The Final Speakers for Support Driven Expo Chicago 2026 Are Here

Our speaker lineup for Support Driven Expo Chicago, happening August 24–26, 2026, is officially complete.

This final round of speakers brings even more practical expertise to this year's program, covering AI implementation, leadership, support operations, quality assurance, career growth, and the systems that help teams do their best work. Together, these sessions round out an agenda built to help support professionals navigate what's changing today while preparing for what's next.

Meet the newest additions to the lineup:

Valeriia Golubieva (Customer Experience Program Manager at Manychat) will share how choosing the right reviewers can transform quality assurance into a trusted system for continuous improvement.

Vincent Chan (Founder of NorthOak) will break down the essential ingredients behind effective AI agents, from business context to workflows and integrations.

James Amey (Founding Solutions Engineer at Plain) will challenge conventional support design and show how questioning software defaults can lead to stronger support organizations.

Carol Lea (Customer Service Representative at Flickr) will explore how well-defined processes create healthier teams by reducing ambiguity and preventing burnout.

Greg Johnson (Head of North America Customer Success at LuxCreo) will demonstrate practical ways AI can help support teams increase capacity while maintaining quality.

Abby Armada (Senior Customer Support Manager at Flickr) will share lessons from implementing a successful four-day work week while maintaining high team performance.

Daniel Kimber (CEO & Co-Founder at Brainfish) will present a practical roadmap for leading AI adoption and preparing support teams for the evolving role of the Support Engineer.

Marlene Summers (Manager, Customer Success & Support at Honeycomb Insurance) will discuss building a resilient career that continues to grow alongside AI and organizational change.

Matt Dunn (Head of Customer Success & Support at IFS Loops) will explore the transition from individual contributor to leader by developing teams that solve problems with confidence.

Zach Ihle (CX Operations Manager at Planning Center) will share a practical approach to building AI-powered CX tools while protecting customer data with the right privacy guardrails.

Paulo Sérgio Teixeira Pinto (Happiness Engineer at Automattic) will explain why great AI experiences start with great documentation and how knowledge management remains the foundation of successful AI.

Chrissy Sebald (Director, CX Practice & Support Operations at Boldr) will share practical ways to build a learning culture where trust, ownership, and continuous growth become part of everyday work.

Kim Walker (Field Marketing & Events Manager at Kustomer) will explore what it takes to build trustworthy AI experiences, from governance and oversight to measuring success.

Melissa Silberstang (Happiness Engineer at Automattic) will demonstrate how support teams can become active contributors to product development through practical coding initiatives.

Melissa Torres (Head of Global Support Operations at Handshake) will discuss how leaders can help their teams adapt, grow, and thrive as AI continues to reshape support.

Michelle McGowan (Director of Operations at Rocket Money) will share leadership lessons on navigating uncertainty with empathy, resilience, and intention.

Rose Pajaroja-Villanueva (Happiness Engineer at Automattic) will present practical strategies for creating documentation that helps people learn, retain knowledge, and solve problems more effectively.

Tamara Wall (Head of Support at Common Room) will offer a leadership playbook for navigating the rapidly evolving expectations of modern support teams.

Zach Michel (VP, Customer Onboarding & Support at Atlan) will explain how AI-powered support agents can continuously improve by learning from every customer interaction.

Dan Rohda (Senior Director, Customer Support at CARET) will explore how trust-driven leadership can transform customer support into a lasting business advantage.

Jil McKinney (Director of Customer Support at Descript) will share creative approaches to helping customers beyond the traditional support queue.

Sam Chandler (Director of Customer Success, Commercial at Kustomer) will introduce a practical framework for deciding when to build AI, when to buy it, and how to avoid unnecessary complexity.

With this announcement, our 2026 speaker lineup is complete. Across three days, you'll hear from leaders who are shaping the future of customer support through AI, operations, leadership, knowledge management, and career development.

👉 Explore the full speaker lineup and session details.