Samuel (Sam) Wilson | 8X8 | Speaker

Samuel Wilson leads 8x8 as Chief Executive Officer and serves on the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as CEO in May 2023, following a successful interim tenure from November 2022, Sam held key leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Customer Officer (and Managing Director for EMEA), and Senior Vice President of SMB, eCommerce, and U.S. mid-market. His cross-functional leadership has shaped 8x8’s strategy, financial discipline, customer experience, and global expansion.

Sam came to 8x8 in 2017 from MobileIron, where he played a pivotal role in taking the company public and growing annual billings from $26 million to $200 million. Before that, he spent 14 years in technology banking and institutional investing, earning recognition as a Chartered Financial Analyst and top-rated Wall Street analyst.

A U.S. Army veteran, Sam holds a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from Seattle University and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

George Engel | Founder | Speaker | Educator | Coach

George Engel is the founder of GE Leadership Group and a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, known for his empowering message to leaders who serve without titles. With over 30 years of experience as a public educator and a deep background in communication, team development, and leadership training, George brings practical strategies for influence, unity, and growth, even in the absence of formal authority.

As the creator of the “Powerless Leader” brand and host of The Powerless Leader podcast, George equips emerging and established leaders to thrive in complex environments through personal development, cross-generational communication, and high-road leadership. He speaks nationally on topics like influence from the middle, customer experience, and leading Gen Z in the workforce.
Whether in the classroom, the church, or the boardroom, George is motivated by a singular goal: to empower others to lead with confidence, character, and clarity, regardless of their position on the organizational chart.

Christopher J. England | State Representative, Alabama House of Representatives | Speaker 

Representative Christopher J. England was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
He received his B.A. in English and B.A. in Political Science from Howard University in
1999. He then graduated with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School
of Law in 2002. After graduating from Law School, he went to work for the Tuscaloosa
County District Attorney’s office as an Assistant District Attorney. In 2004, he left the
District Attorney’s Office to begin working in the Office of the City Attorney for the City
of Tuscaloosa where he currently serves as an Associate City Attorney.

Representative Christopher J. England was first elected to the Alabama House of
Representatives in November of 2006 at the age of 29. He is serving his fifth term and
currently serves on the House Judiciary, Ethics, and Public Safety and Homeland
Security Committees in the Alabama Legislature. His other Legislative committees
and appointments include Vice Chair of the Tuscaloosa County Legislative Delegation,
member of the Governor’s Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy, member of the
Energy Council, member of the Contract Review Permanent Legislative Oversight
Committee, member of the Joint Legislative Prison Committee, and a member of the
Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment.

On November 2nd, 2019, Representative England was elected to serve as the Chair of
the Alabama Democratic Party becoming the first African American to hold the position
in Alabama history. He served in that position for two years.

Locally, Representative England serves on the Tuscaloosa Road Improvement
Commission.

He is married to Shea and they share three beautiful children.

Joshua Pepper, MS, ALC, NCC | Speaker 

Joshua Pepper is an Associate Licensed Counselor and National Certified Counselor based in Alabama. He provides in-person and telehealth counseling for adults and couples, with a focus on navigating trauma, anxiety, burnout, and relational stress.

Joshua earned his Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Troy University. His clinical approach draws from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narrative Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Trauma-Informed Care—methods that emphasize resilience, balance, and the power of story.

Joshua’s passion for this work extends to supporting people in high-demand, people-centered professions where compassion fatigue and burnout are daily realities. His breakout session, Compassion Fatigue: When Customer Service Becomes Personal, will offer both insight and practical strategies for maintaining well-being, sustaining resilience, and staying grounded in the meaningful purpose behind public service.

Bo Bonner, AAPPA-CS | Baldwin County Commission | Speaker 

Bo Bonner is the Assistant Personnel Director for Baldwin County Commission.  He has been an employee of Baldwin County since 2013.  He received his BS in Human Resource Management from the University of South Alabama in 2009, and the AAPPA Human Resource Specialist designation in 2017.  He currently serves on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Advisory Council, is the Program Director for Leadership Atmore, and is on the executive board of the Alabama Chapter of Public Sector Human Resources Association (PSHRA).

Brittany Swartz | 2024 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence Honoree | Baldwin County
Commission | Speaker

Brittany is the Training & Development Coordinator for Baldwin County Commission. She’s a certified Master Trainer, Workplace Mediator, and holds two professional HR designations. She genuinely loves teaching and cares deeply about the employees who work at the Commission. Her dedication to improving her workplace shines through in her efforts to create growth opportunities through departmental restructures, mentorships, custom trainings, employee development, and all the little thoughtful touches she adds to everything she does.

