Learn to find your voice as a leader, regardless of your job title

Rachel Kohman, Ed.D. knows that leadership is more than just a title. She has devoted her career to empowering professionals to lead and will be sharing her leadership philosophy at the 2026 ITX Product + Design Conference.

Rachel is the Assistant Dean of Entrepreneurship Education at Missouri S&T and has over a decade of experience in the leadership space. At Missouri S&T, she leads initiatives focused on strengthening organizational growth through collaborative environments, as well as strategic program development and high-impact training.

Her work as a speaker and facilitator focuses on adaptive leadership, and her mission is to empower individuals to lead without formal leadership titles. Her TedX talk, “Leadership Shouldn’t Be a Position,” offers insights into her individual experience applying adaptive leadership and how these leadership principles can create change for the common good.

“[Leadership] was no longer about a position, but an action. Leadership not as a noun, but as a verb,” she says in her TedX talk.

Rachel’s passion for leadership that creates positive change, paired with her academic background and experience as a speaker and facilitator, makes her an exciting addition to the Product + Design Speaker lineup.

Her conference workshop, “The ACTION OF LEADERSHIP: Becoming a Leader in your Spaces,” will teach product managers the practice of adaptive leadership. Workshop participants will learn to recognize and face challenges, spot organizational patterns, and empower others, regardless of hierarchical titles. Rachel will speak about adaptive leadership, lead participants through practical exercises, and showcase real-world case studies.

The leadership conversation will continue on the conference’s keynote day, where Rachel will deliver her keynote: “Leading Without a Title”. During her talk, Rachel will pull from personal experience and adaptive leadership principles to show that true leadership comes from action, rather than authority. Conference attendees will walk away with actionable tips to practice adaptive leadership skills in their everyday work.

We are thrilled to welcome Rachel Kohman to Rochester for the 2026 Product + Design Conference. Her adaptive leadership insights and experience will help conference attendees find their voices as leaders—regardless of job title—to make positive change in their organizations.

Rachel’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, June 24 and her keynote will be Thursday, June 25.