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Top Ten Keynote Speakers under $20k

The cost of events has increased. Your time, effort and budgets haven’t kept up. You don’t have the time to review tens of keynote speakers and then send emails to find out who is free and if they will fit into your budget.

We’ve done that work for you.

We know exactly who will kick off your event by getting the audience on their feet, ready to dive into your agenda and who will wrap up your deep content with the perfectly tied bow; who can weave together your panelists and speakers with just the right emcee tone, and who will get your audience to think about how they can connect, do, achieve more.

Each of the following keynote speakers has received an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars, and is under $20,000 USD for live, in-person events:

Leadership Keynote Speaker Dane Jensen at The Sweeney Agency

Dane Jensen – Acclaimed speaker, media commentator, educator and author of The Power of Pressure

Dane Jensen is the CEO of third Factor, an acclaimed speaker, an instructor at Queen’s University and the University of North Carolina, a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and the author of The Power of Pressure (HarperCollins).

Dane oversees Third Factor’s delivery of leadership development programs to leading firms across North America, including RBC,  Asana, Microsoft, Starbucks, Pfizer and more.

Dane works extensively with athletes, coaches, leaders, and boards across Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic sport systems to enhance National competitiveness.

Learn more about Dane Jensen…

Alisha De Lorenzo Keynote speaker on Human Connection Expert, High Performance Coach, and Positive Disruptor

Alisha De Lorenzo – Human Connection Expert, High Performance Coach, and Positive Disruptor

After decades spearheading groundbreaking initiatives in the education space, Alisha De Lorenzo‘s ascent into the corporate world is nothing short of remarkable. She has emerged as a guiding force in reshaping the way companies cut through the noise, lean into positive disruption, and solve for the disengagement, disconnection, disparities and declining morale plaguing our organizations. Alisha has come to believe that the only way we fight overwhelm and burnout is not lowering our standards or doing less, rather, unleashing a level of aliveness in our people.

An acclaimed international speaker, award winning educator and therapist, Alisha has shared her thought leading insights and frameworks with hundreds of thousands of audience members from the US to Africa. Her work has been featured on PBS, NBC and NJ Spotlight News while her influence has impacted organizations like Mondelez, Wawa and the US Army as well as the NJ Department of Education and many government officials.

Alisha’s profound understanding of the human spirit sets the foundation for companies to unlock innovation, differentiation and growth to drive engagement, productivity and high performance. Stepping into the realm of the extraordinary requires leaders to create cultures where people feel seen, heard and valued and that is the foundation to the aliveness we all seek.

Find out more about Alisha DeLorenzo…

Jack Becker leadership and performance keynote speaker, former Fighter Pilot, at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

 Jack Becker – Decorated U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot, Founder & CEO, Flight Level Solutions, Inc., Leadership, Teamwork, Safety, and Peak Human Performance Expert

Jack Becker is a highly decorated, combat proven US Navy fighter pilot.

Renowned as one of the most dynamic keynote speakers in the industry, Jack Becker has spoken to some of the highest-performing organizations in the world including General Electric, Allied Transportation, the American Heart Association, and Truist Bank.

His keynotes deliver action-packed lessons of fighter pilot combat missions to instill a culture of continual process improvement. Regardless of your business, Jack’s keynotes simply reduce human error. Your team will make fewer mistakes! Within all seven regions of GE Power and Water alone, Jack’s program has reduced OSHA recordable mishaps over 60%.

As one of the Navy’s most highly decorated Landing Signals Officers (LSO), Jack was instrumental in incorporating the process improvement model of CRM to help pilots improve quickly while landing supersonic fighter jets on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

He was responsible for over 21,000 mishap-free carrier landings. Jack’s unique experience as both an LSO and as the Navy’s top CRM instructor, he saw an opportunity to relay the same skills of Brief-Execute-Debrief-Perfect to the American workplace. From healthcare groups to manufacturing, construction, sales teams, and insurance firms, Jack’s dynamic keynotes, and seminars leave a lasting impression.

