The biggest names, brightest stars, and boldest thinkers.

Why you can’t miss Reshma Saujani

Reshma Saujani is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms. She has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and most recently advocating for policies to support moms impacted by the pandemic. Her new book, “Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It’s Different Than You Think)” presents a bold plan to address the burnout and inequity harming America’s working women today. Reshma is also the author of the international bestseller “Brave, Not Perfect,” and her influential TED talk, “Teach girls bravery, not perfection,” has more than five million views globally. Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. Reshma lives in New York City with her husband, Nihal, their sons, Shaan and Sai, and their bulldog, Stanley.

Why you can’t miss Bonnie Dowling

Bonnie serves clients across sectors and industries, including financial services firms, health systems, insurers, federal and state agencies, and NGOs. Her work focuses primarily on operational efficiency and organizational transformations, and she has deep expertise in end-to-end talent management with a particular focus on hybrid-virtual operating models, employee engagement, capability building, leadership development, and labor optimization. Recently, Bonnie led McKinsey’s thinking around how employer and employees can work together to reimagine how we work and engage with each other to move resignation to retention and attrition to attraction.

She also co-leads the Skilling@Scale service line focused on supporting clients in the design and development of workforce training programs to prepare for the next normal and increase operational efficiencies. Leveraging her expertise and experience in adult learning and hybrid virtual operating models, Bonnie works closely with her clients to not only design their operating models, but to identify and build the capabilities critical to long-term success as well.

Why you can’t miss Brian Ash

Brian is the director of talent development for Mazars USA, assisting with overall talent strategy for employee engagement and retention. Brian has subject matter expertise in change management, executive coaching, and leadership development. He helps leaders focus on emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationship skills through reflective learning.

Brian brings over 20 years of experience as a business-focused HR leader in the professional services, consulting, banking, and legal sectors. Prior to working in HR and leadership development, Brian worked in sports journalism with several top organizations. Along with a few opportunities in sports radio and television, he worked as a reporter for USA Today Online, a writer for Street & Smith’s and the National Basketball Association, and an editor for American City Business Journals.

Brian lives in Stamford, CT, with his wife, Erin, and two children. He earned a master’s degree in professional development and executive coaching from London’s Middlesex University. He has a B.A. in journalism and international relations from the University of Connecticut.

Why you can’t miss Christopher Cardarelli

Christopher Cardarelli (he/him/his) is an Executive Director, Human Resources within the Global Diversity & Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck. In this role, he provides strategic consultative support to enterprise leaders and colleagues globally as a thought partner and catalyst to enable a more diverse and inclusive culture to improve business outcomes. He influences the alignment and integration of diverse perspectives and cultural competencies into the design and execution of strategic human resource practices, policies, and systems. In his 25 year career with Merck, Christopher has observed that the greatest opportunity for growth and development begins with a mindset of inclusion, curiosity, empathy and gratitude. He leads with a demonstrated commitment to understand, respect and value the lived experiences and perspective of others – not only to strengthen a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture for Merck but also for humanity at large. He is the grateful husband to Dale Sharon Cardarelli and proud father to Michael, Jacob and Olivia!

Why you can’t miss Claude Silver

Claude Silver is VaynerMedia’s chief heart officer, the capstone of a career focused on guiding client relationships, global brand strategies, operations, and management. An abiding passion for creating spaces in which people can thrive defined her previous leadership positions at J. Walter Thompson, Publicis, SAY Media, and Organic, among others.

At VaynerMedia, Claude cultivates the heart of the agency’s success: its people. With a purview that includes staff relations, development, recruitment, and retention, each practice is underscored by Claude’s drive to unlock the inner professional potential of every VaynerMedia employee.

Why you can’t miss Cy Wakeman

Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher, global thought leader and New York Times bestselling author who is recognized for cultivating a reality-based approach to leadership.

Wakeman has helped companies like Google, Facebook, Viacom, Uber, NBC Universal, NASA, Pfizer, Johns Hopkins, Merrill Lynch, and countless others learn to navigate our rapidly changing world using good mental processes to harness energy wasted in workplace drama and reinvest that effort into achieving profound business results.

Cy Wakeman holds a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association, placing her within the top 3% of speakers. She’s a regular contributor on Forbes.com, Success.com, The Huffington Post, and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. She’s been featured on the “TODAY Show,” the “AskGaryVee Show” with Gary Vaynerchuk, Cheddar TV, The New York Times, Business Insider, The Daily Muse, SHRM.com and many more. In 2021 and 2022, she topped the Global Gurus list of Top 30 Leadership Professionals across the globe.

Wakeman has published four books, hosts her own “No Ego” podcast, and publishes video content on YouTube to address leaders’ biggest challenges in the workplace.

Why you can’t miss Deboleena (Deb) Bose

Deboleena Bose is chief human resources officer for CoBank, where she works with the board and executive team to design and implement human capital initiatives, including talent acquisition and retention strategies, total rewards, leadership, and organizational development initiatives. She is a member of CoBank’s management executive committee and supports the board’s compensation and human resources committee.

Deboleena has amassed more than two decades of human resources experience at leading multinational corporations, including 21 years in various positions with General Electric. Since 2018, she served as vice president of human resources for Michigan-based Whirlpool Corporation, overseeing all aspects of HR for its $11 billion North American appliance business.

Ms. Bose earned a bachelor’s degree from Jadavpur University and an MBA from the Xavier Institute of Social Service, both in India.

