Maureen ZappalaMaureen Zappala, a New York City native, is an award-winning keynote speaker and author. She has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and spent 13 years conducting jet propulsion research at the NASA Lewis Research Center now the NASA Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland, Ohio. She became the youngest and first female manager of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA.In 2009 and 2020, she was a top finalist of 30,000+ contestants in the World Champion of Public Speaking contest. In 2024, she became one of only 95 speakers worldwide to earn the Accredited Speaker designation, the top honor for professional speakers in Toastmasters InternationalShe's the founder of High Altitude Strategies, where she speaks to leaders and top performers in corporations and associations on the topic of Impostor Syndrome. She's the author of "Great Speakers are Not Born, They're Built," "Pushing Your Envelope", and co-author (with Jack Park) of "Buckeye Reflections: Legendary Moments from Ohio State Football." She's a professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is the 2017-18 President of the NSA-Ohio chapter. She's a fitness fan, avid reader, and enthusiastically average beginner ballroom dancer. In 2019, after 36 years in Cleveland, she relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. She still hasn't found her winter coat, and that's just fine with her. Read More Read Less