Business Acumen

Sharlyn Lauby is an author, writer, speaker and consultant. She has been named a Top HR Digital Influencer and is best-known for her work on HR Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues. HR Bartender has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Blogs read by HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and best business blog by the Stevie Awards.

Publications such as Reuters, The New York Times, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and Mashable have sought out her expertise on topics related to human resources and the workplace. Sharlyn is the author of “Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers,” and ”Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success,” which are available in the SHRM Store.

Her personal goal in life is to find the best cheeseburger on the planet.

Gene Zaino, a nationally recognized expert in the contract workforce market, launched MBO Partners to re-invent the way independent consultants and organizations work together. Zaino is a major force in the independent workforce movement, committed to making it easier for self-employed professionals and their clients to work together.

Gene is an avid entrepreneur who graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Economics (BSE). After four years with KPMG as a CPA and management consultant, he spent 20 years building various consulting companies, some funded by financial luminaries Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Austin Ventures, and Goldman Sachs.

He has served on the expert advisory board for the Human Capital Institute and collaborated with other industry leaders to create and develop the Contract Talent Research Practice Area at HCI, furthering education, ethics, and industry best practices. Zaino has led executive seminars at the Project Management Institute, Staffing Industry Analysts, and the Military Officers Association of America. He is a frequent speaker and has appeared in publications, radio and television including CNN, CNBC, Forbes, Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal.

Judy joined NELP in 2007 after spending seven years as the co-founder and executive director of the D.C. Employment Justice Center, a legal service provider devoted to workplace justice in the D.C. metropolitan area. Judy has developed NELP’s presence in D.C., working to bring the expertise and experience of NELP and its allies to the halls of Congress and relevant agencies. She has lobbied on issues of income security, job training for workers who have lost jobs due to globalization, and the needs of workers who have criminal records serving as a barrier to full employment. Before joining NELP, Judy’s work has been widely recognized with awards from the American Bar Association, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C., and the Echoing Green Foundation.

Craig holds the position of vice president of Human Resources for Dell’s Global Commercial Sales and Enterprise Solutions Organization. In this role, he provides HR support for 25,000 sales, marketing, and engineering employees that develop and deliver technology solutions to consumers, small and medium businesses, public institutions and large enterprises worldwide. Upon Dell’s recent annoucement ot its intent to acquire EMC, Craig has been appointed to lead the Organization, Talent, Culture, and Change Management workstream for the integration.

Prior to joining the Global Commercial Sales and Enterprise Solutions team in November 2013, Craig held several executive roles at Dell, most recently as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Global Commercial Sales organization. He also served as Vice President of Global Compensation and Benefits with responsibility for corporate compensation, sales compensation, executive compensation and employee benefits.

Previously, Craig co-founded Motivari Consulting, which specialized in compensation consulting services. At Motivari, he assisted many clients, large and small, in the design, implementation, and management of their compensation programs. Prior that, Craig spent five years at Dell, where he led Executive Compensation and served as the head of Compensation, Benefits, and HR Operations for a $30 billion business unit with 25,000 employees.

Craig spent eight years at leading benefits consulting firms Hewitt Associates and Towers Perrin as the Board-level compensation consultant to a number of Fortune 500 companies in various industries.

Craig holds a BBA from Texas Christian University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Chris Hoyt is chief innovation evangelist and co-owner at CareerXroads

Previously, Chris was the Talent Engagement and Marketing Leader at PepsiCo, where he was responsible for the design, implementation and sustainability of digital and social recruiting strategies inclusive of managing Internet communities, analytics and 3rd party recruitment partnerships. An evangelist of breaking away from traditional thought and standard practices within the recruiting & staffing industry, Chris has been pushing the boundaries of full-cycle recruiting for over 15 years - with a constant focus on using technology to recruit top talent while exceeding the expectations of job seekers around the globe.

 Todd Brodie, PhD., SPHR, GPHR, CHRP, is an Executive Coach and Senior Human Resource Professional. He has provided strategic support and coaching to leadership teams located throughout North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. His past experience includes Human Resource and front line leadership roles in the Insurance, Financial Services, Hospitality and Gaming industries in multiple countries. Todd has earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.) degree in Management from California Coast University and is currently working towards the Master Certified Coaching (MCC) designation through the International Coaching Federation.

David Lewis is the founder, president, and CEO of OperationsInc, one of the nation’s largest human resources consulting firms. OperationsInc has grown steadily since its inception in 2001, and now engages a team of over 90 professionals providing HR, Payroll, Training, and Recruiting support to a base of over 1,600 clients. David is leveraging a 30-plus year career in human resources and operational management for leading firms including Merck/Medco and Computer Associates. He serves as an on-air subject matter expert in the areas of human resources, workplace management, and small business issues for MSNBC, FOX, CBS Radio and NPR, and regularly appears in national publications like The New York Times, Inc., and The Wall Street Journal.

Norm Sabapathy is responsible for the leadership of Cadillac Fairview’s Human Resources team and enabling outstanding people performance company-wide. Norm is an accomplished executive with more than 20 years of management experience with global industry leaders in industrial, transportation, manufacturing, services, food and consumer packaged goods sectors. He holds Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Industrial Relations degrees, and has been granted the designations Certified Human Resources Professional and Senior Human Resources Professional.