Fourth generation beekeeper, Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, is a dynamic leader who
started her entrepreneurial journey at just 22 years old. Leigh Kathryn inspires,
motivates, and moves audiences through her unique and captivating storytelling
ability. She is a strong advocate for women and strives to use her platform to
empower and transform leadership and environmental stewardship in an
ever-changing global economy.
She is part of the TED speaking community, a 2017 Southern Living Southerner
of the Year, a 2018 INC Magazine-30 Under 30 Rising Star, a 2019 Forbes 30
Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, and North Carolina Woman of the Year. Most
recently named to the Forbes Next 1,000 list of entrepreneurs redefining the
American dream.
Raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, she spent her younger years on her family
farm where she fell in love with agriculture. As the Founder and CEO of the
rapidly expanding company Bee Downtown, she has made a name for herself in
the historically male dominated industries of both entrepreneurship and
agriculture. Her company, Bee Downtown, installs and maintains beehives on
corporate campuses while simultaneously providing year-round employee
engagement and leader development programming to many of the largest
corporations in the world.
Leigh Kathryn’s enthusiasm and authenticity has earned Bee Downtown
contracts with partners including Delta, Chick-Fil-A, COX Enterprises, Invesco,
AT&T, MetLife, Cisco, Burt’s Bees, Georgia Power and many more. Bee
Downtown’s 300+ hives house more than 12 million honeybees creating
hundreds of thousands of acres of healthy pollinator habitat. The company has
been featured by Forbes, BBC, Inc. Magazine, The Weather Channel, National
Geographic, The New York Times, Southern Living Magazine, and more.
Notable Public Speaking Partnerships Include:
• Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit Panelist
• American Heart Association Keynote Address
• NC State University Homecoming Keynote Address
• HB Hospitality 6 session Keynote Address
• NC Works Partnerships Annual Conference Keynote Address
• Durham Chamber of Commerce International Women’s Day Keynote Address
• Lenovo Accelerate Panelist
• Raleigh, NC TEDx Speaker

Around BridgeWorks HQ, Phil is known as the motivator and the historian. As an internationally recognized speaker, Phil has shared his wisdom and inspired audiences in 43 different states and four continents to over 250,000 people. Before becoming a speaker, he pursued his passion for helping people be their best selves as a high school teacher, college admissions professional, marketing coordinator, corporate trainer, and even small business owner. He has maintained strong ties to his local community as a mentor and consultant to young entrepreneurs, and he brings his diverse background and skill-set to the BridgeWorks team.

Phil is one of BridgeWorks’ resident Gen Xers, and he brings his unique humor, experiences, research, and generational expertise to every keynote, workshop and training session he delivers. He is a firm believer that with the proper motivation, training, and support system, members of any generation are capable of remarkable accomplishments. With his down-to-earth, relatable style and dedication to presenting research in a digestible, entertaining way, Phil has become a fast favorite with audiences around the country.