Keynote Speakers 2026
Eddie Francis
Eddie Francis specializes in helping students and organizations move from knowing about leadership to practicing it. With a commanding presence built on 20+ years of experience in fraternal leadership development and higher education leadership, Eddie delivers sessions that are as practical as they are memorable. With stand-up comedy stashed in his background, Eddie has a rare edge with college students. He doesn't just teach leadership, he reads rooms so that his concepts land with timing and precision.
Eddie’s leadership journey began as president of his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter at Loyola University New Orleans, where he also served as vice president of the Interfraternity Council. Because of his leadership, Eddie earned the Spirit of Loyola Award for Racial Understanding. He even choreographed a step routine that won second place at the ever-popular Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands and Greek Show. Eddie later served as an alumni chapter president and campus chapter advisor.
Professionally, Eddie is a communications strategist whose diverse professional background also includes mass media and talent acquisition. He earned his master’s degree in strategic leadership from Tennessee State University, and he is a member of the International Leadership Association, the Press Club of New Orleans, and the American Marketing Association. Eddie is the proud husband of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. member, Dr. Halima Leak Francis, and the proud father of Stevie
Kelsey Pfendler
Kelsey Pfendler is a professional Grand Canyon river guide, Team USA athlete, and world record-setting ocean rower. Her remarkable journey has taken her from the rivers of New York and Colorado to the rapids of the Grand Canyon, where she has spent the last decade guiding expeditions through one of the world's most unforgiving landscapes. In 2020, she represented the United States as a member of the USA Open Women's Raft Race Team at the World Rafting Championships in Bosnia, where her team earned multiple medals and finished second overall.
After competing on the world stage, Kelsey led a team of three other women in an ambitious attempt to row 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii in 2024. The demanding expedition tested their physical endurance, teamwork, and resilience while reinforcing the extraordinary strength that emerges when people work together to pursue a shared goal.
Inspired by that experience, Kelsey set her sights on an even greater challenge: to become the first American woman - and the youngest woman overall - to row solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii. Through relentless tenacity and grit, she broke free from the winds and currents of the California coast - an obstacle which has foiled many previous solo attempts. Implementing a disciplined regimen of 18+ hours a day on the oars, she finished her row in just under 44 days, smashing previous women’s (86+ days) and men’s (52 days) records.
Through sharing her experiences navigating some of the world's most demanding environments, Kelsey Pfendler inspires audiences to reach beyond what’s possible, lead with courage, embrace uncertainty, and recognize that our greatest growth often begins just beyond our comfort zone.