Keynote Speaker

Adrianne Haslet

Monday, Aug. 29 - 8-10 a.m.

Opening Session and Keynote

Adrianne Haslet, a former ballroom dancer and survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, will be the keynote speaker at the 2022 IAAO Annual Conference, Aug. 28-31 in Boston. Her presentation will be part of the Opening Session on Monday, Aug. 29.

Haslet, who lost a leg in the bombing,  has transformed to become the powerful woman who bravely stared down evil and courageously faced the man who tried – and failed – to take her life and break her spirit. Adrianne teaches audiences how to look unflinchingly at that which scares you, and how to proceed despite your fears, step by step.

A professional ballroom dancer, she didn’t know much at the time about the famous Boston Marathon and on the day of the bombing, she was taking a break from dancing when she went to the finish line area. She was walking away from the area when the bombing took place. After she recovered she took up running and completed the Boston Marathon in 2016 and ran again in 2018 and most recently in 2022.

Global Advocate

After losing her leg, Adrianne recognized the need for help across the amputee community, particularly the needs of others not as fortunate as to have the support of the One Fund access to prosthetics and has become a global advocate for amputee rights.

Adrianne has spoken all over the world, alongside inspiring figures such as Vice President Joe Biden, President Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. Her debut TED performance has been viewed over 6.7 million times worldwide, and her debut at TEDx Beacon Street has been viewed over 2.2 million times and featured on OptionB.org, the website founded by Facebook Chief Operating Officer and author Sheryl Sandberg to help others overcome adversity in their own way. For more information, check out her website.

She is driven by a love of helping others to face their own mountains, whether speedbumps or Mount Everest. Adrianne has the tools to show you how to be your own most courageous and powerful version of you in every aspect of your life.


Thank you to Tyler Technologies for sponsoring the 2022 keynote.