Misti Burmeister

Imagine living in an unfamiliar city with no friends or professional contacts with only $37 to your name and having just quit an unfulfilling job as a government contractor.

This is exactly where Misti Burmeister found herself at the age of just 24. After literally picking herself up off the ground, she saw two choices: sit there and wallow or stand up and do something. What happened next? She spent the next six months conducting more than 150 informational interviews and in the process discovered her passion – generational diversity in the workplace. Born out of her own experiences with generational differences, she began to realize what an important issue this would (and has) become. As "Boomers" begin retiring and organizations begin competing in the war for talented young professionals, they are shocked to realize that these young professionals ("Bloggers") are entering the workforce in much lower numbers than previous generations. Burmeister saw an opportunity to help companies and their people learn to navigate the generational divide – and retain bloggers, known for changing jobs almost as easily as they change shoes. So at age 25, she started Inspirion Inc. to make a difference.

Through Inspirion, Burmeister coaches both Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to align their individual contributors with the organization's vision and mission, ensuring better success in the recruitment and retention of diverse talent. As CEO of Inspirion Inc., a Virginia-based, woman-owned consulting company, she is dedicated to increasing organizations' profits and productivity across multi-generational workforces through customized leadership development programs, executive coaching and keynote speeches. Her unique presentation style captures audiences of all backgrounds and encourages the free and open discourse that effectively begins to break down the

communication barriers.

Bestselling author of From Boomers to Bloggers: Success Strategies across Generations, Burmeister speaks on the following topics: Generational Awareness, Leading across Generations, Mentoring across Generations, Five Shifts to Common Understanding and Powerful Communication. She facilitates programs on leadership and employee effectiveness, intergenerational communication and mission development. She has been credited by one client with "her work means millions of dollars in increased workforce productivity."

Burmeister brings more than a decade of professional experience to her work with diverse clientele, including organizations like AT&T, UPS, Marriott International, Choice Hotels, U.S. Army and Navy, Wal-Mart and Johnson & Johnson Company. As a result of her hands-on coaching, clients have seen significant improvements in employee retention, ultimately contributing to their bottom lines. One organization saw a 90 percent reduction in its

turnover rate!

Her timely contributions are catching the attention of the media, businesses and even the government. She's been quoted in the Washington Business Journal, The Washington Post and The Washington Times. Combining humor with hard-hitting information delivered with "an amazing amount of energy," she's earned acclaim for providing real, quantitative and effective steps that empower and bring out the best in multi-generational organizations – immediately.

Just recently, Ms. Burmeister was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as a "Rising Star" among "Women who mean Business." Last year, Burmeister was selected as a finalist for the Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneur Scholarship for outstanding leadership in her community and entrepreneurial ventures. In 2005, she was awarded the International Femtor Award for Emerging Leaders by the eWomen Network. That same year, she was also named a "Community Fellow" by the Foundation for Community Leadership as an acknowledgement for her commitment and vision to empowering young professionals.