Interpersonal (Behavioral)

Mary Cheddie, SHRM-SCP
Divisional Director, Membership Community
SHRM
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Mary Cheddie, SHRM-SCP is Divisional Director, Membership Community. 

Cheddie has more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in all aspects of human resources and training. She has extensive experience with strategic planning, M&As, and in starting and turning around businesses.

Prior to joining SHRM, she served as senior vice president of human resources for Interval Leisure Group, Inc. and its affiliated companies. The company was publicly traded on NASDAQ and the leading provider of vacation services with a global consumer membership base of nearly 2 million member families, more than 2,500 member resorts in over 75 countries worldwide, and has oversight for about 14,000 employees. 

Cheddie also served as senior vice president, people with PRC, as well as vice president, human resources, strategic planning, office services, and facilities for The Orvis Company, Inc. in Manchester, VT.

She earned her MBA from Upper Iowa University, a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional.

Cheddie received the HR Award of Excellence, Hospitality in 2016 from South Florida Business & Wealth. Business Leader Magazine named Cheddie one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire and in 2012 the National Diversity Council awarded her the Glass Ceiling Award.

She serves on the Board of Trustees for Upper Iowa University, Chairs the Human Capital Committee and is a member of the Governance and Advancement Committees, Chaired the Keiser Career College’s Advisory Board, was a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) from 2003-2008 and chaired SHRM’s governance and compensation committees. Cheddie has more than 35 years of SHRM volunteer leadership experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels.  She also served on the Waldorf College Alumni Board from 2004 through 2008 and was the President of the Dallas HR Association in 2000 (one of the largest affiliated SHRM chapters). She resides in South FL.

SESSIONS:
Gennady Babankov
Manager, Exchange Visitor Program
SHRM
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Gennady Babankov, J.D. is a Manager of SHRM Exchange Visitor (J-1) Program. Babankov oversees two private sector exchange programs for foreign trainees and interns and helps develop, implement, and promote SHRM benefits portfolio for global mobility and immigration members.

Babankov has more than 20 years of experience building and managing global education and training programs for students and professionals. He has experience in teacher training, study abroad, cross-cultural training, and language acquisition, and has directed field operations in Russia, Central Asia, Middle East, and the Caucasus.

Prior to joining SHRM in 2019, Babankov managed several education and training programs sponsored by the federal government, including the Flagship Overseas Language Program (U.S. Department of Defense), Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program (U.S. Department of State), and the Open World Program (Library of Congress).

Babankov earned his J.D. degree from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia.

Babankov has lived in the United States since 1994 and currently resides in Fairfax, VA.

SESSIONS:
Saturday, September 11, 2021 - 11:15am to 12:15pm
Paul Thatcher
VP of People
Emmersion
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SESSIONS:
Monday, August 23, 2021 - 11:50am to 12:10pm
Marissa Afton
International Partner & Head of Global Accounts
Potential Project
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As a driving force behind leadership development and change initiatives at multinational organizations, Marissa helps leaders and organizations unlock their potential for cultural excellence and superior performance, resilience and innovation. She has worked with leading companies including Cisco, Accenture, Bloomberg, Eli Lilly, and Verizon. As a seasoned change management professional and corporate consultant, as well as a mindfulness practitioner for over 25 years, Marissa is recognized globally for transforming organizations by transforming the mind. Marissa enjoys splitting her time between New York City and the serene foothills of Boulder, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and their blue heeler.

 

SESSIONS:
Saturday, September 11, 2021 - 7:30am to 8:30am
Tim Sackett, SHRM-SCP
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/His
CEO
HRUTech.com
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Tim Sackett, SCP, is the CEO of HRUTech.com, a leading technical recruiting firm. Tim has over 20 years of combined executive HR and talent acquisition experience working for Fortune 500 companies. Tim is a highly sought-after international speaker on leadership, HR &TA Tech, talent acquisition, and HR execution. Tim is currently a Senior Faculty member with the Josh Bersin Academy. He is also an Angel investor and advisor and sits on multiple HR Technology corporate boards.

Tim is the author of the newly released book The Talent Fix, Vol. 2. He also writes daily on his blog, the Tim Sackett Project. Tim is married to a hall-of-fame wife, has three sons, and his dog Tucker. In 2023, he was named a Top Global HR & Recruitment Influencer by HR Executive. He has more Twitter (X) followers than his 3 Gen Z sons and is sponsored on stage by diet Mt. Dew.

SESSIONS:
Sunday, September 12, 2021 - 9:15am to 10:15am
Brad M. Holst
Executive Communication Coach
Mandel Communications
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Brad Holst believes that “everyone has a need to be heard.”

Brad uses his expertise and creativity to quickly help his coaching clients "be heard" in high stakes presentations. At Mandel Communications, he was the lead architect of Mandel's globally proven content-creation tools. His business acumen evolved from prior leadership roles with The Walt Disney Company, The Clorox Company, and Armor All Products. 

Brad is featured in multiple videos in the Harvard ManageMentor® series and authored numerous published articles. 

Brad lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, a senior HR executive.

SESSIONS:
William David Wright
Partner
Fisher & Phillips LLP
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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.  

SESSIONS:
Amy Hirsh Robinson
Chief People Officer
King's Hawaiian
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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.

 

SESSIONS:
Nancy Arenas, MPS, SHRM-CP
Associate Director, Talent & Rewards
Willis Towers Watson
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SESSIONS:
Josepha Gonzales Conway, J.D.
Director, Health & Benefits, Employee Benefits Compliance Practice Lead
Willis Towers Watson
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Mrs. Conway joined WTW in 2015, assisting clients in employee benefits, funding, plan design and compliance strategies.

In November 2019, she joined the Employee Benefits Compliance (EBC) team as a Practice Lead. She regularly speaks on MHPAEA, ERISA and most recently on COVID-19 impacts to employee benefits administration.

Education and Credentials

Mrs. Conway previously worked at the U.S DOL - EBSA as a Benefits Advisory.

She earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science from Bates College and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law.

SESSIONS:
Rob Shallenberger
CEO
Becoming Your Best Global Leadership
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Rob is one of the world’s leading authorities on planning and productivity. He’s trained and spoken for hundreds of organizations around the world.

 Rob attended Utah State University where he graduated in 2000. He went on to earn an MBA from Colorado State University.

 He served as an F-16 Pilot in the United States Air Force for 11 years. He was also an Advance Agent for Air Force One and traveled the world working with foreign embassies and the Secret Service.

 He's the CEO of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership and is the author of five different books focused on leadership, planning, and high-performance.

 

SESSIONS:
Dr. David S. Cohen
Founder and Contrarian Consultant
DS Cohen & Associates
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Dr. David S Cohen, Ed. D. has a vision: organizations that thrive by living their values in good times and especially VUCA times. David's first career was in elementary and high school education, where he built a reputation for building school communities based on purpose and social responsibility. Thirty-three years ago, David transitioned to corporate consulting. As a consultant, David earned a reputation as a contrarian consultant because he does not always follow what is popular in his chosen field. David works with leaders helping them understand what is and what is not necessary to build an active and positive organization. He helps leaders' step into life's challenges, inspiring them to create a sustained approach through a values-based focus, resulting in better business results. David has had the privilege of partnering with firms across five continents and all business sectors. Additionally, he has worked with governments, from the local to the federal levels, and not-for-profits.

He has taught at Queens University School of Labour Relations and the executive education program at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Currently, he teaches organizational development at Durham College. David earned his doctorate from Boston University in Humanistic and Behavioural Studies. During that time, he also completed independent studies at the Harvard School of Education, where he was a teaching assistant.

David is a keynote speaker, educator, disruptor, facilitator, team builder, and executive coach. He has authored two books and numerous articles in professional journals.

  • The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers (John Wiley and Sons, August 2001)
  • Inside the Box: Leading With Corporate Values to Drive Sustained Business Success (Jossey-Bass September 2006)

When David is not travelling, he is hanging out with his five grandchildren, when possible, attending Toronto Raptor's games, or relaxing with family and friends.

David is honored to be recognized by the GlobalGurus30 as one of the top 30 GlobalGurus in Organizational Culture.

SESSIONS:
Friday, September 10, 2021 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm