Julie Murphy

Julie Murphy is executive vice president of People for Walmart U.S., supporting 1.5 million associates across the United States. Her responsibilities include overseeing and empowering all Walmart U.S. Home Office and store associates, including merchandising, marketing and logistics.

Julie began her career with Walmart in 1985 as an hourly management trainee in Anna, Ill.  She continued to take on increasing responsibility, serving as an assistant manager, store manager, district manager and eventually earning a role as executive vice president for the Walmart U.S. West business unit – a $130 billion business.

Prior to her current role, Julie served as executive vice president of Neighborhood Markets for Walmart U.S. Her responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of Neighborhood Market operations as well as leading the reinvention of the Neighborhood Market format.

Julie serves on the board of directors for the Walmart Foundation, a member of Walmart’s Women’s Officer Caucus, and is the executive sponsor for the Women’s Resource Council.

Julie holds a degree in marketing and management from Missouri State University.

Sergio Ezama

Sergio is currently SVP Chief Talent Officer and CHRO Global Functions and Groups, PepsiCo, based in Purchase, (New York).

Sergio joined PepsiCo in Spain in 2001 and enjoyed a rich and diverse number of experiences in Europe. From 2001 to 2012, Sergio went rapidly through increasingly important roles at the regional and sector levels covering both Developed and Developing and Emerging markets. Throughout this period Sergio was based in Barcelona, Geneva and Moscow.

In September 2012, Sergio was appointed PepsiCo Inc. SVP Global Talent Management and Development based out of our Global Headquarters in New York. During his assignment Sergio had responsibility over Talent Management and Development, Learning, Succession, Organization Design and Talent Analytics for PepsiCo globally.

In October 2014, Sergio retuned to Geneva and was appointed SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, PepsiCo Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, Sergio was responsible for the Human Capital Management Agenda for our European and Sub-Saharan Africa businesses covering 65 different countries and 45.000 associates.

Later in September 2017, Sergio was promoted to add Latin America to his portfolio and returned to PepsiCo Global Headquarters in Purchase (New York). In this new role, Sergio oversaw the HR Agenda for a combined USD +20Bn Business with more than 125,000 employees in close to a hundred countries.

Most recently, Sergio has been promoted to PepsiCo, SVP Chief Talent Officer and CHRO Global Functions and Groups. In this newly created role, Sergio is leading our Company-wide efforts across all Talent Management & Acquisition areas while providing leadership to the overall HR agenda for all our Global teams (including Innovation, Design, E-Commerce, Marketing, Global Sales, R&D, Supply Chain, Finance and our Global Business Services organization).

Prior to PepsiCo, Sergio spent 4 years in various HR Management roles at Ericsson AG and before that worked for a number of Law firms in his home country.

Sergio holds a BS in Law from University of Deusto and several Master Degrees (Juridical Practice, Human Resources Management and Health and Safety Management). Most recently he is a Harvard alumnus after completing the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Sergio is married to Elena and has two children, Iker (8) and Blanca (5).

Lars Minns

Lars N. Minns is currently the Head of HR for Mercedes-Benz, USA’s with responsibility for the US, Canada, and Mexico. He joined the company in March 2015.  He currently leads the organization in designing, implementing, and executing HR strategies that directly align with the company’s strategic objectives for the Sales, Marketing, and Distribution of passenger cars in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

He and his team have played a pivotal role in the successful onboarding of 300+ new employees since his arrival – the largest 1-year hiring the company has experienced in its 50+ year history.  He and his team are now poised to lead one of the world’s most admired brands through a large scale transformation.

Prior to joining MBUSA, he served as the Sr. Mgr. of Talent Acquisition for The Home Depot’s At Home Services commonly referred to as the “Do it For Me” business.  He led his team in executing talent acquisition strategies for the company’s fastest growing business segment.

Lars spent 10 years with The Home Depot and served in roles of increasing responsibility.  Most notably serving as the Sr. Mgr. of Talent Management for Operations, Services, Finance, and IT.  He led all facets of Talent Management and supported those business areas in several large scale transformational efforts aimed at increasing overall operational efficiencies.  He supported the company’s Supply Chain from 2010-2012, where his talent management and consulting skills were dedicated to the logistics side of the retail business.  Top talent succession planning, assessment, selection and development were some of his primary responsibilities.

Early in his tenure with the company, he led the design and execution of the Company’s Executive Coaching program, the CEO’s Merchandising and US Retail focus groups, various Exposure and Leadership development programs, along with other enterprise-wide initiatives.

Before joining the Company, Lars held various roles in IT consulting sales and recruiting during the .com and Y2K eras.

He is a current board member of SHRM-Atlanta and Page Turners make Great Learners.

Lars is a sought after presenter and facilitator and spends considerable time communicating the importance of cultivating the right talent for business success.

Lars earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hampton University in Hampton, VA.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, he is married to Moya Minns, calligrapher and owner of MM Ink Studio; they reside in Sandy Springs, GA with their three children – Landyn, Latham, Lian.

Melissa Howell

Melissa Howell has been Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Kellogg Company, since June 2016. She is a member of Kellogg Company’s executive committee. Prior to joining Kellogg, Ms. Howell was Chief Human Resources Officer for Rockford, Michigan‐based Wolverine since 2014. Prior to Wolverine, Ms. Howell spent 24 years with General Motors where she led a team of 2,800 Human Resources professionals worldwide, supporting a global business at one of the top automotive companies in the world, and also among the largest public corporations. Ms. Howell joined General Motors as a Labor Relations Representative at its Ypsilanti, Michigan, assembly plant in 1990. Over the following years, Ms. Howell served in a series of key human resources leadership roles in Europe, Asia and U.S. leading teams on six continents across an array of functional areas. She was promoted to Executive Director of North American Human Resources in 2011 and subsequently promoted to Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. Ms. Howell received a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from Wayne State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Employee Relations from Michigan State University. Ms. Howell serves on the Board of Directors of Autism Alliance of Michigan and is a member of the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations Advisory Board at Michigan State University.

Eric Hutcherson

Eric Hutcherson leads the NBA’s Human Resources department, managing a team that drives the NBA’s global workforce strategy built on a commitment to attracting, retaining, developing and engaging top talent for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League. With a focus on people, culture and innovation, Hutcherson is responsible for leading global projects, processes and analytics that address business needs. He partners with the leagues’ senior leadership to enable, empower and develop employees in 13 U.S. and international offices guided by the league’s strategic direction.

Prior to joining the NBA in July 2014, Hutcherson was Managing Director and Chief HR Officer for the U.S. and Canada Division of Marsh, a leading global insurance brokerage firm. Before that, he held several leadership positions at Mercer, a financial services and human resource consulting firm, including Chief Human Resources Officer – Americas, and Global Leader for Mercer’s Outsourcing and Global Operations and Shared Services businesses.

Earlier in his career, he worked for Foot Locker and served as Assistant Director of Public Relations for the Boston Celtics.

Outside of the NBA, Hutcherson is a motivational speaker and created a career development training program, “Say Yes to Success”.  He serves on the Board of Councilors for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, the Senior Advisory Council for the National Association of African Americans in HR, and the Executive Board for Covenant House.

Hutcherson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New York University and a master’s degree in Sports Management and Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He resides in NYC with his wife Linda and their two sons, Austin and Myles.

Alastair Macdonald

Alastair Macdonald is Senior Vice President, Human Resources and is a member of the Business Executive Team and reports directly to the President & CEO of Nestlé Canada. Alastair is responsible for championing organizational and transformational change in an increasingly complex environment by developing capabilities and engaging our people in a deeply values-based culture.

Alastair started his career with Nestlé Canada in 1995 as Human Resources Manager within the Laura Secord Division and progressively moved throughout the Nestlé organization to more senior HR roles. Between 2011 to 2016 Alastair completed an a five-year expatriate assignment as Vice President, Human Resources, Nestlé Equatorial African Region based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to joining Nestlé Canada, Alastair worked with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Air Canada. Alastair has a B.A. in Economics and History from McGill University and a Masters of Industrial Relations from Queen’s University

Kathy Russell

Kathy Russell is Chief People Officer at The Nature’s Bounty Co. Kathy joined the company in May 2013 as the Northeast Senior Human Resources Director. She went on to lead the North American Consumer Packaged Goods Human Resources team in 2016 and was promoted to her current role in November 2017. As Chief People Officer, she is responsible for all Human Resources functions and partnering with the business to drive results in this area.

