NetWorkWise Presents: Who's Who in HR

Justine Mitsock: Being Your Authentic Self in HR

Justine Mitsock is currently the VP - Strategic Partnerships & Client Development at Lane Health where she leverages her expertise in developing and executing employee benefits programs as well as her unique global perspective from public and private companies across various industries.

Justine has spent 16+ years in various Human Resources leadership roles with responsibility for the strategy and operations of all employee benefit programs including retirement and health and wellness programs. Previously, Justine was the Head of Global Benefits for IHS Markit covering over 15K employees across almost 40 countries. There she introduced innovative wellness programs and generated significant savings by creating efficiencies. Prior to then, Justine was the Head of Total Rewards and HR Operations at CHANEL where she built compensation, benefits and HRIS functions. Justine also held various roles at Citigroup including SVP of Compensation and VP of International Benefits.

Justine earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Stockton University and has passed Exams 1 through 4 of the Society of Actuaries.

Seb Girard: It Matters How You Make Them Feel

Sebastien Girard serves as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Centura Health. Supporting a team of 21,000 outstanding caregivers, Seb is on a mission to serve, elevate and care for every community, every patient and every associate. Seb is an accomplished human resources leader with talents and practical skills in workforce planning, talent acquisition and management, HR technologies, and market disruption.

A native of Montreal, Canada, Seb joined Centura from Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he served as the Senior Vice President responsible for workforce engagement and workforce operations. He previously served as the Chief Workforce Officer at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, Texas. He spent nearly fifteen years with Randstad, a Dutch-based global human resources consulting firm, in executive and operations roles in both the United States and Canada.

Seb has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Sloan School of Management. He completed Randstad’s prestigious international Senior Executive Program and the Human Capital Institute’s strategic workforce planning development program. He also serves as an advisory board member with three independent HR companies innovating in nurse staffing, professional nurse development, and health care workforce managed solutions.  

In addition to his deep professional experience, Seb passionately supports giving back to the community and has engaged in international humanitarian projects to recruit and attract some of the world’s best engineers to support those living in India with mobility obstacles.

Doug Parks: HR Transformation

Douglas Parks is Chief Administrative Officer at the boutique cruise brand, Azamara, where he leads the development and growth of the shared service teams including HR, Tax, Legal, IT, Risk and Supply Chain.  Prior to joining Azamara, Parks served as Chief Human Resources Officer of Healthnow, New York BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.  There he was responsible for establishing and driving organizational development and driving human resource and talent strategies to optimize employee skills and value across the organization. Known for his leadership through high-risk change, Parks heads business transformation initiatives, performance improvement, culture, engagement, and capability and capacity building.   

Prior to joining BCBS-WNY, Parks served as EmblemHealth’s Vice president, Human Resources Strategy and Business Transformation, where he led a business transformation project resulting in a 20% reduction in administrative expense and a 28% improvement in core engagement scores. Before EmblemHealth, he was the Global HR Leader at Mercer Consulting, overseeing all people-related initiatives for Mercer’s consultants across more than 40 countries. Parks has also held several other HR leadership roles during the course of his career, including Senior HR Business Partner at Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation), Founder and President of the successful consulting business, Parks Management Consulting, and Managing Consultant at IBM Global Business Solutions.

Parks serves on the board of directors of Evanta, a Gartner Company Board of Governors, Buffalo Preparatory School, and the Buffalo Workforce Investment Board. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR).

Parks has a Master’s degree in learning and organizational change from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Purdue University.

Ken Meyer: Knowing Your People to Serve Your Community

Kenneth W. Meyer, SHRM-SCP, SPHR. Ken is currently Chief Human Resources Officer/VP, Human Resources for a Federally Qualified Health Center providing Primary Care, Behavioral Health, and Care Coordination to the underserved populations of New York City. He is an accomplished HR professional experienced in all areas of HR Management.

Ken has spent his career working in the healthcare field and started his career in HR in 1986. MS-Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University & Bernard M. Baruch College and BA-Economics from Herbert H. Lehman College, Member of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Golden Key National Honor Societies and holds SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications. He is also the President-Elect for New York City SHRM, the longest-existing local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and has served on its Board of Directors as its Board Secretary and as Board Director. He was a recipient of the Lifetime Ambassador of Laughter Award from the Gotham Comedy Foundation and was a long-time volunteer with his local Little League, the North Riverdale Baseball League.

Raquel Crystal: Choices and Connections

Raquel Crystal is Head of Human Resources & Operations at Sio Gene Therapies (f/k/a Axovant Gene Therapies). Ms. Crystal has 15 years of human resources experience across different industries. She previously served as Head of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition at Roivant Sciences, Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Crystal was the Head of Human Resources for CoreOne Technologies, LLC, a financial technology firm, covering Europe, Asia and North America.  She also held multiple roles in human resources at Morgan Stanley and Ambrose Employer Group, LLC.  She holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

Lorna Hagen: Every People Decision is a Business Decision

Lorna Hagen is a Human Capital executive with over 20 years of experience focused on building high-performance companies. Today, she is the Chief People Officer at Guild Education.

Prior to Guild, she was Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer and iHeartMedia where she successfully rebuilt their HR function and transitioned the company to fully remote during Covid. Lorna helped lead a successful IPO at OnDeck Capital and lead the organization to 16 “Best Companies to Work For” awards.

At Dow Jones, she executed a transformation of their HR technology, team, and work practices inclusive of global compensation, recruitment, learning and development, and benefits administration.

As a Latina executive, Lorna is passionate about taking D&I from talk to action and is committed to building equitable career opportunities for all employees.

Laura Birk: Progress, Not Perfection

Laura Birk is the Vice President of Human Resources for Barilla America, Inc. where she has been  for over 15 years. Laura is responsible for all the talent management and people processes  supporting the Americas business which includes Canada, U.S., Mexico and Brazil. She is a  Board Member for the company and has the pleasure to serve almost 1,000 employees across the  Americas.  

Laura’s recently been recognized by OnCon as a 2020 Top 50 Human Resources Professional and  Chicago Business Crain’s 2021 Notable Leaders in HR. She also leads a great team who has won several industry awards for diversity, wellness, employee benefits, and talent management and  development activities.

Laura serves on the Board for Missouri State University Advisory Board, and former Board Member  for the Tyler Clementi Foundation. She supports and volunteers at the Cradle Adoption agency,  Special Olympic, Walter & Connie Payton Foundation, Hispanic Alliance Career Enhancement  (H.A.C.E.), and several other Diversity and Inclusion organizations.  

