IceBreaker 2026
WELCOME
The developments that will shape Greater Madison’s future have already been set in motion.
We know the challenges of regions that failed to make the right investments at the right time. We are ready to excel where others have come up short. Now, we must prepare for a new set of challenges.
As emerging technologies transform how we work, connect and live, alignment and coordinated action will set us on a path that benefits our entire community.
Today, our speakers will share stories about how the moves we make today will set us up to succeed now and for decades to come. Together, we will turn our focus to keeping Greater Madison moving in the right direction.
Welcome to the 12th Annual IceBreaker.
2026 SPONSORS
Arctic Circle Sponsor
Glacier Sponsor
Reception Sponsor
Dessert Sponsor
Registration Sponsor
Design Sponsor
Decor Sponsor
Ice Floe Sponsors
Student Sponsors
Small and Emerging Business Sponsors
6AM Marketing
Culver’s-Todd Drive Madison
Harriet Gomez Agency – Country Financial
Prairie Grove Orthodontics
Smart Cleaning Solutions
Vicki Wagener Agency, LLC – American Family Insurance
Walleye Partners
Table Sponsors
Anesis Therapy; Associated Bank; Baird; Baker Tilly; Bank of America; Bank of Sun Prairie; Blain’s Farm & Fleet; Dane County Regional Airport; Epic; Food Fight Restaurant Group; Frank Productions; Godfrey & Kahn; HDR Engineering, Inc.; HealthX Ventures; Investors Associated LLP; Findorff; JP Cullen; Morgan Murphy Media; myVA Rocks; National Guardian Life Insurance Company; One Community Bank; Quarles & Brady; Sergenian’s Floor Coverings; Sprinkman Real Estate; SSM Health; Stark Company Realtors; Summit Credit Union; Supreme Structures; SupraNet; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
EMCEE & SPEAKERS
Opal Ellyse Tomashevska
Emcee | Founder & Artist, OEM Publishing
Opal Ellyse Tomashevska is a published poet, emcee, bestselling author and podcast host. She is also the Director of Multicultural Business Strategy at TruStage. She holds a master’s degree in organizational development from Edgewood College and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. Tomashevska serves on several boards, including the Lussier Community Education Center, The Melanin Project and the AACUC Midwest Chapter.
Renae Burress
Sponsor | Vice President of Diversity and Talent Experience, TruStage
Renae Burress is the Vice President of Diversity and Talent Experience at TruStage, where she leads Talent Acquisition, Talent Management and DEI functions. Her career as a strategic architect of workplace culture and employee experience spans more than 20 years across Fortune 100, midsize and start-up organizations. Burress earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, followed by a master’s in industrial relations and human resource management from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Omari ‘Motion’ Carter
Speaker | Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison Dance Department
Omari ‘Motion’ Carter is a screendance practitioner, body percussionist and hip-hop dance culture aficionado. In 2011, he founded the award-winning screendance production company Motion Dance Collective, where he served as creative director until 2025. He currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds a degree in performing arts from London Metropolitan University and an MA in screendance from London Contemporary Dance School.
Nelly Kennedy
Speaker | Co-CEO, Mākia Consulting
Nelly Kennedy is the co-CEO of Mākia Consulting. She spent most of her 30-plus-year career in leadership positions at Fortune Global 500 companies where she shaped global strategies and led high-stakes initiatives. Most recently, she spearheaded a strategic and organizational brand transformation in her role as the first-ever female Global CMO for Volkswagen. She previously served as a global executive at adidas and Google, leading critical pillars of strategic evolution for both organizations.
Laila Edwards
Speaker | Team USA & Badger Women’s Ice Hockey Player
Laila Edwards is an American ice hockey player. A standout student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, she played a key role in leading the Badgers to three NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championships, earning national recognition for her skill, leadership and competitive drive. Internationally, Edwards represents the United States with distinction. She is the first black woman to ever play for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team and won an Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA in 2026.
PROGRAM
10:00 a.m.
Registration Opens
11:10 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
11:35 a.m.
Chamber President – Zach Brandon
11:50 a.m.
Speakers
12:45 p.m.
Chamber President – Zach Brandon
1:00 p.m.
Program Ends