Why you can’t miss Derek Irvine

As Senior Vice President, Client Strategy and Consulting at Workhuman, Derek helps clients – including some of world’s most admired companies – leverage proven recognition strategies and best practices to elevate employee engagement, increase retention, and improve bottom-line results. While he currently leads the company’s strategy and consulting services division, Derek led the company’s global marketing and rewards functions from 2000 to 2010, growing Workhuman from a startup to the unicorn organization it is today.

Derek is one of the world’s foremost experts on employee recognition and continuous performance management, helping business leaders set a higher vision and ambition for their company culture. As a renowned speaker and co-author of three books, “Making Work Human,” “Winning with a Culture of Recognition,” and “The Power of Thanks,” he teaches HR leaders how to use recognition to proactively manage company culture. His viewpoints and writings are also regularly featured across major HR publications, including HR Zone, Workspan, HR Magazine, HR Executive, and Workforce Management.

Why you can’t miss Donna Louise Fitzpatrick

A passion to inspire people to live their best lives is embedded in Donna Louise’s DNA. It is her personal mission to encourage people to dream more, learn more, and become more so they may feel more fulfilled. 

As an accredited ICF Coach and Workhuman’s global talent development manager, Donna Louise has inspired a global ’”moment that matters” movement. The movement promotes a coaching culture companywide, where coaching is an accessible growth possibility for all employees, and the whole human is celebrated by empowering people to be their best, both personally and professionally.

Leaning into her extensive coaching, L&D, and technical expertise, Donna Louise pioneered and built the blueprint coaching program, “Spark Coaching,” to enrich current excellent practices to safeguard the quality of formal coaching conversations.

Why you can’t miss Drew Goldstein

Since joining McKinsey in 2014, Drew has helped companies across industries attract and retain exceptional talent, foster an inclusive culture, and shape organizational design to support performance.

Drew is the founder and leader of MicKinsey’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) solutions group, a team of experts focused on bringing analytic tools to support McKinsey’s equity work. These end-to-end solutions help executives measure what matters, stay grounded in the employee experience, and support system-level change.

Building on this work, Drew designed diversity-focused content for McKinsey’s Change Leaders Forum and LGBTQ+ executive transitions master class in the United States; he serves as faculty for both programs.

When working with clients, Drew focuses on creating and sustaining high-performing workplaces by understanding how organizations can better enable talent to thrive and address the imperative to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Interested in sharing perspectives and insights, Drew publishes frequently on talent and inclusion topics. He recently contributed to McKinsey’s “Race in the workplace” report, deriving insights from assessment tools and working with participating organizations.

Why you can’t miss Elizabeth Derby

Elizabeth is a managing director in Kincentric’s HR and talent advisory practice. She partners with clients to align their people and talent strategies to cultivate high-impact, inclusive organizations that deliver meaningful business results.

Elizabeth has 30 years of experience in consulting and corporate human resource roles and uses data-informed, business-aligned, and integrated approaches to solve people, talent, and culture challenges. Elizabeth has broad expertise in people/talent strategy, talent acquisition, DE&I, change enablement, employee experience, leadership, and facilitation. She has advised boards, executive teams, and organizations across industries, including financial services, professional services, technology, biopharmaceutical and healthcare, real estate, media, and advertising.

She is a published thought leader who inspires individuals, teams, and organizations to deliver sustainable impact and return on investment. Elizabeth graduated from Wellesley College with honors with a B.A. in economics and French. She also has a diversity, equity, and inclusion certification from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

Why you can’t miss Elizabeth Roseman

Elizabeth Roseman is head of total rewards for Corebridge Financial (previously the life and retirement businesses of AIG). At Corebridge, Elizabeth is responsible for the company’s compensation philosophy and employee value proposition, including the design, development, and maintenance of market-aligned salary structures, incentive plans, and more. Prior to Corebridge/AIG, she was head of compensation at Merck & Co., and before that, head of executive compensation at Allergan. Elizabeth also served as assistant general counsel at Goldman Sachs & Co., where she counseled on the legal and disclosure implications of executive compensation arrangements. Elizabeth has been a lifelong athlete and fitness enthusiast, with a passion for the power of movement and its connection to mental endurance, intellectual capacity, and optimism. 

Why you can’t miss Enrique Rubio

Enrique is an HR, tech and work expert, keynote speaker, and founder of Hacking HR, a global learning community at the intersection of future of work, technology, business, and organizations, with thousands of members all over the world.

Enrique is one of the top 100 HR global influencers. He was founder and CEO at Management Consultants, a firm specializing in human resources in Venezuela. Before Management Consultants, Enrique worked in the telecommunications sector as a senior project engineer for Telefonica.

Enrique is a guest author in several blogs about innovation, management and human resources. Most recently, Enrique worked as an advisor to the chief human resources officer at the Inter-American Development Bank.

Enrique frequently speaks about topics ranging from DEIB, future of work, HR strategy, and employee experience, among others, drawing on Hacking HR’s research. Additionally, Enrique designs hundreds of learning programs for the Hacking HR community in the form of events and short-term programs.

Enrique is a Fulbright Scholar and electronic engineer with an Executive Master of Public Administration degree from Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Why you can’t miss Eric M. Bailey

Eric Bailey is the president and CEO of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, one of the fastest-growing organization development/strategy consulting firms in the western United States. His impact helps leaders improve the lives of those who follow them, and the customers/citizens whom they are charged with supporting.

