Business Acumen

Yvette Lee, SHRM-SCP, is an HR Knowledge Advisor at SHRM, the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000+ members in more than 165 countries. Yvette possesses over 25 years of human resources experience. Her expertise includes talent management, benefits, compensation, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, ethics and compliance, and employee development. A published author of several articles in SHRM's HR Magazine on various topics, Yvette holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Virginia. She also holds the SHRM California Law HR, Talent Acquisition, Inclusive Workplace Culture, People Manager Qualification and HR Dept. of One Specialty Credentials. Yvette enjoys spending time with her family and doing community service.

Angela M. Clements is the Principal Attorney and Founder of Clements Employment Law. Angela is an experienced advocate for entrepreneurs and individuals with challenging employment law issues. Angela services include: employment law counseling and training; workplace investigations; litigation/claims; and traditional labor law (labor negotiations and grievance arbitrations). Angela’s clients include entrepreneurs, large companies, public agencies, and start-up executives. Angela’s firm has offices in Santa Rosa, CA and in San Francisco, CA, but serves clients throughout the state. Angela has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Angela graduated from the University of California Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law, where she received academic distinction for coursework in labor and employment law. Prior to starting her own firm, Angela was Senior Counsel at Hanson Bridgett LLP in the Labor and Employment group. Angela also served as counsel to the Berkeley Law Center on Health, Economic & Family Security. In this role, Angela developed model legislation for national paid family leave. While in law school, Angela was as a law clerk in the City Attorney's Office of the City and County of San Francisco. Prior to law school, Angela was a Congressional lobbyist for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C. Angela maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing asylum-seekers and advising local nonprofits on employment law issues. She is an active member of the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Sonoma County Bar Association. Angela is admitted to practice in state and federal court throughout California. Originally from the Great Plains, Angela maintains a deep love of the outdoors and wild, open space. When she is not practicing law, you can find her hiking a trail or camping with her wife and two daughters, usually somewhere in beautiful Sonoma County.

Recognized as a trailblazer in his field, Simon’s dedication to transformation and brilliance has earned him a spot as one of Success magazine’s Top 25, joining Brené Brown, Tony Robbins, and Oprah Winfrey, as well as leadersHum Top 200 Power List in 2023. For over two decades, he has mesmerized the world, leaving an indelible mark on 2,300+ organizations across 54 countries. Corporate giants such as American Express, Deloitte, Marriott, Visa, Stanford Health Care, and Taco Bell have all experienced his magnetic allure.

Amidst the pressing challenges of talent retention, employee burnout, the Great Resignation, and the impact of remote work on mental health, a billion-dollar retailer sought innovative solutions to invest in organizational health and prioritize employee well-being. Recognizing the importance of upskilling managers for the future, they turned to Simon T. Bailey, International for guidance. 

Through a transformative three-month coaching program, Simon virtually mentored 3,000 managers, empowering them to transition from a command-and-control leadership approach to a heart-centered style rooted in Caring Science. This strategic coaching was particularly vital in the retail sector, known for its high turnover rates, and the results were remarkable. Participants scored between 94% and 97% in categories reflecting their confidence in their ability to coach effectively, allowing the Fortune 500 company to nurture and retain top talent while fostering a healthier and more productive workplace. 

With a love and dedication to coaching individuals and organizations, Simon has now created Brilliant Coaching.™ This transformative growth experience offers tailored solutions to meet unique needs and align with specific goals and objectives, empowering both individuals and organizations to unlock their full potential. 

But his accomplishments don’t end there. Simon has made a remarkable impact with 11 books in his illustrious repertoire, and 14 groundbreaking courses on the LinkedIn Learning platform, translated into eight languages and consumed by over 400,000 professionals from more than 100 countries. His dedication to brilliance and transformation has been recognized with an honorary Doctorate of Science in Business Administration from Cleary University, further cementing his status among the titans of our time. 

