Featured Speakers
2026 Main Stage Events
2026 Details Coming Soon!
Speakers are currently being finalized.
Stay tuned for new and exciting details about the June 4, 2025 event!
Melinda Myers – Wisconsin’s Gardening Expert
9:30AM–10:30AM
Topic: Low-Maintenance Gardening to Boost your Landscape’s Beauty
We all want beautiful landscapes that require minimal care. Gardening expert, author, columnist and radio host Melinda Myers will cover strategies to help you reduce maintenance while keeping your landscape looking great, highlighting low-maintenance plants to add and those to avoid when trying to reduce ongoing maintenance.
Then she’ll move on to design and ways to create a big impact while reducing care. This, combined with a few key maintenance techniques, can help save you time while boosting your garden enjoyment.
- Following Melinda’s session, she will be available for a book signing and meet and greet outside in the atrium lobby. Her best-selling book, Midwest Gardeners Handbook 2nd Edition, will also be available for purchase.
More About Melinda Myers
Nationally known gardening expert, TV and radio host, author and columnist Melinda Myers has more than 35 years of horticulture experience. She has written more than 20 gardening books, including her most recent Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition.
She hosts the “Melinda’s Garden Moment” radio program and The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video series. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms and hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio show for more than 20 years, as well as 7 seasons of “Great Lakes Gardener” on PBS.
Visit Melinda’s website at MelindaMyers.com.
Rho Nelson - Senior Fashion Trends: What to Wear to Look and Feel Your Best
11:30AM–12:30PM
If you are interested in looking and feeling your best at every age, don’t miss our senior fashion trends show led by experts in the fashion industry. Enjoy a high-energy, educational presentation on ways to dress, look and feel your best as you age.
Our professional fashion stylist, Rho Nelson, will review styles, fabrics and brands for men and women that are ideal for older adults. Joining Rho will be Lisa Pretto from the House of Color, who will share the importance of understanding which colors best suit you and how to wear colors that bring out the best in each person.
Learn how to accentuate your positives and not let fashion date you. From jewelry to shoes, handbags to accessories—this show is one you won’t want to miss! We promise a lot of fun surprises during this interactive session!
More About Rho Nelson
Rho Nelson is the Owner and Chief Stylist of Rho Styles, a personal stylist who helps people build effortless, versatile wardrobes that reflect their authentic style and make getting dressed easy. Through wardrobe edits and personalized shopping experiences, she creates looks that help clients feel modern, comfortable and confident at every stage of life.
Visit Rho’s website at rhostyles.com.
Chef Michael Feker - Enjoying Life through the Magic of Food!
2:00PM–3:00PM
Topic: Enjoying Life through the Magic of Food!
Chef Feker will share stories from his life as an executive chef, working with some of the best chefs in the world, while demonstrating healthy cooking techniques for older adults that don’t sacrifice on flavor. You won’t want to miss this informative and delicious session, as Chef Feker has some fun surprises in store for attendees!
- Following the session, attendees will be treated to samples of the dish Chef Feker creates on stage as they exit the Main Stage auditorium.
More About Chef Michael Feker
Michael Feker is the Executive Chef and Founder of Il Mito, Il Mito Café and Zesti, Chef Feker Catering and the C.H.E.F. Foundation.
Chef Feker embarked on a culinary journey in 1984 after graduating from the California Culinary Academy. With a passion for food, an entrepreneurial spirit and after working with some of the best chefs in the world, Chef Feker opened three successful restaurants in Los Angeles before business opportunities led to a new chapter in Milwaukee. However, it was love that truly rooted Chef Feker in this vibrant city.
In 2000, with an unwavering passion for cooking and a commitment to promoting healthy eating, Chef Feker launched his first restaurant in Milwaukee. Since then, the culinary landscape has flourished with multiple restaurant openings, including Il Mito in Wauwatosa, Il Mito in Delafield and Zesti in Hartland—each embodying the philosophy that healthy food should never compromise on flavor.
Beyond the kitchen, Chef Feker has made significant contributions to the community through a culinary program called Chef Start and his own TV show on FOX6 and WISN Channel 12, engaging and educating food lovers across Milwaukee. A strong advocate for healthy cooking, Chef Feker firmly believes that food serves as fuel for both the spirit and the body. Every dish created is an exploration of vibrant flavors that celebrate wholesome ingredients, proving that healthy can be delicious.
With a focus on innovative and flavor-packed healthy dishes, Chef Feker continues to inspire patrons and aspiring chefs alike, making a lasting impact on Milwaukee’s culinary scene and beyond.
Breakout Speakers
We will have 2 breakout speaker sessions throughout the day. In addition to our fantastic exhibitors, attendees can choose to enjoy any of the featured speakers that are highlighted below.
BREAKOUT SESSION #1 OPTIONS: 9:30AM – 10:30AM
How to Thrive in Life as a Solo Ager
Sponsored by R&R Insurance
Emotional Fluency: Thriving Through Change
Sponsored by Starion Bank
BREAKOUT SESSION #2 OPTIONS: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Enjoy Life on the Road: Senior Travel Adventures
Sponsored by Brown & Brown Insurance
Breakout Session #3 Options - 12:30pm - 1:15pm
Healthspan – Avoiding the “Decade of Deterioration"
Presented by Scott and Katie Michel, Orange Shoe Personal Fitness
Sensational Container Gardening
Presented by Melinda Myers
Sponsored by Johnson Financial Group