She received her degree from Drury University and prior to her current role, Laura spent 10 years  at Morgan Stanley.

Alyssa Perlman: The Ever-Changing World of Benefits

Alyssa Perlman is a self-proclaimed benefits nerd. As a high user of benefits herself, Alyssa draws from her own experiences to design programs that are centered around the real needs of employees and their families.

 

As the Senior Manager of Global Benefits for UiPath, Inc., Alyssa manages the benefits, wellbeing, and retirement programs worldwide with a focus on employee experience first. It’s no accident that Alyssa’s team continues to develop programs that land the company on top benefits lists and wellbeing spotlights. We all make tough choices every day, but Alyssa challenges her team to prioritize care and compassion in choosing where to allocate resources for maximum impact. 

 

Alyssa has previous experience managing benefits programs across multiple industries, including consumer packaged goods and advertising. Alyssa earned two bachelors degrees from the University of Connecticut in Management and Psychology. 

 

Alyssa recently moved from New Jersey to the Atlanta area with her husband and looks forward to exploring the area and settling in. 

Shaun Snyder: Being Prepared for What You Didn't Think Of

Shaun Snyder is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) with over seventeen years of benefits and human resources experience.  He has strong expertise in self-funded health plans and plan administration.  He currently holds the designation of ISCEBS Fellow and is the Past President of the Georgia Chapter for ISCEBS.  He also holds the SPHR designation.

Christopher McCormick: Moving from a Stressed State to a Forward State

At Blue Shield of California, Christopher drives the planning and execution of human capital plans, providing strong leadership skills leveraged to lead the HRBP team. He develops people strategies that connect and enable the successful execution of business strategies; execute leadership assessments, coaching talent management programs; consult and guide business leaders and their teams. He leads high performing teams through training & mentorship and executive coaching. He is enabling the culture through the organization to ensure there is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at all levels of the organization.

Christopher has his BFA from Webster University, He previously advised the Building Innovative Leaders program in partnership with Stanford University, Stanford Executive Education.

He designed the Growing Innovative Leaders program in partnership with National Taiwan University EMBA School. He is a Six Sigma Green Belt, is a certified NeuroLeadership Institute Facilitator and a frequent panelist and lecturer at Golden Gate University.

Joan Morehead: Visualization is Key

Joan joined Edward Rose & Sons in 2021 as its Chief Human Resource Officer and is excited to be part of a highly collaborative team. Her focus is to promote actions that create an environment of integrity and trust to build a productive and healthy workplace.

During her career she has worked for organizations across several industries, including health care, retail, automotive, human services, education, construction ,and property management.

Culture advancement has been and continues to be a top priority. Her favorite thing to do is remain curious and ask the question “Why do you work here and what keeps you here? Want to know what she hears? Ask her.

Joan has earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Kendall College of Design and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She studied with the Gallup Organization, Toyota University and Peking University as part of her master’s degree experience.

She treasures time with her family traveling, gardening, and creating art pieces for others to enjoy. Joan considers her family and friends her greatest treasures.

Alhassan Elbarasse: What's the Deal with Minimum Wage?

Alhassan is a recovering actuary, now situated in HR, he uses data to make connections, tell a story, deliver evidence-based solutions, improve the bottom line of the business and enhance the lives of employees.

As the Vice President of Human Resources – Total Rewards, Alhassan manages compensation, benefits, wellbeing and executive compensation functions at a global business process outsourcing organization providing services

Alhassan lives outside of Washington, DC and enjoys doing anything outdoors with his wife and twin 9 year daughters.

Josh Friedlander: Building Organic Relationships

Josh Friedlander is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Latham & Watkins, LLP. In addition to leading the global Human Resources function, Josh is an active member of the Firm’s Diversity, Security and Legal Professional and Paralegal Committees and the Firm’s EEO Review Board. Josh is also a part of World 50, a private community for C-level executives at globally respected organizations to discover better ideas, share valuable experiences and build relationships that make a lasting impact.

Prior to joining Latham, Josh was the Managing Director of Human Resources responsible for Marsh Inc.’s US and Canada Division. During his tenure at Marsh, Josh was also responsible for Human Resources for the Global Infrastructure and the Consumer line of business as well as Consulting Services Group of MMC’s Kroll Inc. and Marsh Risk Consulting. The Global Infrastructure included IT, Operations, Finance, Compliance, Strategic Planning, Operational Risk, Corporate Communications and CSStars, LLC. The Consumer line of business included Marsh’s Affinity, Private Client Services, Executive Benefits, and Private Client Life Insurance businesses. Josh joined Marsh as the Manager of Corporate Staffing function and was responsible for staffing permanent and temporary positions at all levels within the organization and the development of national staffing and background verification policies and processes.

Before joining Marsh, Josh was with Online Benefits, Inc., a benefits communication company. As the Vice President of Human Resources and Relationship Management, he was responsible for the management of Human Resources and the supervision of the group that established and maintained relations with distribution partners and clients. Prior to his work at Online Benefits, Josh held various domestic and international positions in Human Resources with brandwise LLC, GE Capital, and Exxon.

Josh earned a Masters Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. In addition, Josh has a General Course Certificate from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Kevin Bohan: The Power of Feedback

Kevin is a proven Human Resources and thought leader with international experience from world-class consumer packaged goods organizations across sales, marketing, and manufacturing. Kevin has lived and worked in New York City, London, UK and now resides in the Chicago area. He has recently been spotlighted on Chicago Crains Notable Business Leaders in HR list, earned a Top 50 placement on ONCON’s Peer voted Top HR Professional List and is a frequent speaker on current business topics. Kevin is known for his strategic nature and commercial focus that enables him to make a significant contribution to an organization’s success. Leveraging experiences from multiple geographies, Kevin aligns human resources with the business vision to drive growth and performance. Kevin quickly assess organizational challenges and opportunities and sets clear strategies aligning talent with key business objectives. His specialties include data analytics, talent management, diversity and inclusion, succession planning, labor relations, employee engagement, and driving organizational performance.

Kevin recently joined the Career Placement Advisory Council of the not for profit “because I said I would” as part of helping design and improve career placement methods across multiple charitable programs.

Kevin believes that culture and top talent bring competitive advantages. He focuses on building a world class talent base with the capabilities, skills and behaviors to sustain performance. Kevin’s passion is to develop talent and help people achieve their full potential –raising employee engagement, productivity and retention along the say.