Prior to joining The Nature’s Bounty Co., Kathy was the Global Senior Human Resources Director at Motorola Solutions, Inc. with responsibility for the US, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In this role, she was instrumental in multiple optimization projects. She led the successful integration of Symbol Technologies, Inc. and Motorola and outsourced the Motorola Distribution, Warehouse and Repair centers.

Kathy holds a BA in Psychology and a minor in Communications from Dowling College and is a native Long Islander.

Her favorite The Nature’s Bounty Co. products include Hair, Skin and Nails Gummies, Multi-Vitamins and Probiotics.

Her passions for wellness include healthy eating, exercise and enjoying the outdoors with her family.

Melissa Harper

In this leadership role, Melissa is responsible for developing, transforming and executing global talent strategies that drive a high-performance culture of innovation and inclusion at Bayer.

Melissa brings her nearly 10 years’ experience at Monsanto, acquired by Bayer, to lead enterprise wide talent transformation. Through best in class operational capabilities and analytics, Melissa developed a global function at Monsanto responsible for attracting talent, development, ensuring an inclusive environment, shaping a digital culture, and delivering talent needs that align to strategic business goals and preparedness for the future workforce.

She has been recognized as a Diverse Business Leader and as a Top Executive in Corporate Diversity. Melissa began her career at Spencer Stuart Executive Search and later served as Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Whirlpool Corporation and Wachovia.

Melissa is from Chicago, IL, and received her BA in Psychology from Roosevelt University, and her MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management. She is on the Boards of the St. Louis YMCA, Diversity Awareness Partnership, and St. Louis Mosaic Project.

Charles Bendotti

Mr. Bendotti joined Philip Morris International in Lausanne in 1999 as Business Analyst. From 2000 until 2006, he served in various cross-functional roles in Marketing & Sales and Business Development in different markets of the Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America & Canada Regions. Mr. Bendotti then became Managing Director, Ecuador & Bolivia, followed by his appointment as Vice President, Human Resources for the Latin America & Canada Region in 2008. In 2012 he was named Vice President, Human Resources Asia, a position he held until December 2016, and then Senior Vice President, Human Resources.

Mr. Bendotti holds a master’s degree in international relations, economy, and law from the Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and an Executive MBA from HEC Paris.

Patrick Curry

Pat has been with the LEGO Group since 2012 and is currently the Head of Partnering & Operations for the Americas. In this capacity he serves as the People Operations lead for the LEGO Group’s Americas Hub in Enfield, CT, and as the Strategic People Partner for the Americas Market Group. Prior to his current role, Pat served as the People Partner for Latin America and LEGO Brand Retail, North America.

Prior to joining the LEGO Group, Pat worked at The Hartford Financial Services Group for 10 years.  He worked in a variety of functions including Group Benefits, Corporate Relations and Human Resources, where his highlight was managing The Hartford’s scholarships and internships for students from the city of Hartford.

Pat attended Trinity College in Hartford, CT where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Religion and his Master’s Degree in Public Policy. He lives with his wife and two children in Glastonbury, CT and if he’s not at work or at home, you’ll probably find him on a basketball court or baseball field, coaching youth sports.

Sharon Goodwine

Sharon Goodwine is an executive vice president of Human Resources (HR) at Wells Fargo, leading the Enterprise Talent team. She is responsible for a holistic end-to-end view of enterprise talent planning while she and her team ensure that we are well-positioned to meet the needs of today and the future by focusing on trends for talent acquisition, development, planning, and organizational effectiveness from a team member lifecycle perspective. The team also oversees the creation of talent-related products and tools.

Holding various Human Resources positions at Wells Fargo since 2000, Sharon was most recently the senior HR leader for Wholesale Banking. In this role, she and her team identified and capitalized on common advantage points, including talent intelligence, movement and development, diversity and inclusion, and long-term human capital strategies. Under her leadership, Sharon’s team successfully built effective partnerships with HR Centers of Excellence and line-of-business partners to leverage efficiencies, drive innovation, manage risk, apply metrics, manage annual processes, and develop implementation plans for business priorities.

Sharon has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College in Atlanta, and is a certified diversity practitioner through Elsie Y. Cross & Associates.

Active in her community, Sharon currently serves on the board for Freedom School Partners. She also regularly volunteers at her daughter’s school and with local nonprofit organizations. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters.

Craig Robinson

Craig Robinson is Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for NBCUniversal. He reports directly to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.

Robinson is responsible for defining and building a corporate culture that values diversity of backgrounds, talent, experiences and ideas across the company’s portfolio. He serves as the main liaison between NBCUniversal and key local and national organizations, collaborates with the businesses to foster an inclusive work environment, oversees the company’s eight internal Employee Resource Groups and co-leads the industry-leading Comcast NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.

NBCUniversal was recently ranked in the Forbes list of Best Employers for Diversity for 2018. Comcast NBCUniversal was also recognized by Fortune as one of the 50 Best Workplaces for Diversity, by DiversityInc as a Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and by LinkedIn in their list of Top Companies for 2018.

Robinson was named to his position in August 2011, having previously served from 2008 as President and General Manager of KNBC-TV, the NBC Owned Station in Los Angeles where he oversaw all aspects of the television station including news, sales and community relations.
Previous roles include President and General Manager of WCMH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio; Vice President of Sales for WRC-TV, NBC’s Owned Station in Washington, DC; and Local and National Sales Manager of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. After studying Political Science at UCLA and a brief stint in retail sales and management, he took an entry level job at KCBS-TV (then KNXT-TV) in Advertising Sales and quickly realized that broadcasting and entertainment was where he wanted to spend his career.

Raised in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, Robinson’s interest in public service was sparked at an early age by his parents. His Chinese-American mother retired after a long career in public service, much of it in support of low-income families through the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. Robinson’s father was one of the first African-American consultants for the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), where he investigated allegations of racial, gender and age discrimination in housing and employment. Race, equality and civil rights were frequent topics at the Robinson dinner table and those discussions continue to inform and drive his commitment to diversity and inclusion today.

Chevalier Cleaves

Chevy Cleaves is the inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory.  A four-time CDIO (Higher Ed, Industry, Government, R&D), Chevy is an experienced and transformational executive leader skilled in building and influencing coalitions to help further connect the application of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) to an organization’s core strategy and goals. He has proven experience leading high-profile initiatives across national / international landscapes.  Chevy is an expert in optimizing best practices across large government and private sector organizations, enabling increased collaboration, innovation, and productivity. He helps leaders develop a clear vision of how to maximize D&I across employee and operations life cycles to leverage all talent, enhance performance and create a strategic advantage.

As the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer for the United States Air Force, Chevy was also a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service.  In this role, he was responsible for leading D&I transformation for the Air Force’s 500,000 uniformed and 140,000 civilian workforces.  This transformation included creating sustainable change while integrating visionary leadership with operational and talent management strategies / processes.

Chevy was previously recruited to become the first Chief Diversity Officer and to lead D&I from inception to implementation for an innovative Fortune 300 company in a highly regulated industry.  He partnered with the Board of Directors, CEO, Chief Human Resources Officer, Division Presidents, and the Executive Committee to create and deliver a transformational competitive advantage. His team’s efforts immediately improved benchmarking results while identifying markets where lines of business could be further penetrated to increase topline earnings.

Prior to this role, Chevy was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to lead the Air Force Academy Admissions Directorate, where the Superintendent selected him as the first Head of Diversity and Inclusion.  He worked directly with the Academy leadership team, Board of Visitors, Association of Graduates, Falcon Foundation, and Congressional leaders to identify, select, advance, and graduate the best and most well-rounded talent from every state in the nation. He presented his team’s tremendous results to the Congressional Tri-Caucus and the Military Leadership Diversity Committee, leading to widespread acclaim from senior Air Force and Congressional leaders.

