Michelle Joyce

Michelle Joyce

Founder & Chief Speaker Agent

Fueled by her passion for managing and coaching professional speakers, Michelle Joyce founded her exclusive speaker management company in 2015. She and her team manage top keynote speakers and thought leaders on topics such as AI, leadership, business growth, sales, customer experience, customer service, organizational performance, communication, innovation, employee engagement, employee retention, and workplace culture.

With an unconditional love for the professional speaking industry, and three decades of speaker management experience, Michelle effectively connects audiences and speakers, resulting in a memorable experience every time.

Recognized by Forbes as a Speaker Industry Expert, Michelle is a proven, trusted professional and is often called on to share her knowledge.

Prior to starting the company, she managed one of the most successful professional speaking and training businesses in the country. In that role, she sold thousands of customized and personalized programs to companies and associations all over the globe. She generated new, additional revenue streams, and created ongoing marketing and creative strategies to stay top of mind and attract new business. Michelle also designed specific tools and processes to ensure a flawless event for her speakers and her customers.

Michelle has been acknowledged in several business books for input, ideas, and expertise; and her articles have appeared in a variety of blogs and newsletters. She is an active, professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the Global Speaking Industry Association (GSIA, formerly IASB) where she served on the Board of Governors for six years and was Board President in 2025.

In 2018, Michelle received the GSIA Pace Setter Award for introducing a new program or service that moved the association forward. In 2020, Michelle was awarded the GSIA Dottie Walters Helping Hands Award for recognition of exceptional willingness to assist others in the bureau and speaker management industry. In 2024, she received the GSIA President’s Award, honoring her helpfulness to the association’s President during their term.

When she’s not managing speakers, Michelle can be found at various youth sporting events; traveling and seeking new adventures; or spending time on the lake with her beautiful family and their spoiled-rotten labradoodle.

Tracy Cotton

Tracy Cotton

Director of Memorable Experiences

Tracy Cotton brings more than a decade of industry experience to our team as a senior speaker agent, having worked with some of our fabulous industry partners previously.

As our Director of Memorable Experiences, Tracy works closely with speakers and clients to ensure extraordinary and inspiring events. Her commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of her work. From negotiating contracts and managing schedules to providing ongoing support and guidance, Tracy ensures that our speakers and our clients have a seamless and rewarding experience.

When she’s not managing speakers on our exclusive roster, Tracy enjoys spending time with her family, exploring new places and destinations, and indulging her passions for photography and cooking.

Christina

Kristina Magnuson

Director of Smooth Operations

Our Director of Smooth Operations, Kristina Magnuson, loves helping professionals with the everyday tasks of business, so they can devote more time to their passions. (And we’re sure glad she does!) Kristina definitely helps to keep our business running smoothly.

A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Kenan-Flagler Business School, Kristina managed the Family Enterprise Center at UNC Kenan-Flagler prior to joining the Michelle Joyce team. She also provided freelance bookkeeping and office management for other small businesses.

When she’s not reconnecting with our clients or balancing our books, Kristina can be found volunteering at her children’s school, riding her Peloton, lounging on her front porch with family and friends, and cheering for the North Carolina Tar Heels!  She normally has one of the following in front her:  Chardonnay, coffee, or water.

Maddie Jager

Director of Details

If you follow us on social media, you’ve seen the creative work of Maddie Jager, our Director of Details. What you don’t see are all the things Maddie does behind the scenes that help our team every day!

She is a graduate from Indiana University with a degree in Media Advertising and loves to create graphics that lead to fabulous first impressions. Before working for Michelle Joyce Speakers, Maddie worked for Convince and Convert, where she managed their social media.

When she’s not helping us look good, Maddie does calligraphy and window/chalkboard art (@mkhuntdesigns on Instagram). She loves spending time with her family, and can always be found at IU sporting events, a local coffee shop, or eating chips and queso.

Connor Joyce

Heir Apparent

Connor Joyce may have been born into the professional speaking industry, but somewhere along the way, he developed a genuine interest in it. Now a student at UNC Wilmington studying Communication and Marketing, he’s beginning to see that all those years growing up around speakers, events, and the business behind the stage may have rubbed off on him.

His unofficial training started early. At just 12 years old, Connor spent his summer interviewing our exclusive speakers and writing a blog series featuring what he learned from them. Since then, he has attended numerous industry conferences, watched some of the best speakers in the business take the stage, and had the opportunity to network with many of the people who make this industry so special.

Today, Connor continues to learn the business while pursuing his degree at UNCW. He brings a natural ability to connect with people, an interest in marketing and communication, and a front-row understanding of an industry he’s been part of for most of his life.

When he’s not in class, Connor plays on UNCW’s Men’s Club Volleyball team and enjoys everything that comes with college life. He’s also achieved a different kind of campus notoriety and is frequently stopped in the dorm hallways by people who recognize him as “the guy from TikTok.” We’re still determining whether that counts as professional marketing experience.

Caitlin Joyce

Heir Apparent

Caitlin Joyce has been around the professional speaking industry for as long as she can remember, which means she’s picked up a thing or two along the way. Now a high school honors student and Varsity Cheerleader, she also puts her years of behind-the-scenes experience to work helping with a variety of administrative tasks at Michelle Joyce Speakers.

Don’t let her age fool you. Caitlin can tell you the difference between gross fees, net fees, and hard costs, and she takes her role as an unofficial talent scout very seriously. She loves watching our speakers in action and is constantly on the lookout for new talent for the roster. Fair warning: she has very high standards.

Mature beyond her years with a quick sense of humor, Caitlin also has a strong heart for service. As a former Girl Scout, she earned both the Bronze Award and Silver Award for projects that made a lasting impact on her local community.

When she’s not at school, cheer practice, or helping behind the scenes at MJS, Caitlin loves to travel and spend time on the lake kneeboarding and wakeboarding.

She’s also currently sharpening her sales and persuasion skills with one particularly ambitious pitch: convincing her family that what they really need is a Highland cow.