Helene Gidley, a distinguished leader in the Agile community, has made a significant impact on the IT industry through her pioneering work with A2Agile Inc., a company she co-founded. As an accomplished Agile trainer, mentor, and coach, Helene has assisted a myriad of organizations in optimizing their Agile practices and attaining exceptional results. Her vast experience, spanning over thirty years, encompasses working with professionals from Fortune 500 companies, startups, and mid-sized organizations.

With over 15 years of experience as a certified Project Management Professional, Helene has expertly integrated the finest Project Management practices with Agile principles. Her innovative approach has gained widespread recognition, attracting an international audience to her annual Agile Coach Retreat, where she imparts her knowledge with fellow coaches from around the world.

Helene's dedication to supporting Agile growth in the community inspired her to establish the Agile Groupies Meetup in 2008. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this thriving group meets regularly to collaborate to learn and enhance their Agile practices. As an esteemed speaker, Helene has engaged audiences at over 100 Meetups, Agile conferences, and Project Management Institute Chapter meetings.

In her spare time you’ll find Helene busy biking, going on long walks with her husband David, and coddling her cat Stella.

Co-author Thomas Meloche is an accomplished marketing expert, best-selling author, and agile transformation leader with a proven track record of successfully launching and promoting products across various industries. With more than twenty-five years of experience, Thomas has demonstrated a unique ability to combine his deep knowledge of marketing strategies with agile methodologies to help organizations achieve remarkable results. 

Thomas began his career as a software developer, which allowed him to gain invaluable hands-on experience in the technology industry. Over time, Thomas honed his marketing skills and co-founded Menlo Innovations LLC, one of the most successful agile software development houses in the United States. Menlo Innovations has been featured in the book "Joy Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love," which highlights the company's unique agile process, The Menlo Way, for rapidly producing high-quality software. Thousands of people visit Menlo from around the world every year to experience The Menlo Way firsthand.

In addition to his work at Menlo Innovations, Thomas has provided marketing consulting services through Perry Marshall and Associates since January 2011. In this role, Thomas has been instrumental in creating agile marketing and advertising teams for clients across various industries. His unique approach to marketing has produced significant results for his clients and further solidified his reputation as a top marketing expert.

Thomas' expertise in marketing is complemented by his extensive background in agile transformation. He has coached agile initiatives and transformed products, departments, and companies for over two decades. Thomas has worked with organizations of all sizes, ranging from Interface Systems with one team to USAA with 400 teams and a yearly development budget of 4.5 billion dollars.