Alex Thiersch, JD, is the Founder and CEO of the American Med Spa Association, and he is also a partner at the business, healthcare, and aesthetic law firm of ByrdAdatto. He has extensive experience representing industry professionals before state medical boards, and is one of the most sought after speakers in the country regarding matters of practice management and medical aesthetic law including conferences for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Global Aesthetics Conference, Vegas Cosmetic Surgery, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, The Medical Spa Show, and others.

Bryan Durocher is the author of Wake Up… Live the Life You Love… in Beauty, and is the founder of Essentials Spa Consulting and Durocher Enterprises. Durocher was named one of the “Top 20 People to Know in the Beauty Industry” by Global Cosmetic Industry magazine and provides coaching, consulting, global industry trends and marketing solutions for medical spa, spa and industry professionals internationally. Durocher Enterprises has been published in many articles and has provided business education internationally at a variety of national and international industry events.

George Baxter-Holder, ARNP, DNP, CANS, ISPAN-F has first-hand knowledge of how beauty-obsessed today’s Hollywood actors are. As a child actor in Hollywood he played the role of a genetically perfect boy on Star Trek: The Next Generation. His “bad boy” character made all around him start to age prematurely. In real life, George plays the “good guy” role. Trained as a board certified Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner and Doctor of Nursing Practice, he helps patients reverse the signs of aging at SkinSpirit Medical Spa in Austin TX. Additionally, he is the most utilized trainer with Galderma Aesthetis and is also one of three faculty at Academy for Injection Anatomy with Chris Surek, MD. He holds a Doctorate from Duke University and a Masters from the University of Washington. And while he is no longer, “genetically perfect” he is working on aging well.

Bradford E. Adatto is a partner at ByrdAdatto, a national business and health care boutique law firm with offices in Dallas and Chicago. His background is in regulatory, transactional and securities law. Having worked in health care law his entire career, he has an in-depth knowledge of the “dos and don’ts” of this heavily regulated industry. Brad has worked with physicians, physician groups, and other medical service providers in developing ambulatory surgical centers, in-office and freestanding ancillary service facilities, and other medical joint ventures.

As Head of Medical Aesthetics and Plastic Surgery for Skytale Group, Judy Kozlicki’s extensive experience gives her a deep understanding of the Medical Aesthetics space. A trailblazer in the business of aesthetics, Judy has held executive-level positions in solo and small group plastic surgery practices and large-scale national med spa operations for over 16 years. She led a multi-site, national medspa expansion from 1 to 33 locations and has been involved in several key acquisitions from both the buy-side and sell-side perspective.

Throughout her career and as a strategic advisor for Skytale consulting clients, Judy is keenly focused on improving financial visibility and accuracy, making operational process improvements, building quality teams, and coaching all levels of management and staff. She knows firsthand the nuances of hiring, compensation plans, partnership models, accounting, pricing strategies, marketing, operations, and vendor negotiations in the ever-changing aesthetic and wellness space. Given her unique experiences and engaging speaking style, Judy has been invited to present at many conferences throughout the years. She is known for being an inspiring leader and a champion to women in business.

James Turcott is a partner at Skytale Group who excels at simplifying the way clients view the financial performance of their business. Through numerous types of reporting and models, James ensures clients understand what the data actually means. When provided accurate and timely data, clients can confidently make necessary adjustments to their business and capitalize on new opportunities.

Cathy Christensen is the President and CSO of the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) and has been with the company since its infancy, joining as director of operations in 2013. Prior to this, she worked in the publishing industry, where she began as an editorial assistant and transitioned into her second career in operations of AmSpa after climbing the ladder to become the editor-in-chief of Skin Inc. magazine and the conference director of the Face & Body events. Christensen has contributed to AmSpa’s significant growth since 2013, and oversees team members who specialize in marketing, membership, sales, events, legal, and content. She prides herself in her ability to embrace challenges and persevere, and even have a little fun while doing i.

Ryan McElwain is a digital marketing veteran with more than 11 years of experience. While he launched his career with a focus in automotive, McElwain has since made a name for himself helping healthcare providers and medical spa owners across the U.S. grow their businesses through online tactics. While always emphasizing the importance of SEO and PPC, he now runs a multi-disciplinary search and social experts team at DoctorLogic.

Sahar Saghezchi is the founder of Cupertino Dental & Facial Esthetics, a Bay Area medical spa specializing in all aspects of non-surgical medical aesthetics, intimacy wellness, and overall beauty and wellness. She started in plastic surgery as a patient care coordinator working with some of the top plastic surgeons in the Bay Area. She moved into consulting, assisting medical spas' growth and expansion. Her passion for aesthetics and her background in practice growth led her to help expand her father’s cosmetic dental practice with the addition of the medical aesthetics side, Cupertino Facial Esthetics. Saghezchi also recently completed a nursing program.