Kevin is currently CHRO and SVP of Human Resources for WernerCo, a growing $1+ billion company with 5000+ employees globally. The WernerCo portfolio includes industry leading brands including; Werner, KNAACK®, WEATHER GUARD®, Youngman®, BoSS®, Centaure, Duarib, Abru, Haemmerlin, Bailey and Zarges.

Before joining WernerCo, Kevin was the CHRO of UGN Inc, an International Tier One automotive supplier. During his time there, UGN was recognized as an Illinois Best Place to Work in the large employer category. Prior to UGN, Kevin led human resources for a$2 billion foodservice business unit of the multi-national Pactiv. There he instilled the organization’s standards and best practices across several acquired organizations. Earlier in his career, Kevin spent 11 years in human resources with the$17 billion global beverage company, Diageo, where he led change management projects, built an employee engagement program and developed sophisticated global recruiting programs. These initiatives supported his former employer being named the 11th best global company for which to work.

Cristyn Girolami: Using Your Strengths and Passion at Work

Over the last 20 years, Cristyn has been a key contributor in helping organizations to recruit, train, and retain top talent. Her focus has been on overseeing people operations, upgrading talent and managing performance for optimal results.

Cristyn led the Human Resource function at online technology retailer Bluefly. As VP of HR she worked closely with Bluefly’s CEO, and management team regarding the overall people strategy for the business. Her focus was spent on recruiting, talent management, compensation & benefits, culture, and employee relations.

Prior to Bluefly, Cristyn held the role of Director of Human Resources for Victorinox Swiss Army overseeing Human Resources for several divisions including:  Apparel, Retail, Merchandising, Cutlery, Wenger, and Canada operations.

She also led the HR function for luxury bath retailer Waterworks, which included the corporate office and 40 retail stores across the country. Cristyn has also worked for sports and entertainment organizations such as the NY Giants and Madison Square Garden.

Cristyn has an MA in Psychology and is a Certified Personal Trainer and Yoga Instructor.

Keith Bogen: How to Make Networking Work

Keith Bogen, SHRM-SCP/SPHR is the Senior Human Resources Business Partner and Business Development Consultant for Medbar Group, a progressive and extremely innovative concierge healthcare organization. Originally founded to bring dental services to the workplace, pandemic times saw a broader way to help the world, so the company has grown to become a leading nationwide provider of an array of medical services at the workplace, including Covid testing, vaccinations, hearing and vision screening, biometrics and annual physicals.

 

Keith is a 25-year HR practitioner, serving as Director, Manager, Business Partner and Consultant for a variety of companies and clients across many industries, most notably healthcare, technology and pharmaceuticals. The founder of well-known networking group for human resources practitioners, Whine & Dine Networking, he has developed a global network within HR of tens of thousands of participants in all 50 states and 40 countries around the world. An avid softball player and driving enthusiastic, he is known for bringing people together for business and social purposes and demonstrating the theory of six degrees of separation and how it impacts everything in life.

 

Hang around long enough and you will know all about his two sons, Justin who is a senior accounting major at the University of South Carolina and Jeremy, a freshman computer science major at Ohio State University. Developing networking machines... they just don’t know that yet!

 

Rajesh Ahuja: Degrees Versus Skills

Rajesh Ahuja is the Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Infosys.

Brandon Bennett: The Importance of Principles

A social scientist disguised as a business leader, Brandon Bennett leverages his research background and MBA to create people solutions to organizational needs. Currently, he supports Lamb Weston as a Sr Director of HR. In this role, Brandon is able to leverage both his startup and large corporation backgrounds to build new processes for a culture that is a hybrid of the two.

Prior to Lamb Weston, Brandon worked to create and implement HR processes to transition Mohawk from a startup to a publicly-traded company. Brandon gained OD expertise and HR Generalist experience at Nature’s Bounty as he transformed the North American supply chain into a High Performing Organization, restructuring culture, compensation, training, organizations, and teams. Additionally, he gained expertise in talent management while working at the Kellogg Company as a recruiter and leadership development specialist. Brandon received his MBA with an emphasis in Org Behavior and Human Resources from BYU’s Marriott School of Management. 

Fascinated by the stories people and organizations tell themselves, Brandon is most engaged when helping individuals and groups do things they've never considered to achieve what they never thought possible. He sees the future as a cyborg, with leaders confident in leading people and technology. 

Brandon learned Organizational Effectiveness by necessity to manage his family of seven. Everyone has a role and responsibilities as the family camps, hikes, and explores the country through the National Parks and Monuments.

Brad Wilkins: Building a Brand and a Rapport

Bradford Wilkins is a strategic Chief People Officer with a history of success developing integrated "People" functions from scratch in fast-paced, growing global companies. He was most recently the VP, People for Collibra, a tech unicorn that provides enterprise data intelligence products for enterprise customers across the world. Prior to joining Collibra, Brad was the Chief People Officer for Altisource (NASDAQ: ASPS) where he built the People Solutions function globally for ~7,500 employees in North America, Europe, India, Uruguay and the Philippines. He joined Altisource after serving as the Vice President, Talent Management and HR Services (Chief People Officer) at Adcap Network Systems. While there, the company was recognized two years in a row as the #1 Overall Best Place to Work in Atlanta by the "Best and Brightest" and was named a top three company in the U.S. overall for its hiring practices by TheLadders.com.  

Brad was named the “2019 HR Rising Star” in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, one of the Top 25 HR "Game Changers" Under 40 globally by Workforce Magazine, one of the Top 100 Millenial Leaders globally in “Back to Human” and the #1 Recruiter in the U.S. by TheLadders.com and the SHRM-Atlanta Pegasus Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in HR. He has been a featured speaker for LinkedIn, Hacking HR, the Talent Management Alliance, The Ladders, Workforce Live, TLNT, ALI, Conference Board and featured in multiple publications including an interview in Forbes, contributing to the book “Back to Human” and several articles in Talent Management Magazine. 

Brad received his degree from the University of Maryland-College Park and currently lives in Atlanta with wife Marissa, a physician at Emory Hospital, their son Jonah and a newly arrived baby girl.  His passionate hobbies include basketball, theater, travel and food.

Saran Johnson: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace

Saran Johnson started her career as an HR professional in the public accounting industry over 20 years ago and has more than 15 years of human resource management experience. Saran has extensive knowledge in the areas of recruiting and retention, employee relations, organizational development and strategic planning as well as resource management. 

Saran is a diversity, equity and inclusion champion who focuses on identifying and analyzing organizational issues and subsequently developing programming and policy recommendations. 

