Interpersonal (Behavioral)

Jason Sheffield is BRPs National Director of Compliance for the Baldwin Regulatory Compliance Collaborative. He oversees the ongoing evolution of our firm's national compliance operations. Jason develops, designs and implements educational programming and compliance assuredness services by creating timely and relevant solutions designed for the benefit of our clients and colleagues, our industry partners, and the general benefits community. Jason has practiced employee benefits law and consulting for nearly two decades, representing individual, corporate, and tribal interests at the local, state, and federal levels. He has advised clients and provided representative services before administrative agencies such as the DOL, the IRS, CMS, OCR, several state-level treasury authorities, and others. He has experience with both qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation matters, and extensive experience respecting health and welfare plan matters. Jason received his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University (magna cum laude) and his Juris Doctor from Western New England College School of Law. He is admitted to the State Bar of Georgia.

Brittany S. Hale is the founder and CEO of BND Consulting Group. Brittany's experience in litigation, politics, and risk management led her to create BND Consulting Group, which equips senior leaders with the tools to establish highly engaged, trustworthy, and resilient audiences to gain a competitive advantage. She guides leaders in navigating organizational transitions by operationalizing aspirational values for enterprise, government, and startup clients alike. 

As CEO of BND Consulting Group, she established custom onboarding programming for marketing, finance, and sales departments, which increased employee retention by 21% and saved an organization an additional $400,000 through strategic operational advisement. While serving as Interim CEO of an entrepreneurial-focused nonprofit, Brittany increased donor contributions by 16% and research-based revenue by 41%. In Fall 2022, Brittany lectured on managing human behaviors in organizations at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, and her strategies have reduced attrition within organizations by over 10%.

Brittany's dedication to public service is reflected in her extensive service record. She became one of the youngest Black women to hold office in her state after using her experiences as an Obama Organizing Fellow to run for office in 2016. In August 2020, Brittany developed the first municipal Social Justice Commission in New Jersey and served as Executive Director. She serves on the Rutgers University Alumni Association Board of Directors and was appointed to the Human Relations Council Executive Committee by Governor Murphy. Brittany is also a 2023 Women inPower Fellow with 92NY. 

Shannon Bayer, JD, is a Principal Consultant with over a decade of consulting and facilitation experience. Shannon brings in-depth expertise and a passion for designing and implementing programs focused on advancing women in leadership—and empowering each leader with the knowledge they need to transform how they show up in their role and drive change in their organization. Shannon has led strategic engagements across a variety of industries, ranging from government to financial services, healthcare, insurance, and consumer products and goods. 

As a keynote speaker, Shannon brings stories from her personal leadership journey to the forefront, connecting her real-life experiences and work with leaders globally to key leadership concepts designed to help participants reflect on their own journey and take control of their path forward. 

Shannon holds a BS in animal science from the University of Vermont and a JD in international law from Suffolk University. 

Shannon was a rower in college and still loves to get on the water when she can. She enjoys spending time outdoors and will travel for a good hike or beach day with her dog and son, Max. Currently, Shannon resides in the greater Indianapolis, IN, area of the US after living in New England for over 25 years. 

Damien Howard is the Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer at Per Scholas, responsible for driving revenue across multiple verticals by aligning and optimizing the national nonprofit’s employer engagement and business strategy. He focuses on accelerating growth across multiple markets while providing leadership for many Per Scholas teams. In 2016, Damien co-founded Diverse by Design with the goal of moving conversation into action in the industry Per Scholas knows best: technology. Earlier this year, Damien was welcomed as a Forbes Business Development Council Member and Contributor, sharing his perspective about talent development, business strategy, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and more.

As the CEO and Founder of D. Howze Solutions, LLC, a D&I consultancy, Delphia drives innovative strategies to cultivate inclusive workplaces. Mrs. Howze currently serves as Chief Inclusion Officer for a large-scale national organization, spearheading initiatives to promote diversity and foster belonging. With over two decades of distinguished leadership, Delphia possesses extensive expertise in optimizing human capital and D&I frameworks across diverse sectors including retail, banking, energy, logistics, government, and higher education. Her visionary outlook and dynamic leadership continue to shape inclusive environments that empower individuals and propel organizational success.  She has recently emerged as a new author with her new book, "Including You! Leading Inclusion From Where You Are."

Michelle spent 10 years at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, supporting employers to close their pay gaps through writing guidance reports and running workshops. This was until 2014, when Michelle took voluntary redundancy whilst on maternity leave and Equality Pays was born.

Michelle set up Equality Pays to provide the business coaching, strategy, support, and confidence that organisations want and need.

Michelle is on a mission to educate and share what organisations should be focusing on when it comes to addressing the root causes of their pay gaps in order to create more inclusive, equitable workplaces.

Michelle's role is to support organisations in identifying what changes need to be made to close both gender and ethnicity pay gaps so that people choose to work for those organisations and go on to build their careers with them. No matter their gender, ethnicity, or workplace needs.

Katie O'Malley is a Career Coach and Workplace Consultant with fifteen (15) years of professional experience serving the nonprofit, corporate and education sectors. Across these workplaces, Katie noticed her strengths and values consistently steered her toward the
support and development of others. In 2012, Katie translated this observation into action, earning a Master's Degree in Counseling and Board Certification in Coaching.  

Since 2018, Katie has worked alongside more than 125 clients as the Founder and Principal Coach of (en)Courage Coaching. Founded with the noble mission of providing exceptional, financially accessible coaching services to Chicago area professionals, (en)Courage Coaching
has grown to support individuals and businesses from coast to coast, as well as in the United Kingdom.

Coaching clients in the design of authentic career paths, effective leadership practices, and courageous workplace cultures is in the DNA of (en)Courage Coaching. By leveraging a mix of evidence-based practices from the fields of counseling, organizational development,
and leadership education, Katie equips her clients with customized strategies to meet their individual needs and aspirational goals.

Prior to opening the doors of (en)Courage Coaching, Katie served as a leadership coach and course instructor to MBA and graduate students at Chicago Booth, The University of Texas at Austin, and DePaul University. Recently featured in Fast Company and Thrive Global,
Katie's research and writing supports both sides of the workplace equation, encouraging employers and employees to remember, "We're all in this work-thing together."

Anna Burroughs is a Cultural Anthropologist, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Expert and Coach, Genealogist, and Advocate for Justice. She is the Manager of Global Diversity & Culture at Harvard Business Publishing. Her work is instrumental in helping the organization advance strategic measures around DEI, L&D, unconscious bias and microaggressions, education, employee resource groups and implementing tools around diversity of thought and behavior. Previously, she had a long career in various roles at American Airlines most recently managing DEI Learning & Development for the global organization. She is the Executive Director of the non-profit SPECS Movement, focused on cultural and racial reconciliation.

Ms. Fairweather is an abuse survivor with 30+ years of experience in the domestic violence response and prevention field. Her unique subject matter expertise was developed by handling thousands of high-risk cases throughout her career. Her company "Presage Consulting and Training" provides tailored guidance and education to a diverse portfolio of multinational Fortune 500 employers. Ms. Fairweather regularly presents at industry conferences around the world and is an active member of the National Speaker’s Association, the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, and the American Society for Industrial Security. She is also an award-winning author on the subject of domestic violence.

As a diversity leader and consultant, Dr. Kimberly Underwood has over two decades of experience in diversity management and strategic planning in business, government and higher education. She has also received numerous awards for teaching and research excellence throughout her academic career, including her recent acceptance of the 2023 Research and Scholarship Award, in Washington, DC. Dr. Underwood earned her Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University, and Diversity and Inclusion for Human Resources Certification from Cornell University.