Leadership & Navigation

Professor Jonathan Smilansky is an international expert on management development and employee engagement and a consultant to leading organizations in Israel including IAI, Bank Leumi, Maccabi, Amdocs, etc.

He is the Academic Director of the Career Management Center at the Tel Aviv University Business School and a leading lecturer in the field of Human Resource Management.

Previously, he was the Global Human Resources EVP at Universal (New York) and at the Meridien hotel chain (London), VP Internal Services at Visa International EMEA (London) and a Partner at Hay Management Consultants (London).

He published numerous professional papers including one of today's leading books in the field of management development: "Developing Executive Talent" (Wiley).

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.  

Shane A. Yount is a nationally recognized thought leader, author, and President of Competitive Solutions, Inc. (CSI), an international Business Transformation consulting firm that pioneered the acclaimed organizational development system known as Process Based Leadership® - A business transformation methodology designed to create a sustainable culture of clarity, connectivity, and consistency through the use of Non-Negotiable Business Processes. Since 1991 he has led the offices of CSI in becoming one of the nation’s most recognized Business Transformation consulting firms,  personally working with such organizations as Michelin, Genentech, Pfizer, Lockheed Martin, the Department of Defense, and many others.

Jeanne is CFP® and a CPFA with Strategic Retirement Partners. She serves as a retirement plan consultant and financial wellness educator for companies across the country. Jeanne’s goal is to simplify advice in an over-complicated, jargon-filled industry. She has been interviewed by national publications including Forbes Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, CNBC News, etc. She brings an energy and simplicity to complicated topics and is known for the original content she posts on social media. Topics range from personal finance to employer-sponsored plans. You can find her using the hashtag #401klady. Jeanne’s accessible way of providing virtual advice and engagement is creating a more collaborative platform for financial professionals to support each other and their clients in the digital age. She and her team live in Bowling Green Kentucky, but serve clients across the country.

Beth Kelly is the founder and president of HR Collaborative, an organization that helps growing companies solve HR problems and turn employees into secret weapons for success. Beth is also the author of  The EE Gap:  HR for Small Business Success. 

Beth is a 35 year member of the Society for Human Resource Management, and has been an officer of the local chapter.  Beth serves on the Board of Directors for several non profit and for profit organizations.  

Beth has been an adjunct professor at West Michigan colleges and universities, and continues to guest lecture. 

Beth received her Bachelors from the University of Michigan and her Masters of Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University. 

Paul Meshanko, CSP, is an author, professional speaker and thought leader with over 25 years of experience in leadership development and organizational culture change. Known for his down to earth, humorous and highly-interactive style, he has captivated over a half million leaders and business professionals on five continents.

Pulling from the most current research in organization development, psychology and science, his inspiring programs cover a broad range of topics dealing with workplace culture, diversity, respect, motivation, bias and critical thinking. Paul holds a BSBA from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. His most recent book, The Respect Effect, was released by McGraw-Hill in 2013.

Been there – done that!  With 30 years of HR and business experience – Lori has walked in your shoes.  A recovered HR Generalist, she built a consulting company that she sold to Arthur J Gallagher after 7 years and then reinvented her current business – HR Topics -  training, speaking and developing content for HR professionals.  Lori delivers facts, tips, tricks and best practices in a way that appeals to human resource and business leaders: with a sense of humor, a bias toward actions that improve their operations right away, and practical resources and tools to support their progress.  As an annual speaker at the National SHRM conference, she has leveraged her masters in HR, SPHR and SHRM-SCP background to elevate the position of all HR professionals!

Internationally recognized as an expert in the field, Mr. Kushner is one of the nation's most sought after speakers on HR strategy and employee benefits. He has advised four U.S. Presidents on health care and has testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. House Small Business Committee on employee benefit issues.

A frequent resource to the media, Mr. Kushner contributes to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, AP, Knight-Ridder, the Kiplinger Washington Newsletter, CNN News, Fortune, MSNBC and Good Morning America among others. More importantly, he and his wife Tamis have five children and four wonderful (and amazing!) grandchildren.

Ira S Wolfe is a “Millennial trapped in a Baby Boomer body” and president of Poised for the Future Company, founder of Success Performance Solutions, a TEDx Speaker, Certified AQai Practitioner, Top 5 Global Thought Leader on Future of Work and HR (Thinkers360), and host of Geeks Geezers Googlization podcast (selected as one of the top 50 podcasts to listen to in 2021).  His most recent book Recruiting in the Age of Googlization was selected as one of the top 50 books to read in 2021 by Thinkers360 and recognized as one of the best Recruiting books of all-time by Book Authority. He is also Chief Googlization Officer and founder of the Googlization Nation community.