Saran is a graduate of Hofstra University where she earned her BA in Psychology and Molloy College where she earned her MBA in Management. Saran is professionally certified in human resource management and regularly speaks on industry topics.

Christina Herrmann: Undertaking a RIF

Christina Herrmann has worked as a C-level human capital executive in professional services firms for the past 13 years, primarily in the legal industry.  In her roles she has been the architect of transformational change including process improvements, benefits optimizations, and enhanced talent acquisition and development.  Christina earned a BA in psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan and an MBA from the European School of Management & Technology (ESMT), Berlin, Germany.  Christina is also dual certified as both a Senior and Global Professional in Human Resources (SPHR, GPHR).

John Reid-Dodick: Finding the Right Workplace Culture

John Reid-Dodick is the Chief People Officer at AlphaSense, a search engine for market intelligence that is leveraging AI to transform how decisions are made by the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions. In this role, JRD is focused on building a future-forward People Team to support the company’s ambitious growth while helping create an AI-infused culture that puts AlphaSense at the forefront of the future of work.

JRD joined AlphaSense from WeWork, where from 2018 to 2020 he founded and led the company’s cultureOS business, helping companies think and act differently about culture and the role workplace plays in enhancing culture. Previously, he served as WeWork’s Chief People Officer from 2016 to 2018 while the company scaled four-fold to over 4,000 people in new markets across the globe.

JRD served as Chief People Officer at Dun & Bradstreet (from 2014 to 2016) and at AOL (from 2011 to 2013). He joined AOL from Thomson Reuters, where he led human resources for Thomson Reuters Markets. Prior to that, he held senior human resources roles at Reuters in New York and London.

An expert in leadership, talent, and organizational culture and change, JRD has led a number of initiatives that have received industry awards and been featured as best practice in books such as ​The Art of Action (2011); ​Leading Innovation​ (2006); and ​The Employer Brand​ (2005). The cultureOS, which JRD created with WeWork co-founder and Chief Culture Officer, Miguel McKelvey, is the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. JRD is also a frequent speaker at industry events, with a focus on culture, the future of work, and workplace modernization.

JRD is a member of the Board of Directors for the HR Policy Association (the Association of Chief Human Resources Officers); serves on the Advisory Board for the G100 Talent Consortium; and is a Senior Advisor to the HR50. JRD previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for ​Axiom​, where he was Chair of the Compensation Committee. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for KIPP New Jersey, a network of public charter schools serving students in Newark, Camden, and Miami.

A lawyer by training, JRD joined Reuters in 1995, serving as General Counsel for Reuters America from 1997 to 2000. Prior to Reuters, he was an associate with Sullivan & Cromwell and a law clerk for the Honorable Robert W. Sweet of the Southern District of New York.

JRD graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988, where he was Managing Editor of the ​Harvard Law Review.​ He holds a Masters degree in Politics from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba.

JRD is married to his high school sweetheart, Darlene, and they have three children – Cassie, a senior manager with Accenture Strategy’s Talent & Organization practice; Jorie, a behavior specialist working with children on the autism spectrum; and Cody, a co-owner of ​Good Beans,​ a specialty coffee startup based in Amsterdam.

Deb Wheelock: Listen to Understand, Not to Respond

Deb Wheelock is an accomplished and versatile Global Talent Management Leader with deep expertise in the global design and delivery of the talent lifecycle. She is known for her ability to collaborate across functions to empower the HR team and to partner effectively with the business to drive inclusive cultural change.

Deb recently joined iCapital Network, a fast-growing fintech company whose mission is to power the world’s alternative investment marketplace.  In her role as head of Global Talent Management, she oversees Talent Acquisition, Learning & Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Employee Experience.  Prior to this role, she was leader of the global Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness team at Legg Mason & Co., LLC.  

Before that, she was head of Global Talent Management for the Risk & Insurance Services segment of Marsh & McLennan Companies, holding the lead talent management role at Marsh and Guy Carpenter, and earlier, at Mercer. During her tenure in these roles, she led the design of high-impact leadership development programming and streamlined the talent review and succession planning process, while improving the focus on visible diversity. 

Deb is a member of The Executive Forum, The Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, the Fairfield County Senior HR Roundtable and the Association for Talent Development (where she has served on their Board Selection Committee). She is a past member of the Chief Talent Officer Exchange and the Senior Executive Board for Talent Management for Best Practices Institute.  Deb has spoken at various learning and talent management industry events and was a member of the presenting faculty at The Conference Board’s Diversity & Inclusion Boot Camp. She holds a B.A. from Rutgers University (Douglass College), a certificate in E-Learning and is NetWorkWise Certified.  She is a licensed and certified practitioner of the Hogan Development Suite (Advanced Feedback & Interpretation) and Insights Discovery.  

Hannah Wilkowski: The Evolution of Benefits

Hannah Wilkowski, CEBS is a Human Resources professional with over a decade of experience in both the Talent and Reward space, with a specialty and passion for Global Benefits and Wellness. 

Currently, Hannah manages Global Benefits and Wellness at BuzzFeed. In this role, she is responsible for the quality, relevance, and sustainability of all employee health, wellness, and retirement plans. Prior to this role, she was a Business Partner and Global Reward Specialist in the financial services industry. Hannah’s accomplishments include rebranding and expanding global employee benefits, implementing and growing Wellness Programs, and enhancing Parental Leave policies and offerings.

Hannah is a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) by the IFEBP and Wharton Business School, received an M.S. from New York University, and a B.S. from Muhlenberg College. Hannah lives in Manhattan with her husband and 2 rescue dogs. Hannah enjoys yoga, hikes, and red wine.

Amy Lui Abel: The Future Of AI In The Workplace

Amy Lui Abel is Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board and leads research efforts focusing on leadership development, human capital analytics, organizational learning, labor markets, strategic workforce planning, talent management, diversity and inclusion, executive coaching, human resources, and employee engagement. In addition to published research, related products and services at The Conference Board include peer learning networks, conferences,webcasts, and other executive events.  Amy frequently hosts Human Capital Watch™ and other webcasts/podcasts that examine research and practitioner challenges in the field of human capital..

Amy was previously a Director of Leadership Development with Morgan Stanley, supporting high potential senior leaders globally. She has also held roles at Accenture, Adobe Systems, JPMorganChase, and led a private consulting organization performance practice.

