Keynote Speakers
Mark X. and John Cronin
John and Mark X. Cronin are the father-son co-founders of John’s Crazy Socks and Abilities Rising, a purpose-driven mission advancing inclusion through business, coaching, and storytelling. Built on a simple mission to Spread Happiness, their ventures have created jobs, earned worldwide recognition, and inspired countless others to follow their lead.
John, who has Down syndrome, serves as Chief Happiness Officer and the public face of their brand. Mark, a Harvard-trained policy expert and seasoned entrepreneur, leads strategy and vision. Together, they’ve been named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year, testified before Congress, and spoken at the United Nations.
With more than 33,000 five-star reviews and a Net Promoter Score of 94, their brand proves inclusion is good business. Their joyful delivery, real-world experience, and impact-driven leadership challenge audiences to think differently and act with heart.
They invite every audience to join a movement where everyone has value, every job has meaning, and every business can be a force for good.
Because when you believe in people amazing things happen.
Marty Lyons
Marty Lyons Foundation
Marty Lyons is a former professional football player who was a defensive tackle and defensive end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Lyons played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning consensus All-American honors. Selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft, he played his entire professional career for the NFL’s New York Jets. In 2002, Lyons joined the New York Jets radio network, spending 22 seasons broadcasting games. He is a Member of the Jets Ring of Honor and has been enshrined in the State of Alabama Hall of Fame (2000), Long Island’s Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame (2001) and Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame (2002), Maryland Sports Hall of Fame (2004), the Tampa Bay Sports Club Hall of Fame (2007), the College Football Hall of Fame (2011), and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame (2024).
While a player with the Jets, a series of events — the birth of his eldest son, the passing of his father, and the passing of a little boy to whom Lyons had been a Big Brother — inspired him to establish the Marty Lyons Foundation to work with terminally ill children, providing them with wishes. He was the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1984 because of that work. In December 2011, Lyons was honored by the Heisman Trust as the recipient of the sixth annual Heisman Humanitarian Award for his work with his Foundation.