Learn more about Jack Becker…

Futurist Keynote Speaker Nikki Greenberg, AI & Technology, Innovation, The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Nikki Greenberg – Futurist Keynote Speaker & AI Thought Leader

Nikki Greenberg stands at the forefront as a world-renowned futurist and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, specializing in the intersection of artificial intelligence, real estate technology, and innovation. Her dynamic and high-energy keynotes delve into the fusion of real space and cyberspace, emphasizing the transformative role of emerging technologies. Nikki’s mission is to not only ignite inspiration about future possibilities but also to provide actionable insights on leveraging these advancements for business growth and success.

As a digital nomad with a versatile career spanning the US, Asia, and Australia, Nikki has excelled in various leadership roles, emphasizing innovation and cutting-edge design. She has made significant contributions as the Head of Technology Strategy at QIC, an Australian investment firm, revolutionizing a $17Bn AUM real estate portfolio with tech-driven strategies. Her tenure in New York involved spearheading innovation at Brown Harris Stevens, the leading private brokerage for luxury residential developments. In Australia, she played a pivotal role in designing transformative projects with Lendlease and Koichi Takada Architects.

Find out more about Nikki Greenberg…

Pandit Dasa, speaker on mindfulness & leadership at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Pandit Dasa – Mindful Leadership Expert, Motivational Speaker and Author

Pandit Dasa is a keynote speaker on Workplace Culture, The Future of Work, Resilience, Mental Health and Mindfulness. He is an author and former monk who now speaks at many Fortune 500s and many of the world’s largest organizations such as Google, NASA, The London Stock Exchange, IBM, Chase, Royal Bank of Canada, Novartis, AT&T, Pfizer, Nationwide, Kellogg and many others.

His speeches and workshops aim to create a more mindful workplace culture which improves retention, addresses the challenges of “quiet quitting” and increases productivity.” He provides practical tips on how to maintain positive social connections with colleagues in a hybrid work environment.

He encourages leadership and co-workers to lead by example, prioritize self-care and appreciate the contributions of their colleagues. He provides methods by which we can enhance our communication and learn to listen to understand and not to respond. He concludes by teaching audiences breathing and focusing techniques for staying calm and managing stress in a rapidly changing world

Pandit captures the audience’s attention by sharing his journey on why he spent 15 years living as a monk in New York City and why he’s no longer a monk.

Learn more about Pandit Dasa…

Keynote speaker on geopolitics and economics Jacob Shapiro at The Sweeney Agency

Jacob L. Shapiro – Distinguished Geopolitical Analyst and Speaker on International Affairs

Jacob Shapiro is Partner and Director of Geopolitical Analysis at Cognitive Investments. Jacob oversees geopolitical analysis at CI, working with the CI research team to integrate geopolitics into CI’s investment strategies. He also authors the “Global Situation Report,” a weekly intelligence brief on the world’s most important developments.

Jacob is a prolific writer and frequent keynote speaker at conferences and events, known for challenging consensus views whilst retaining a healthy sense of irony.

In addition to CI, Jacob is the founder and Chief Strategist of Perch Perspectives, a consulting firm that works directly with global businesses, helping them to identify and plan for key global risks to their supply chains, with special focus on the technology, agriculture, energy, and apparel industries.

Find out more about Jacob Shapiro…

Change & Leadership speaker Dr. Janet Lapp at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Janet Lapp – Expert on Change and Employee Motivation

What would happen if everyone in the organization saw the positives and not the problems in change? This question inspired Dr. Janet Lapp and her team to conduct decades of research enacting these types of changes in the workplace, with amazingly positive results. Janet shares the evidence-based results derived from years of experience in both her books and stage performances. She has a professor’s ability to translate complex theory into usable answers, and a humorist’s knack for getting ideas across in an entertaining way.

Dr. Janet Lapp is a psychologist, author, and consultant for workplace transformation. She is known for her ability to create optimism, energy and an intense emotional connection.

