Business (Behavioral)

Jack Gottlieb is a results-driven senior executive with 20 years of experience in transforming and revitalizing organizations. As the CEO of Total Solutions Group, a strategic consulting and results-based training firm, he has a proven track record of aligning culture, strategy, and capability to achieve critical short-term and long-term goals. TSG has generated $3.25 billion in ROI for clients in growth, profitability, innovation, and efficiency, including leading fifteen M&As and ten turnarounds from inception to implementation. 

With extensive experience in the C-Suite and as an HR leader Jack has a deep expertise of how to drive organizational health and performance through an embedded employee experience. Jack has had global roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, & Chief Culture Officer in banking and currently is the Vice President of Global Capability & Transformation in a market leading test lab in the gaming industry. 
Jack has been one of the top rated speakers and thought leaders for SHRM both at annual and state council conferences. Jack also hosts the successful "L&D Transformation Podcast: How To Lead The Future Of Our Organizations Through Talent Development” which is in its third season with over 100 episodes.

Valerie helps companies improve their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders.

She served in senior leadership roles at RollsRoyce Aircraft before helping to found InterActiveCorp, parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster. She then went to work for Oprah Winfrey, helping to found the Oxygen channel which was later sold to NBC Universal.

Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality, helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.

Laura Whitaker, M. Ed., began her relationship with Extra Special People, Inc. by working as a counselor and, subsequently, a leadership team member in 2003.  With her passion for enhancing the lives of children with developmental disabilities and her specialized education in this field, Laura was selected as the director after the founder, Martha Wyllie’s sudden passing in 2004. She has found her dream job with ESP (or as she says, her dream job found her!).  As Executive Director, Laura uses her leadership and management strengths to manage staff, oversee multiple year-round programs and raise funds to run programs. Her favorite part of the job is getting to hug the many children who walk through the ESP doors.

Kandi Pickard is the President & CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) where she provides vision and leadership, working collaboratively with individuals and organizations to support the entire Down syndrome community. Kandi holds a degree in business administration and brings two decades of experience in operations and effective administration management to her role at NDSS. Kandi’s involvement in the Down syndrome community first began as a local volunteer and advocate after her youngest son, Mason was born with Down syndrome. Nine years later, she leads NDSS with a focus on building community and keeping people with Down syndrome at the center of everything the organization does. Kandi’s vision for the future of NDSS includes resources, programs and support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families from birth to adulthood, with a special focus on caregiving, public health and supporting aging adults.

Elizabeth leads the HR function for the Global Services organization in the Commercial Bank. 

Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase in June 2012, Elizabeth lived in Shanghai, China where she developed an HR consulting practice and worked as Head of Marketing for the Jane Goodall Institute. 

Elizabeth’s career has spanned an array of progressive HR leadership roles for large multi-national organizations including Morgan Stanley, Toyota Financial Services and Mary Kay Cosmetics. She has lived and worked in Dallas, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago and Shanghai. 

Elizabeth is a graduate of Texas Christian University’s School of Communications, the University of the Chicago Booth School of Business Leadership Program, and she studied Mandarin at the Mandarin Language School in Shanghai, China. Elizabeth serves as a Board Member for Child Care Associates and is the Chair of the Board of Visitors for the Bob Schieffer School of Communications, Texas Christian University. 

Elizabeth lives in Fort Worth with her husband, Jonathan, and three rowdy dogs. Her daughter, Katherine, recently graduated from the University of California San Diego and is now living and working in La Jolla, California.

Raymond Lee is the Founder and President of Careerminds, a global outplacement company based in Wilmington, Delaware. He has over 20 years of human resource, outplacement, and career consulting experience. Raymond pioneered the concept of virtual outplacement after experiencing years of traditional outplacement in a variety of HR roles. He has his bachelor’s in psychology and holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Louisiana Tech University. He sits on the Careerminds Board of Director’s and is active in SHRM, HRPS and ATD. Raymond’s been featured on SiriusXM Business Radio, CareerTalk, and the Wall Street Journal and he’s recently published a book titled, Clocking Out: A Stress Free Guide to Career Transitions.

Human Services Management Corporation | OCEID@hsmc.org

Believing passionately in the power of community to expand human services, transform lives, and impact communities with shaped civic engagement is what drives Dr. Dione Christy to contribute global leadership and innovative service. As Senior Vice President, Dr. Christy leads the Business Office of Cultural Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity with the Human Services Management Corporation and serves as Executive Consultant with Beacon ABA Services and Beacon Services of Connecticut. Dr. Christy has the daily privilege to influence C-suite executives and lead organizational effectiveness while contributing expertise for intentional transformation strategy for positive impact outcomes. Expertise includes Keynote Speaking; Environmental Scans; Mapping/Needs Assesment; Strategic Consulting; Organizational Audits; Executive Coaching; Leadership Advising; Systemic Integration; Change Management; Business Strategy; Implementation Framework; Accountability Blueprints; Learning and Training; Research, Measurement, and Evaluation; and Customized Developments.

