Communication

Psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence and Focus, Daniel Goleman has transformed the way the world educates children, relates to family and friends, and conducts business. The Wall Street Journal ranked him as one of the 10 most influential business thinkers. His article “What Makes a Leader?” remains the most requested reprint in the history of Harvard Business Review. 

His 2014 bestseller, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, argues that leadership that gets results demands a triple focus: on our ourselves; on others, for our relationships; and on the outer forces that shape organizations and society. Dr. Goleman's "The Focused Leader" won the 2013 HBR McKinsey Award, given each year for the best article in Harvard Business Review.

In his book, A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World, Dr. Goleman — who was personally selected by the Dalai Lama — combines the Dalai Lama’s key teachings, empirical evidence, and true accounts of people putting his lessons into practice, offering readers practical applications for making the world a better place.

Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence was on The New York Times best sellers list for a year-and-a-half. Named one of the 25 "Most Influential Business Management Books" by TIME, it has been translated into 40 languages. HBR called emotional intelligence (EI) “a revolutionary, paradigm-shattering idea.” His follow-up, Working With Emotional Intelligence, outlined the importance of EI in professional settings. 

The groundbreaking Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, which Goleman co-wrote with Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, unveiled scientific evidence proving that a leader’s emotional competencies have an enormous impact on an organization’s bottom line. His more recent books include Social Intelligence: The New Science of Social Relationships, Ecological Intelligence, and What Makes a Leader, a collection of articles from HBR, LinkedIn, and other business journals. 

Goleman’s 2017 book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body, co-written with Richard Davidson, explores how meditation and mindfulness can achieve real, positive, and lasting mental and behavioral change.

His work on the brain and behavioral science was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize and recognized with the Washburn Award and Lifetime Career Award from the American Psychological Association. A former science journalist for The New York Times, he was named to the 2011 and 2013 Thinkers50 and a top business guru by Accenture Institute for Strategic Change.

Jen Shirkani is a nationally recognized expert on emotional intelligence and a featured speaker at several national SHRM conferences and at state affiliates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington. She is the author of Ego vs EQ and Choose Resilience, guides to leveraging the power of emotional intelligence. She has spent over 25-years working with organizations as a business consultant and executive coach. In addition to emotional intelligence, she frequently speaks and writes about workplace challenges including interviewing and selection, employee engagement and motivation, generational differences, and coachability. Jen has been a frequent guest of several national radio programs, and has been featured in Bloomberg/Businessweek, Leadership Excellence magazine, Investors Daily, Business Insider, Reader’s Digest, Publishers Weekly, Fast Company, and Upstart Business Journal.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and has devoted herself to improving leadership effectiveness and on making common sense more common. 

Jen Shirkani is a nationally recognized expert on emotional intelligence and a featured speaker at several national SHRM conferences and at state affiliates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington. She is the author of Ego vs EQ and Choose Resilience, guides to leveraging the power of emotional intelligence. She has spent over 25-years working with organizations as a business consultant and executive coach. In addition to emotional intelligence, she frequently speaks and writes about workplace challenges including interviewing and selection, employee engagement and motivation, generational differences, and coachability. Jen has been a frequent guest of several national radio programs, and has been featured in Bloomberg/Businessweek, Leadership Excellence magazine, Investors Daily, Business Insider, Reader’s Digest, Publishers Weekly, Fast Company, and Upstart Business Journal.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and has devoted herself to improving leadership effectiveness and on making common sense more common. 

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.

Mark S. Fogel is currently a Director for Clifton Larson Allen’s National HR consulting practice. He is a former CHRO for Leviton, Marcum, and Success Academy Charter Schools, Mark has been the recipient of several national awards including SHRM’s Human Capital Leader of the Year in 2007, SHRM’s Innovation in a Down Economy in 2009, and HR Executive Magazine’s Honor Role in 2010. He has also been recognized as a 50 around 50 award recipient by Long Island Business News. Mark is also a part-time educator employed as a Senior Adjunct Professor of distinction at Adelphi University in their MBA program. Additionally, he facilitates the SHRM SCP/CP prep class for HR Jetpack. Mark has presented over two dozen times at SHRM and World at Work national, regional, and local conferences on a broad range of HR topics. Often Quoted in national media, Mark brings a refreshing point of view to every HR discussion.

Mr. Shetterly is the managing shareholder in the Greenville, South Carolina office of Ogletree Deakins. He regularly counsels management on an array of employment and labor law issues, but the primary focus of his practice is FMLA and ADA compliance. He regularly counsels the firm’s clients to ensure management can confidently comply with these complex laws. Mr. Shetterly views his counseling role as one designed to make clients self-sufficient and compliant. His advice is practical, making difficult concepts simple. He is locally and nationally recognized as an excellent trainer of general counsels, human resources, and management.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, M.B.A., is Chief People Officer for King’s Hawaiian, a global producer of irresistible Hawaiian food. Amy was brought on to King’s Hawaiian to re-envision the employee experience and transform the People function from traditional HR to a strategic driver of business growth. During her time at the company she has worked to radically redefine the purpose, structure and activities of HR with significant results. Prior to her role as CPO, Amy ran a successful human capital consulting firm, The Interchange Group, helping executives and HR professionals retool and adapt their strategies to rapidly changing workforce expectations and business landscapes.