Early on in his professional life, Nick realized what motivated him most was a passion and desire to improve the lives of others. This drive is what first pushed him to medical sales and later to his role at GoNoodle, where he worked with clients to improve the lives of pre-K through 6th-grade children and teachers through online movement activities and games played in school. After moving to Boston, Nick put his focus on finding another mission-driven company, and from the day he met the Rendever team Nick knew he had found his new home. Since then, he’s been working with senior living communities to help them overcome social isolation through the power of virtual reality and shared experiences, and has taken the role globally as he leads international expansion efforts.

Cathy received her B.A. and B.S. degrees from California State University Northridge, located in Southern California. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and Certified Director of Assisted Living. Cathy has over 28 years of industry experience educating, training, consulting, and managing healthcare professionals in Adult Day Health Care centers, Memory Care, Assisted Living, Independent Living, and Skilled Nursing communities. She has served as a therapist, consultant, educator, mentor, program director, and executive director within healthcare facilities and as an instructor in academic settings. Cathy is also a writer for healthcare journals, activity resource publications, and newsletters. She has authored “Forms for the Activity Professional” “Activities for the Memory Impaired” and “Memory Impairment; an Educational Training Manual for Working with the Memory Impaired.” Cathy is passionate about leading and developing a workforce that takes pride in providing services that impact the lives of seniors, adults, and their families. She is dedicated to consulting and training activity professionals to ensure they develop the knowledge and skills needed to manage a quality Activity Department and programs.

Alexis (she/her) is the founder behind Root in Nature, a venture born out of her deep love for plants, gardening, and the therapeutic benefits they offer. Holding a BComm in Finance and an MBA in International Development Management, Alexis brings a unique blend of business acumen and a passion for making a positive impact. With 11 years of experience as CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa and Halifax, Alexis was recognized for both business achievements and community involvement by being named one of Ottawa Business Journal's Forty Under 40. Alexis's journey into horticulture began through her volunteer work with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), where she discovered the profound connection between nature and well-being. Her dedication to horticultural therapy led her to study the Foundations of Horticultural Therapy and become an active member of the American and Canadian Horticultural Therapy Associations (AHTA & CHTA). During weekends, you'll find her tending to her fruit & vegetable gardens, cultivating food that her husband skillfully cooks and her two young daughters enjoy.

Lesly Birkner supports businesses through tech, training, and procedure. With her extensive experience in executive and leadership roles encompassing operations, safety, and security, Lesly specializes in leveraging tech and teams to drive operational excellence. Lesly played a pivotal role in the remarkable redevelopment of Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay in 2014, which brought the park back to life. She was the Vice President of Operations for the growing business for many years. Lesly is now the Managing Partner at FYI Tags, focusing on visitor communication technologies. She is recognized as an Authorized Partner and Certified Professional of The 5 Behaviors and Everything DiSC personalized leadership learning experiences, fostering cohesive team development. Additionally, Lesly actively contributes to attraction industry associations (IAAPA) Education Courses as a Subject Matter Expert and serves on the association's Human Resources Committee. Residing in her hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Lesly keeps an eye on ways to assist businesses in evaluating cost structures while enhancing safety, visitor experiences, and team cultures.

Vincent Bonadies (many know him as Vinnie) is currently the Chief of Recreation Therapy at VA Hudson Valley Health Care System. With over 40 years of experience in recreation therapy as a practitioner. His work experience has included, mental health/behavioral health, older adults, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. Vinnie is a published author and has spoken nationally on a variety of topics related to RT.

Amy Beth Cook is the Chief of Recreation and Creative Therapy Services at the Lebanon VA Medical Center. She has worked as a Recreation Therapist for over 25 years and has been with the VA for 9 years. In addition to her supervisory role Amy also serves on the VHA Recreation and Creative Arts Therapies National Field Advisory Board and is the REC-ICC POC for VISN 4. She is a co-coordinator for the National Recreation Therapy and Creative Arts Internship Training Program, the Recreation Therapy POC for the MAP-VA project, and POC for Whole Health and Recreation Therapy. Amy was part of an interdisciplinary team that designed and implemented the Seeing Lens: Therapeutic Photography Program. The program has been recognized nationally as a best practice and is expected to expand to several VA’s across the country. In her free time, she enjoys photography, gardening, and hiking the local trails with her rescue dogs.

Katie (she/her) is a Registered Horticultural Therapist (HTR) through the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association. A strong advocate of asset-based community development and reflective practice, Katie has been supporting therapeutic horticulture projects and programs for a wide variety of populations since 2014. Katie currently practices therapeutic horticulture in long-term care, complex care, assisted living and in community settings.

Vicky is a CTRS and CDP and has had the privilege of serving people living with dementia, CVA's, autism, traumatic brain injuries, depression, anxiety, and addiction over the past 40 years in both clinical and community settings. As a social entrepreneur and champion to those living with dementia, their families, and friends, she believes that recreation therapy services, eco-psychosocial interventions, and implementing the LOVE Approach for supporting people and their families living with dementia, could greatly influence a paradigm shift in the treatment of neuro-cognitive disorders. She created the LOVE Approach specific for those living with dementia at home, however, this method for positive engagement and connectedness can improve the quality of life for individuals with all disabilities.

For the past 20 years, Christopher has traveled across North America and Canada keynoting and training for National Aging Associations, including Argentum, Leading Age, American College of Healthcare Administrators, American Profit Homes, and Services for Seniors. As recognition for the years of service to hundreds of communities across Pennsylvania and the country, in 2015, Christopher was awarded LeadgingAge’s Facilitator of The Year. Additionally, he has been the consistent keynoter and session leader for organizations such as the Pennsylvania Activity Professional Association, Maryland Activities Coordinators Society (MACS) and many, many others.