Eric is the creator of the Principles of Human Understanding™, a leadership and communication methodology based in brain science and psychology. He’s been featured in The Huffington Post, Forbes, and the “Like a Real Boss” podcast. Eric also hosts a YouTube series of 2-minute leadership video lessons called The Walking Meeting.

Eric has worked with myriad clients, including Google, Luke Air Force Base, the City of Phoenix, Arizona Women Leading Government, and more.

Eric has a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. When not working or researching, Eric enjoys road cycling with his wife Jamie and their three children in Phoenix, Ariz.

Why you can’t miss Esther Weinberg

Esther Weinberg is a business growth accelerator who equips executives in high-growth industries to create big pivots, big impact, and big returns. As founder and chief leadership development officer of The Ready Zone, she powerfully fast-tracks an organization’s progress by focusing on The Ready Zone’s six Zone Performance Indicators that are paramount to profitable growth. Esther’s innovative strategies have assisted clients to grow, scale, and thrive in the worst and best of times. Her clients include Netflix, NBCUniversal, Microsoft, ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN, DreamWorks Animation, Adobe, Disney, and IMAX.

Esther is also founder of the Being Me Foundation along with her wife, Lin. The organization’s mission is to create breakthroughs through global ontological coaching and leadership programs that redefine diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for LGBTQIA+ young adults.

Why you can’t miss Geoff McDonald

Geoff’s background in teaching, HR, marketing, communications, and sustainability is considerable. His 25 years with Unilever have taken him around the world, working across Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, Australasia and Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He inspires and provokes organizations around the world to put purpose and wellbeing at the center of everything they do.

His HR experience has spanned leadership and talent development, organization change, capability development with a particular reference to marketing, and business transformation with purpose at its core. He devoted his time, energy, and effort to leading groundbreaking work where the HR function has played a central role in transforming Unilever’s business model with purpose at its core.

He also advises companies, organizations, and global multinationals in the area of mental health and wellbeing. He consults on how to address the stigma linked to depression and anxiety in the workplace, and on how to elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority in the boardroom.

Why you can’t miss Dr. Isha Vicaria

Dr. Isha Vicaria is a behavioral science researcher from Miami, Florida and received her Ph.D. in psychology from Northeastern University. As a people data analyst at Workhuman, she brings together a passion for cutting-edge analytics and understanding of the science behind positive and productive workplace behaviors. In partnership with Workhuman’s customers, Isha and Workhuman iQ deliver insights on the impact of social recognition both within and beyond the workplace.

Why you can’t miss Jason Averbook

Jason Averbook is a leading analyst, thought leader, and consultant in human resources, the future of work, and technology‘s impact on that future. He is the co-founder and CEO of Leapgen, a digital transformation company helping organizations shape their future workplace by broadening executive mindset to rethink how to better design and deliver employee services that meet the expectations of the workforce and the needs of the business.

Prior to founding Leapgen, Jason served as the CEO of The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC). In 2005, he co-founded Knowledge Infusion LLC and served as its CEO until 2012, when the company was sold to Appirio. He has also held senior leadership roles at PeopleSoft and Ceridian Corporation. Jason has more than 20 years of experience in the HR and technology industries and has collaborated with industry-leading companies in transforming their HR organizations into strategic partners.

Jason has been recognized globally as one of the top three thought leaders around HR technology and the future of work.

Why you can’t miss Jason Lauritsen

Jason Lauritsen is transforming management as a keynote speaker, trainer, and author. He liberates managers from outdated and inhumane practices so they can cultivate human potential at work and improve people’s lives.

Jason’s insights have been described as a “secret weapon” by leaders who strive to create a more engaging and human work experience for their people.

He’s known for his authentic and vulnerable storytelling that challenges you to see things differently. It’s nearly impossible to come away from an interaction with Jason without having your perspective on management changed.

His experience ranges from startup CEO to Fortune 1000 executive. He also spent several years leading the Best Places to Work program for an HR technology company, where he gained deep insight into some of the best workplaces in the world.

Jason is the author of two books, “Unlocking High Performance: How to Use Performance Management to Engage and Empower Employees to Reach Their Full Potential” and “Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships.” You can learn more about his management training at www.Cultivayo.com.

Why you can’t miss Jeff Moyer

Jeff is an HR leader with 20+ years of experience with Fortune 500 companies. In his current role, he is responsible for the development and implementation of human capital strategies focused on meaningful employee experiences, supporting the execution of business outcomes.

He joined Sun Life in 2016 after holding several HR leadership positions at Chubb, Aetna, and Cigna Healthcare, including strategic human resource business partner, HR customer support manager, HR technology strategy lead, and senior instructional technologist.

Jeff serves on the board of trustees for The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. He was vice chairman on the board of directors for the United Way of Connecticut, and president on the board of directors for the Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut (HRACC). He was also named to the Hartford Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40.

Why you can’t miss Jennifer Reimert

Jennifer and her team of industry experts help people and leading organizations around the world have a more inclusive, positive employee experience at their workplace. An HR leader with more than 25 years of industry experience, Jennifer provides customers with critical techniques and tools to position recognition as a strategic driver of positive business outcomes and employee engagement.

Jennifer also serves as an advisory board member for PairUp, a platform that connects colleagues to the right onboarding buddies, mentors, and learning partners, empowering them with critical skills and connections no matter where they are in their company journey.

