner of Vantage Partners, a consulting and training firm known for its work in negotiation, relationship management, and organizational collaboration. He also co founded Building Industry Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to creating ownership cultures within lower and middle market companies. In addition, he has advised innovative startups including Breez AI and previously served as Vice Chair of Our.Love. He is also a member of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. As the co author of All the Difference: Six Leadership Actions to Bridge Perspectives, Strengthen Teams, and Create Value, Stuart explores how organizations can transform differences in perspective, background, and experience into a competitive advantage. His work combines practical leadership experience with behavioral science and proven collaboration strategies, helping leaders build stronger relationships, make better decisions, and create cultures where both people and organizations thrive. Karen Collins – Vice President at American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) The worst thing to do is learn what you have or maybe don’t have after the event has already happened. Karen Collins is the Vice President of Property and Environmental at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), the nation’s largest property and casualty insurance trade association. In her role, she leads policy development and advocacy on property insurance, catastrophe resilience, and environmental issues, representing more than 1,200 member companies that write nearly 60 percent of all property and casualty insurance in the United States. She is widely recognized for her expertise in risk mitigation, disaster resilience, and public policy related to natural catastrophes including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Before joining APCIA, Karen spent nearly two decades working with major insurance carriers, gaining extensive experience across product management, sales, information technology, claims, and corporate training. Her background spans direct, captive, and independent agency distribution channels, with particular expertise in personal lines insurance, including homeowners, automobile, umbrella, and recreational products. She has also held property and casualty, life, and health insurance licenses in California. Combining hands on industry experience with deep policy expertise, Karen works closely with legislators, regulators, and industry leaders at the state, federal, and international levels to advance solutions that strengthen insurance markets and improve community resilience. Her work focuses on helping consumers, businesses, and communities better prepare for and recover from the growing risks posed by natural disasters. Ian Giammanco, PhD – Managing Director of Atmospheric Science and the Lead Research Meteorologist at IBHS Dr. Ian Giammanco is the Managing Director of Atmospheric Science and Lead Research Meteorologist at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), where he leads applied research that transforms complex atmospheric science into practical solutions for improving the resilience of homes, businesses, and communities. His work bridges meteorology, engineering, insurance risk, data analytics, and building science, with a focus on severe convective storms, hurricanes, hail, wildfire, roofing systems, and building performance. He also helps guide the development of research priorities, technical standards, and data driven strategies that strengthen resilience and improve real world decision making. With nearly two decades of meteorological field research experience, Dr. Giammanco has led and contributed to numerous hurricane, tornado, and severe thunderstorm research projects. He serves as the principal investigator and field coordinator for the IBHS Characteristics of Hailstorms research campaign and has helped pioneer innovations including the first published measurements of hailstone strength, the use of three dimensional laser scanning to create digital models of hailstones, and the development of the IBHS hail impact testing protocol and asphalt shingle impact rating system. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of how severe weather affects buildings and infrastructure. In addition to his leadership role at IBHS, Dr. Giammanco is an Adjunct Faculty Research Associate at the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and both his master’s degree in Atmospheric Science and doctorate in Wind Science and Engineering from Texas Tech University. A frequent speaker, published researcher, and leader within the American Meteorological Society and other professional organizations, he is dedicated to translating rigorous science into practical solutions that help communities better prepare for and withstand extreme weather. Scott Baradell – CEO of Idea Grove and author of Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World It’s not that people can’t make great content using it. It’s that it has to be a tool. Scott Baradell is the founder and CEO of Idea Grove, a nationally recognized B2B marketing and public relations agency that has been named a three-time Inc. 5000 company and a two-time Inc. Best Workplace. For more than two decades, Scott has helped technology and business-to-business companies increase their visibility, credibility, and market authority through integrated strategies that combine public relations, content marketing, search optimization, and brand positioning. As the author of the best-selling book, Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World, Scott has become a leading voice on how businesses earn trust in an era of misinformation, skepticism, and rapidly changing digital behavior. His work explores how brands can build authentic credibility and why trust remains the most valuable asset a company can possess. He is currently releasing an updated edition of Trust Signals that addresses the growing influence of artificial intelligence on brand discovery and reputation. Scott is also the creator of Idea Grove’s Trust Signals® Framework and Total Visibility System, which help companies align PR, SEO, content, and AI optimization into a unified strategy. His insights have become increasingly relevant as consumers turn to AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini for research, while still relying on reviews, search results, and media coverage to validate purchasing decisions. Before founding Idea Grove, Scott served as chief communications officer for two billion-dollar companies, co-founded and led marketing for a venture-backed startup, and worked as an award-winning journalist. Today, he continues to advise growth-focused companies on how to build authority, increase visibility, and earn customer trust in an increasingly AI-driven marketplace.