Renee Hawsey | 2023 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence Honoree | Baldwin County Probate | Speaker

Renee Hawsey currently serves as the Administrator of Motor Vehicle and Tags for the Baldwin County Probate Judge’s Office. With more than 18 years of service to the department, she began her career assisting citizens at the counter and has since advanced through multiple leadership roles. In her current position, she oversees the Licensing Division, which includes both the License Revenue staff and the Probate Call Center, totaling more than 40 employees. Each year, the Licensing Division processes approximately 380,000 motor vehicle transactions, while the Call Center handles over 100,000 contacts through phone, email, and text.

Renee is the recipient of the inaugural Dee Crayton Award of Excellence. Since that time, she’s been involved with AGCCP and has found great value in the organization.

Renee believes leadership is about influence, not position. She strives to create an environment where people feel valued, supported, and encouraged to grow. Her focus is on fostering open communication and trust, ensuring that her team feels empowered to learn, collaborate, and succeed, both professionally and personally. Beyond her role with the county, in 2021 Renee helped formed a nonprofit organization, called DASH Foundation of Baldwin County, that focuses on helping families in her community who are facing medical hardships. She currently serves as President of the board. Renee lives in Baldwin County, AL, with her husband and two boys.

Derek Frizzell | City of Chattanooga | Speaker 

Derek currently serves as the Director of Operations for the 311 Service Center for the City of Chattanooga. He has been employed with the City of Chattanooga since 2016, working in the Treasury office before moving to the 311 Service Center in 2018. He currently manages the Service Center leadership staff, which includes a Customer Service Supervisor, a Customer Service Team Lead, a Customer Service Performance Specialist, and a Customer Service Operations Specialist. The service center has grown from a team of thirteen employees to a team of twenty-one employees since 2018. The service center currently handles contacts for general inquires, public works, city court, sewer billing, and internal IT help desk calls. Currently, the service center handles more than 200,000 contacts by phone, email, text, and our citizen counter.

The City of Chattanooga has been involved with AGCCP since 2003. Liz Henley served on the board of directors until her retirement in 2018; Derek joined the board of directors in 2021 as the Assistant Treasurer.

Derek has over twenty years of service center experience with a focus on customer service, billing, and finance. Before joining the City of Chattanooga, he worked with the Cooperative Response Center in the electric cooperative industry for five years and with Provident/UnumProvident/Unum in the insurance industry for twelve years. He currently lives in the City of Chattanooga with his wife and two daughters, ages 15 and 12. 

Russ Jensen | Knoxville's Center for Service Innovation 311/211  | Speaker

Russ was Tapped By then Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam to Design, Build, and Implement 311 service for the city of Knoxville in October 2004. Prior to that, he was a leading executive in the Ambulance industry following a 15 year career as a Para Medic in Los Angeles beginning when he was only 18. Russ spent 5 years with Rural/Metro Corp., the largest provider of emergency services in the Southeastern United States. As General Manager for East Tennessee, Russ had operational and fiscal oversight for all Fire and EMS operations and was responsible for an annual budget in excess of $30 million and 1,500 employees. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Russ was part of a team that built the largest ambulance call center in the western United States in Los Angeles California.

Russ’ experience ranges from training management teams to improve productivity and employee relations, negotiating large labor contracts, emergency service system design and implementation, to risk management and employee retention programs. He has consulted government agencies and companies throughout the US and Canada, has written and produced media campaigns for radio and television, has lobbied for and passed legislation to protect Domestic Violence Victims. Russ has worked with the Governor’s office and the Commissioner of Homeland Security on a specific public safety plan focusing on the prevention of violence in the home and was part of Governor Haslam’s Customer Focused Government Group that was charged with reviewing state departments from the ground up to improve service.

In 2016 Russ  negotiated an agreement with the Knoxville/Knox County Office on Aging and the United Ways of East Tennessee to take 211 Information and Referral (I&R) into the 311 Call Center, Covering 24 counties, the eastern third of Tennessee. Russ is active in the Rotary Club of Knoxville, working to eradicate Polio and improve water quality in under developed countries. He also works with victim advocacy groups across the country and has written, lobbied, and seen passed legislation to increase penalties on Domestic Assaults. Russ is a certified government performance manager and is often asked to speak to management groups around the country on issues of customer service, government, and employee relations.

Carter Hall | Knoxville's Center for Service Innovation 311/211 | Speaker

A Knoxville native, Carter came to City government after serving as Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon’s 2019 Transition Team Director. He currently serves as the Deputy Director for the 311 Center for Service Innovation, leading initiatives to improve service delivery through data analytics, digital design advancement, and customer service innovation. His work has received national recognition from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and the National League of Cities.

Though now a dedicated public servant, Carter has served in various advocacy and data management roles for non-profits and political campaigns.

He holds a bachelor's in political science and philosophy, and a master's in public policy and administration from the University of Tennessee. In his free time, Carter is a dedicated marathon runner, and enjoys spending time outdoors fishing or hiking with his wife Rachel and their dog Birdie.