Chevy retired from active duty after a career as an instructor pilot, commander, and airpower strategist, and was the lead T-38 Evaluator for the B-2 Bomber Initial Cadre selection process.  He played a critical role in the response to 9-11 as the lead Checkmate (USAF Air / Space Strategy Division) team chief, commanded a total force flying squadron and later as a Joint Staff division chief responsible for delivering Integrated Joint Special Technical Operations capabilities to unified commanders while driving formation of the Information Operations Career Force. Chevy has an MS degree in strategy and planning from the National Defense University, an MA degree in human resource development from Webster University, and a BS degree in basic sciences from the Air Force Academy, and is a Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional / Advanced Practitioner.  He is the recipient of multiple awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal.

Celeste Warren

Celeste Warren is Vice President, Human Resources & Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence. In this dual role, she has responsibility for the strategic and operational Human Resources support of Merck’s Global Legal, Compliance, Communications, Population Health, Patient Health and Global Public Policy Organizations.

As the leader for Merck’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence, she is responsible for working with Merck’s global leaders to advance and embed diversity and inclusion as a strategic approach to maximize business performance and create a competitive advantage.

Ms. Warren joined Merck in 1997 and has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility within its Human Resources organization. Most recently, she was the Vice President, Human Resources for Merck’s Manufacturing Division and Global Labor Relations and US Employee Relations Center of Excellence.

From 2009 to 2011, she was Human Resources Leader for Merck’s Vaccines organizations.  In this role, she led efforts to forge alliances and end to end processes between the Vaccine Research, Vaccine Manufacturing and Vaccine Commercial organizations.  She worked directly with the leaders to manage the critical linkages between basic research, late-stage development and manufacturing to expand Merck’s vaccine offerings throughout the world.

During her tenure at Merck, Ms. Warren has supported various different businesses and corporate staff functions and has held positions of increasing responsibility.

Prior to joining Merck in 1997, Celeste worked for nine years in Human Resources at Kraft Foods, Inc. and General Foods and held several positions of increasing responsibility including such roles as Training & Development Leader, Diversity leader, Labor Relations Director and Human Resources Leader for several organizations within Kraft and General Foods.

She is a member of Board of Directors for Grandview Health and DiversityMBA.  She also serves on the CEB Diversity & Inclusion Working Council, the Simmons College School of Management’s Business Advisory Council and the Forbes Human Resources Council.

She has been honored with many awards, including National Diversity Council’s “Most Powerful and Influential Women of Pennsylvania”, and most recently she was named one of the  ’21 Leaders for the 21st Century” and Diversity Global’s “2017 Influential Women in Global Diversity.”  She was also chosen as one of Black Enterprise’s Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion.

Celeste attended the University of Kentucky where she earned her B.S. degree. She received her Masters Degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

She is the wife of John Warren and the mother of two children, Christina-Celeste (16) and John Steven, Jr. (14).

Stefond Harris

Stefond began his UPS career in 1984 in the Missouri District as a part-time package handler. While in the district, he held a variety of operations and staff assignments before concentrating his focus on Human Resources. He served in all aspects of Human Resources as a supervisor and manager in the district before being promoted to Iowa District Human Resources Manager in 1996. He later held the same position in the East Bay District, Northwest Region Office, Metro Chicago District, and CACH.

In 2008, Stefond became the North Central Region Human Resources Operations Manager, and in 2011 was promoted to the Central Region Human Resources Manager. He held the same position at UPS Freight before joining the Supply Chain Group in 2016. In 2018, Stefond accepted the assignment of Vice President of Human Resources for U.S. Operations, supporting H.R. transformation efforts and planning and implementation of the H.R. operating model.

Later in 2018, Stefond was promoted to Vice President, U.S. Operations Human Resources, responsible for all facets of Human Resources activities including hiring, training, retention, employee relations, and wellness and safety for UPS’s U.S. small-package business unit, UPS Airlines, UPS Freight, and The UPS Store.

In January 2019, Stefond accepted the assignment of Vice President, Human Capital Strategy.

Tiffanie Boyd

Tiffanie Boyd is currently Vice President of Human Resources for the global Supply Chain at General Mills.  She has more than 20 years of experience in HR and is known for her ability to build talent and leadership development programs that maximize performance.

Prior to General Mills, Tiffanie was a consultant with Hewitt Associates.  She has an MBA and BBA from the University of Michigan Ross Business School. She has served on various community boards and dedicates her time to initiatives focused on closing the education achievement gap.

Tiffanie is originally from Detroit, MI and now lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband Colbert and their sons, Evan and Ian.

Mayank Bhatnagar

Mayank Bhatnagar is Executive Vice President, Human Resources of GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the $40 billion commercial aircraft financing and leasing unit of GE.

As head of HR for GECAS, Mayank is responsible for people strategy and execution and leads a global team. He is based in Norwalk, CT, USA.

Mayank first joined GE in 2002 at GE Capital International Services (now Genpact) and was their Assistant Vice President HR, based in India. He left Genpact in 2005 to join Novartis Pharmaceuticals at their HQ in Basel, Switzerland. Over the next 5+ years at Novartis, Mayank was in diverse roles, from leading HR for a Commercial BU to global leadership development. He rejoined GE in 2010 as Director & Head HR for GE Healthcare India and South Asia, where he led HR for his fast growing and complex organization comprising sales, marketing, manufacturing and technology.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from NIT Tiruchirappalli, India and his post-graduate degree in Human Resources from XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur, India.

In his free time, Mayank likes to read, travel and cook. He is involved in and is passionate about the education of girls, especially in developing countries.

About GECAS

GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is a world leader in aviation leasing and financing with 50 years of experience. The GECAS portfolio comprises a wide range of aircraft types including narrow bodies, wide bodies, regional jets, turboprops, freighters and helicopters. GECAS offers multiple financing products and services including operating leases, purchase/leasebacks, secured debt financing, capital markets, engine leasing, airframe parts management and airport/airline consulting. GECAS owns or services a fleet of over 1,900 aircraft+ in operation or on order, plus provides loans collateralized on an additional ~400 aircraft. GECAS serves ~ 250 customers in over 75 countries from a network of 25 offices.

www.gecas.com

Doug Billings

Mr. Billings has worked in human resources for twenty-four years and has multi-industry experience in manufacturing, aerospace and healthcare. He is a graduate of The University of Missouri in Kansas City with an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies and Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum & Instruction. He also studied for the priesthood at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri and pursued a degree in Theology. Although he did not become a priest, these experiences forged in him his passion for Servant Leadership.  Mr. Billings also holds a Labor-Relations Professional certification from Human Resource Policy Association.

In his current role, he is responsible for Tutera Senior Living & Health Care’s human resources department, including matters ranging from recruitment, retention, employee engagement, community culture, Servant Leadership, benefits, compensation, employee and labor relations, policy development & application, workers’ compensation and legal-compliance issues related to employment law.

Mr. Billings is an author and motivational speaker on multiple human resources and business leadership topics. His book, Your Wonderful Life: No Matter the Past, Life Always Holds wonder, Joy & Meaning was picked up by Barnes and Nobel and he is often asked to speak on topics such as leadership, overcoming adversity, and employee engagement.

He believes that Human Resources and leadership training miss an important component: That, we truly can fulfill “The Meaning of Life” as HR professionals & leaders by teaching that The Meaning of Life is this: To enter into the lives of others to make differences for the better.

He was an adjunct instructor at Rockhurst University in Kansas City where he taught human-resources leadership in the Helzberg Graduate MBA Program. He has served on the board of directors for the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City.

He and his wife, Renee, live in Olathe, Kansas with their six children.

Cindy Blendu

Although Cindy’s recent experience is in HR leadership roles, she has held several roles in other areas and beyond traditional HR. Cindy has diverse and hands-on experience in driving large scale change and transformation, including post-merger integrations, organization and operating model redesigns, and global systems implementations. Cindy’s career has been primarily focused in the technology, technology services, professional services, and healthcare industries.

