UPCEA 2026 Summit for Online Leadership and Administration (SOLAR) Conference | July 29-31, 2026 | Boston, MA

2026 SOLAR
General Sessions

July 29 | 1:15 PM

The Muse and the Machine: How Human Creativity Propels an AI World Forward

  • Carla Johnson
    Innovation Architect, CEO of RE:Think Lab, Best-Selling Author

Carla Johnson

It used to be that the status quo was the way to go. It kept your company running. And it kept you employed. But in a world that changes at the speed of a TikTok, standing still makes you a sitting duck. Volatility lurks around every corner. Startups have become rockstars. Founders are celebrities. Customers are fickle. Employees are leaving. Disruption is inevitable. But if anyone’s going to disrupt your industry, your company, or your team, shouldn’t it be you?

As the world’s leading Innovation Architect, Carla Johnson’s been breaking the status quo all her life. In 20 years of working with leaders, she’s learned that the safest bet is often the riskiest move. Through years of research and authoring numerous best-selling books, she’s developed frameworks and processes that teach people how to redefine what innovation means in their organization, and then equips teams to make innovation everybody’s business.

Carla’s approach transforms organizations by fusing visionary creativity with pragmatic innovation strategies to inspire teams to think bigger and bolder so they can bust out of the status quo. This ultimately leads to inspired thinking and audacious outcomes. The result is a company culture that becomes a playground of limitless potential while also experiencing unprecedented growth and alignment.