Amy currently serves on the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering Enterprise Learning Board of Directors. Amy has taught at New York University Stern School of Business in management and organization studies and served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD) New York Chapter. She was named ‘Outstanding Alumni of the Year’ by the New York University Business Education Program.  Based on her doctoral research study about corporate universities and organizational learning, Amy was recognized for ‘Best Workplace Learning Dissertation’ by the American Educational Research Association Workplace Learning Group. 

Amy was recently published in The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Coaching in Organizations by Jossey Bass, People + Strategy Journal, The Handbook of Workplace Learning by Sage Publications, Human Resources Development Quarterly Journal, and ATD’s T+D (Training and Development) Magazine. She holds several degrees, including a PhD from New York University in information technology, business education, and organizational learning and performance.

Rosaria Sasso: The Nuance of Total Rewards

Rosaria Sasso likes to describe the early years of her career in a global management consulting firm as “playing a pension actuary on TV.” While she managed to pass some of her actuarial exams, Rosaria discovered that it was her communication skills that made her uniquely suited to address complex topics with her clients. Specifically, it was her clear, understandable manner that translated well both for HR as well as finance and legal. Over the years, her focus expanded from retirement plans to the broader total rewards landscape, with an emphasis on compliance and internal controls. 

For nearly a decade, Rosaria has been applying her expertise to the corporate world, serving as the VP of Benefits Strategy and then the SVP of Global Total Rewards Strategy for a global media and entertainment company. During this time, Rosaria has led numerous initiatives that created strategic impact. These included refining the benefits programs to better reflect the needs of employees and the business, enhancing compensation programs to differentiate on individual performance and implement new vendors, and launching technology transformations to provide an enhanced employee experience in a cost-effective manner. 

Rosaria earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook University. She is also a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership program, the flagship leadership development program for female executives in the cable and television industry. Rosaria lives on Long Island with her husband, three teenagers, dog and two guinea pigs. 

notSHRMapproved: Duplicate Yourself

The Admin behind notSHRMapproved has enjoyed the privilege of being in the Human Resources industry for over 16 years in a variety of companies from grassroots start-ups to Multi-National Enterprises, serving in an Executive HR leadership position for the last 8 years. Her verticals have included Financial Services, Professional Employer Organizations, Retail Manufacturing, Government Services, Fashion Design, Restaurants, and Global Distribution. 

Starting in client services work out of undergrad school, notSHRMapproved entered into the Human Resources sphere when she found her passion for compliance and social justice could be combined into one career. She has been the HR guru for organizations as small as 25 and as large as 6,000 employees, ensuring employee-centric policies and procedures were at the heart of every company's culture. Her experiences have been shaped by the warm, wonderful, motley populations that made up each company's employee base and has been the driving factor in keeping service synonymous with success. She now harnesses those experiences to transform the trials and tribulations of HR professionals into relatable and humorous memes and stories on Instagram, Twitter, and TiKTok, earning a rep not only as an au courant HR Executive but as the hostess of an engaging community for the next generation of HR leaders.

She, her husband, and their cadre of children hail from the NYC Metro area. She is an enormously proud military daughter, granddaughter, and sister. She has a penchant for French white wine and ahi poke bowls, an unfortunate addiction to caffeine, a repetitive affair with the word f**k, and an avid love of the sea.

Joe Tornabe: Mentorship Can Be Informal

Joe Tornabe is an Executive Director of Human Resources for The Estee Lauder Companies responsible for delivering HR leadership to the Research and Development function. Joe’s has extensive HR business partnership experience with over 15 years in the consumer products industry with assignments, both domestic and international, across corporate functions, manufacturing plants, technology centers, international divisions and brand subsidiaries. 

Joe holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Sacred Heart University and a Master's Degree in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

Daisy Auger-Dominguez: A More Inclusive Workplace

Daisy Auger-Domínguez has made it her mission to make workplaces more equitable and inclusive. As the Chief People Officer at VICE Media Group, Daisy oversees human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility practices. Her TEDx talk Inclusion Revolution and upcoming book with Seal Press by the same title calls on everyone, from an individual contributor to a CEO, to take on the work of dismantling inequity in the workplace.

Daisy has designed and executed organizational transformations at Moody's Investors Service, The Walt Disney Company, Google, and Viacom, and founded Auger-Domínguez Ventures, a workplace culture consultancy. A dynamic speaker, writer and advisor, Daisy serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and The 19th. 

Arthur Matuszewski: Staying People Focused

Arthur leads Talent for Better.com, a rapidly scaling homeownership startup using technology to change the way people finance their homes for the better. Before joining Better.com, Arthur led Strategic Talent Sourcing for Wayfair where he helped the leading destination for home e-commerce scale from 7,000 to 14,000+ employees in under two years. Previously, Arthur was responsible for talent strategy at innovation consultancy Fahrenheit 212 and worked in general management at the global hedge fund Bridgewater Associates. 

Sue Newman: Embracing The Fourth Industrial Revolution

Sue Newman is the Director for HR Transformation for Republic National Distributing Company ('RNDC").  RNDC is the nation's second largest distributor of beverage alcohol in the United States.  On August 1, 2019, RNDC and Young’s Market Company (Young’s) announced the completion of a Joint Venture Partnership Agreement. As a result of the partnership, RNDC and Young's now service customers in 31 states plus the District of Columbia and employ nearly 13,000 people.

In the newly created role of Director, HR Transformation, Sue serves as HR Business Partner to multiple department leaders providing subject matter expertise, strategic direction, and execution on best practices in human capital workflow processes, policies, and programs and change leadership strategies that impact the enterprise especially in the area of integration, mergers, and acquisitions.  She is a certified Senior HR Professional through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), as well as a certified facilitator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and a Master Facilitator with Development Dimensions, International.

Ms. Newman has been with RNDC for more than 11 years.  Prior to her role in HR Transformation, she enjoyed a progressive career with RNDC, beginning as HR Manager in New Mexico for National Distributing Co.  She most recently served as the Corporate Director, supporting the organization’s Finance and IT departments, in addition to managing a small team of HR professionals supporting RNDC’s wholly-owned affiliates in Georgia and New Mexico, National Distributing Co.

Ms. Newman joined the RNDC family after working as an HRBP at Intel Corporation, then as the Payroll / Personnel Manager for the Albuquerque Police Department, in Albuquerque, NM.   She is the proud mother of two young men who are serving in the US Air Force and Air National Guard, and she instructs Basic Pistol and Firearms courses to handgun enthusiasts in the DFW area.