Cindy is currently the Chief Transformation Officer and Chief HR Officer at Clearwater Analytics, a high-growth global SaaS Fintech company based in Boise, Idaho. Prior to Clearwater, Cindy launched Headpoint Consulting to support companies looking to accelerate growth and transformation.

Formerly, Cindy has held IT and HR leadership roles at Solera Holdings, Advantia Health, and CSC (now DXC Technology) with the common theme that these were all companies undergoing accelerated growth and/or transformation. These companies range from startup-mode to a global Fortune 500 company.

Cindy also worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for 10 years. While at BCG, Cindy led many large scale change efforts successfully and was BCG’s IT in PMI topic expert globally. While at BCG, she spent time as BCG’s Global Manager for Transformation / Accelerated Change. Before BCG, Cindy worked at Deloitte Consulting with a focus on post-merger integration projects.

Cindy holds degrees from MIT Sloan School of Management and Miami University (Ohio) and spent two years at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Stacey Calvert

After years as a practicing employment lawyer, both as a litigator in a national law firm as well as in-house legal counsel partnering with Human Resources professionals in the aerospace, technology, and manufacturing industries, Stacey Calvert took a new career path and moved into a Human Resources role.

She is currently Vice President, Human Resources for the North American aerostructures business of GKN Aerospace, part of a U.K.-based global engineering services and manufacturing company which traces its legacy back to 1759. Prior to this role, she was with a private equity-owned global industrial manufacturing business as Corporate Director of Employee Relations and Division Vice President of Human Resources and previously held other roles in the Legal and Compliance function within the technology and manufacturing industries.

Stacey earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and has a Master’s degree in Organizational Management.

She holds the SHRM-SCP credential from the Society of Human Resource Management. Stacey has lived and worked in the Dallas, Texas area for the past 21 years.

She is married to Jim, a clinical psychologist and Lecturer at SMU, and has two teenagers.

Jennifer Carpenter

Brandi Khoury

James Johnstone

Christine Krull

Fenella Chrisholm

Carlos Cubia

Karla Younger

Elizabeth Musico

Jennifer Saavedra

Laura Blythe

Inez Lankenau

Valerie Fulbright

Sue Wall

Sandy Buchanich

Jon Tice

Patrice Dudley-Aviles

Mary Eaton

Kate Reed

Stephane Charbonnier

Stephane Charbonnier is Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer for L’Oréal USA, as of February 2017. In this role, Mr. Charbonnier is responsible for driving leadership and learning initiatives, developing talent and building an HR team with an “employee first” approach. He serves on the L’Oréal USA Strategic Committee and Human Resources Management Committee and reports to L’Oréal USA President and Chief Executive Officer, Frédéric Rozé and Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Jean Claude Legrand.

Charbonnier is a solution-oriented leader with proven success building and leading multi-disciplinary HR teams within dynamic organizations. In 2013, he joined L’Oréal USA as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Company’s Consumer Products Division. Under Charbonnier’s leadership, his team supported digital transformation with the redesign of the Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications teams and successfully integrated employees from NYX and the Multi-Cultural Beauty Division, which includes brands such as Carol’s Daughter and Softsheen-Carson. Prior to joining L’Oréal USA, he worked more than two decades in key HR leadership positions at Towers Watson, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, American Express and McDonalds in Europe and in the United States.

Stephane holds a degree in Human Resources from the Institute of Social Management in Paris and a Bachelor in Economy from the University of Limoges. He has served in the Creenshaw Associates advisory board and currently serves in the Board of Directors of the NY chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

Rhian Grespan

Rhian Grespan is SVP, People and Development, Global Corporate Shared Services and Supply Chain plus NY/NJ Facilities at Ralph Lauren Corporation. She leads a team of P&D professionals providing strategic business leadership for over 5,000 employees across all global corporate functions at Ralph Lauren. She is also responsible for Ralph Lauren’s New York and New Jersey facilities and leads the Chief People Officer’s special projects. Her support for these corporate functions includes organization design, change management, internal communications, talent acquisition and development and day-to-day client partnerships. Prior to joining Ralph Lauren, Rhian worked for Macy’s, Ann Taylor Loft and Gap Inc.

Mike Prutting

Mike Prutting is Chief Human Resources Officer and VP IT & Travel for FUJIFILM Holding American Corporation, based in Valhalla, New York.  He has enjoyed a notable career at Fujifilm, where he has led numerous, significant initiatives and developed a reputation for achieving results by designing and implementing approaches that “make things work”.

Mike began his career in business with Federated Department stores, and is a graduate of Rutgers University. Mike is known for his strong functional skills, direct leadership style and abiding commitment to both the employees and the business.

Since he began working at Fujifilm in 1996, he has held progressive HR and general management roles at several divisions. Most recently he has been involved in the acquisitions of 10 new businesses and is playing a key role in Fujifilm’s entrance into the life sciences area. He has also developed and successfully implemented Fujifilm’s North American Regional HQ concept and shared services function. Mike has also led the implementation of a global talent management program as well as the introduction of Fujifilm Way Training.  This global training effort was designed to provide a common business language and methodology to Fujifilm associates worldwide.

Mike serves as a Board member of the American Heart Association, Westchester County Chapter.  He has worked closely with several school boards in the Diocese of Bridgeport.  He is the father of 5 boys, which has played a critical role in the development of his coaching skills.  He and Donna, his bride of 29 years, live in Fairfield County, CT.

Cindy Carlisle

As Vice President of Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Cindy Carlisle is the Human Resources leader of the North America region for the Diagnostics division of Roche, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. She is also a member of the Roche global Human Resources Diagnostics Leadership Team. Cindy’s focus is to create a unique culture that fosters accountability and innovation coupled with an unwavering commitment to customers and the patients they serve. This commitment is visible in Roche Diagnostics’ cultural beliefs and through the company’s involvement in efforts to enhance people’s health and quality of life in the community. Known for developing and executing creative corporate strategies and for leadership development, Cindy is an imaginative problem solver with the ability to build an inclusive team environment while encouraging talent. Her goal is to empower others to reach their full potential by helping them gain awareness of the capabilities they possess. Cindy is a member of the CEO’s leadership team, the North America Diagnostics Executive Committee, where she works directly with the CEO and other senior leaders to craft Roche’s unique value proposition to the marketplace. Prior to her current role, Cindy was Senior Human Resources Director of Janssen Pharmaceutical North America, Johnson & Johnson. She was responsible for leading strategic human resources for the Janssen Therapeutics Infectious Disease Business Unit, Janssen Biotech Central Nervous System (CNS) Business Unit, and their leadership teams. Prior to that, she worked in roles of increasing responsibilities in Human Resources, Marketing, and Finance in the Medical Device, Consumer, and Corporate sectors at Johnson & Johnson. Before joining the Johnson & Johnson group of companies, Cindy was with General Electric. Cindy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Science in adult technical education from Marshall University, Huntington, W. Va. She is a certified Master Black Belt (Six Sigma, Lean and Design Excellence). Cindy volunteers in the community to develop youth through sports and education. She enjoys attending sports and music events: NFL, NBA, NCAA, youth sports, and musical concerts.

Angela Roseboro

Responsibilities

Angela Roseboro is the Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Dropbox.  She is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and actions to drive inclusion and belonging as well as ensuring that Dropbox is an employer of choice for all talent.

Experience

During her more than twenty years of human resource experience, Ms. Roseboro has held positions leading diversity and inclusion, talent management and leadership development for companies in the financial services, asset management, government, entertainment, and manufacturing industries.  She has provided human resource guidance to Fortune 500 companies such as T. Rowe Price, Jones Lang LaSalle, Genworth Financial, Whirlpool Corporation, and Manpower International.

