McLean & Company has announced that Brady Pyle, former NASA Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer and current Chief Human Resources and Inclusion Officer at Space Center Houston, and Maureen Burke, Chief People Officer at Saatva, will serve as mainstage speakers at the firm's flagship annual HR conference, Signature 2026. The event is scheduled for October 4-6, 2026, at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Keynote Themes: Culture, Leadership, and Employee Experience
Under the 2026 theme “Human-Centric, Future-Ready,” the conference aims to provide HR leaders with practical perspectives on building mission-driven cultures, strengthening employee experience, and aligning leadership, values, and organizational growth. Attendees will include HR executives and senior people leaders from across North America.
Brady Pyle will deliver his keynote “Building Culture the NASA Way.” During his 30-year career at NASA, Pyle observed, led, and coached rocket scientists, engineers, and astronauts, twice earning the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. His session will draw on this experience to explore how organizations can build cultures rooted in trust, accountability, innovation, and resilience. He will share practical leadership principles shaped by mission-critical environments and help attendees assess how culture is shaped, identify barriers to performance, and strengthen leadership behaviors that support inclusion, innovation, and high-performing teams.
Saatva's Growth Story and Employee Experience
Maureen Burke, who joined Saatva in 2021, has helped guide the company through rapid growth, including scaling from 180 to more than 800 employees. She has advanced talent strategy, modernized HR systems, and supported employee engagement through new people programs. Burke will present her keynote “From Brand Promise to Employee Experience: Making ‘Total Life Success’ Real,” focusing on how organizations can connect brand, culture, and employee experience as they scale. Her session will introduce a practical framework for translating brand values into lived employee experiences that employees can authentically carry through to customers.
Industry Perspectives on Resilience and Future-Readiness
“HR leaders are increasingly being asked to help their organizations grow, adapt, and maintain trust through constant change,” says Jennifer Rozon, President of McLean & Company. “We’re excited to reveal that Brady Pyle and Maureen Burke will be two of our mainstage speakers at Signature this year as they each bring powerful perspectives on how culture and employee experience shape performance. Their talks will give Signature 2026 attendees practical insight into how leadership behavior, shared purpose, inclusion, and authentic employee experiences can help organizations become more resilient and future-ready.”