Daniel Corkum: Understanding the Tech Behind HR

Daniel Corkum is a Human Resource and Total Rewards professional with over 16 years of progressive experience and consistent success designing, implementing, managing, and administering HR, Compensation, Payroll, and Benefits systems solutions for leading corporations. 

Over the past two decades, Mr. Corkum has held various HR, Compensation, & Total Rewards roles, in global companies, such as Bayer and NOVA Chemicals and currently, ARLANXEO.  

He has been responsible for managing Compensation, Payroll, and Benefits projects, has served on numerous non-profit committees, and has also held the role of Total Rewards Functional Leader during a short-term assignment in Germany.

Mr. Corkum is a member of World at Work, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), as well as both local Pittsburgh-Area chapter groups.  He is a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) since 2007, a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) since 2009, a Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) since 2015, and the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) since 2015.

Mr. Corkum has a BA degree in Business Administration from Washington and Jefferson College, and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Corkum is currently a Total Rewards Specialist at ARLANXEO.

Kyle Gibb: The Value of Benefits

Kyle Gibb graduated from UConn in 2011 with B.S. in Actuarial Science and Mathematics

Following college he worked for Mercer as an Actuarial Pension Consultant for a few years before going to work for one of his Clients, People’s United Bank, as a Pension Administrator. Gibb quickly realized there was much more to Benefits and Rewards than just Pension, and his curiosity brought him to Diageo North America where he had the opportunity to grow my knowledge in the rewards space, encompassing Healthcare, Retirement, Compensation and many other ancillary benefit offerings. It also has given Kyle exposure to benefits on a global level and he's been able to accumulate almost 10 years of Benefits knowledge to this point, and looks forward to continuing his learning in this space.

 Kyle is an avid golfer, nature enthusiast, Boston Sports fan, and loves to enjoy a nice glass of red wine or whiskey on the rocks.

Karen Weeks: Finding The Right Fit For Startups

Karen D. Weeks is a strategic partner whose drive is to help companies build and scale their culture to meet their business goals and help people find their career passions.  Her passion is around talent development, organizational effectiveness, individual career development, and helping teams through change.  Currently, Karen is the SVP of People at Ordergroove and was named one of the 2020 Notable Women in Talent by Crain’s New York Business.  Karen is also a career coach, a speaker, an advisor to start-up companies, the published author of “Setting the Stage: A Guide to Preparing for Any Feedback Conversation” and host of the podcast “Getting off the Hamster Wheel”. She lives in NYC with her husband and fur babies.

Dennis Roberts: The Three Buckets of HR

Dennis Roberts is a senior executive with over 35 years experience in leading human capital initiatives in a variety of companies, large and small and in a number of different industries.  This experience includes leading significant organizational responses to challenges within a private equity firm and private equity portfolio companies, in North America, Europe and Asia.  Dennis has led HR-related activities involving pre-deal due diligence and in post acquisition integration of merged or acquired companies. He has also served on Boards of Directors for portfolio companies.  

A list of companies he has worked with include Z Capital Partners, International Playtex, Beatrice, Inc., Bush Industries, Inc., The William Carter Company, Holiday Inn Worldwide, Nellson Nutraceuticals, Mrs. Fields Cookies, TCBY Yogurt, and non-governmental organizations including the United Nations/UNICEF.  Mr. Roberts has also directly led recruitment efforts to identify and hire senior-level candidates at several companies, including C-suite positions such as CEO, CFO, Chief Marketing Officer, VP Information Technology, VP Human Resources and VP Operations.

Dennis is currently Chief Human Resources Officer at Max Finkelstein, Inc. a New York City-based wholesale distribution/logistics company with operations from Maine to Virginia. 

He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Organizational Science.  Dennis lives with his wife Sally in Port Chester, NY and is the father of two sons, one an attorney and one an Eagle Scout currently pursuing a Masters of Accountancy. He is a former Army Officer, an avid sailor, British sports car enthusiast and is an adult leader in the local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America.

Danielle Crane: Bringing Design Learning To HR

Danielle Crane has been committed to modernizing the human resources field since her entrance over 15 years ago. Captivated by the art of recruitment early on in her career, Danielle was immediately drawn to how it made her feel – creative, results-focused and value-added. Since then, Danielle has strived to recreate that feeling in all disciplines of human resources, from talent acquisition to compensation and benefits to employee development and retention. Practicing HR in a variety of industries, from tech to financial services to not-profit, Danielle has partnered with leadership to build simplified, high-performing HR functions that fuel organizational growth and success. Danielle currently serves as the Sr. Director of Global HR for OneStream Software.
 
Danielle earned a B.A. in Human Resources and English from Albion College and a M.B.A. from Walsh College. She holds the PHR, SHRM-CP and CPLP certifications, and is a certified practitioner of Human Centered Design through the LUMA Institute. Danielle was a proud recipient of the 2015 “Michigan’s Top HR Professional” MISHRM award and the American Society for Employers (ASE)’s HR Executive of the Year award in 2016. You may connect with Danielle via her LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com/in/danicrane1.

Jayne Binzer: The World of Private Equity

Jayne Binzer is a seasoned executive specializing in Human Resources in a transactional environment. She has managed HR-related processes in all stages of the deal life-cycle in a variety of industries and deal complexities. 

She's currently a Senior HR Executive at Cerberus Capital Management where she's been since 2004. While there, she's led the HR due diligence on more than 200 transactions ranging from standalone companies to complex multi-national carve outs.

A graduate of Hofstra University, Binzer speaks both English and French.

Colin Mincy: Know Your Role

Colin Mincy is Human Rights Watch’s first Chief People Officer. The organization elevated the role to demonstrate the organization’s commitment to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to ensure a resilient and thriving staff in ways that reflect the organization’s global role, identity, and mandate.

Colin sits on the Executive Management Team and directs the organization’s global human resources function. He oversees recruitment and hiring, international compensation and benefits, performance management, learning and development, and employee and labor relations.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Colin was the Director of Culture and Change Management for Open Society - US, and managed human resources operations for Open Society Foundation’s US offices. Colin also worked at the International Rescue Committee leading the regional human resources function for its US and European headquarters. Previously, Colin worked in the finance and technology sector as HR Business Partner Consultant for CFO Americas at Credit Suisse, Head of Human Resources at Tracx, and led SimCorp North America function in New York and Toronto.