Why you can’t miss Jess Klay

With over 20 years of experience as a brand and design leader, Jess brings the best employee experience to life for employees wherever they work. Pursuing her passions of interiors, workplaces, corporate branding, design, and sensory experiences, Jess currently develops strategies and implements world-class programs at Workhuman to design and optimize the spaces and services for employees. 

Starting in 2010 as Workhuman’s (then Globoforce) first creative director, Jess has led an award-winning team, spearheaded the brand evolution of the first five years of the Workhuman Live event, supervised countless campaigns and initiatives, and managed the design vision of their two concurrent corporate headquarters in North America and Ireland. She is a founding member of Chief (Boston), an advisory council member of Design Museum Everywhere, and advisory board member at HR.com.

Why you can’t miss Jill Kissack

Jill is an accomplished human resource leader with over 20 years of diversified experience in transforming, integrating, and improving business performance. She has a strong track record of partnering with senior executives to understand business context, setting the HR strategy, then designing and delivering organizational effectiveness and talent management solutions to meet business needs.

Jill most recently served as the Americas HR and talent advisory practice leader at Kincentric, where she partnered with clients to understand the linkages between their business and HR strategies. Previously, she was Kincentric’s CPO and was accountable for all aspects of HR and people outcomes globally across the 20+ countries where Kincentric operates.

Why you can’t miss John Land

John is a partner in Mercer’s transformation practice based out of Boston. In this role, John works closely with clients across the globe in the areas of talent strategy, HR transformation, HR digitization, and workforce transformation.

Prior to Mercer, John had extensive corporate experience where he held leadership positions in HR management. In these roles, he managed both large global and small local projects, including M&A, due diligence and transaction management, and HR transformation and outsourcing.

Due to his extensive experience, John leads a wide variety of client engagements. He brings a holistic view that enables him to understand and design solutions for a majority of his clients’ business challenges.

Why you can’t miss Jon Clifton

Jon’s mission is to help organizations create thriving workplaces, put 1 billion people in touch with their strengths, and help 8 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing issues through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning over 150 countries.

Jon has been with Gallup since 2008. He previously served as the global managing partner of the company’s worldwide consulting group, advising global leaders on how their organizations and countries can thrive using behavioral economics and analytics-based insights.

Clifton’s 2022 book, Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It, is a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Clifton serves on the board of directors for Gallup and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. He has also served on the boards of Meridian International, Streetwise Partners, and the International Business Advisory Board at the University of Nebraska.

Why you can’t miss Jordan Katz

Jordan is the Global Head of Employee Experience Transition Programs and Global Head of Employee Experience Strategy – Public Sector for Qualtrics. In his practice, he focuses on advising organizations on the effective and impactful use of data and analytics to develop strategies that predict outcomes and increase performance. He specializes in providing thought leadership to companies that transition from traditional Employee Engagement programs to more sophisticated Employee Listening Programs particularly as they impact growth, profitability, customer experience, patient experience and clinical outcomes.

Jordan has consulted for world class organizations around the world like Zimmer, Korn Ferry, Mercer, Baxter, AB-InBev, GM, Nationwide Insurance, Cardinal Health, The Federal Reserve System, Medtronic, Bon Secours Health System, Vanderbilt University Health System, etc.

Prior to joining Qualtrics, Jordan co-founded a predictive candidate attraction and talent assessment business unit for one of the world’s largest venture capital firms using the Qualtrics platform. Prior to that, Jordan ran a division of Gallup focused on applying Behavioral Economic research to increase organizational performance by optimizing Workplace, Customer, Patient and Operational strategies. Jordan received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University, his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business and a Certificate in Data Science and Analytics from M.I.T.

Why you can’t miss Katrina Kibben

Katrina (Kat) Kibben [they/them] is a keynote speaker, writing expert, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who teaches hiring teams how to write inclusive, unbiased job postings that will get the right person to apply faster.

Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, technical copywriter, and managing editor for leading companies like Monster, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. With 15+ years of recruitment marketing and training experience, Katrina knows how to turn talented recruiting teams into talented writers who write for people, not about work. They’ve been named to numerous lists, including LinkedIn’s “Top Voices in Job Search & Careers,” and have worked with companies like Twitter, Survey Monkey, and National Instruments.

When not speaking, writing, or training, you’ll find Katrina traveling the country in their van or spending some much-needed downtime with the dogs that inspired the name for Three Ears Media.

Why you can’t miss Kelli Dragovich

Kelli has over 20 years of HR experience in global tech companies, ranging from later-stage companies (Google, Yahoo!, Intuit) to earlier-stage companies (Hired, GitHub, Looker, Pendo).

Kelli is currently the chief people officer at Pendo. Most recently, prior to Pendo, Kelli held lead M&A roles at Google and was CHRO at Looker, SVP of People at Hired, VP of People at GitHub. She is also an active advisor, investor, and mentor.

She is a mother of 12-year-old twin boys and is the ultimate sports enthusiast. She attended Santa Clara University, where she played Division I softball and graduated with a degree in psychology before going on to receive a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Alliant International University in San Diego. She loves to build fast-growing businesses, get things done, laugh at work, and create super authentic cultures.

Why you can’t miss Kelly Johnson

Kelly is responsible for global talent management, collaborating with people leadership on the vision and agenda for people strategy and the HR function, and people analytics at The Kraft Heinz Company.

Before joining Kraft Heinz, Kelly spent 12 years with Spencer Stuart’s Kincentric and its predecessors. Most recently, she was a director in Kincentric’s HR and talent advisory practice, leading human capital strategy and HR transformation work. Prior to this role, Kelly was a consultant in Aon McLagan’s executive compensation consulting practice.

Kelly holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.

Why you can’t miss Keri Fleming

With over 20 years of expertise in the professional services, accounting, and manufacturing sectors, Keri successfully builds employee brands through strong people programs that engage, motivate, develop careers, and strengthen organizational culture. Her expertise includes employee engagement, cultivating collaboration and inclusion, talent management, change management, leadership development, and communications.

Prior to joining Mazars, Keri was the chief human resources officer at a large national manufacturing and retail organization. In addition to optimizing the HR team structure to deliver an exceptional end-to-end employee experience, she introduced a change management function, spearheaded employer of choice rebranding efforts, sponsored a complete HRIS implementation and talent acquisition/management redesign, facilitated C-suite executive strategy sessions, and served as executive sponsor and champion for the company’s first formal diversity and inclusion initiative.

Keri received her Bachelor of Science in psychology and communications, summa cum laude, from College of Saint Elizabeth.

Why you can’t miss Kevin Campbell

Kevin partners with Qualtrics customers to link EX programs with desired business and customer outcomes. Kevin’s advisory services include defining roadmaps and governance models, delivering end-user training, and consulting on activating an employee experience mindset within your organization.

Using a data-driven approach, Kevin delivers insights by connecting feedback across employee touchpoints, and mapping out operational data to uncover the hidden drivers of performance, engagement, customer satisfaction and retention.

Kevin’s thought leadership has been featured in articles and presentations from notable organizations including Strategic HR Review, The Gallup Business Journal, International Coach Federation, and Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Why you can’t miss Khalil Smith

Khalil Smith is the vice president of inclusion, diversity, and engagement at Akamai Technologies.

Before joining Akamai, Khalil worked with NeuroLeadership Institute, a cognitive science consultancy, during which time he oversaw consulting, practices, and research. Prior to that, Khalil spent over 14 years in senior leadership roles with Apple Inc., including leading a global retail training team of over 40 learning professionals focused on expanding and strengthening the Apple culture across hundreds of retail stores in dozens of countries and languages. Khalil and his team were responsible for critical training elements for Apple, such as employee onboarding, technical skills, and product launches. 

Khalil holds an MBA with dual concentrations in leadership and strategy from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Why you can’t miss Kham Ward

Kham Ward is the Founder and CEO of BLK Men in Tech (BMiT), a nonprofit organization committed to providing access, resources, and community for Black men within the tech industry and philanthropic initiatives to support the next generation of tech leaders.

He is also a diversity and inclusion strategist with more than 15 years of experience. His diversity strategies have provided companies across the world with the tools needed to drive innovation, revenue, and human capital growth.

Kham is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and diverse world for everyone. His philosophy is that, while diversity can be achieved with little commitment, a truly inclusive environment requires the utmost tolerance, vulnerability, and trust.

He has been featured in Forbes as a STEM Influencer helping to bridge the gap for minorities, as well as one of the For(bes) The Culture 50 Champions in 2021.

Kham received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida and a Master of Education from the University of Maryland. He holds a diversity and inclusion certificate from Yale University and is a certified CQ and unconscious bias trainer.

Why you can’t miss Kiesha Garrison

Kiesha is a sought-after broadcast and event host and the creator of “YOU Better!,” a platform designed to spark deeper personal discovery and self-love. She combines her 20 years of experience as a strategic communicator and hosting talent for corporations like Time, Inc. and Microsoft with her skill as a stand-up comedian to shine on stage. She has led numerous global events and broadcasts, as well as insightful conversations with well-known subjects like Will Smith, Lenny Kravitz, and countless corporate, nonprofit, and community leaders.

In addition to producing and hosting her weekly self-discovery podcast “YOU Better!, “Kiesha partners with employee resource groups and leaders in their efforts to improve employee wellbeing as a speaker on the topic of self-discovery. Her overarching mission is to guide moments of connection that lead us to mindset shifts, personal growth, and healthier relationships.

Why you can’t miss Latasha Gillespie

Latasha Gillespie is the head of global diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) for Amazon Studios, Prime Video, and IMDb. She is responsible for the development and management of all content-related and customer-facing DEIA work for the organization. Under Latasha’s leadership, Amazon Studios created the industry’s first inclusion policy and standardized DEIA into its greenlight process.

Prior to Amazon, Latasha spent 20 years in finance and human resources with Caterpillar Inc. During her tenure there, Latasha launched the first diversity recruiting team and employee resource groups.

Latasha is a celebrated speaker, host, and moderator. She was recently honored as a 2022 “Multichannel News Wonder Woman” and Variety magazine “Game Changer.” Latasha is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and currently serves on the board of ThinkLA.

Why you can’t miss Lauren Gardner

Lauren is currently the head of global talent acquisition for Microsoft, where she leads a team responsible for university-, industry-, and executive-level hiring for the entire company. She has been with Microsoft since 1991 working in various leadership roles within HR.

Prior to taking on this new role, Lauren was the HR general manager for Microsoft’s marketing and consumer business (MCB). She worked to enable the business to deliver a best-in-class experience for Microsoft’s customers, curate the end-to-end first- and third-party device ecosystem, and align innovation with brand and business model to create Microsoft fans and drive growth.

Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children, as well as gardening, reading, and sports. As a foodie, Lauren has passion for supporting local charities to try and eradicate hunger in our communities. She’s a supporter of the Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Odessa Brown Clinic, which focuses on supporting children with sickle cell disease like her daughter, the Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as Hopelink.

Why you can’t miss Dr. Meisha-ann Martin

Dr. Meisha-ann Martin is the senior director of people analytics and research at Workhuman, the company revolutionizing the way employees celebrate, connect with, and appreciate each other in the workplace.

Meisha-ann has a personal passion for diversity, equity and inclusion and loves using data and analytics to identify and remedy inclusion gaps in the employee experience. She is considered a people analytics/employee experience expert as she has led these efforts in companies like Flex, JetBlue and Raymond James Financial and is the former head of talent experience at ServiceMaster.

Meisha-ann has a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology based on her research on diversity attitudes in the workplace and has fifteen years of experience working in people analytics and employee engagement across a variety of different industries.

Meisha-ann regularly speaks at conferences, on webinars and on podcasts; her thought leadership has been featured in Forbes, HR Dive, and Benefits Pro.

Why you can’t miss Melissa Swift

Melissa leads transformation solutions for Mercer U.S. and Canada. In this role, she is responsible for the firm’s efforts in the areas of workforce transformation, HR transformation, HR digitization, diversity, equity and inclusion, and workforce analytics. Melissa’s work leverages data analytics, a healthy dose of pragmatism, and a humanist view of the workplace to create extraordinary outcomes for organizations. She has pioneered techniques to reshape organizations for digital and workforce transformation, leading breakthrough projects across industries.

Her book on a more humanistic future of work, “Work Here Now: Think Like a Human, Build a Powerhouse Workplace,” was published by Wiley in January 2023. A recognized thought leader on the subject of the future of work post-COVID, she was named to the Thinkers50 Radar class for 2023 of 30 management and business thinkers to watch in the coming year.

Why you can’t miss Michaela Leo

Michaela Leo leads compensation and benefits at Ipsen North America. She is responsible for the design and implementation of market-leading, differentiated compensation, benefits, and mobility programs and policies for the United States and Canada. She is a strong believer in the power of appreciation and gratitude.

Prior to Ipsen, Michaela spent 15 years as the director of compensation with Merck & Co. Inc. where she was a strategic compensation partner to major business divisions, led compensation and benefits for Merck’s EEMEA operations, and managed Merck’s global recognition program. She has more than 20 years of global compensation management experience in pharmaceutical and services industries.

Why you can’t miss Mike Droubay

Mike Droubay is the vice president of people growth at Cisco Systems. He oversees the design and delivery of integrated people solutions that enable high-functioning, inclusive, capable, and engaged leaders and teams in a hybrid world.

Mike is driven by creating impactful experiences. In his 15 years at Cisco, he’s spent time working in employee relations, serving as an HR manager, and leading a team in Cisco’s performance and rewards practice. Prior to his executive role, he spent time as a leader in the compensation practice, helping to advance internal modeling and analytics, improve pay parity and fairness, and enhance the leader experience for annual rewards planning.

Mike is a proud graduate of Brigham Young University. He currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and five children.

Why you can’t miss Mike Robbins

Mike Robbins is the author of five books, including, “Bring Your Whole Self to Work” and his latest, “We’re All in This Together.”

He’s a thought leader, executive coach, and sought-after speaker who works with Fortune 500 companies, high growth start-ups, pro sports organizations, government agencies, and top performing teams of all kinds.

He and his work have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on ABC News and NPR. He’s a regular contributor to Forbes and hosts a weekly podcast called “We’re All in This Together.”

Prior to his current work, Mike was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees, but chose instead to play baseball at Stanford University, where he pitched in the College World Series. He then played baseball professionally in the Kansas City Royals organization before an injury ended his career.

He worked for two tech start-ps in the ’90s before starting his consulting company in 2001. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Michelle, and their two teenage daughters.

Why you can’t miss Naomi Dishington

Naomi’s background is in higher education, learning and coaching. She joined Workhuman in 2016 as a part of the strategy and consulting team, where she supported 30+ launches for Workhuman Cloud customers such as Akamai, CAE, Harman, and Johnson & Johnson. Naomi’s consulting expertise focuses on the human side of implementation: effective change management, evidence-based best practices, and communications and training initiatives that help promote adoption and drive business outcomes.

Why you can’t miss Nataly Kogan

Nataly immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union when she was 13 years old. Starting her American life in the projects on welfare, she went on to reach the highest levels of success at McKinsey and Microsoft, as a managing director at a venture capital fund and as founder or executive at five startups and tech companies. But after years of chasing a nonexistent state of nirvana, Nataly was not only unfulfilled, but she suffered a debilitating burnout that led her to find a new way to live and work.

Today, she helps awesome humans live and work with more connection, joy, and meaning by sharing her science-backed skills and practices with hundreds of top companies and teams through her Happier @ Work and leadership programs.

She’s the creator of the Happier Method^™, founder and CEO of Happier, host of the popular “Awesome Human” podcast, and author of “HAPPIER NOW,” “GRATITUDE DAILY,” and “THE AWESOME HUMAN PROJECT.”

Why you can’t miss Navin “Nuvs” Jain

Navin “Nuvs” Jain is a product evangelist at Workhuman. He previously spent five years developing the core recognition features of the Workhuman Cloud. A Workhuman solutions veteran, Nuvs led the effort to bring Service Milestones, Life Events, and Inclusion Advisor to market. He is passionate about creating a culture of recognition and enjoys discussing movies, tech, and politics.

Why you can’t miss Niamh Graham 

Niamh leads the global teams responsible for people, places, culture, talent acquisition, learning and development, internal communications, and the employer brand at Workhuman. Human experience at the company builds a better workplace for humans through human-centered people practices and the use of Workhuman Cloud.

Niamh has more than 25 years of experience in international business and marketing, operations, and HR, and her personal values of innovation, determination, and respect are fully aligned with Workhuman’s core values. Leading with humanity has enabled Niamh, her team, and the company to build an award-winning culture of appreciation, celebration, and human connection.

Why you can’t miss Omar Pradhan

Omar is a Senior Strategic Advisor at Workhuman, the world’s fastest-growing Social Recognition^® and continuous performance management platform. A seasoned HR/HRIS professional with nearly two decades of experience helping forward-thinking organizations invest in the future of work, he began his career leading high-performing teams as a combat pilot and training operations director in the US Air Force. Omar has also worked in a variety of research, strategy and consulting roles with Deloitte, Appirio, and the NeuroLeadership Institute. Today, Omar is an educator, advocate, and resource to leaders seeking to shape mindset on the power and potential of emerging culture management practices.

Why you can’t miss Peter Church

Peter Church is chief people officer at Point32Health. He provides strategic leadership and oversight for all aspects of the people organization, including compensation and benefits, talent management, diversity and inclusion, and organizational effectiveness.  Peter also helps develop and guide Point32Health’s culture and aligns human resources strategy and governance with business strategy goals and values. 

Peter joined Point32Health from AVANGRID Energy, where he was chief human resources officer. Previously, he held several leadership positions at UnitedHealth Group, including chief talent officer of UnitedHealthcare. He also has held senior leadership positions at The Hartford Financial Services Group and Aetna. During his 20 years of human resources experience across diverse business and health care sectors, Peter has designed and implemented HR strategies that positively impact business performance and operating costs while increasing employee engagement and effectiveness.

Peter is a member of the Board of Directors for RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. He holds both a masters and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Hartford.

Why you can’t miss Rachel Casanova

Rachel Casanova is a senior managing director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Total Workplace Consulting practice based in the firm’s midtown Manhattan office. Rachel is equipped with more than 25 years of diverse industry experience advising companies on how to transform their real estate assets and location strategy to reinforce long-term business strategies and create workplace experiences unique to a company’s needs. In a time of new uncertainty about the future of the office, Rachel provides solutions for a range of location, portfolio, and workplace solutions.

Why you can’t miss Rebecca Sinclair

Rebecca Sinclair focuses on leading ATD’s people and brand experiences to bring the brand’s purpose, vision, values, and brand promise to life for its people, customers, partners, and the communities it serves. She is responsible for connecting and developing ATD’s talent across the enterprise to drive its cultural transformation.

Since joining the company in 2017, Sinclair has architected a connected culture to better engage its teams, strengthen its recruiting and retention efforts, and position the company as an employer of choice. Leveraging best-in-class technology, AI, and advanced analytics, she has evolved the associate experience and engineered the next generation of modern workforce.

Prior to ATD, Sinclair served as the chief human resources officer and executive for some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Victoria’s Secret, Starbucks, Southeastern Grocers, Hooters, and Clear Channel Media.

Why you can’t miss Simon Alexander Ong

Simon Alexander Ong is a personal development entrepreneur, coach, and public speaker. His clients are from all walks of life, but they share one trait: They all believe that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. His work has seen him invited onto Sky News and BBC to be interviewed, while Barclays featured him in a nationwide campaign asking him questions on how families could embrace better lifestyle habits.

His insights have seen him featured in HuffPost, Forbes, Virgin, and the Guardian. He also regularly speaks at organizations – including Salesforce, Microsoft, EY and Unilever – and keynotes public events and conferences. His debut book “Energize” was published by Penguin in April 2022 and received endorsements from the likes of New York Times bestselling authors Simon Sinek, Marie Forleo, and Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.

Why you can’t miss Siobhan Murray

Siobhan Murray is one of the world’s leading burnout experts, author of the bestselling book “The Burnout Solution,” CEO of Twisting the Jar Coaching, course creator, and podcaster. Holding a degree in counselling and psychotherapy, HDip positive health (RCSI), Siobhan combines empathy and corporate knowledge with her natural practicality. After working primarily as a therapist, Siobhan now delivers corporate workshops and training for public and private sector companies globally, all with a focus on burnout prevention, management and recovery, and workplace wellbeing. She was a consultant expert in the 2018 Irish television documentary series “Stressed,” which examined the impact of burnout on the body and was the highest rated science series in Irish television history. She has written and interviewed for Canada Global News, The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC Radio, RTE Radio, Thrive Global, and more.

Why you can’t miss Steve Browne

Steve Browne is the chief people officer for LaRosa’s, Inc., a regional pizzeria restaurant chain in southwest Ohio with nine locations and over 1,000 team members.

Steve has been an HR professional for 35+ years and has worked in the hospitality, manufacturing, consumer products, and professional services industries in various HR roles.

He was recently a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) board of directors and has held several other national, regional, state, and local SHRM volunteer leader roles. He facilitates a monthly HR roundtable as well as an HR internet forum called the HR Net, which reaches over 14,000 people globally each week.

Steve is an accomplished speaker who has been featured at local, regional and national conferences, chambers of commerce, HR chapters, and businesses.

