about The Culture conference

The Culture Conference was born out of my deep frustration at the current paradigm of conferences, where we consider it “normal” to invest lots of time, money, and energy in attending an event - only to end up disengaged, overwhelmed by information, and ultimately finding it more interesting to check our email than to listen to presentations. I wanted to grab the lost opportunity for hands-on learning, for meaningful connections and relationship building, for harnessing the wisdom in the room.

In February of 2016 I decided that it was time to stop complaining and start creating. I figured if there was all this life force running through me, I might as well use it for good! The Culture Conference was born. I imagined it as a new paradigm of conference based on experiential education that would be dynamic, fun, and immediately applicable to the participant’s life and work.

Part personal transformation, part professional development, it is about embracing and celebrating the whole person, and to recognize that change begins within. When we have leaders who are willing to take responsibility for the culture they create, then we have the possibility to make real changes at scale.

I am so proud of and humbled by the amazing community that has gathered around this event, and the people who continue to pioneer the field of culture. To us, this concept of culture - the how we do what we do, why we do it, and the who we do it with - are the things that matter most.

I look forward to continuing this grand experiment of creating culture with you.

~jenny*

ABOUT JENNY

Jenny Sauer-Klein

Founder + executive Director

Jenny Sauer-Klein is an experience designer and master facilitator who specializes in dynamic learning experiences that help companies engage their employees and bring their culture to life. She has designed and facilitated offsites and programs for companies like Airbnb, ESPN, Toyota and Samasource, as well as running her signature Experience Design Training for internal teams. She is also the founder and director of The Culture Conference, an invite-only event for 175 business leaders who are committed to building a positive culture in their own organizations. In her previous career as the co-founder of AcroYoga, she successfully scaled a thriving culture into an international brand, community and organization with millions of practitioners including Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. She has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, and Inc., as well as Tim Ferriss’ new book Tools of Titans.

Our Advisors

Meet the curatorial team who is helping to influence the impact of this event.

Alan Ratliff - Experience Designer, IDEO

Alan Ratliff has been designing culture-shaping experiences for IDEO and its clients since 2004. With a degree in Psychology and a deep understanding of human-centered design, Alan leverages his skills in facilitation, live prototyping, and experimentation to turn everyday rituals into magical moments of collaboration. Together with his teams, he has reimagined the airport employee experience, designed new workplace tools, and architected the studio environment and talent development within innovation labs. 

Widely recognized for his expertise in community building, Alan collaborates with leaders seeking to build innovative products and inclusive workplace cultures. He is committed to the idea that more inclusive design practices and methodologies lead to better solutions. Alan founded IDEO’s LGBTQAI employee group in 2005 and has since launched resource groups for other underrepresented populations. He’s passionate about understanding and designing for the unique needs of emerging talent in today’s world.

Rachel Williams - Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, StubHub

Rachel Williams is the new Global Head of Diversity + Inclusion at StubHub. Having grown up in San Mateo, CA, Rachel often found that she was one of only a couple faces of color in her classrooms. This early awareness of her own differences inspired her thirst for increased diversity and inclusion at a young age.

With a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley and more than 15 years of human resources experience in a variety of industries including technology, life sciences, consumer products and retail, Rachel has honed her expertise in recruitment, organizational development, and strategic change activities. She was the Head of Corporate Recruiting, Diversity & Inclusion at Yelp after serving as the Head of Talent Acquisition for ClearSlide.  She has also held talent acquisition roles at SolarCity, Peet's Coffee & Tea as well as an executive search consultant for venture capitalists.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachwill/