Interpersonal (Behavioral)

Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP is the Chief People Officer for LaRosa's, Inc., a regional Pizzeria chain. He has 35+ years working as an HR professional in a variety of industries. He has a globally recognized HR blog and author of three books, HR on Purpose !!, HR Rising !! and HR Unleashed !! He is a past member of the SHRM Board of Directors. Steve also runs a global HR network called the HR Net which reaches 15,000+ HR and business professionals weekly.

TEDx speaker Bonnie Low-Kramen is the former assistant to celebrity couple Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis  and Louis Zorich, with whom she worked for twenty-five years. That work led to writing the best-selling Be the Ultimate Assistant, A celebrity assistant’s secrets to working with any high-powered employer and speaking in thirteen countries.

Bonnie is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on workplace issues who is committed to bridge the communication gaps between leaders and their assistants in order to fix what is broken in our workplace. She is known for her work to end workplace bullying and close the wage gap.

Natalie Massey is Operations Coordinator to APL’s Space Exploration Sector (SES). She leads the team that runs the SES office and supports the Sector Head and members of the Executive
Leadership Team. She provides oversight and analysis of operations and prioritizes day-to-day operations. Prior to this role, Massey worked at NASA for 25 years, most recently as Executive
Assistant to NASA’s Deputy Administrator, where she directly contributed to the overall Agency vision and independently performed administrative management functions that serviced
organizational requirements. She has supported many of the agency’s significant milestones, including serving as organizational liaison for three Presidential transitions. Massey received her
Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies – Technical Writing and a certification in Desktop Publishing from the University of Maryland University College. She is a native of
Washington, DC and resides in Hyattsville, MD.

Kristen Howe is the Vice President Enterprise Products for SHRM Enterprise Solutions, where she oversees Product Management and Product Development. She has over 20 years of experience building and leading businesses in the leadership and development space, with a focus on leadership development, sales, coaching and facilitation.

Kristen is passionate about building products that foster inclusive behavior, positive corporate performance and business outcomes. She strives to create products that help global organizations develop key segments of their business, in both live settings and through digital platforms. She empowers teams by developing smart and efficient processes designed to utilize the individual skills of every team member, all while optimizing overall performance.

Kristen is a highly sought-after leadership consultant and speaker, with a deep expertise in Advancing Women Leaders and Inclusive Leadership. She has delivered programs and keynotes to thousands of leaders globally at organizations such as the Chief HR Officer Exchange, The Chief Learning Officer Exchange, Constellation Brands, The Tata Group, Western Union, and Texas Instruments, among others. She is also an emcee at Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute™, an immersive experience which attracts more than 1,400 women leaders across the globe each year.

Background & Experience:

Prior to joining Linkage, Kristen spent the last decade growing businesses within Corporate Executive Board (CEB), now Gartner. During her time there, she led multiple teams across the Talent Solutions business, focusing on conceptualizing, building, selling and delivering talent solutions based on CEB data. She also ran CEB’s Leadership Academies business, which developed more than 30,000 professionals at 2,100 companies throughout 50 countries; Kristen was consistently recognized as one of the top managers and coaches across the entire firm.

Education & Training:

Kristen previously served in a variety of roles including global facilitator, consultant and engineer. She has a Master of Business Administration from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University.

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.

Omari Faulkner is President and CEO of Blue Fire Fed, a strategic communications and development company.  As a trailblazing business leader, driven by service and a passion to address the needs of the military community, Omari delivers solutions and provides thought leadership to Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, universities, and nonprofit organizations.  He ensures veterans, military families, and active military members transitioning to civilian life are fully integrated into the civilian workforce and culture; filling an untapped niche in the global workplace.

He has traveled to over 45 countries as a U.S. Department of State Special Envoy and is the author of Athlete for Life, a book providing student-athletes, parents, coaches, and the sport development community with a blueprint for success and lifelong accomplishment.  Today, he remains an active Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.  

Sandy Michelet is a dynamic leader with a focus on developing a high-performing culture. She is the Director of People Strategy for Sparkhound, a digital transformation company, and is an active speaker in the HR community. Sandy holds several professional certifications and a master's degree in workforce development. She is a powerful voice for the childless community, having launched TheChildlessLife.com dedicated to supporting women unable to have children. She has been recognized as a World Childless Week Champion. Sandy is also a lead singer with Trilogy, a South Louisiana horn band.

As CEO of Titus Talent Strategies, Jonathan is a visionary, entrepreneur, and game-changer. He is energized by inspiring company leaders and equipping them with unique approaches to better understand their people, foster organizational alignment, and create optimum performance among their team members. His fun stories and British accent will draw you in, while his cutting-edge ideas and practical strategies will leave you empowered to implement change.  

Jonathan is a bestselling author of Right Seats, Right People: A Leaders Guide to Hiring and Developing Top Talent and currently leads a unique team of talent consultants that has been on Inc. 5000's list of fastest growing companies for 4 years in a row. 

Cheryl Brown Merriwether brings over two decades of experience in corporate HR management, addiction recovery awareness, and adult education to the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education (ICARE). As VP and Executive Director, she directs the administration, operations, and student support services for ICARE’s three divisions. Cheryl is the former two-term President of the Greater Orlando Society for Human Resource Management (GOSHRM), an active Board Member of Project Opioid, a former Chairman of the Board of Regents of the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM) and a former adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix and Strayer Universities.

Steve Lowisz is a successful entrepreneur, TEDx and keynote speaker, educator, trainer, and investor. He founded Qualigence International in 1999 and has since founded other businesses under the Qualigence brand. The additional companies include Qualigence Leadership Institute, Recruiting Education Institute, and others.

Steve prides himself on tailoring every speaking engagement to educate the audience, as a result, he has received requests to speak at corporations headquartered around the world including Starbucks, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Coca-Cola, Cisco Systems, Whirlpool, and more. Steve is a contributor to the Forbes Human Resource Council and the founder of the HR Executive Council.

Matt Tenney envisions a world in which all leaders and workplace cultures consistently make a positive impact on the wellbeing and growth of team members.

He is the author of the highly-acclaimed book, Serve To Be Great: Leadership Lessons from a Prison, a Monastery, and a Boardroom, and his inspiring TED talk has been viewed over 1 million times since January 2020. 

Matt has delivered programs that help improve employee engagement and retention to hundreds of clients, including companies like Salesforce, T. Rowe Price, Roche, Kraft Heinz, Marriott, Keller Williams, L’ Oreal, and many others.