Top keynote speakers you can trust start with CPAE
If you want top keynote speakers you can trust, start with the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Each year, the National Speakers Association inducts up to five speakers for lasting excellence and gives one member the Cavett Award, its highest service honor. Here is the class of 2025, introduced by someone who stood beside them.
Every year, the National Speakers Association honors those who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the speaking profession. These so-called CPAEs are not just any presenters. They are the voices shaping industries, lifting audiences and inspiring leaders worldwide. The ones clients come back to. The ones audiences remember. The ones who change people, not just PowerPoint decks.
Class of 2025, from left to right: Clint Pulver, CSP CPAE (clintpulver.com), Joe Mull, CSP CPAE (joemull.com), Sylvie di Giusto, CSP CPAE (that is me), Brian Walter, CSP CPAE and 2025 Cavett Award recipient (extrememeetings.com), Allison Massari, CSP CPAE (allisonmassari.com) and Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, CSP CPAE (vernicearmour.com).
In 2025, I had the great honor of being inducted alongside four of them. Let me introduce you to the people who make “top keynote speakers” more than a title. Colleagues. Icons. Humans whose work has shaped this profession and will keep shaping it for generations. Some of my greatest friends and some of the most impressive speakers I know, people with whom I am deeply honored to share a stage and a lifelong memory.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame honors speakers for long-term excellence and impact across their careers, and is voted on by peers.
- The National Speakers Association inducts up to five speakers a year, plus one Cavett Award recipient for service.
- The 2025 class blends leadership, courage, workforce research, resilience, innovation and storytelling.
- Choosing a Hall of Fame speaker means choosing proven consistency, not a one-time performance.
- Being inducted is not the end of the road. It is a deeper call to serve.
Who are the top keynote speakers in the CPAE class of 2025?
Each profile opens with a personal note from me, in italics, followed by what you should know when you consider them for your stage.
Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, CSP CPAE
Vernice’s energy on stage is like a firework: bright, powerful and impossible to ignore. She shows us what it looks like to break barriers with courage and joy, and reminds every audience that leadership does not wait for permission.
America’s first Black female combat pilot, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is not just breaking barriers. She is blasting through them. Her keynote is a rallying cry for bold leadership and fearless action. She teaches audiences to “own it”: to stop waiting for permission and start leading with purpose. Whether she speaks to Fortune 100 companies or government agencies, her energy is electric, her stories unforgettable and her message clear: gutsy leadership is the future.
She is also a fierce advocate for diversity, inclusion and representation, not as a trend but as a necessity. Her background in military strategy and corporate leadership makes her one of the top keynote speakers on resilience, courage and real-time decision-making. If you want your audience to walk out united and ready to act, FlyGirl is your go-to.
Allison Massari, CSP CPAE
Allison brings such grace and vulnerability to her work that you cannot help but be moved. Watching her is a masterclass in resilience and compassion, and a reminder of the quiet strength that heals and inspires.
Allison Massari is the very definition of resilience and grace. After surviving two near-death experiences, she has dedicated her life to helping others heal, rise and thrive. Her storytelling is breathtaking. Her presence? Transformative.
With a focus on empathy, compassion and emotional resilience, her keynotes are often described as life-changing. She is especially beloved in health care, where her message about kindness, connection and presence resonates deeply, and across every industry she reminds audiences of one universal truth: the human spirit is a force. Beyond the stage, Allison is an accomplished visual artist, and her work bridges art and advocacy at the intersection of healing, performance and human connection.
Joe Mull, CSP CPAE
Joe’s depth of knowledge and research is remarkable, but what stands out even more is his heart for the modern workforce. His commitment to helping leaders truly understand and engage their people makes his work invaluable.
Joe Mull knows the modern workforce like few others. As a leadership expert and creator of the “Employalty” framework, he teaches how to ignite commitment, cultivate loyalty and build cultures where people want to work. With sharp insight and a relatable style, he helps organizations with one of the biggest business challenges of our time: attracting and keeping top talent.
His research-backed approach is grounded in real workplace data and frontline experience, which makes his message trustworthy. From burnout to belonging, Joe gives leaders a roadmap to meet the moment with empathy and action. Top keynote speakers do not just inspire, they equip. Joe does both, masterfully.
Clint Pulver, CSP CPAE
Clint has the kind of energy that pulls you to the edge of your seat. You cannot stay still when he is on stage. He is a rock star, yes, but one whose rhythm carries meaning and whose message lasts well beyond the performance.