He’s very active on social media and has a nationally recognized HR blog called “Everyday People.” He has authored two bestselling books on HR: “HR on Purpose” and “HR Rising!!”

Why you can’t miss Tom Libretto

Tom Libretto focuses on developing and scaling go-to-market strategies, brand, and customer marketing. His multidisciplinary background includes both B2B and B2C marketing and sales experience, as well as product management, corporate strategy, and business development.

Prior to Workhuman, he was the chief marketing officer and SVP of PEGA Systems and, before that, served as the managing director and global head of digital experience at JPMorgan Chase (JPMC).

Tom has over 20 years of marketing leadership experience in global technology organizations, including Lotus, IBM, and Nokia. He received an undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross (Massachusetts). He is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and events such as the World Federation of Advertisers, Association of National Advertisers, Web Marketing Association, Mobile Marketing Association, and SXSW.

Why you can’t miss Traci Pesch

Traci Pesch is a highly experienced making-work-human evangelist, consultant, and strategist who has worked with Global 2000 companies for more than 20 years, supporting their quest for building cultures of recognition, appreciation, and inclusion. During her tenure at Workhuman, Traci has held a variety of roles, including director of client services and global product manager, in which she pioneered the company’s product strategy and was responsible for successfully designing, implementing, launching, and training many of Workhuman’s largest customers.

A founding member of the strategy and consulting team, today Traci focuses her efforts on strategizing with our largest customers to create more human work cultures tied directly to talent and business outcomes, educating key audiences on program philosophy, recognition best practices, adoption, and usage. She has led program strategy development, program design initiatives, and complex change management efforts across the globe with organizations such as UnitedHealth Group, Abbott, GE, LinkedIn, Intuit, Eaton, BNY Mellon and many others. Traci holds a B.S. in marketing from Bowling Green State University and is a Certified Recognition Professional (CRP).

Why you can’t miss Tsedal Neeley

Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh professor of business administration, senior associate dean of faculty development and research strategy, and faculty chair of the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning at the Harvard Business School. Recognized as one Forbes’ “Future of Work 50,” and one of the 100 people transforming business who are innovating, sparking trends, and tackling global challenges by Business Insider, she focuses on how leaders can scale their organizations by developing and implementing global and digital strategies. She regularly advises top leaders who are embarking on virtual work and large-scale change that involves global expansion, digital transformation, and becoming more agile.

Tsedal is a recipient of the prestigious Charles M. Williams Award for Outstanding Teaching in Executive Education and the Greenhill Award for outstanding contributions to Harvard Business School (two-time recipient). She serves on the board of directors of Brightcove, Brown Capital Management, Harvard Business Publishing, and The Partnership, Inc.

Why you can’t miss Vicki Williams

Vicki oversees global human resources, including compensation, benefits, development and learning, talent acquisition, executive search, HR systems and operations, and the HR service center at NBCUniversal.

She joined NBCUniversal in May 2011 as SVP of compensation, benefits, and HR information systems. Prior, Vicki was a consultant on compensation and benefits as a partner with Pay Governance LLC and previously as a principal with Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson). Williams worked across industries but maintained a strong concentration in the entertainment and media industry.

In 2018, she was named to the board of directors of Annaly Capital Management, a leading diversified capital manager that invests in and finances residential and commercial assets. As an independent director, Williams serves on the audit committee and compensation committee.

Why you can’t miss Wagner Denuzzo

Wagner is a frequent keynote speaker on the Future of Work, Leadership, and Talent Strategies for the new world of work. Most recently, he was the VP, Head of Capabilities for Future of Work at Prudential Financial where his team received an ATD award for best Talent Management Strategy, and prior to that role he was the VP, Global Lead of Leadership and Management Development for IBM during their greatest transformation under the leadership of the first female CEO in the company’s history. He is also a Licensed Psychotherapist who has been an Executive/Leadership Coach, Organizational Development Consultant and HR strategist for over 20 years. His thought leadership has been featured in multiple publications and podcasts in the industry, and he is currently working on his first book on Leadership which is expected to be published by 2024. He is a Latino Executive who was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, as well as a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from New York University. Wagner is passionate about DE&I and practices yoga regularly as part of his overall well-being routine. He lives with his husband, dogs and horse in New York.

Why you can’t miss Zoe Kasper

Zoe is responsible for employee experience at Lincoln Financial Group, focusing on recognition, employee listening, employee journeys, and cultural onboarding for Lincoln’s 11,000 employees across the United States.

Prior to joining Lincoln, Zoe spent 15 years working in consulting and HR technology, providing guidance on employee listening strategies and feedback collection. Much of Zoe’s experience focuses on the importance of democratizing data and supporting technologies that enable leaders at all levels to take ownership and accountability for the employee experience. Zoe holds a master’s degree in human resources and employee relations and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, both from Penn State University.

Why you can’t miss Zoe Peterson-Ward

As chief customer officer, Zoe leads the global team of professionals dedicated to helping Workhuman customers design, launch, and maximize the ROI of their recognition and engagement programs. Zoe is an impassioned customer success leader focused on driving outcomes that matter for executives. With over 30 years of professional experience, she has spent most of her career guiding sponsors and stakeholders through large-scale business and digital transformations. 

Prior to Workhuman, Zoe led the customer success operation for several of Salesforce’s industry verticals. She also led the global channel operation supporting Avaya’s reseller partner program and served as a senior executive at Accenture before that, where she led large change programs for clients in the communications and tech space.