Claire Craanen
Claire Craanen has served as speechwriter to the NATO Secretary General and NATO Deputy Secretary General since 2018, and writes speeches, press statements, op-eds and other written material in both English and French. Claire is a member of the non-profit organisation Women in International Security (WIIS) in Brussels. She co-founded WIIS-Brussels in 2015 and served as its first Secretary General from 2015 to 2022. She has a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, and a certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Claire is Dutch and French. She is married and has two children.

Fletcher Dean
Fletcher Dean is a speechwriter, author and executive communication strategist. Through more than 20 years of corporate experience, he has helped CEOs and senior leaders improve their credibility, reputation and business results by developing strategies, message platforms, and speeches that drive organizational goals. He has won four Gold Cicero Awards including the Grand Prize, is the author of 10 Steps to Writing a Vital Speech and a frequent speaker at speechwriting and communication conferences.

Isabelle Gaudeul-Ehrhart
How to grab the audience’s attention, engage in conversation, and win hearts and minds? These are the questions that have driven Isabelle Gaudeul-Ehrhart throughout her career from print journalism to speechwriter to the President of the European Commission. Today in the European Parliament’s Thinktank, where she has founded and leads the Speaking with impact community of practice, she helps speakers and leaders to speak with impact. She is the author of: Parler avec impact: découvrir, apprendre et maîtriser l’art du discours.

Kell Jarner Rasmussen
Kell Jarner Rasmussen is CEO of Rhetor, a Danish firm that specializes in persuasive communication. Rasmussen has worked for more than a decade as a speechwriter and rhetorical adviser in corporate and government offices, as well as political organizations. He’s cofounder and former editor of Rhetorica Scandinavica, a scientific journal of rhetoric, and since 2001 he and his partners have held a yearly Danish speechwriting conference.

Dana Rubin
Dana Rubin is an award-winning former journalist and speechwriter who has written speeches for leaders at the highest levels of business, government, philanthropy, and higher education. Five years ago she founded the New York Speechwriter’s Roundtable, a forum for professional speechwriters to come together, share professional tips, and hear high-level speakers about speechwriting and communications.

Pete Weissman
Pete Weissman helps leaders make their words count. After serving as a West Wing aide and U.S. Senate speechwriter, Pete wrote for the Chair and CEO of Coca-Cola.  For the past 15 years, he’s served as a speechwriter, strategist, and coach to Fortune 100 leaders with a focus on thought leadership. Pete lives in Atlanta with his wife, two young children, and an unruly labradoodle named Toodles.