Q3: Top 20 Dynamic CEOs of 2024 in the USA

Bonnie Carlson, President and CEO, has been with the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau for 33 years of service and has made significant contributions to the state’s travel industry. Bonnie has been at the forefront of the hospitality industry, crafting and supporting policies and initiatives promoting the sector at every level – local, state, national, and international. She has been active in several other tourism organizations, including the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council, the Executive Committee of the United States Travel Association, Destinations International, and the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

Dennis Van Kampen, President & CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries, is a passionate visionary. He is unapologetically never satisfied, believing one can always grow, learn, and do better. To him, that doesn’t mean not celebrating the victories but rather, never becoming complacent. Dennis sees himself as the conductor of an orchestra of brilliant musicians, each of whom is more gifted than he in their craft. His job is to conduct the orchestra in its entirety, helping it play beautiful music together to benefit both listeners and players. Put another way, he intentionally surrounds himself with people who are better than he is in their respective areas and empowers them to lead, create and help the organization move forward beyond where anyone on the outside may perceive it can ever go. He is constantly thinking about the organization 5, 10, 20 years from now and allows the team to focus on today and tomorrow.

Jennifer Thornton is on a mission to help progressive organizations foster an environment of learning, experimentation, and innovation and meet the demands of exponential growth for business.
“This is the way we’ve always done it.” Those eight words have a lot to answer for.
According to Jennifer, the Old Ways worked when the world worked a certain way, but it’s a new dawn and the Old Wayss are no longer working. In fact, they’re holding us back. Instead of fear-based leadership styles that only work against us, she is a champion for Progressive Leadership.

With the motto “serving her or serving someone who is,” every decision David’s Bridal makes, and every initiative they take on, is to make their customers wedding shopping and planning journey as seamless, enjoyable, and easy as possible. Since joining David’s, Jim Marcum, Chief Executive Officer of the brand, is laser focused on ensuring David’s has a service-obsessed culture. He closely works alongside the rest of the leadership team to execute a successful transformation centered around fulfilling the needs of today’s modern bride and bridesmaids.

Joel Anaya, CEO of OnView Integrated Solutions, has been instrumental in building the company from the ground up. His innovation and vision transformed the way the company has scaled its business. OnView is a security provider bringing proactive solutions specifically designed to deter suspicious behavior in real-time before the crime occurs.

The similarity between Accutec Blades and MPC Plating is Kevin Closky. A strategic leader who is responsible for their transformation from struggling organizations to profit-inducing ones.
As the COO of Accutec Blades, in four years, Kevin helped them negotiate a 4-year union contract, double the plant footprint in Mexico from 150 people to almost 300 people, add 25% more hourly jobs and 20% more salary positions in the Virginia branch, while increasing annual blade production from 640MM blades to 1 billion blades.

Her company’s philosophy is to engage learners by creating educational content using the language of cinema to make it compelling, exciting, and highly accessible to a broad audience.
“There’s no reason educational content can’t be just as bingeable as any show you’d see on Netflix.”
That sounds very enticing but does it really work?

Dr. Mei Gechlik founded Sinotalks LLC after an extensive career in academia and the think-tank world. She took this step because she saw the growing need for a trusted resource highlighting Chinese law and policy to help decision-makers find strategic solutions to problems affecting China and beyond. Thus, SINOTALKS.COM was launched in December 2021 to feature insightful and highly practical analyses (covering various themes, including data security, technology, and trade). Recently, Sinotalks added bilingual podcasts to their offerings as well as an online platform (i.e., connect.sinotalks.com) that allows the global audience to comment on their publications and exchange thoughts about practical issues.

Michelle Tong is known for her innovative mindset and strategic vision. Her ability to foresee market trends and pivot the company’s strategy accordingly has significantly shaped the organizational culture at Synear Foods USA. She fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, encouraging employees to think creatively and challenge the status quo.
A CEO with a 20-year tenure in the FMCG industry, demonstrating a solid track record of leading pivotal projects and securing prestigious awards.

When Mitch McDermid launched Innovana, he had an evident vision of what he wanted the company to look like and what it could offer that was different from existing IT services and consulting firms. There was a clear need for a cloud-based services and business automation solutions provider that would address the needs of SMBs both from a pricing and service standpoint in Canada. Mitch and his team have been laser-focused on serving that niche.

Sam Sammane, CEO and founder of TheoSym has received various awards and accolades for his extraordinary contributions to artificial intelligence (AI). His unique blend of technical expertise, ethical vision, and global perspective sets him apart in the industry.
Sam combines extensive applied physics, digital circuit design, and nanotechnology knowledge with practical business experience. His diverse background enables him to bridge technical innovation with real-world applications, making his approach to AI comprehensive and grounded.

Veronica Robinson, the CEO of Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions leads with the Golden Rule in all facets of life. Her purpose is to treat everyone with the same kindness and grace. She demonstrates a deep respect for those that she serves with a willingness to gladly perform any task, whether it is changing diapers or cleaning toilets if it needs to be done.
Veronica’s passion for psychology routed her to pursue ABA therapy.