speaker's bio
An acclaimed speaker, Dee Robinson is an oft-recognized award-winning entrepreneur who works with individuals and organizations to overcome the fear that holds them back and instead amplify their communications, have the confidence to discuss difficult topics, and pursue their dreams, discovering their true purpose along the way. Her goal is to help clients live a bold life of service and significance. She leads and speaks with passion, guiding her audience to effectively strengthen and elevate their vision to new heights. What shines through in both her work and her public speaking is her uncanny ability to instill courage and build courage circles to maximize ROP3—return on people, profit, and purpose—and leave audiences intrigued and wanting to hear more.
Dee ideated, founded, and successfully scaled Robinson Hill, Inc., building a powerful reputation as an outstanding operator in driving sales, efficiency, innovation, and employee performance along the way. Leveraging comprehensive and integrated marketing strategies customized for key audiences to drive expansion, she spearheaded multiple capital development efforts and forged successful joint ventures and partnerships that further spurred growth. Robinson Hill subsequently grew to encompass over 60 airport and tourist-site restaurants and retail stores. Brands and partnerships in the company portfolio include notable names like Hudson Group, Frontera Grill, Ben & Jerry’s, Farmer’s Fridge, Potbelly, and Lettuce Entertain You. Her subject matter expertise in successfully scaling companies led her to counsel other businesses to do the same.
"Courage fuels the power to chase after things that are important to you. It also bolsters self confidence and allows for belief in one’s abilities."
Prior to starting her own company, Dee attended the University of Pennsylvania and the Kellogg School of Management, worked in two large banks, consumer goods company Johnson & Johnson, and top advertising agency Leo Burnett before taking the brave leap into entrepreneurship. It would have been easy to stay in her stable and well-paying career, but she always longed to move the needle of her work experience to something bigger that would contribute meaningfully to our world, and she speaks compellingly about the decision to become an entrepreneur. In that process, she formulated and cultivated a scalable and teachable strategy to help others embrace change and forge their own unique path. Dee’s candid recounting of her own wins and losses in running her own business—and lessons learned from each—consistently resonate with audiences
Dee’s refreshing honesty entertains audiences even as they learn. She engages people from the moment she steps in front of them and leaves them with ideas that linger and techniques they will use even long after the speaking engagement is over. She is inspired to help people take their careers—and themselves—to unprecedented levels. We all deserve to be wherever our dreams take us!
When not working, advocating, serving on boards, or playing (at) golf, Dee enjoys cooking, a passion she shared with her beloved mom, who was a consummate host and a courageous soul. Her dinners were nothing short of legendary. It was also her mom who taught her to always leave people and places better than she found them—something that has now become her unofficial mission. Dee is a bourbon maker, proud mom and grandma to her daughter’s cat. Living in Chicago makes juggling her love for power boating and golf difficult to balance.