As a member of senior leadership teams, Ms. Roseboro has developed and led best-in-class global diversity initiatives focused on recruitment and retention of diverse talent, cultural transformation, increasing employee engagement and implementing supplier diversity programs.  She has received several recognitions for her contributions including 2012 Midwest Real Estate News Hall of Fame recipient, Commercial Property Executive Distinguished Leaders Award, Black Enterprise’s 150 Diversity Executive, The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business and 50 Out Front for Women’s Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion.  She has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune, The Diversity Journal, and The Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network.  Ms. Roseboro’s passion and knowledge gives her the ability to change the corporate perception of diversity and inclusion from being the right thing to do to being a strategic enabler of business success.

Education and Affiliations

Ms. Roseboro holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Roosevelt University.  She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Ms. Roseboro is active in her community. She’s developed professional development workshops to help Chicago’s low-income residents in partnership with the Banking Industry’s Community Reinvestment Act, and she also is on the Board of Directors of Teach for America Baltimore. Ms. Roseboro and her husband Dimitric have two daughters Jordan and Chandler.

Larry Brand

Larry Brand serves as Chief Human Resources Officer at Elkay Manufacturing, a 100-year old global producer and designer of sinks, water delivery systems, cabinets, and restaurant interior systems with over 5,000 employees worldwide. He is a versatile HR executive with leadership experience serving CEOs, Board of Directors, and global leadership teams. With over 20 years of business experience with increasing levels of responsibility, Mr. Brand compels leadership and boards to adopt business driving people strategies. He is an accomplished leader of talent, strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and board of directors’ relations. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Sparton Corporation (NYSE: SPA), an industrial manufacturer. Mr. Brand holds an MBA in Management and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Evansville in Evansville, IN and holds SPHR and SHRM-SCP professional designations.

Barbie Winterbottom

A strategic and insightful business leader with experience building healthy, people centered cultures and strong diverse leadership teams in fast-paced, goals-driven corporate environments. I have built and realigned HR teams to meet the needs of very demanding businesses both in start up and multi-national Fortune 500 companies. My strengths and experience include, talent acquisition with expertise in high-volume recruiting and call center, retail, medical esthetics, healthcare, TV, IT and more, employee relations, executive and management coaching, talent management and employment branding/marketing. I have experience leading high performing agile HR teams across multiple locations, virtual teams across the globe. I understand the businesses I support and establish HR practices and policy to help drive optimal people experiences, business goals, strategies and objectives. Known as a true partner to my business leaders, I have earned a seat at the table and I ensure HR and People remain a relevant voice, driver and strategic partner.

Laura Robblee

Laura Robblee has served as GoPro’s Vice President of People + Places since May 2017 and as Senior Director of People from June 2015 to May 2017. From November 2013 until May 2015, Ms. Robblee served as the Senior Director, Global HR Business Partner and Head of Talent Development at Lithium Technologies. From 2011 to 2013, she held several human resources roles at Electronic Arts, and prior to that served as an executive consultant from 2006 to 2011. Ms. Robblee holds a master’s certificate in executive coaching and a B.A. in Psychology and Communication from University of Colorado at Boulder.

Camye Mackey

Camye Mackey is the first Chief People Officer for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. As the company’s top Human Resources executive, Ms. Mackey leads the team responsible for strategic development and implementation of the People Philosophy and Culture for the Atlanta Hawks. Ms. Mackey’s priorities are leadership development, employee culture and providing the essential link between employee engagement and guest experience. This includes the overall implementation of the company’s S.M.I.L.E. service philosophy, which is rooted in southern hospitality and employee empowerment.

Ms. Mackey’s background includes more than 25 years of leadership and experience in human resources management where she has established a proven track record of leadership experience in diverse companies, industries, cultures and environments including positions with MGM Resorts International, Walt Disney World, Special Olympics International and B. F. Saul Hospitality Group (owned and operated Hilton, Marriott International and Intercontinental properties). In addition, she owned and operated a full-service HR Consulting firm that serviced notable clients such as The American Red Cross, Walt Disney World, George Mason University, Health Central Hospital and Special Olympics Florida.

Ms. Mackey holds an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a B. B. A. in Business Management from Howard University. She has spoken at several human resource conferences and served on the board of directors at Virginia Tech’s Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management and Special Olympics Florida.

Ms. Mackey is based in Atlanta and enjoys an active lifestyle with her husband and three daughters.

Mike Clementi

Mike Clementi began his career with Unilever in 1994 as a management trainee. His passion for creating an emotional connection between employees and Unilever has led him to work across multiple divisions and geographies acquiring a broad range of HR skills and experiences.

Mike returned to the United States in 2015 as the Vice President of HR North America and Global Customer Development for Unilever after 3 years in the United Kingdom, where he supported several global functions including Finance, IT, Legal and Global Business Services as the VP HR – Global Functions. Before moving to the UK in 2012, Mike served as the Vice President of HR for Unilever’s Supply Chain in the Americas.

Through Mike’s continued focus on cultivating diverse talent and encouraging diversity of thought, Unilever once again was named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign and named #1 employer for Working Mothers. Unilever has also been recognized with The AD Club Action Award, which honors champions of diversity and inclusion.

Mike holds a Masters of Business Administration from Fairfield University & Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Montclair State University.

In his personal life, he is married to his wonderful wife, Robin, and has two beautiful daughters, Lauren & Kaitlin. He enjoys all sports but is passionate about American football, baseball and golf.

Jon Williamson

Jon Williamson is the Head of Human Resources for Johnson & Johnson North America. In this role, Jon has strategic oversight of the Human Resources function across the J&J Enterprise in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Jon joined Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector (MD&D) in 2007.  During his tenure at J&J he has led global HR teams and participated on the senior management teams for three MD&D business, including Advanced Sterilization Products, Ethicon Women’s Health and Urology, and Ethicon Biosurgery.  Jon led several portfolio changes in the sector, including integration of several acquisitions made by Johnson & Johnson in the aesthetic and ENT surgery segments.  He has also led enterprise-wide convergence efforts, including serving as the HR Head for the President’s Council.

In 2011, Jon was appointed Vice President Human Resources for Janssen’s Global Pharmaceutical R&D Operations organization, supporting a global employee base for over 5000 employees across 46 countries responsible for driving J&J’s late stage pharmaceutical pipeline.  In this role, he led a transformational business model shift focused on reducing the cost of pharmaceutical product development globally. He subsequently took responsibility leading HR for Janssen’s North America Pharmaceuticals business where he shaped a rapid expansion of this business during a period of unprecedented portfolio growth, resulting in Janssen being named the fastest growing pharmaceutical company in the US.

Jon has over 18 years experience in human resources in both line and staff roles. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Jon held various roles with General Electric Company, Honeywell, House of Blues Entertainment and SGL Carbon Group in both domestic and international assignments.  Raised near Los Angeles, California, Jon also spent a number of years early in his career as an expatriate international project manager based in Germany.

Jon holds an MBA from the Henley Management College, London, UK and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and also holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the HR Certification Institute.  He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Jon is an avid outdoor sports enthusiast and stays connected with his home state through collecting wines from the various regions across California. He lives in Westchester, NY with his wife and two sons.

Ancy Paul

As Vice President and Head of People & Culture, Ancy Paul leads the Foundation’s work on talent acquisition and development, organizational culture, workforce diversity and inclusion, and benefits administration and management. Ancy has over 17 years of human resource experience in global and domestic environments. Most recently she worked at Discovery Communications as Vice President of the Human Resources team responsible for supporting executives with organizational design, workforce planning, diversity initiatives, training and talent management programs. Prior to joining Discovery, Ancy held HR positions at Winchester Homes, Deposition Services and Axis HRD. She holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Mumbai and is certified through the Human Resource Certification Institute as a Senior Human Resource Professional (SPHR).

Michelle Williamson

Michelle Williamson is the Vice President of People and Culture for Levi Strauss & Co. She partners with the business to deliver people solutions that meet the company’s needs, engage employees, and make LS&Co. a great place to work. Specifically, Williamson is responsible for talent acquisition, learning and development, employee engagement and leadership development. She is a member of the company’s Global HR Leadership team.

She is a seasoned HR leader with more than 15 years of experience in the retail sector, having spent her early career with Gap Inc. Williamson has deep experience across HR disciplines, including HR Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management.

