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2025 Annual Conference
Keynotes & Featured Speakers
Shane Meeker - Keynote
Shane Meeker is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and instructor on business storytelling. Shane’s book, StoryMythos: A Movie Guide To Better Business Stories, is available on Amazon and was rated a #1 New Release Best Seller in Business Writing and Skills. You can also watch his TED talk about the Power of Short Stories. Shane continues to draw inspiration from the great stories of stage, page, and screen.
Annual Conference Sessions:
Monday, November 10th
Story Mythos: A Movie Guide to Better Business Stories and Welcome Session
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Shane's content is highly engaging and interactive, drawing on numerous business, brand, and pop culture/Hollywood examples. Participants will leave inspired, excited, and equipped with powerful tools they can use immediately. The conversation will cover why we love stories, lessons from stage/page/screen, story fundamentals, the science and art of storytelling, understanding change, setting up a powerful climax, and helping your library create a compelling story to drive behavior.
StoryMythos: Movie Tools to Help Your Business Narratives
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Shane will expand upon his conversation in the keynote to further discuss how libraries can use storytelling devices to help drive the narrative.
Adriana Harmeyer - Keynote
Adriana Harmeyer is the Archivist for University History and Clinical Associate Professor at Purdue University. Her work includes all aspects of acquisition, management, and use of university-related collections, as well as rare book and medieval manuscript collections. She teaches courses across the university about archival research, primary sources, and the history of Purdue, and co-teaches courses on research methods for rare books and medieval manuscripts. Adriana is a co-author of articles on archival literacy and the book Purdue at 150: A Visual History of Student Life. Adriana is originally from Huntington, West Virginia, and is a graduate of Marshall University and the University of Michigan.
In 2024, Adriana won 15 episodes of Jeopardy! and was a finalist in the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. In 2025, she appeared on Jeopardy Masters, the highest level of competition in the show’s storied history.
Annual Conference Session:
Tuesday, November 11th
Now I Do: Taking Every Opportunity to Learn
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
The morning will begin with a short welcome session before introducing our keynote speaker, Adriana Harmeyer. As information professionals, we face a constant influx of new information every day. We can be worn down by the many challenges presented by our surroundings and lose our connection to why we do what we do. How do we identify opportunities to learn? How can we encourage our communities to do the same? Sharing stories from her life, career, and Jeopardy! success, Harmeyer will relay the many ways we can embrace curiosity and take every opportunity
to say, “I didn’t know that, but now I do.”
Dr. Jarred Amato - Featured Speaker (K12)
Dr. Jarred Amato is an award-winning English teacher, the author of Just Read It: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms, and the co-founder of Project LIT Community, a grassroots literacy movement. Jarred is an avid reader and writer who enjoys collaborating with fellow educators to improve literacy access, attitudes, and outcomes in our schools and communities. Dr. Amato is a two-time MNPS Blue Ribbon teacher and the recipient of the Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy and the Nashville Public Education Foundation Inspiring Educator Award. He received his B.A. in English and History from Vanderbilt University, his M.A.T. from Belmont University, and his Ed.D. from Lipscomb University. After teaching middle and high school English for 13 years in Tennessee, Dr. Amato recently relocated to New Jersey, where he and his wife are attempting to keep up with their two boys. You can subscribe to Jarred’s free weekly newsletter by clicking the button below.
Annual Conference Sessions:
Tuesday, November 11th
JUST READ IT: What Educators Can Do to Help Students Thrive in the Age of Distraction
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Educator and author Dr. Jarred Amato will reflect on his literacy journey and reveal how he continues to refine his game plan, particularly in today’s algorithmic age, to reach readers of all ages – one book and one conversation at a time.
Cultivating a Schoolwide Literacy Culture
1:30 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
In this collaborative breakout session, Dr. Jarred Amato will work with fellow literacy leaders to maximize their impact in their schools and communities. Dr. Amato will expand on his keynote address and share specific strategies and resources to cultivate a schoolwide literacy culture, strengthen teacher/librarian partnerships, launch and/or elevate book clubs, improve family and community engagement, and more.
Vanessa Green Sinders - Featured Speaker (Public)
Vanessa became the Indiana Chamber’s first female president and CEO on January 5, 2024.
After 20 years in Washington D.C. at the center of politics and power, Vanessa moved “home” to Indianapolis with her husband, a Clay County native, and their two sons. She founded Green Sinders Consulting, a
woman-led firm offering strategic advice, project execution and crisis management, and leadership development and coaching services to clients.
Previously, Vanessa served as senior vice president for government affairs at Charter Communications/Spectrum, a Fortune 100 cable and broadband company. She was responsible for directing the company’s strategic policy and political engagement with Congress and the White House, as well as managing a seven-person internal team and 15 external consulting firms.
Vanessa came to Charter after a four-year stint as senior vice president and department head for government affairs at the American Hotel & Lodging Association. In that capacity, she oversaw the association’s advocacy work at the federal, state and local levels, and managed the 10-person government affairs team.
Vanessa’s political and policy roots run deep. For a decade, earlier in her career, she held high-profile positions on Capitol Hill, including chief of staff for then-U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and policy director for former U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Additionally, she was chief of staff for the “Campaign to Fix the Debt,” a nonpartisan issue- based coalition advocating for better national fiscal policies. There, she oversaw the implementation of the campaign’s strategy and directed the activities for its 45-person staff.
Vanessa received a bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in economics from Dartmouth College.
Annual Conference Session:
Monday, November 10th
Partners in Prosperity
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Indiana Chamber President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders will share the organization’s latest vision plan for the state (Indiana Prosperity 2035) and its six pillars to drive economic growth for Hoosier enterprises and residents. The roadmap serves to unite the business community and foster collaboration with local and state leaders and groups. In particular, Sinders will discuss how libraries can partner with the Indiana Chamber to help make the state an even greater place to work, live and play!
More information on our academic featured speaker is coming soon.
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