Clint Pulver is the Emmy-winning speaker who went undercover to learn what employees really think, and built a movement around it. Known as the “Undercover Millennial,” he delivers heartfelt, high-impact keynotes that help leaders connect across generations. His message: people stay where they feel seen, heard and valued. He teaches leaders to lead with empathy, to mentor rather than manage and to build workplaces people love. And yes, he drums. Trust me, the rhythm stays with you.
His work goes beyond generational insight. It is a cultural reset, blending storytelling with strategy, which makes him one of the top keynote speakers on retention, engagement and loyalty. If you want a speaker who shakes up your culture and leaves everyone talking, Clint delivers every time.
Sylvie di Giusto, CSP CPAE
My path has been one of pushing boundaries, experimenting with new ways to connect and believing in what audiences deserve. To be recognized in the Hall of Fame is humbling, and I am simply grateful to stand among such extraordinary peers.
Yes, that is me. Austrian by birth, French in my heart, Italian in my kitchen, German in my work ethic and American by choice, I help organizations and the people inside them become irreplaceable. My keynotes, Forever Human and The Power of Choice, blend storytelling, behavioral science and 3D technology into an experience the audience steps inside instead of watching.
My focus is the signals that decide whether people are trusted, followed and chosen, and the human advantage that matters more as machines get better. I am honored to stand beside these speakers and to represent where our profession is heading: high-tech, high-touch and always in service of the audience.
Brian Walter, CSP CPAE
Brian has taught me more about creativity and stagecraft than I can count, but what I value most is what he has taught me about service. His leadership, generosity and originality remind me that excellence is both an art and a responsibility.
Already a CPAE Hall of Fame speaker, Brian Walter received the highest individual honor at NSA’s 2025 Influence conference: the Cavett Award. It is named after NSA’s founder, Cavett Robert, and goes to the member who best exemplifies the spirit of generosity, professionalism and service.
Brian is known for wildly inventive keynotes that blend business content with entertainment and win over even the most skeptical audiences. As the founder of Extreme Meetings, he helps organizations make their events memorable, meaningful and fun, while still delivering serious content. A master of customization and humor, he proves that the best keynote speakers do not just talk to an audience. They create something with it. He is also one of NSA’s most beloved mentors, giving generously to emerging speakers while raising the creative bar for everyone.
Why trust a Hall of Fame speaker with your stage?
Look at the class of 2025 and you see excellence in all its forms: courage, compassion, creativity and connection. These are not names on a roster. They are among the best in our profession, speakers you can trust to serve your audience, carry your message and raise the standard for what a keynote can be.
They are mentors, innovators and tireless contributors to this craft. Their work does not just resonate. It ripples into how organizations grow, how professionals lead and how audiences feel long after the curtain closes.
It’s not about the spotlight. It’s about the responsibility.
As someone who now shares this title, I can tell you: it is about the responsibility, the legacy and the honor of walking this path alongside them. It is a privilege I do not take lightly, and a memory I will carry for the rest of my life.
Want to know what the honor really involves? Read what makes a Hall of Fame speaker, in my peers’ own words and what it really takes to become a CPAE speaker. Planning your next conference? Start with how to find a keynote speaker, then browse top women keynote speakers and the most interactive keynote speakers.
Frequently asked questions
Who was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame in 2025?
The CPAE class of 2025 included Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, Allison Massari, Joe Mull, Clint Pulver and Sylvie di Giusto. Brian Walter, already a Hall of Fame speaker, received the 2025 Cavett Award, the National Speakers Association’s highest individual honor for service.
What does CPAE stand for?
CPAE stands for Council of Peers Award for Excellence. It is the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame and its highest lifetime honor for professional speakers, recognizing excellence in message, delivery, experience, professionalism and influence over many years. Inductees add CPAE after their name.
What is the Cavett Award?
The Cavett Award is the National Speakers Association’s highest individual honor, named after NSA founder Cavett Robert. It goes to one member who best exemplifies the spirit of generosity, professionalism and service to the association and the speaking profession. It can go to someone who is already in the Hall of Fame.
Why book a Hall of Fame speaker?
CPAE speakers are recognized by their peers for sustained excellence, not a single great performance. That signals consistency, professionalism and the experience to customize for your audience. You still need the right fit, so match the speaker’s topic and style to your event goals.