Dr. Christy brings decades of executive leadership experience and consulting with noted schools, systems, state agencies, federal offices, business corporations, and international organizations in leading and deploying divisions and agencies for several award-winning improvement and redesign initiatives to innovate and turn around low performing schools, systems, and institutions that were featured in the United States Department of Education’s PROGRESS in Education, United States Department of State Oversea Schools Advisory Briefs, Education Week, and other national publications. In this work, Dr. Christy has led and partnered with local, state, national, and international organizations to develop dynamic leaders, effective teams, efficient systems, and creative resources while overseeing rigorous external reviews, accreditations, and change management initiatives to a variety of over 34,000 educational institutions across states that were within the divisions of the Northeast Central Association Commission, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council, Northwest Accreditation Commission, and the Department of State Overseas Defense Education Commission. As a president and nonprofit executive, she has positioned associations to benefit from high profit-driven and customized professional business services and resources for corporate executives, commissioners, and superintendents that supported over 25,000 elementary and secondary leaders dedicated solely in their commitment to 35 million students in the United States of America and other affiliates worldwide. Moreover, Dr. Christy has served as a visiting university adjunct professor of research, policy, and evaluation as well as a chairperson of doctoral program dissertation institutional review boards and global corporations accreditation reviews.

In addition to her professional work, Dr. Christy brings decades of volunteering and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to make a difference in the lives of children and adults with marginalized needs across communities. In Massachusetts, Dr. Christy was a founding member of the state-wide Brain Building in Progress Action Planning Team for early education partnership with birth to grade three strategy of the MA Department of Early Education and Care and has previously been appointed to the state-wide Educator Workforce Diversity Initiative and Equity Task Force of the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Harvard University and Boston Public Schools’ Inclusion and Equity Advisory Committee and Working Group.

Dr. Christy has been invited to address diverse audiences at thought leadership events and has received numerous service honors such as the United States Presidential Education Awards for Educational Excellence, Chamber of Commerce’s International ATHENA Individual Leadership Award, Economic Council and the Education Foundation’s Executive of the Year, DWYER Award for Excellence in Special Education, and Executive Women’s National Female Executive Award. Dr. Christy earned postdoctorate advanced certification in change leadership, education reform, and the urban superintendency from Harvard University; global education senior policy fellow designation from the Institute of Education Leadership (IEL); a Ph.D. (College of Sciences Marshall, Kappa Delta Pi honors distinction) in leadership and education from Barry University, and a M.S. in speech language pathology administration and supervision from Purdue and Nova University. Additionally, she is a certified Facilitative Leadership Coach from the Interaction Institute for Social Change.

Bob is currently the Chief Diversity and Talent Officer at ADP. In this role, Bob is accountable for the Diversity, Corporate Social Responsibility and Talent strategy. Bob is passionate about ensuring that our workforce is reflective of the communities in which we live and the clients we serve. Additionally, he is an advocate for parity in leadership levels for all ADP population segments.

Prior to his role expansion, Bob was the Chief Talent Officer. He joined ADP in 2016 as the Head of Human Resources/Division Vice President for Small Business Solutions & HR Outsourcing business units. Bob’s corporate career spans over 20 years with several top tier companies. Prior to ADP, Bob was the Senior Vice President/Head of Human Resources at Harland Clarke; Vice President, Talent Management at First Data; HR Executive at USAA; Director, Human Resources at Limited Brands (Bath& Body Works, Express); Director, Player Services at Harrah’s Casino; Senior Group Manager, HR at Frito Lay, and Executive Senior Partner at The Lucas Group. He has led multiple HR Centers of Excellence (Diversity & Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Employee Relations and HR Business Partners) throughout his career.

Prior to his corporate career, Bob served as a field artillery officer in the US Army for 9 years. He commanded an artillery unit in Germany and is a Desert Storm veteran.

Bob is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned a MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Bob sits on the board of directors for the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, is a member of the Diversity HR50, coaches little league football, is a lifetime member of the VFW, The American Legion, and the National Black MBA Association.

Kris Erickson currently serves as co-founder and executive consultant for Workforce Science Associates. In this role, she empowers organizations to discover the unique drivers and motivational aspects that drive performance in their workforce and use these to accelerate a high-performance culture.

Kris has over 25 years of consulting experience with Fortune 500 companies. In this capacity, Erickson worked at both the strategic and tactical levels to develop and deploy comprehensive workforce solutions.