Best known for his music and acting career, Common is one Tony Award away from becoming an EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony—winner. And that’s not counting his Golden Globe or any of the other numerous awards he’s won. Over the years, Common has used his art as a platform to change people’s perspectives, promote more diverse narratives, and encourage people to movement. At QuickBooks Connect, Common will share how to nurture the dreams of the young, overcome adversity, and address the persistent hope that lives within us all now and in the future.

Best known for his comedic roles on television and on the big screen, Ashton Kutcher is also an investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, which rightfully earned him a place on TIME magazines’ “100 Most Influential People in the World.” In 2011, Mr. Kutcher co-created a venture fund, A-Grade Investments, and invested in multiple tech companies including: Airbnb, Spotify, Uber, Flipboard, Oscar Health, Warby Parker, Nextdoor and Houzz.
In 2014, Mr. Kutcher co-founded another fund, Sound Ventures, which has since invested in Zenreach, Handy, Gusto, Acorns, Mark43 and more. Beyond investing, Mr. Kutcher also co-founded Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, an organization driving technological innovation to fight the sexual exploitation of children.

Jennifer Hyman is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rent the Runway, a company that is disrupting the $2.4 trillion fashion industry by building the closet in the cloud and powering women to feel their best every day.
Recently valued at one billion dollars, Rent the Runway is one of the few female-founded, female-led companies in history to reach this milestone. Ms. Hyman is a mission-driven leader and as the CEO, has built Rent the Runway from an idea into a profitable, high-growth company and one of the most beloved brands in the U.S. As Rent the Runway was growing, Ms. Hyman launched the Rent the Runway Foundation to help female entrepreneurs throughout the U.S. build scalable, high-growth companies.

Michael McQueen is a multi-award winning speaker, trend forecaster and bestselling author of eight books.
With clients including KPMG, Pepsi and Cisco, he has helped some of the world’s most successful brands navigate disruption and maintain momentum.
Michael is a regular commentator on TV and radio and his work has featured in publications ranging from the UK Daily Mail to Medium.com and the Huffington Post. In addition, Michael is a familiar face on the international conference circuit having shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates, Dr. John Maxwell and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Jade Simmons is a one-of-a-kind artist who has garnered diverse recognition from unlikely places. Ms. Simmons has played renowned halls, including the White House and the US Supreme Court. Her genre-bending concert adventures span Rachmaninoff to Rap and attracts diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Off the stage, Essence magazine featured Ms. Simmons alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama as a part of their Style & Substance List. As one of the rare classical artists invited to perform at the taste-making South by Southwest Festival, her show was ultimately branded one of the “Best of SXSW 2014.” Beyond her career as a pianist, Ms. Simmons hosts two radio shows on American Public Media and NYC’s WQXR.

Katie Linendoll is an Emmy Award winning consumer tech expert and journalist, who travels the world seeking out innovative stories on cutting edge science and technology. A tech contributor on the TODAY Show, you can also find Katie as a regular consumer tech expert on Rachael Ray, The Weather Channel, CBS Sports Radio and on her own digital series, “Technically, Katie.”

Ariege Misherghi is an Accountant Product Leader for the Accountant Segment within Intuit’s Small Business Self-Employed Group. She is a customer-focused, creative leader who is committed to the customer experience and has a passion for solving the tough and unique challenges accountants face. Her team serves the more than 700,000 accountants globally that use QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA) to help grow their firms and better manage their practices, allowing them to focus on being strategic advisors to their clients.