By
Erica Marois
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Date Published: December 29, 2025 - Last Updated December 29, 2025
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Comments
One of my favorite moments every year at ICMI is getting to say this:
“Meet the voices who will help shape the conversations in our community this year.”
Our Featured Contributors are more than bylines. They’re practitioners, leaders, and changemakers who show up with real stories, hard-won lessons, and thoughtful perspectives on what it actually takes to build great contact centers and service organizations today.
And in 2026, that lineup is exceptional. Throughout the year, this group of industry voices will be sharing insights across eight core topic areas that matter most to our community right now.
Whether you’re focused on employee engagement, CX strategy, metrics that matter, or leading through transformation, you’ll see familiar names you trust and new voices we’re excited to elevate.
Let’s meet them.
Employee Engagement
From burnout prevention to building cultures where people actually want to stay, this trio will dig into what it really means to engage frontline teams in 2026 and beyond.
Sarah Caminiti, Host of CX Roundtable & The Career Strategist
Over the past decade, Sarah has led and scaled Support and CX organizations in high-growth environments and rebuilt broken systems. In 2025, she was named a Women in CX Awards finalist for both Leader of the Year and Culture, recognizing the behind-the-scenes work that doesn’t show up in slide decks — but determines whether people stay. She also hosts two podcasts: the Career Strategist and CX Roundtable.
Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.Chris Bean, Operations Coordinator - Enterprise Office of Access Management, Systems Transformation Team, Mayo Clinic
Chris Bean brings over 15 years of expertise in contact center operations, leadership, and systems transformation. He focuses on optimizing remote work and enhancing operational efficiency.
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst, Metric Sherpa
With over 20 years of experience, Justin Robbins specializes in customer experience strategies, contact center operations, and workforce training. A trusted industry voice, he is frequently cited in the media and recognized for his innovative leadership in CX trends and technology.
Connect with Justin on LinkedIn.Service Culture
Culture isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s what shows up in your decisions, behaviors, and customer moments. These contributors will explore how to build service cultures that scale without losing their soul.
George Kaduru, Customer Support Specialist, CitizenPlane
George is a Customer Experience Enthusiast focused on helping CS professionals position themselves for the best career opportunities in front-facing roles. He helps companies elevate customer satisfaction and drive innovation through tailored support solutions and is passionate about working with brands that prioritize exceptional customer experience.
Connect with George on LinkedIn.Lilian Star, Director of Operations at First Citizens Bank
Lilian Starr is the Director of Operations for Customer Service at First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance, where she leads customer experience, operations strategy, and technology transformation initiatives. With a strong background in building high-performing teams and driving process excellence, she is passionate about fostering collaboration between people, technology, and purpose to elevate customer experience and operational efficiency.
Connect with Lilian on LinkedIn.Clarice Taylor Merriman, Director of the Maricopa Community Colleges District Contact Center
Clarice Taylor Merriman creates high-performing environments that elevate employee and customer experiences. Her expertise includes leadership development, operational strategy, and culture transformation.
Connect with Clarice on LinkedIn.Omnichannel CX Strategy
Expect smart takes from this duo on meeting customers where they are, aligning channels to intent, and creating seamless experiences that feel human.
Nick Glimsdahl, Author and Podcast Host
Nick Glimsdahl is a customer experience leader, author, and podcast host focused on helping organizations create meaningful human connections through technology. Nick is the author of The Heart of Service: A Blueprint for Human-Centric AI in Customer Service and host of the Press 1 For Nick podcast, where he interviews top leaders on customer experience and service innovation.
Connect with Nick on LinkedIn.Richa Diwan, Principal Director, Strategic Advisors
Richa is a CX and Digital Transformation leader with experience designing omnichannel strategies that balance technology, empathy, and operational efficiency.
Connect with Richa on LinkedIn. Metrics
If you’ve ever wondered which metrics actually matter (and which ones just create noise), this duo will bring clarity, practicality, and real-world examples to the conversation.