Passionate about finding the best talent and providing a great employee experience, Williamson has held her current role since 2014. She brings a transformational mindset to leading and developing the company’s People & Culture function to drive positive cultural change while enhancing individual and collective performance. Williamson’s team has introduced innovative tools for managing and engaging employees, resulting in high levels of engagement and low levels of regrettable turnover.

Williamson holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego. She’s a lifelong Californian who lives in the Bay Area with her family.

Tiffanie Boyd

Tiffanie Boyd is currently Vice President of Human Resources for the global Supply Chain at General Mills.  She has more than 20 years of experience in HR and is known for her ability to build talent and leadership development programs that maximize performance.

Prior to General Mills, Tiffanie was a consultant with Hewitt Associates.  She has an MBA and BBA from the University of Michigan Ross Business School. She has served on various community boards and dedicates her time to initiatives focused on closing the education achievement gap.

Tiffanie is originally from Detroit, MI and now lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband Colbert and their sons, Evan and Ian.

Meg Newman

Meg Newman is Chief Human Resources Officer for Keurig Dr Pepper. She joined Keurig Green Mountain in 2017 as Chief Human Resources Officer, prior to which she served as Chief People Officer of Home Depot Supply. She previously held key human resources roles in Conseco Insurance and Sears Roebuck & Company.

Meg holds a BA in Psychology from Coe College and an MA in Liberal Arts from the University of Wisconsin. She is a Director of Core & Main, and is a member of the HR Leadership Forum, the Society for Human Resource Management and the HR Policy Association.

Megan Taylor

As Senior Director of Business Partnering within Adobe’s Employee Experience organization, Megan Taylor has helped reshape the employee experience as the company has transformed its business model and global presence. While at Adobe, Megan has acted as lead business partner to nearly every member of the company’s executive suite, advising them on talent and organizational strategies. As Adobe’s culture continues to evolve, Megan and other senior leaders of Employee Experience are focused on advancing the company’s business while retaining the core values that have contributed to it being recognized as an exceptional place to grow, develop and make an impact.

Prior to Adobe, Megan held multiple roles at Fidelity Investments in Boston focused on talent selection and management effectiveness. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of Wooster.

Mayank Bhatnagar

Mayank Bhatnagar is Executive Vice President, Human Resources of GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the $40 billion commercial aircraft financing and leasing unit of GE.

As head of HR for GECAS, Mayank is responsible for people strategy and execution and leads a global team. He is based in Norwalk, CT, USA.

Mayank first joined GE in 2002 at GE Capital International Services (now Genpact) and was their Assistant Vice President HR, based in India. He left Genpact in 2005 to join Novartis Pharmaceuticals at their HQ in Basel, Switzerland. Over the next 5+ years at Novartis, Mayank was in diverse roles, from leading HR for a Commercial BU to global leadership development. He rejoined GE in 2010 as Director & Head HR for GE Healthcare India and South Asia, where he led HR for his fast growing and complex organization comprising sales, marketing, manufacturing and technology.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from NIT Tiruchirappalli, India and his post-graduate degree in Human Resources from XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur, India.

In his free time, Mayank likes to read, travel and cook. He is involved in and is passionate about the education of girls, especially in developing countries.

About GECAS

GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is a world leader in aviation leasing and financing with 50 years of experience. The GECAS portfolio comprises a wide range of aircraft types including narrow bodies, wide bodies, regional jets, turboprops, freighters and helicopters. GECAS offers multiple financing products and services including operating leases, purchase/leasebacks, secured debt financing, capital markets, engine leasing, airframe parts management and airport/airline consulting. GECAS owns or services a fleet of over 1,900 aircraft+ in operation or on order, plus provides loans collateralized on an additional ~400 aircraft. GECAS serves ~ 250 customers in over 75 countries from a network of 25 offices.

www.gecas.com

Rob Sklans

Rob Sklans is a business leader and trusted adviser to executive teams and boards of large, global companies, and an architect of skilled, productive, and high-engagement workforces, with 20+ years of experience serving the health care, medical device, consumer product, specialty chemical and technology industries. He has managed global projects up to $400M and transformed HR functions into best-in-class, strategic enablers of business growth. Rob’s expertise in strategic and tactical organizational and individual development; organizational redesign; merger integration activities; and process improvements informs all his work.
As CHRO at Innophos (Cranbury, NJ), Rob reported to the CEO and led a team of 27 people. During his tenure, he created and launched a 4-year global HR strategy to enable the company to meet its 2022 vision to grow into a $1.25Bn company. He implemented a US Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) pilot to reduce time to fill and recruiting spend, and created Total Rewards & Talent Management centers of expertise to strengthen employee engagement/retention and enhance the leadership pipeline. In close partnership with the Board’s Compensation Committee, he also refreshed Short and Long-term Incentive plans.
Previously, as Chief Human Resources Officer at Elementis (East Windsor, NJ), he led the global HR function and served as Supervisory Board Member for Elementis Specialties, Netherlands BV. In this role, he redesigned and implemented Short- and Long-term Incentives for Director level and above, by partnering with the UK-based Board Remuneration Committee; successfully directed HR due diligence, internal communication strategy and talent integration plan for the SummitReheis acquisition; and partnering with the CEO, flattened the organization. Rob created a unified global function (a first for the company) that built critical capabilities; improved bench strength, harmonized all jobs across the enterprise, and enabled incentives to be tied to career levels globally.
Before joining Elementis, Rob served as VP of HR, North America (NA) Region for Royal DSM (Parsippany, NJ), leading an organization of 50+ people. Earlier, he was as Director of Talent Management, NA Region, for Evonik Industries (Parsippany, NJ).
Previously, Rob served in a variety of leadership roles for Johnson & Johnson (2002 – 2011), the last as Director, Global Talent Management, Medical Device & Diagnostics (New Brunswick, NJ).

Rob earned an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Connecticut College. He and his family reside in Metuchen, NJ.

Alan Schmadtke

Alan Schmadtke is a writer, leader, strategist, negotiator, collaborator, planner and husband. He is also Chief People Officer at Launch That, LLC, a privately held Orlando-based company that fosters innovation through its digital marketing and technology ventures.

His champions Launch That’s I Am EPIC culture, heads up leadership and team member training and development, and directs the Human Resources and administrative teams. Day to day, his goal is to provide a servant leadership style to a young, dynamic workforce and to inspire fellow executives.

He also produces LaunchCon, an annual digital marketing and technology conference that features renowned speakers who inspire, motivate, and foster skills-based growth.

At his core, Alan is a writer. For nearly three decades, Alan was an award-winning sportswriter, editor and digital news pioneer. He spent more than two decades as a reporter, first at The Alabama Journal and then at the Orlando Sentinel. His focus was college athletics, where he covered Stetson University, the University of Central Florida, and Florida State University as a beat writer. As a senior reporter, he was the paper’s lead college reporter, covering numerous college bowl games, NCAA Tournaments, College World Series, and a number of Super Bowls and NASCAR events. He covered the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars before becoming the paper’s NFL editor and digital editor.

Alan then moved into a role as deputy digital editor, where he managed the paper’s online resources, staff, and home page. He was responsible for teaching writers how to optimize their stories and and generate readers online. He served as the paper’s criminal justice editor during the Casey Anthony murder investigation.

He switched careers in 2011, trading journalism to marketing when he joined AMAG (now Launch That) as an editor for the company’s online properties. After being named content director, he co-led the company’s internal marketing agency before being elevated to Chief People Officer in 2015.

A former president of the Football Writers Association of America, Alan holds a degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He has two published books, including a recently released mystery novel, “Dead Odds,” under the pen name David Ryan.

Wendy Kagan

Wendy Kagan is the Executive Vice President, Director of Employee and Community Engagement at BankNewport. In her role at BankNewport, Wendy oversees Human Resources, Marketing, Community Relations and Corporate Communications. Wendy has been with BankNewport for over twelve years. Prior to BankNewport, Wendy was the Vice President and of Employee Engagement at Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG). During her time at CFG, Wendy also provided Human Resource consulting to multiple business lines throughout the organization. Prior to CFG, Wendy was the Vice President of Human Resources for Child and Family Services of Newport County.

