Global & Cultural Effectiveness

Multiple award-winning executive educator and author whose teaching and research interests span the globe, Dr. Mansour Javidan received his MBA and Ph.D. degrees from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota. He is former Dean of Research at Thunderbird School of Global Management and is currently the Garvin Distinguished Professor and Founding Director of the Najafi Global Mindset Institute.

Mansour is the Past President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the worldrenowned research project on executive performance and leadership, titled GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness). As the primary editor and writer of the recently published GLOBE book, he is the co-principal investigator of the GLOBE Phase 3 research program. The book was the recent winner of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) award competition for “The M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in The Workplace.”

Follow Mansour on Twitter @MansourJavidan.

Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, oversees the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program for the Veterans Benefits Administration. This program is a critical component in VA's benefits programs, providing disabled Veterans with the retraining resources they need to successfully transition to civilian life.

David W. Ellis is internationally recognized in the area of executive compensation, employee benefits and pension funds. He is exceptionally fluent in international executive mobility, particularly in the design and taxation of compensation payable to expatriates, inpatriates and globally mobile employees. Mr. Ellis is immediate past chair of Baker & McKenzie, LLP’s Global Employment Practice Group.

Mr. Ellis represents and advises management on all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation locally and internationally. He advises multinational companies on tax, labor, securities and data privacy aspects of equity compensation programs and management participation programs. He also advises both buyers and sellers on US and non-US labor and pension funding issues that arise in cross-border transaction.

Erika Tedesco describes herself as culture champion in her role as Vice President of (HR) People & Culture at Diversified Automation, responsible for the culture, engagement, retention, and recruitment of professional talent at the company. Erika also teaches at the Gordon Ford School of Business at Western Kentucky University on International HR Business, leveraging her practical experiences with multinational entities to train the HR professionals of the future. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Louisville and a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Illinois.

William D. Wight is a partner in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. offices and is the chair of the firm's International Employment Practice Group.  He counsels employers on various global employment, compensation and benefit issues related to employees abroad, as well as foreign nationals working in the U.S. and the employment of the U.S. permanent residents and citizens abroad.  Bill has worked with compliance issues related to hiring, retention and separation of employees in a multitude of jurisdictions.  His experience with global employment issues has helped him assist our clients with international operations on all sevel continents including Antarctica.  Bill has assisted clients with the implementation of strategic planning and policy development with respect to global HR practices and policies.  He has also assisted clients with the management of litigation and employment controversy matters in numerous international jurisdictions.  Bill has also counseled clients based outside the United States with the special considerations that are required when complying with U.S. employment and employee benefit rules and regulations. Bill is regularly involved with resolving questions related to privacy and data protection issues.  

Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.  Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year.  He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.

Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as an Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.