In this new chapter, Simon T. Bailey unveils his latest audacious endeavor: BrilliantU.™ This digital experience transcends the boundaries of imagination, equipping and mentoring leaders to thrive and flourish in tumultuous economies. With a commitment to practical strategies that transform lives and ignite change within communities, Simon’s mission is clear — to kindle brilliance within leaders, forever altering the way they steer nations, corporations, and societies.

Rick Grimaldi is the author of “Flex” and a partner at Fisher Phillips, one of America’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, where he works with companies both large and small on solving their most complex workplace challenges. Rick has served employers and employees in Pennsylvania in high-ranking public service positions, worked as a human resources professional, and spent years in private practice partnering with companies to help them adapt to the ever-changing business environment, achieve their workplace goals and become better employers that are ultimately rewarded by the market.

Jonathan Raymond is the CEO at Refound and author of the award-winning book, Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team is Waiting For. Jonathan advises CEOs in high-growth businesses on how to create a people-first culture that drives results. Refound’s clients range from Fortune 100 companies like Panasonic and McKesson to startups like Niantic and ZipRecruiter. He loves being dad to two amazing girls, SUP-surfing, getting into the backcountry, and he'll never give up on the New York Knicks.

Matt Adam serves as Chief Talent Strategist for NAS Recruitment Innovation, a leading Employment Branding & Recruitment Marketing firm. He has been an innovator and thought leader in the space for over 25 years. Today, his role is national in scope and designed to lead major account implementation and support strategic project consultation for many high-profile organizations.

With his finger on the pulse of the industry, Matt has shared knowledge on topics such as Employment Branding, Career Site Best Practices and The Future of Recruitment Marketing to audiences at SHRM, NAHCR, AAPPR, etc.

Matt has a Marketing Degree from Boston College and resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Karl Ahlrichs specializes in helping organizations solve their talent shortage. 

He is a national speaker, author, and consultant, presenting on the people issues in all industries with a focus on solving the talent shortage, and is often quoted in the local and national media. 

He has held senior level positions in multiple Professional Services firms, and was a founding partner of ExactHire, bringing his HR, operations, diversity & belonging, and learning & development skills with him.

He loves intentionally improving with all manner of hobbies including writing haiku, mastering photography and learning Spanish. He wishes he had stuck with his guitar lessons in high school.

He was named the SHRM Human Resource Professional of the Year for the State of Indiana. He is on the Boards of several organizations, including the Maryland CPA Society.  He has lived in Scotland and Spain and is passionate about exploring new experiences with his family and friends.

Leading at the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and workplace culture, in her role as Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist of Rework Work, Stacey Gordon coaches and counsels executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business. She has worked with people managers and executive leaders from companies such as American Express, ADP, Kia Motors, Hewlett Packard, Walmart, GE and many others to deliver education, coaching and consulting sessions that support their D&I efforts.

As a globally recognized keynote speaker, leadership consultant and DEI strategist, Stacey has provided subject matter expertise to Harvard Business Review, SHRM, Fast Company, Skillsoft, Forbes, NPR Radio, BBC Radio, and the Association for Talent Development.

Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release list, her unconscious bias course on the LinkedIn learning platform was the #1 most watched course of 2021 and has been translated into at least six languages. With more than 1 million unique learners across four courses, Stacey has been recognized as a passionate supporter of DEI by Forbes, Pepperdine University and LinkedIn. She earned her MBA from Pepperdine University Business School and her SHRM-SCP certification, as well as the SHRM Inclusive Workplace Culture Credential.

Lester S. Rosen is an attorney at law  and CEO of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a national background screening company.  He is a consultant, writer, expert witness  and frequent presenter nationwide on pre-employment screening. He is the author of “The Safe Hiring Manual,” (3d Edition 2017/826 pages), the first comprehensive book on background screening.  He served as the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the Professional Background Screeners Association (PBSA),  served as its first co-chair and received the PBSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.