Wendy holds a BA in psychology from the University of Michigan and a MS in Human Resource Management at Northeastern University. Wendy is most recently an adjunct professor in the business administration department at Salve Regina University and is an IPEC certified Executive Coach and the legislative Co-Director for SHRM Rhode Island.

Joan McGrail

Joan McGrail is a proven Human Resources executive with extensive experience in all facets of HR. She assumed her current role, Vice President of Global Human Resources for New Balance Athletics, Inc., in 2014 and oversees all global HR operations for the company’s 8,200 worldwide employees. Today, Joan is responsible for leading her global team’s strategic HR planning and execution and her top focus areas include workforce planning and development, organizational effectiveness, benefits and compensation, recruiting, talent development and HR operation data and analytics. Ultimately, her team is responsible for the growth, development and inspiration of the organization’s people to drive extraordinary business results.

Additionally, she is a member of New Balance’s senior leadership team, which holds responsibility for the creation and implementation of the company’s corporate strategy for the more than $4 billion business.

Before serving in her current role, Joan was a member of the NB HR Leadership Team since joining the organization in 2005. Prior to that time, Joan held Human Resources roles at Helix Technology, Fidelity Investments and Hitachi Data Systems. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Lesley University in Cambridge. She is a Women Unlimited graduate and member of the organization’s alumni group; executive council member of The Partnership and a member of The Boston Club.

Kerry Held

Kerry brings 15 years of culture, leadership, customer and employee experience work to Siegel+Gale’s worldwide clients. She is an expert in culture, change management and connecting people to ideas, to each other and to brands.

A passion for people informs her work at Siegel+Gale, helping companies deliver better customer experiences through leadership development and culture change. She has worked across healthcare, retail, B2B and finance/banking, partnering with clients such as EmblemHealth Advantage Care Physician’s Group, Delta Airlines, David Yurman.

Prior to joining Siegel+Gale, Kerry helped to found and lead Danny Meyer’s consulting group, Hospitality Quotient. She has since worked as head of business development at leadership consulting firm YSC, and most recently as the SVP of Employee Experience at CLEAR.

Having lived in Spain and Australia, Kerry currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 kids.

Kerry holds a BA in History and International Studies from Boston College and has received Executive Coach certification from Baruch College.

Archana Nirwan

Archana Nirwan is Senior Director, Human Resources of Qualcomm India and is based out of Bengaluru, India. Archana has more than 17 years of experience in varied aspects of human resources management. She has played a strategic role in providing human resources expertise in employee relations, coaching, development, compensation, conflict management, organizational development, training and more.

At Qualcomm, Archana has led HR initiatives in managing legal, operations and contingency planning. She has initiated programs to drive performance management, career development frameworks, career road maps and development plans. Archana has contributed in the re-designing of performance management systems. Along with this, she was a catalyst in facilitating processes for creation of business strategies. Her other expertise includes, planning, implementation and integration of acquired organizations at Qualcomm India.

During her tenure, Archana has coached business leaders on leading and managing their organizations effectively. Prior to joining Qualcomm, she held HR leadership roles at several key organizations across verticals.

Archana holds a master’s degree in business administration from Pune University, India and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Nowrosjee Wadia College, Pune, India.

James Parker

James Parker is the Vice President – Talent Management & Organization Development at Church & Dwight, a consumer products company with ten power brands including as Arm & Hammer. He is responsible for developing and driving the enterprise’s talent agenda. James leads the Talent Acquisition, Learning & Employee Development, Employee Engagement and Talent Management organizations globally.

Prior to joining Church & Dwight, James held various leadership positions with BASF, GE Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson. In these roles he drove organizational change and performance within talent management and business partnering roles.

James is actively involved in community service as a Board Member of Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) and sits on the steering committee for the Conference Board’s Succession Management Conference.

James has lived and worked globally in the United States, Europe and Asia. He holds a Master’s in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s in History from King’s College London and a Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University.

Michele Bousquet

Michele Bousquet is Head of People + Places  at Brandless, the San Francisco-based startup that is on a mission to make “better-for-you” quality products more widely accessible and affordable for everyone. Named “Most Innovative Company” by Fast Company, and “Startup of the Year” by AdAge, Brandless is fueling a movement to democratize access to goodness. Michele has spent her career in leadership excellence, talent development, and organizational effectiveness, where she focuses heavily on growing inclusivity, intrinsic motivation, understanding, and leading with heart. Prior to Brandless, Michele has held various people and culture roles such as, Sr. Director of Organizational Development at GoPro, and SVP, Chief of Staff and Head of HR at a privately-held asset management firm. Michele holds a BA in English from San Diego State University.

Jana Lee

Jana Lee’s professional and Human Resources experience spans over 20 years, initially in HR Systems related roles leading to significant large scale, enterprise-wide change management leadership in all areas of HR.  Currently, as a member of the CEO’s senior leadership team at DARCARS, a multi-state Automobile Dealership Group with over 1,800 employees, she is responsible for overseeing the Human Resource function.  Her working career is marked with successes in recruiting and talent management, systems implementation, succession planning, employee relations, and total rewards.   Jana has tapped into the creativity of her team and peers to solve business problems within every area of HR, and is currently transforming how HR partners with operations to meet sales and profitability goals.

Jana graduated from the University of Maryland University College, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Systems Management. She is passionate about passing knowledge and opportunity on to emerging leaders, as illustrated through the creation of multiple, respected employee resource groups and formal mentoring programs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn, she loves to talk about all things HR.

Pat Rowan

Since joining P&G in 1987, Pat Rowan has worked in a variety of Site, Regional and Global Human Resources roles within our Product Supply (PS) organization throughout the U.S. She earned her M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. in Psychology from Syracuse University. Pat is HR Director of Global Corporate Functions Product Supply which includes Human Resources responsibilities for Purchasing, Engineering, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Innovation Diamond Management, Supply Network Operations and PS Learning and Development. Two of the most exciting P&G initiatives Pat is currently working is Manufacturing of the Future and Product Supply Skills for the Future. Pat has two sons and currently resides in Cincinnati, OH.

Maria Randall

As Vice President Human Resources of Club Assist, Maria has accountability for all HR activities in North America. This includes implementation of all HR initiatives and recommendations on HR strategy, plans, projects and activities, along with translating business strategies and objectives into the appropriate HR actions and initiative.

Maria joined Club Assist in 2016 with more than 25 years of Human Resources experience. She brought with her impressive business acumen, punctuated by her experience as a key leader in HR roles for such respected organisations as University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Penn Central, Draka Holdings, Rinker Materials and American Financial Group. She has a proven record as a change agent for increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving productivity and organisational effectiveness. Maria’s impressive background touches all aspects of Human Resources including recruiting, compensation, benefits, HRIS, staffing, organisational development, conflict resolution and employee relations for both domestic and international business environments.

Maria has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Dayton and has lived in the Orlando Florida area for the past seven years.

Alison Schoonover

Alison Schoonover is the HR Director for PepsiCo North American Beverage Manufacturing (NAB). NAB Manufacturing is comprised of all bottling sites throughout North America, including Pepsi, Gatorade, and Tropicana products. In this role, she is responsible for leading the HR function and strategy for NAB Manufacturing HQ.  Alison serves as advisor and coach with business leaders to identify and diagnose talent and organizational issues, develops solutions and strategies for success, measure impact and ensures positive results.

Currently, Alison is developing a STEM talent strategy to attract and retain highly talented individuals using a new approach to prepare for the digitalization and/or automation of manufacturing.  In addition, she is working on a strategy to modernize and infuse new talent.

Alison joined PepsiCo in early 2016 as Senior HRM leading the HR/People agenda in Roanoke Virginia.  In this role, she stabilized the market, transformed the culture and removed significant risk from hot spot areas.  Prior to joining PepsiCo, Alison was an HR professional for Kraft Heinz in both Illinois and Wisconsin holding HR roles with increasing responsibilities.

Alison holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in HR from Millikin University.

