- Home
- Annual Conference
- Speakers
Engage with one another, develop knowledge and skills, share expertise, and contribute to our community.
CBODN's Annual Conference - CONNECT 2025 will be taking place on Saturday, October 18, bringing together Organization Development and Change Management professionals and Coaches to share knowledge, insights, and best practices.
Our theme this year is “Fostering Community, Driving Impact”, two ideas that are central to what is needed right now, both in the OD community and in the broader DMV environment.
- Fostering Community – Now more than ever, the OD community must come together to tackle the emerging challenges of our time. To meet these challenges, we must also broaden our reach, welcoming new voices beyond our existing membership.
- Driving Impact - Our customers and partners expect our efforts result in tangible improvements in how people work and how organizations fulfill their purpose. To meet this expectation, we must create space for our community to challenge conventional thinking and share best practices, ensuring that OD remains relevant in today’s evolving workplace.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS "The POWER of Either/Or-Thinking AND Both/And-Thinking" |
Dr. Barry Johnson Ph. D and Cliff Kayser MSOD, MSHR, PCC
We are thrilled to announce our keynote speakers for this year’s event: Dr. Barry Johnson and Cliff Kayser.
Dr. Barry Johnson is the creator of the Polarity Map® and a pioneer in Polarity Thinking®, a framework that helps leaders and organizations navigate complex, interdependent challenges. Since developing the first Polarity Map(R) in 1975, he has collaborated globally in leveraging the polarity of "either/or-thinking" AND "both/and-thinking." This has resulted in enhanced decision-making and organizational effectiveness.
As Chairman of Polarity Partnerships, Dr. Johnson has introduced the Polarity Approach to Continuity and Transformation (PACT™), a methodology that includes tools like the Polarity Assessment™ to help organizations leverage polarities essential to their success.
He is the author of several influential books, including Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems and the two-volume series And: Making a Difference by Leveraging Polarity, Paradox or Dilemma Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in organization development and has extensive training from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. His work is widely applied across sectors such as business, government, education, and healthcare.
Cliff Kayser is a seasoned leadership coach, organizational consultant, and thought leader based in Washington, D.C., with deep expertise in values-based leadership and polarity thinking. He serves as Chief Learning Officer at Polarity Partnerships and is the founder of both the Polarities of Democracy Institute and Xperience, LLC—organizations dedicated to helping leaders and institutions navigate complex challenges through the power of both/and thinking.
Cliff’s approach integrates Eastern wisdom traditions with contemporary leadership science, blending philosophical insight with practical tools for performance measurement and organizational change. From his “happy place”—a 40-acre mountain retreat in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia—he hosts and facilitates purpose-driven dialogues and renewal-focused retreats.
In 2024, Cliff was named an Ambassador for the Inner Development Goals (Aconcagua Cohort),a global, open-source initiative supporting the cultivation of inner capacities essential to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—and advancing human flourishing on a healthy planet.
Cliff is an adjunct faculty at George Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being’s “Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being” program and American University’s “KEY Executive Leadership” program.
--
Together, Barry and Cliff bring a wealth of insight, experience, and passion to the keynote stage. We are honored to have them with us and look forward to the transformative conversations their presence will inspire.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AND BIOS FOR OUR 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SPEAKERS!