Leadership (Behavioral)

Voted as Young Professional of the Year for the Greenville Chamber in 2021, Small Business of the Year in 2022, and recently awarded the SC Women In Business Award, speaker and consultant Kamber Parker started her company The YoPro Know in 2018, a platform designed to be the bridge between ambitious young professionals and the companies that wish to hire them and most importantly, retain them. Kamber has spent the last 5 years interviewing thousands of young professionals identifying their key struggles, successes, and ultimately, ways to make them more successful in the workplace. Her business offers consulting services for companies looking to increase young professional recruitment, retention, and engagement, and she is passionate about supporting workforce development efforts.

After decades of helping people return to work following disability, Tara Beaton received her own diagnosis of ADHD. As she said, "It explained a lot. Plus, I always had a passion for accessibility. I just didn't realize it was personal." Now adding her own, first-person experience to her 25 years of disability management, HR and training expertise, Tara offers insights and guidance to professionals and leaders on best practices in inclusion, accessibility and accommodation for neurodiversity, disability, and mental health. She shares both evidence and practical know-how so that workplaces – and those they serve – can reap the benefits.

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.

Yvette Lee, SHRM-SCP, is an HR Knowledge Advisor at SHRM, the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000+ members in more than 165 countries. Yvette possesses over 25 years of human resources experience. Her expertise includes talent management, benefits, compensation, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, ethics and compliance, and employee development. A published author of several articles in SHRM's HR Magazine on various topics, Yvette holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Virginia. She also holds the SHRM California Law HR, Talent Acquisition, Inclusive Workplace Culture, People Manager Qualification and HR Dept. of One Specialty Credentials. Yvette enjoys spending time with her family and doing community service.

Jeremy York, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Lead Consultant and President of InvigorateHR and coauthor of the “JoyPowered Organization.” He has over 20 years' experience in human resource strategy and business operations where he has worked with and advised all levels of management on critical business and people-related issues. Jeremy's expertise in defining and understanding the "big picture" enables him to translate business needs into tangible solutions. With his guidance, organizations have improved employee relations, increased performance, and developed cultures based on mutual trust and respect. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Purdue University. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for Purdue University Indianapolis for over 15 years teaching various leadership and human resources curriculums. Jeremy is a national speaker and currently serves as an advisor on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Diversity Taskforce.

Maria Ross is a speaker, facilitator, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She’s spent decades helping forward-thinking leaders, teams, and brands connect and engage through empathy to accelerate growth. Maria has authored multiple books, including her newest, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, Her previous book, The Empathy Edge sparked a movement and she now hosts the top-rated The Empathy Edge podcast, speaking with leaders, changemakers, authors, and activists on how to achieve radical success through empathy. Maria delivers powerful talks and leadership training workshops for companies such as CHRISTUS Health, TBWA/Worldwide, and CHRISTUS Health. She has delivered dynamic keynotes at venues ranging from TEDx to The New York Times to The 3% Conference. Maria has appeared in many prominent media outlets, including MSNBC, NPR, Wisdom from the Top with Guy Raz, Forbes, ABC News, Entrepreneur and Thrive Global. Maria lives in Northern California with her husband, young son, and American Bully rescue dog and serves clients worldwide.

Learn from great leaders, experts,  and thinkers on her weekly podcast at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com and learn more about Maria's work at www.Red-Slice.com

Erin Quick is the Founder and CEO of PairTree, the adoption enablement platform committed to modernizing private adoption in the US.  With more than 20 years of global brand marketing experience, and more importantly, as a two-time adoptive mother, Erin is a leader in the movement to modernize adoption in the U.S. With an expert first-hand understanding of the challenges of the domestic private adoption industry and a drive to increase access and opportunities for all involved in the adoption process, Erin brings a wealth of knowledge and business experience to helping families navigate their unique adoption journeys. 

Bethany Adams has more than 15 years of experience in HR and education.  She began her career working in learning & development and human resources in the restaurant and retail industries. She has experience in both small, privately-owned businesses and large, Fortune 500 organizations. Bethany holds a BA in Psychology, MA in Organizational Management, the SHRM-SCP certification, and is a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She currently teaches at Villanova University in the Graduate Programs in HR Development.  Bethany has spoken at a variety of conferences throughout the country and leads corporate training on topics including emotional intelligence, DEI, and strategic HR.  Bethany hosts an HR podcast called HR Tea.

Chelsea C. Williams is an Entrepreneur, Workplace Educator, and Professional Speaker, dedicated to building empowered, high-performing leaders.

As the Founder & CEO of Reimagine Talent Co., a national talent and workforce development firm, Chelsea’s team powers customized, actionable learning solutions that build human potential, drive marketplace outcomes, and benefit communities.

Reimagine Talent partners with employers, educational institutions, and nonprofits to enhance employee engagement, development, and retention, with a focus on creating synergy across multi-generational workplaces.

A Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur, Tory Burch Fellowship Alumna, and JP Morgan Chase Entrepreneurial Woman of Impact, Chelsea is a trusted thought leader on talent development, inclusive leadership, and the future of work. She regularly contributes to CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, and more.

With a decade of experience in global human resources on Wall Street and a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College, Chelsea is passionate about cultivating connected workplaces that drive lasting impact.

When she’s not leading Reimagine Talent, Chelsea enjoys traveling, training for races, and spending quality time with her family.

Clayton Lord (Clay, he/him) oversees strategy, planning, program delivery, and program evaluation for the SHRM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of SHRM, which focuses on widening pathways to work and helping every worker and workplace thrive by empowering HR leaders to be forces for social good. He is a social impact executive who has spent his career driving systemic change in the world of work. Clay is also a writer, painter, and quilter, as well as a travel fanatic, and holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband and daughter in Maryland.

Chris leads the American Heart Association’ national portfolio of health and well-being programs and initiatives, which includes the Well-being Works Better workforce well-being platform and the Health Equity in the Workforce initiative, a collaboration with Deloitte Health Equity Institute and SHRM Foundation.  Before AHA, Chris was a health policy analyst for the Vitality Group, provider of the Vitality wellness program.  Chris has published articles in Health Affairs, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Circulation. Chris holds a Master of Public Policy (with honors) from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.