Colin serves on the Board of Directors for Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI), a non-profit training and technical assistance intermediary for New York City’s workforce designed to unite people, programs, and organizations committed to generating pathways out of poverty through employment community. He also sits on the Board of Directors for Youth Represent a non-profit organization that works to ensure that young people affected by the criminal justice system are afforded every opportunity to reclaim lives of dignity, self-fulfillment, and engagement in their communities. Since 2007, Colin has given of his time and resources as an advisor and workshop facilitator for INROADS New York/New Jersey, a program that he is alumni of and attributes his success to.

Steve Schloss: The Evolution of Coaching

Steve is an accomplished executive leader, chief people officer, board member, advisor, coach, educator, and mentor. He brings over three and a half decades of knowledge and insight having built, scaled, evolved and transformed diverse global organizations in financial services, media, non-profit, sports, and high-growth technology. 

His experience transcends a wide range of culture and business scenarios that have honed his contextual and leadership agility and his foundation as an adaptive and values-driven leader for today’s VUCA environment. Steve is currently Chief People Officer for the United States Golf Association, who champion and advance the game through professional and amateur championships, governance, and services and innovation to facilities and golfers in over forty countries. He has been leading this 125-year old organization through an intentional transformation of work, workforce and workplace aligned with their mission and values as this 600-year old game evolves in the 21st century. 

Joe Posner: Data and Technology in HR

Joe seeks to foster a “best-place-to-work” atmosphere and a shared philosophy that people are our most valued asset. He believes strongly in HR as a pathway to enabling organizational success through the power of people, designing a framework of systems and supports to create the right conditions and experiences to attract, engage and retain highly talented individuals whose values and passions align with the organization’s core values and mission.  

Joe joined New Visions in 2013 and oversees all Human Resources functions for each New Visions for Public Schools and New Visions Charter High Schools. He brings over 20 years of experience working in Human Resources at diverse, mission-driven organizations, formerly serving as the head of HR for the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation and in progressive leadership roles at Safe Horizon, where he served as the senior director of HR. 

He holds a master's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy from Binghamton University. Additionally, he holds SPHR and SCP certifications in HR and is a licensed trainer. Joe is also a Shotokan Karate Instructor for the Police Activity League where he holds the rank of Yodan.  He resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Jill, their son James, and their dog, Venice.

Maryellen McQuade: Being Part of a Merger

Maryellen McQuade has been Corporate Vice President of Human Resources for Novo Nordisk Inc. since March 2017.

She’s entrusted with cultivating and preserving the Novo Nordisk Way among the company’s people and culture.

Ms. McQuade’s responsibilities encompass human resource strategies and programs that support the overall business, specifically in the areas of benefits, talent management, learning & development, diversity & inclusion, employee engagement and employee relations.

With 13 years of pharmaceutical and human resource experience, Ms. McQuade’s expertise is primarily focused in business model redesign, organizational change, talent acquisition and management, and deepening managerial capabilities.  She is instrumental in maintaining a foundation of diverse and sophisticated talent, and a broad range of professional development resources, ensuring Novo Nordisk continues to be a place where people aspire to be, stay and grow. 

Ms. McQuade joined Novo Nordisk in 2016 as Vice President of Human Resources for Commercial Functions. Prior to that, she was the North America Human Resource Lead for Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) Consumer Health (a joint venture between Novartis Pharmaceuticals and GSK.) Before the merger between GSK and Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Ms. McQuade was the Global Human Resource Lead, Technical Operations & Quality at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Previously, Ms. McQuade spent nearly 10 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in various roles of increasing responsibility in Human Resources, primarily working alongside the Research & Development functions. She ultimately led a Human Resource team supporting the BMS manufacturing network.

Ms. McQuade sits on the board of trustees of the Princeton Charter School.  She holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.

Jeri Medrea: Be Open to Change

Jeri is an innovative executive that has created, transformed, and led global strategic human resource functions in a variety of public and private companies, large and small and within different business sectors.

Currently she is As Chief People Officer for Liquidnet, the global institutional investment network, she is responsible for overseeing global human resources, leadership development, organizational development, and Employee engagement which includes their Liquidnet For Good initiatives. Throughout her career, she has focused her teams on adding value to the bottom line while providing services and products that preserve the culture, drive performance, and meet the ever-changing needs of a diverse workplace.

Under her leadership the companies she has worked for have been the recipients of many workplace awards; Best Places to work for Working Mothers, Best Places to work for IT professionals, Best work place for preventive care and wellness initiatives and Best Places to work in New York City.

As Chief People Officer at Liquidnet, Jeri introduced a platform that provides a basis, context, and support for the company’s DEI initiatives. The platform is called R.I.S.E..(Respectful, Inclusive, Safe and Empowering). It addresses all issues facing companies today and their efforts to attract and retain diverse talent. 

Carrie Holtz: Bringing Coaching to HR

Carrie Holtz is a Senior HR leader with deep experience working with high-performing global teams. Her passion is helping people and teams achieve exceptional results through tailored solutions that drive individual, team, and organizational performance.  

Colleagues and clients appreciate Carrie’s collaborative approach to interpreting and translating ideas into solutions that drive desired results. They also appreciate her deep business knowledge and experience including a focus on growth, operating efficiencies, and return on investment. 

Leaders regularly seek Carrie’s counsel and perspectives on matters of importance to them. Further, she serves as a mentor and coach to many. Carrie is fully committed to helping people and teams achieve their goals and also to preparing the next generation of business leaders. 

Joe Morgan: Don't Assume, Just Listen

Joe has been in the Human Resources field in various capacities for over 15 years, with a focus on public sector and higher education organizations.  He’s currently the Executive Director of HR at Middlesex County College in New Jersey where he oversees a team of dedicated HR professionals that drive the HR function and strategy for the college’s faculty and staff.  Joe’s passion in HR is “Total Rewards” and he recently achieved Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation through the IFEBP.

Christine Sheedy: Understanding How to Build Trust

Christine Sheedy started her Human Resources career 30 years ago, starting out as an HR Administrator before spending much of her career helping organizations identify and develop their Talent in an effort to drive improved organizational effectiveness.  After holding positions in Learning & Development, Talent Management, Organizational Development, and Employee Communications, Christine refocused her attention on leading Human Resources functions, which she does now as the Global Head of Human Resources for GAIN Capital Holdings, a global trading firm based in New Jersey.  In this role, Christine is responsible for leading the people function to drive organizational growth through the development of a high-performing workplace that values people and their contributions.  

