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November 10 2020

Deb Knupp

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Founder

Bio

Deb Knupp is the founder of the HX Collective, a community of big thinkers who are united in elevating human flourishing and accelerating growth through humanity-centered design. Deb is also a managing director for GrowthPlay, a consulting firm that deploys a research and data-driven approach for profitable revenue growth. Prior to GrowthPlay, Deb founded Akina in 2001, which acquired GrowthPlay in 2014. Deb and her team have spent the last nineteen years helping organizations become THE place where the most profitable clients want to buy, where the most fantastic people want to work, and where the most inspired leaders want to serve a bigger purpose in their communities. On a personal note, Deb is a passionate wife, a mom to three daughters, a community cultivator, and a crusader for the underserved. Deb has a zealous commitment to help make the world better by helping others become the best version of themselves.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

HX is about helping others build authentic relationships and in doing so, create better versions of themselves. The human experience is everything. HX is nirvana.

November 10 2020

Jeff Leitner

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Founder

Bio

Jeff Leitner is a social theorist and social innovator, recognized for original contributions to philanthropy, government, academia, and social impact. He is currently founder and lead researcher at Unwritten Labs and fellow at New America, a think tank in Washington, DC. Previously, he served as the inaugural innovator-in-residence at The University of Southern California, founder and director of UX for Good, and founder and dean of Insight Labs. Before that, Jeff was a newspaper reporter, public affairs consultant, and political operative. He is a frequent speaker on social norms and unwritten rules, and co-author of a book on his original methodology for solving social problems, See Think Solve: A Simple Approach to Tackling Tough Problems. Jeff holds degrees from The Ohio State University and The University of Texas. He lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and daughter. His interests outside work mirror his interests inside work: collecting and supporting imaginative, incisive people committed to making significant, positive impact.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

HX is a radical new perspective on design that shifts the primary focus from individual users or individual organizations to a greater collective interest. This dovetails with my work on understanding the larger social forces, like norms and unwritten rules, at work in companies, institutions, governments, and society.

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November 10 2020

Brianna Leung

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Director of Strategy and Marketing

Bio

Brianna Leung draws from over two decades of experience in leading human-centered organizational change in professional and legal services firms. An engaging presenter and facilitator, Brianna is driven to help people succeed and realize their goals by gaining a better understanding of the human factor. As Director of Strategy and Marketing for Much Shelist, a full-service national law firm, Brianna serves as the centralized point of leadership dedicated to driving client-centric growth by aligning strategic planning, marketing, and business development efforts across the organization. Prior to joining Much, Brianna consulted for GrowthPlay, a marketing and sales enablement firm. She also founded Red Bird Strategy, LLC, a marketing strategy firm specializing in creating positive and lasting impressions. Throughout her career, Brianna has held multiple national sales and marketing positions which give shape to her humanity-focused leadership point of view. Brianna received her MBA and graduated with honors from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She also has a BA in French and is a Prosci-certified change management practitioner. Brianna is passionate about helping women rise and volunteers her time and talents to organizations that are like-minded. She is an avid traveler, enjoys singing and learning to play the guitar, and spends her every other minute enjoying time with her husband and two young children where they live in Chicago, IL.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

To me, HX is about recognizing and prioritizing the impact humans have on one another’s successes. My life’s work has focused on helping people understand people in order to achieve their personal and professional goals. Logos don’t sell services. Titles don’t lead initiatives. Project plans don’t inspire change. Resumes don’t get you hired. People do these things. And the most successful of them do it by understanding how to create human experiences that align with other people’s hearts, minds, interests and desires.

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November 10 2020

Andrea Mac

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Founder

Bio

Andrea Mac is an accomplished growth strategist. She is the founder of Prequal, an innovation consultancy that solves problems, improves experiences, and generates revenue for women-owned businesses and businesses that serve women. Prequal follows design thinking principles and humanity-centered design to produce true innovation, the only sustainable differentiator. Known for being ambidextrous in her fusion of creativity and business acumen, Andrea has a proven track record of helping firms attract and retain clients through marketing, business development, and client experience programs. Her work has been covered by Inc Magazine, Forbes, Crain’s, MarketingProfs.com, The ABA Journal, The National Law Journal, and various industry publications. She has a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Dominican University and is certified in design thinking methodology, both of which come in handy while trying to parent her four children. She’s a reader, writer, and obsessed with podcasts.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

The world is in dire need of transformative business strategies based on human needs and not just financial analysis. When empathy is embedded in our processes, we move beyond our assumptions and perceive the world through others’ eyes. Humanity centered design creates better experiences and outcomes for all. Because of social inequality and discrimination, women still have fewer economic rights, less access to opportunities, and less control over resources than men. Everyone has a mission. Mine is to increase gender equality through the economic empowerment of women.

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November 10 2020

Eric Schoonveld

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Founding Parnter

Bio

Eric is a two-time Ironman who brings unparalleled focus and commitment to his projects. Eric has spent most of his 30-year career advocating for medical providers and organizations and counseling them through obstacles. Eighteen years ago, Eric and his partners founded HPS, a small Chicago-based boutique law firm, and grew that firm into a national trial firm with offices across the country representing local, national, and international clients. Eric was managing partner for nearly a decade and focused on growth, self-assessment, culture development, service, humility, and excellence. Eric spends his time working in ways that support his team, clients, and community. Eric graduated from Trinity Christian College and Northwestern University School of Law. He is active in organizations committed to making a positive impact, faith, and significance. Outside of work, Eric and his family are exploring this amazing, diverse, and interconnected world, building connections and pursuing new athletic challenges.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

HX is connecting diverse people in a positive and significant way. That is my life’s work.

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November 10 2020

Alycia Sutor

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Managing Director

Bio

Alycia Sutor has more than twenty years’ experience helping lawyers and executives accelerate sales performance and revenue growth. She is particularly passionate about helping individuals create greater impact in how they lead, work, and sell by unlocking strengths and research-based insights to power individual, team and organizational growth. Prior to her current role, Alycia oversaw the business development and marketing functions at several law firms. Alycia is also passionate about elevating the profession of law through various volunteer leadership roles, including with the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) where she served as LMA’s president of the international board of directors. Alycia is a frequent speaker on business development topics, which includes guest teaching appearances at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Clients often remark that working with Alycia feels like they have been to the gym, the spa, and the therapist all at the same time. Alycia received her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and her BA from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Alycia co-chairs the board of the Inclusive Collective, a campus ministry group at UIC. She resides in Oak Park, IL and, when not with clients, can often be found on the sidelines of a sports game for one of her two teenagers. She’s an avid bookworm and it’s always worth asking about her current favorite read.

How would you define HX and why it is important to your life’s work? 

HX is about prioritizing the conditions for humans to be the best versions of themselves in every facet in which they operate. When we prioritize taking care of the human beings at the center of what needs to get done, the rest follows.