Jeff Zierenberg

Jeff Zierenberg is the Vice President of Human Resources at Grain Craft, the third largest independent flour milling company in the United States. He joined Grain Craft in 2014 and since that time Jeff has built a wide-ranging Human Resources team to lead the strategic HR initiatives between the 14 mills, two corporate offices and the eight union mill facilities. In this role he oversees all people-centered solutions including talent management, learning and development, benefits, organizational health and communications. He is also responsible for cultivating and managing the united business culture of Grain Craft’s High-Performance Organization focus.

Jeff’s professional experience began with various Fortune 100 companies including Procter and Gamble, Pepsi-Cola and Mars, Incorporated. During his 20-year career with Mars, Jeff transitioned to Human Resources in 1997 where he held expanding leadership roles in multiple manufacturing sites in the pet, food and snack businesses that ultimately brought him to the Chattanooga, TN area in 2007.

Jeff is currently active in multiple conservation entities to preserve habitat and wildlife for hunting, fishing and outdoor enthusiasts.

Jimmy Zhang

Jimmy Zhang is the Head of Workforce Strategy and Analytics at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. In his role, Jimmy is responsible for establishing the Workforce Strategy and Analytics CoE, with a focus on our strategic workforce planning and people analytics capabilities. This is a critical component of the HR Operating Model/Future of Work that will continue to evolve HR capability and the global Vertex employee experience.

Jimmy has previously held multiple leadership roles within HR. Most recently, he was the Head of People Planning and Analytics at Biogen, responsible for people analytics and strategic workforce planning. His role was quickly expanded from Global Head of People Operations and Centralized Learning Services responsible for employee services and process improvement globally. Before joining Biogen, Jimmy held HR positions at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Liberty Mutual with increasing responsibilities within the Human Resources function.

Loreli Wilson

Loreli Wilson is a University of Missouri graduate. She serves as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion Programs at Veterans United Home Loans, directing the diversity and inclusion initiative, including diversity recruitment, programming, and college relations. She is dedicated to promoting an inclusive workforce conducive to Veterans United’s unique culture, and ultimately strives for each employee to feel comfortable in their own skin. She was acknowledged in CBT’s (Columbia Business Times) 20 under 40 class of 2017, and has contributed to Veterans United Home Loans diversity initiative being recognized in 2018 with the MBA’s (Mortgage Bankers Association) Residential Leadership Award for Diversity and Inclusion, the 2017 Corporate Leader of Inclusion + Innovation nationally by the Society of Diversity and locally by the City of Columbia with the Columbia Values Diversity 2018 award. With a background in Human Resources and Recruiting, she has volunteered her skills to such organizations as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri as a Board Member, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) MO as Director of Diversity, and currently serves as the President of the Inclusive Impact Institute.

Leah Avery

Leah Avery is a Talent Management leader with 12+ years of diverse HR experience across multiple industries, corporate structures and business life-cycle stages. She is dedicated to finding simple and relevant solutions that allow employees to maximize their potential while achieving business results. Leah currently leads the HR Business Partner and Talent Team for Money Mart Financial Services based in Malvern, PA. Prior to joining Money Mart, Leah held progressive HR and talent roles at Sunoco and ARAMARK.

Adam Ross

Adam is the Vice President of Talent & Organizational Effectiveness for Tenneco in Lake Forest, IL. He leads Tenneco’s global operations for Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Culture & Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, Learning & Development, and Change Management. Since joining Tenneco in April 2018, Adam has been leading Talent activities for the acquisition of Federal-Mogul and spin of two new companies in Q2 2019, with a focus on assessment & selection of C-Suite leaders. Prior to joining Tenneco, Adam held leadership positions in HR and Talent Management at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Monsanto, and NASA.

Lori Garmus

Lori Garmus is the Human Resources Director for Raytheon Missile Systems Core Product Lines and Program Management Excellence. Garmus assumed this role in July 2015, and is responsible for the development and execution of human resources strategies and initiatives. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Prior to her current role, Garmus was Sr. Manager, Human Resources for Raytheon Corporate supporting Finance and Corporate Affairs and Communications. Lori assumed this role in January 2014 and was responsible for supporting the development and execution of HR strategy, including talent management, change management and the execution of all human resource programs and processes.

Lori has over 20 years of experience in human resources and organizational development. She joined Raytheon Missile Systems in October of 2007 as a Human Resources Generalist within the Engineering function. Raytheon Missile Systems is the world’s premier missile maker, providing defensive and offensive weapons for air, land, sea and space, including interceptors for U.S. ballistic missile defense. The business also builds net-enabled battlefield sensors and includes Raytheon UK. Missile Systems capabilities include air and missile defense, electronic warfare, space solutions, naval solutions, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Missile Systems is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona and employs 11,000 people. She transitioned to the Core Product Lines in January 2012 to serve as the Human Resources Business Partner supporting the four core product lines including Air Warfare Systems, Land Warfare, Naval Area Mission Defense, and Air and Missile Defense.

Prior to joining Raytheon, Lori held the position of Sr. HR Consultant for U.S. Aerospace and Headquarters for Alcoa Fastening Systems (AFS) in Torrance, California. AFS is a business unit of Alcoa Inc. In this role, Lori provided HR guidance and strategy for the business unit serving a dual role as the Human Resources Lead for U.S. Aerospace and Human Resources Manager for the Torrance Headquarters. She participated in the implementation of strategies associated with the company’s HR and People Systems and processes including: performance management, employee relations, talent management, coaching and succession planning. Lori also served as the business unit’s single point of accountability for all training and development needs including the Training Coordinator role for the Learning Management System.

Lori holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development and Communication from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Organization Leadership from Argosy University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lori also holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Helena Josue

Helena Josue is Vice President, Human Resources at The Wendy’s Company, where she oversee the HR teams that lead people and organization initiatives for North America Operations, Marketing/R&D, Global Development and International.

Helena joined Wendy’s as Senior Director, Human Resources in 2013 to provide human resources leadership for several Corporate Functional groups based in the Dublin Restaurant Support Center. She and her team have provided support for Finance, Development, Marketing/R&D, IT, Legal, and Communications/QA working directly with most of the Company’s Senior Leaders.

Prior to Wendy’s, Helena worked for Procter & Gamble for 17 years where she was accountable for several assignments of increasing responsibility across five countries in Europe and the United States.

A native of Portugal, Helena started and owned a company while attending and attaining her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration at the Catholic University of Portugal.

Annie Paquet

Annie Paquet is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in Human Resources. At BRP since 1997, she is now Vice-President, Human Resources, and as such, oversees all HR matters for BRP’s three facilities in Mexico. In addition, she is leading the company’s global Health, Safety & Security efforts. Annie is based out of the company’s Dallas office, and fluently speaks French, English and Spanish.

BRP is a global leader in the world of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems built on over 75 years of ingenuity and intensive consumer focus. The company’s portfolio of industry-leading and distinctive products includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am on- and off-road vehicles, Alumacraft and Manitou boats, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. With annual sales of CA$4.5 billion from over 100 countries, BRP’s global workforce is made up of around 10,500 driven, resourceful people.

Deby Rossignol

Deby Rossignol leads Talent Management and Organization Effectiveness for Eaton’s Electrical Sector and has enterprise responsibility for engagement and retention at Eaton. She has over twenty years of global experience in the Talent Management field. She has held senior Talent Management roles at Eaton, Goodyear, Sara Lee, AIG, and Chubb Insurance. Deby received a BS in English from Illinois State University and a MBA in Human Resources from DePaul University.

Eaton is a power management company made up of over 98,000 employees, doing business in more than 175 countries.

Isis Suria

Isis Suria, Vice President of Human Resources for Amerijet International, Inc., has dedicated her entire career to the development and administration of Human Resources, with consistent success in the public and private sector.

Isis brings more than 25 years of professional experience in all areas of Human Resources, with extensive work in the areas of labor relations, benefits management, organizational restructuring, and conflict resolution.   Since her graduation from college, she has, for most of her career held high-profile senior executive positions in various industries such as banking, manufacturing, government and international air cargo.