She understands the needs, wishes and language of each client by research, interviews, and visits to facilities such that when she appears on stage she seems to be part of the organization or company.

Janet is a Registered Nurse who also holds a PhD in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. Admitted into the CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame, one year she was rated by Toastmasters as one of the top three speakers worldwide. Creator and host of the Emmy-nominated CBS series Keep Well, she has appeared regularly on INN, ABC, CNN, and NBC. She and her team have helped hundreds of organizations around the world including Allstate, Blue Shield, IBM, Intel, Verizon, AT&T, Unilever, and P&G to design systems to overcome resistance to change and expedite workplace transformation.

Find out more about Dr. Janet Lapp…

Peak Performance Speaker Alex Weber at The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Alex Weber – American Ninja Warrior, Inspirational Speaker on Leadership & Peak Performance

With his contagious positive energy, Alex Weber immediately impacts audiences and ignites record-breaking achievements! Alex is an International Keynote Speaker, Award-Winning Host for NBC, competitor on American Ninja Warrior. Alex helps Leaders, Individuals, and Organizations be relentless, gain their competitive edge, and unlock new levels of peak performance.

Alex connects so well with audiences because of his genuine openness about the challenges, self-doubt, and uncertainty that we all face – and how you can overcome it! As a professional entertainer, US Lacrosse Coach of the Year, and acclaimed Author, Alex is highly sought after for his unique ability to engage, transform, and empower audiences. Alex has positively inspired over 3.5 million people worldwide, and worked with major companies like ABC, Apple, Amazon, Under Armor, LinkedIn, The Los Angeles Lakers, Stanford Business and many more. Alex is also the only person ever to Host and Compete on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior.

With his riveting storytelling, uplifting humor, and captivating energy, Alex empowers you to be a positive leader, propel past challenges, and accomplish your highest goals in your career, your relationships, and your life!

Find out more about Alex Weber…

Leadership Keynote Anthony Bourke The Sweeney Agency Speakers Bureau

Anthony AB Bourke – Fighter Pilot and Business Leadership, Sales & Peak Performance Speaker

Major Anthony “AB” Bourke is a highly accomplished and decorated F-16 fighter pilot who flew tactical missions in service to our country all over the world. He has accumulated more than 2,700 hours of flight time in various high performance aircraft – and was one of the first pilots to fly an F-16 in homeland defense efforts over New York City in the aftermath of September 11th.

Following these two endeavors, AB combined his love of business with his passion for tactical aviation to build Afterburner Seminars, a global training company based on the lessons he learned in the military. While President & CEO, Afterburner grew into a best-in-class training company that was twice named one of Inc. magazine’s 500 fastest growing companies.

Currently AB serves as CEO & Founder of Mach 2 Consulting – and has shared his message of peak performance to more than 100,000 people in twelve different countries. AB brings his tactical knowledge and business acumen to the forefront of the management training world – to share how fighter pilots, and other organizations where performance truly matters, can develop a feedback system to ensure continuous improvement and peak performance. His wealth of experience and ability to connect with audiences landed AB in Inc Magazine’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference.

Learn more about AB Bourke here…

Keynote speaker on Generations and Workplace Culture Scott Zimmer at The Sweeney Agency

Scott Zimmer – Speaker, Writer, and Market Researcher on Generational Differences in the Workplace

Scott Zimmer has over 20 years of experience delivering keynote speeches to audiences around the world. During his career, Scott worked for one of the most reputable generational consulting firms in the country, where he had the opportunity to travel to global Fortune 500 companies to help organizations bridge the generational gaps that can occur in the workplace. Today, he continues to help organizations create a workplace culture where every generation feels valued, respected, and understood.

Scott works hard to learn every client’s desired outcome and customizes each presentation to curate an experience focused on achieving your specific organizational goals. His presentations are informative, engaging, and fun – giving audiences both an experience they’ll remember and actionable takeaways they can use to strengthen workplace relationships and culture.

Find out more about Scott Zimmer…


Looking for more great speakers?

Check out our Top 10 Keynote Speakers across all topics