Mark Travis Rivera
Empowering companies through inclusive storytelling, Mark Travis Rivera helps brands embrace equity, diversity, and the power of authentic leadership.
Why book Mark Travis Rivera for your next event
- Mark founded the first integrated dance company in the U.S. for disabled and non-disabled dancers at just 17 years old, demonstrating visionary leadership, innovation, and a lived commitment to inclusion. His story inspires organizations to break boundaries and embrace diversity as a strategic advantage.
- Having delivered keynotes at Harvard, MIT, NYU, and spoken to corporate audiences across six continents, Mark brings a truly global, intersectional perspective on leadership, inclusion, and equity, making him the ideal voice for companies seeking cultural competence and global resonance.
- Honored with the Audre Lorde Award for Social Justice and Campus Pride National Voice & Action Award, Mark’s proven activism translates into actionable strategies that help organizations authentically live their DEI values and avoid performative culture.
Non-binding request for Mark Travis Rivera
Redefining Inclusion Through Storytelling & Leadership
Ignite culture change with award-winning speaker and storyteller. As a queer, disabled, Latinx changemaker, he delivers powerful keynotes that inspire belonging, equity, and authentic leadership. Backed by global recognition and real-world impact, his talks equip organizations with actionable DEI strategies and storytelling tools that foster inclusive, high-performing teams.
Keynote Speaker Mark Travis Rivera is a trailblazing voice in the global conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As the founder and CEO of The Professional Storyteller, Mark is known for transforming complex issues into compelling narratives that challenge, inspire, and mobilize audiences. A queer, disabled Latinx changemaker, he brings a rare intersectional perspective that resonates deeply with organizations seeking real impact, not just buzzwords.
With a background spanning journalism, choreography, and social justice advocacy, Mark has earned global recognition for bridging gaps between identity, leadership, and cultural transformation. His award-winning work includes founding the first integrated dance company in the U.S. for disabled and non-disabled dancers and delivering keynotes for elite institutions like Harvard, MIT, and NYU.
Through emotionally intelligent storytelling and practical frameworks, Mark empowers organizations to build inclusive cultures, foster belonging, and lead with authenticity. Whether addressing workplace equity, LGBTQ+ leadership, or accessible innovation, he leaves audiences with tools they can immediately apply.
Book Mark Travis Rivera for your event to spark bold conversations and shift mindsets at every level of your organization. His keynotes don’t just inform, they ignite purpose, engagement, and long-term change.
If your company is ready to move from awareness to action, Keynote Speaker Mark Travis Rivera is the voice to lead that transformation.
Keynotes
Keynote by Mark Travis Rivera:
Step Off the Pedestal: My Warning to Young Leaders
By the completion of my third year in college, I had received the Lifetime Achievement Award and was one of the top student leaders at my university. From the university's president to vice presidents, associate provosts, deans, directors, faculty, and staff, I quickly became the “go-to” student when looking for students who could get things done well. This keynote address aims to serve as a warning to young leaders not to allow themselves to become consumed by the politics, social expectations, and pressures that come from being a leader.
Keynote by Mark Travis Rivera:
Authenticity is a Superpower: Be Seen & Heard for Who You Are
As a professional storyteller, I’ve spoken to people of all backgrounds worldwide. One of the greatest assets in my career has been my willingness to show up and be seen and heard for who I am. An imperfect human trying to make the world a better place. Authenticity is my superpower; anyone can learn to harness the power of authenticity if they are willing to be seen and heard for who they are.
Keynote by Mark Travis Rivera:
Trainings: Workplaces
Allyship @ Work
There are many ways to show up and be an ally at work. This session will empower individuals to use their positionality and privilege to amplify, bring awareness to, and support their colleagues who belong to marginalized communities.
Gender Expression & Inclusion in the Workplace
Someone’s gender identity and expression impact how they show up in the workplace. This session will highlight the workplace disparities transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (TNBGNC) folks face and how workplaces can better support TNBGNC employees.
Intersectional Approach to DEI in the Workplace
While many workplaces focus on gender, race, and sexuality related to DEI-centered workplace culture, many companies approach the work in a way that doesn’t acknowledge the full humanity of the people who make up their teams. This training introduces the framework of intersectionality and how the concept should be used to embed DEI in an organization.
Creating Braver Work Spaces
While we can not guarantee safe spaces, we can build a workplace culture that allows room for folks to be brave. Unfortunately, for people of color, disabled, and LGBTQ+, microaggressions at work make it hard to show up authentically. This session provides strategies for fostering a workplace that makes everyone feel
psychologically safe.
Keynote by Mark Travis Rivera:
Workshops: High School, College & Universities
Coping with Shame
Based on Dr. Brené Brown’s research, this workshop explores issues and aspects of our identities that often make us feel shame and ways to cope with shame constructively.
Embracing Yourself, Embracing Your Potential
The premise of Mark’s TEDx Talk, this workshop discusses intersections of identities, particularly those historically underrepresented within the LGBTQIA2S+ movement, and how one’s acceptance of those identities can unlock the potential for a successful career.
The Power of Storytelling
Stories connect us. They can inspire and drive change in communities. This workshop introduces the foundations of storytelling and how one can find one's voice.
Where the Lines Collide
Existing within multiple marginalized identities can be difficult to navigate. This workshop helps people learn how to manage the conflicts that may arise as a multi-marginalized person by developing dialogue that focuses on issues of race, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, education, and other aspects of one’s identity.
Innovation in Storytelling with Mark Travis Rivera: Ep. 38 | iNNOVATION Insights Podcast
Watch Mark Travis Rivera in action!
