Everything you need to introduce Shane.

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50 words

Shane Lukas is an activist, keynote speaker, and award-winning brand strategist who helps leaders turn values into action. Founder and CEO of the creative agency A Great Idea, TEDx speaker, and author of The Advocacy Advantage, he uses collaborative storytelling to build trust, deepen engagement, and move people from spark to strategy.

100 words

Shane Lukas is an activist, keynote speaker, and award-winning brand strategist with more than two decades of advocacy and creative leadership. As founder and CEO of A Great Idea — an empathy-led agency serving nonprofits, foundations, healthcare, education, and mission-driven brands — he helps organizations close the gap between what they believe and how they behave. A TEDx speaker, author of The Advocacy Advantage, and host of the Power Beyond Pride podcast, Shane draws on collaborative storytelling to strengthen trust, deepen engagement, and translate values into meaningful action. His work centers a simple conviction: compassion is strength. From spark to strategy.

250 words

Shane Lukas is an activist, keynote speaker, and award-winning brand strategist who has spent more than two decades turning conviction into creative, strategic action. He is the founder and CEO of A Great Idea, an empathy-led agency that partners with nonprofits, foundations, and organizations across healthcare, education, and entertainment to advance equity and dignity through brand strategy, design, and storytelling.

Shane's activism began early. After losing his mother at eleven and learning self-sufficiency young, he volunteered at Planned Parenthood during the reproductive-rights battles of the 1980s, served with AmeriCorps supporting high-risk youth, and came out while loudly living his truth. Those experiences shaped a career devoted to closing the gap between what organizations believe and how they behave.

A TEDx speaker, author of The Advocacy Advantage, and host of the Power Beyond Pride podcast, Shane brings keynotes, workshops, and creative strategy to leaders navigating complex, values-driven work. His approach uses collaborative storytelling to strengthen trust, deepen engagement, and translate belief into measurable momentum. His work has been recognized by the Anthem, Davey, Creativity, Marcom, W3, and GDUSA awards.

Whether on a main stage, in a workshop, or inside a brand, Shane helps people and organizations expand their voice, their impact, and their way of being. His message is consistent and clear: when people have more information and fewer barriers, they move toward their own best interests. Compassion is strength — from spark to strategy.

Speaking topics

• The Advocacy Advantage — how stakeholder-centered leadership strengthens trust, credibility, and outcomes
• Leading With Humanity in Complex Systems
• Rethinking Who You Can Be
• Shared Stories, Shared Power
• Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable
• From Lone Voice to Collective Action
• Creativity as a Tool for Change

All seven are available as keynotes, workshops, or panel conversations. See the full list and formats.

Pitch angles

• Values conflict is a physical problem. Regular emotional suppression is linked to long-term health risk; the fix is a values hierarchy, not a coffee-mug mantra.
• Nice isn't good. What "Midwestern Nice" costs mission-driven people — told by someone who grew up in Central Illinois and returned to TEDxNormal to say it at home.
• Advocacy costs less than acquisition. Why brands people defend outlast brands people merely recognize.
• Two TEDx stages, two very different rooms. From sex work advocacy at TEDxGreensboro to a universal values framework at TEDxNormal.

Audience and event fit

Conferences and leadership summits · DEI, HR and organizational-culture programs · nonprofit and social-impact convenings · university programs in social work, public policy, nonprofit management and LGBTQ+ studies · association events in healthcare and education · podcasts and panels.

Media assets

Approved headshots, stage photography, logos and the one-sheet are in the downloadable media kit.

Booking and contact

Shane responds personally to all genuine inquiries. Start a conversation — no pitch required.