Word nerd. Science geek. Champion of the underserved. Social entrepreneur inspired by acts of kindness. An optimist and contrarian bent on living outside the box, Loralyn Mears, PhD has held executive leadership roles in marketing and innovation for three Fortune 100s and several tech startups. Throughout her career, she has launched dozens of products, startups, and Centers of Excellence, earning a reputation for blending creativity with disciplined execution. A recognized author and National Gold Medal book winner, and an awardee from NJ Governor Murphy and the City of Philadelphia, Loralyn applied her tech expertise and passion for sustainable change to launch STEERus. She is committed to making workplaces less toxic, more productive, and better aligned with the realities of modern work through her innovative approach to adaptive leadership. Her podcast, Small Business Stories, continues to rise quickly in the rankings. As a social entrepreneur, she focuses on enabling underserved communities, particularly individuals with special needs, through her nonprofit HELPipedia, powered by the STEERus platform as the “Hub for HELP.”