Ezra Boggs, Team Lead - Forecasting, DHS/FEMA
Ezra is an accomplished, forward-thinking leader who serves by example, continuously instructs his team, and encourages collaboration.
Connect with him on LinkedIn.Luke Jamieson, CX Evangelist, Operata
Luke is a globally recognized thought leader in customer experience and the future of work, known for his passion, creativity, and transformative insights.
Connect with Luke on LinkedIn.Strategic Planning
Strategy doesn’t live in a slide deck. These contributors will help leaders connect long-term vision to day-to-day execution.
Jon Arnold, Principal at J Arnold & Associates
Sean L’Italien, Director of Operations, PAC, Sono Bello
Operations leader known for blending QA, strategy, and technology to improve performance and customer outcomes across complex service environments.
Connect with Sean on LinkedIn.Afshan Kinder, elevate2Great
Contact center strategist, author, and ICMI Top 25 Thought Leader with deep experience across industries and channels, focused on tech + process improvements that elevate CX and EX.
Connect with Afshan on LinkedIn.Transformational Leadership
Change is constant, but transformation is intentional. This group will share insights on leading through complexity, uncertainty, and growth.
Charlie Moore, VP of Contact Center Operations (SBO), Community Health Systems
Adam Boelke, Founder and CEO, Alignment Advantage Group, LLC
Adam is a former Fortune 500 operations VP and CX/EX leader who helps organizations build high-trust cultures, stronger performance, and resilient teams.
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.Vicki Brackett, Head of CX and Chief Knowledge Officer at Knowledgely™
Vicki is an ICMI Top 25 Thought Leader, and a longtime voice on work-at-home leadership, engagement, and knowledge strategy.
Connect with Vicki on LinkedIn.Workforce Optimization
From forecasting and scheduling to performance and flexibility, these voices will tackle how to optimize workforces without losing sight of the people behind the numbers.
Dan Smitley, Founder of 2:Three Consulting
Dan is a contact center thought leader and workforce management expert known for making forecasting, scheduling, and WFM fundamentals feel doable (and actionable).
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn.
Natalie Perez, CEO, Cisne AI
Natalie is known for her deep perspective on contact center technology, operations, and the strategies that make transformation stick.
Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn.
Arlyne Pardo, Senior Workforce Manager, DASH BPO
Arylne is a COPC-certified workforce leader with a passion for optimizing planning, forecasting, and real-time performance while keeping the human side of WFM front and center.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Process Improvement
This team of experts will prove processes don’t just improve efficiency! Get ready to learn how to perfect your process so you can create better experiences for both customers and employees.
Amber Krueger, Vice President of Shareholder Services at Ultimus Fund Solutions
Amber has a long track record in contact centers, spanning quality, operations, hiring, training, and continuous improvement.
Connect with Amber on LinkedIn.Bianca Price, HR Customer Service Experience Manager at Michigan State University
Hector Vega, Sr. Unit Manager, Capital One
Hector is a business operations and process leader with experience driving multi-site rollouts and operational improvements across complex organizations.
Connect with Hector on LinkedIn.
What to Expect in 2026
Throughout the year, our Featured Contributors will share thoughtful articles, practical frameworks, and real-world lessons designed to help you think differently, lead with confidence, and navigate what’s next in our industry.
If you’re new to ICMI, welcome! You've just met some of the voices who will help shape the conversations ahead. And if you’ve been part of this community for a while, you know how special it is when smart, generous leaders come together to learn from one another.
To our 2026 Featured Contributors: thank you for showing up, sharing your expertise, and helping make this community stronger. We’re so glad you’re here.
Want to make sure you don’t miss a single article?
Sign up for the ICMI newsletter and get new Featured Contributor content delivered straight to your inbox every Friday, along with insights, resources, and ideas to help you do your best work all year.
Here’s to another year of learning, connection, and meaningful conversations!