Meet the In-Value-Able 2026 Speakers

Session Sponsored by Optum RX

Marcus Whitney is a self-taught, successful entrepreneur whose journey from college dropout and waiter to one of the most active healthcare venture capitalists in America provides a unique perspective on the Future of Health Care. His personal story is a powerful testament to claiming your Creative Power to drive systemic change. 

Marcus is a Founding Partner of Jumpstart Health Investors (JHI), recognized as the most active early-stage healthcare venture capital firm in the nation. He specifically leads Jumpstart Nova, JHI’s institutional, strategic seed fund focused on investing in Black-founded and led healthcare companies, making him a critical voice in shaping an equitable and innovative future for the industry. 

He doesn’t just invest in health; he shapes culture. Marcus is a co-founder and minority owner of the Major League Soccer Team, Nashville Soccer Club. He’s also the Amazon #1 best-selling author of “Create and Orchestrate,” sharing his blueprint for entrepreneurial success. An Aspen Health Innovators Fellow, and a board member of the Healthcare Finance Management Association, Marcus has been featured by CNBC, Inc., and Fast Company. He brings a world-class, competitive mindset to every challenge, proven by his title as a 3X IBJJF Masters World Champion in Jiu Jitsu. 

Session Sponsored by Surest

Rich Bracken is a motivational speaker and executive coach, known as a "Transformational Conductor," who uniquely fuses deep expertise in emotional intelligence (EQ) and leadership with dynamic entertainment. His sessions are a direct route to inspired innovation and culture change. 

Rich embeds a high level of research-backed content into his presentation to set the stage for you to drive the positive, sustained change necessary for navigating complex employee well-being challenges.  His session, Boosting Culture & Performance Through Emotional Intelligence, is critical because over 70% of an employee’s perception of company culture is directly influenced by their leaders’ EQ. In the session Rich will break down EQ's core components—self-awareness, empathy, and social skills—to show how they fuel better decision-making and resilience. This is key to innovating how you support employee health and performance. 

Dr. Rebecca Heiss is a renowned stress physiologist and fear expert dedicated to helping leaders and teams overcome the subconscious fears that limit peak performance. Her research, designated "transformative" by the National Science Foundation, provides the biological keys to turning stress into a powerful asset. 

Why Healthcare Benefits Leaders Need to Hear Her: 

As the author of two books, Springboard and Instinct , and the creator of the Fear[less] Stress formula, Dr. Heiss delivers an immediately actionable framework, her simple T-minus 3 Technique: 

• Transform Fear to Fuel: Teach your team how to train their brains to work for them in times of change and uncertainty.
• Drive Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG): Leverage insights from her continued research on how to turn trauma into growth rather than PTSD.
• Provide Tools, Not Fluff: Deliver "sticky", research-backed tools that can be implemented the second the audience leaves. 

Fiona Stevenson is a globally recognized innovation strategist and dynamic public speaker, celebrated for her ability to energize teams and unlock creative potential across industries. As Co-Founder and President of The Idea Suite, Fiona has led hundreds of innovation and research projects for Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, where she held brand leadership roles across multi-billion-dollar portfolios in health care, beauty, and household needs.

With a deep passion for transforming organizational culture, Fiona specializes in helping teams adopt high-impact behaviors and tools that drive breakthrough thinking and sustainable growth. Her engaging keynote sessions blend design thinking, creative problem solving, and business development strategies—making her a sought-after speaker for audiences ranging from 10 to 500+ across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Fiona’s approach is especially relevant to healthcare benefits professionals navigating complex challenges in a rapidly evolving landscape. Her insights into innovation, team energy, and human-centered design offer practical strategies for creating more adaptive, inclusive, and forward-thinking benefits programs.

Whether she’s leading a summit, facilitating a roundtable, or delivering a keynote, Fiona brings unmatched energy, humor, and clarity to every stage—empowering professionals to think differently and lead boldly.

Heather advises policy makers, business leaders, trade associations and not-for-profit organizations on a broad range of health and tax- exempt issues as part of EY’s Washington Council practice. Working with health care payors, providers, manufactures and consumers, Heather provides Affordable Care Act, employee benefits and health policy counsel and strategic legislative and regulatory advice.

Prior to joining Washington Council, Heather served as ERISA counsel to Fortune 100 companies, employers, insurers and unions in matters related to health care, employee benefits and public policy at The Groom Law Group Chartered. Heather previously served as the Deputy Director of Surrogate Outreach at the Democratic National Committee during the 2004 Presidential campaign, on the staff of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and the transition staff of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

Heather received a B.A. in political science, Spanish and international studies from Western Washington University and a J.D. with an emphasis on health law from the University of Washington School of Law. Heather is a member of the bar of New York and the District of Columbia.