Prior to joining GAIN in 2014, Christine spent thirteen years with Thomson Reuters, leading the Organizational Development practice within several of their financial divisions.  This role allowed Christine to partner with business executives to build initiatives designed to better understand the company’s capabilities, diagnose challenges, and implement initiatives that drive financial success.  She also had the opportunity to coach managers across the business, supporting them to better understand themselves, how they are perceived, and how they can use their capabilities to better lead their teams.  Her unique ability to question perceptions and see every challenge from various angles is invaluable to helping others recognize their own opportunities to improve.

Christine earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and an MBA from New York University.  She is active on the board of trustees for Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, New Jersey, where she lives with her husband and two teenage sons.

Sharon Jautz: Checking In On Remote Employees

Sharon Jautz has spent over 25 years in Human Resources within the media industry. 

Starting with Fairchild Publications, Sharon grew to become the Vice President and Director of HR, overseeing all global HR functions for this major fashion publisher. She staffed the original Jane magazine with founding Editor, Jane Pratt and worked with Editor, Clay Felker to launch M magazine.

When W magazine opened an office in Paris, Sharon was there to guide the Company through the labyrinth of HR intricacies that go with international employment and establishment of a business.

Moving to Reed Business Information in 2000, Sharon handled HR in New York for 26 media titles including Interior Design, Publisher's Weekly and Variety magazines. Sharon's next move was to Playboy Enterprises where she oversaw the global HR function for Playboy magazine and the licensing division.

In 2006, Sharon was recruited by CEO Jim Spanfeller to help grow the Forbes.com brand and oversee all global HR functions for the rapidly expanding Digital Division of Forbes Media.

Sharon is currently the Head of HR, North America for Ascential, Inc. in New York City and oversees the HR function for Ascential’s brands including WGSN, Cannes Lions, Money2020 and WARC.

Sharon studied at the University of North London, UK and graduated with a degree in History from Marymount College, Tarrytown. 

Dr. Christal Morris: The Human Capital Specialist

Dr. Morris has been in Human Resources for over 23 years and has a passion and commitment for all things ‘Human Capital and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As a former VP and Global Head of Diversity, she’s formally launched CLM & Associates, has owned a human capital and DEI consultancy practice where she is staying quite busy with both large and small organizations as they develop new approaches to create belongings.

This podcast episode was recorded in early May of 2020.

Shyam Mohan: Being Extroverted Helps

Shyam Mohan is a passionate Total Rewards leader with a wide array of experience building and implementing global compensation and benefit programs and solutions. He brings a strategic focus prioritizing the employee experience while balancing costs and business needs.

He has two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University in Human Resource Management and Employee & Labor Relations. Shyam started his career at Johnson & Johnson in recruiting, but quickly moved into compensation & HRIS. He then joined Watson Labs, a generics company that was on the cusp of transformative M&A activity. Here he got extensive experience with M&A’s as Watson acquired many companies growing into the multinational generics company, Actavis, and finally acquiring Allergan creating a global brands and generics leader. As the company grew, Shyam’s roles within the company continued to grow and he became a trusted compensation advisor to HR and business leaders.

His time with Allergan culminated with him leading all compensation & benefits activity for the divestiture of the Actavis generics business to Teva. Shyam’s next role was with G&W laboratories where he was charged with leading the design of a Total Rewards operating model, creating a compensation philosophy and structure, and redesigning their HRIS system.

Currently he is the Senior Director of Total Rewards & HRIS at Fragomen where he oversees Total Rewards, performance management and HRIS. In his time, he has developed a new operating model for how Total Rewards provides services to HR and the business and has implemented a global framework for consistent titling and career paths. The recent focus of Shyam and his team has been working to enhance the communication and marketing of Fragomen’s Total Rewards programs in each country to ensure employees are better educated and derive value from all the company’s offerings.

Mandi Susman: Self-Insured vs Fully Insured

Mandi is the Executive Director for Compensation and Benefits at the Wildlife Conservation Society. In this role she oversees the strategy and development of benefits plans and compensation structure and administration. In her role she oversaw the transition of the organizations’ health plans from a fully-insured to self-insured status and will be working to develop a global Total Rewards philosophy once the COVID-19 crisis has died down enough to allow other work to continue.

 

Prior to joining WCS, Mandi had a longstanding career that combined compensation consulting and in house compensation administration. Immediately prior to WCS, she was the Director for Employee Compensation for McGraw Hill Education covering roughly 4,000 employees in 30 countries. Her time there focused on leading the global salary increase cycle and implementing a new web-based market pricing tool.

 

She spent about two years leading a Total Rewards Philosophy review for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This project encompassed all aspects of compensation and rewards including salary structures, career mapping, promotional opportunities and the overall organization pay philosophy. Prior to joining NRDC, she was a senior consultant with JL Board Advisors where she supported clients in the Insurance and REIT industries focusing on executive compensation plan development and administration.

 

She spent 4 years in compensation and recruitment at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after spending several years in compensation at IBM. Her key achievements at IBM include her role as an award-winning project manager for the initial IBM proxy filing under the proxy rules mandated by the S.E.C. in 2007.

 

Mandi began her career in compensation as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she supported and led a diverse group of client projects involving the financial services, technology and non-profit sectors.

 

Mandi serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Van Cortlandt Track Club and the founder and Coach of the VCTC Kids’ Running Club. She holds an undergraduate degree in Philosophy with a Music minor from the State University of New York College at Purchase.

Diana Veloza: Nonprofits Are A Whole New Ballgame

Diana is an HR Executive with extensive experience in all areas of Human Resources. Her passion and dedication to Human Resources has led to her success in Human Resources. Diana is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and plays a vital role in the development and implementation of human resources strategies and programs. The Diocese of Brooklyn serves the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens throughout 186 parishes with 201 churches and 85 Catholic Schools and Academies.

Prior to joining the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, Diana was the Vice President of Human Resources at Covenant House International Headquarters, a large International non- profit organization that provides housing and supportive services to over 80,000 youth facing homelessness every year. At Covenant House, she wore many different hats and led various HR functions including talent management, HR policies and procedures, employee relations, performance management, compensation and compliance.

Previously, Diana also served as the Director of Human Resources for Transitional Services of NY, a non-profit mental health agency. Early in her career she held two other Human Resources positions at The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company, a manufacturer of fire protection equipment and Wells Rich Greene, a large advertising agency.

Diana obtained a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources from the New School and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from St. John’s University. Diana is an Executive Committee member of HR PANO – Human Resources Professional Association of Non-Profit Organizations and she also enjoys mentoring college students who wish to pursue a career in Human Resources.