Leadership & Navigation

Dr. Lepora is a well sought-after keynote speaker on People and Process topics worldwide. She is the CEO and Executive Coach of Nextgen People, a cutting- edge firm that specializes in Executive Coaching and Talent Management Next Practices in a global and multi-generational environment.

Dr. Lepora has partnered with many global business leaders and organizations to help them be more effective in their transformational efforts. She is especially passionate about elevating leader performance and seeing individual and organizational potential realized. She also has a special focus on Intentional Culture and the Globalization of work.

Dr. Lepora has worked and led teams as an internal executive leader and consultant in Fortune 500 companies to achieve positive transformational change in people and processes. Some companies, with which Dr. Lepora Flournoy has partnered include Delta Airlines, ManpowerGroup, Randstad, Capital Blue Cross, Deloitte, and Coca- Cola.

Dr. Flournoy is dedicated to innovative people practices and creative ways to help leaders better perform. She is the author of Journey to Authentic Joy and is currently working on a second book.  Aside from writing, she also enjoys hiking, traveling and photography.

While you can find her on most social media vehicles, feel free to follow Dr. Lepora on Twitter @drlepora and connect with her on linkedin/in/drlepora

www.nextgenpeople.com

As the CEO and co-founder of Rising Sun Consultants, LLC, and co-author of The 10 Keys of Effective Supervision™, Jim assists clients in building the health and well-being of their organizational cultures.

Drawing from 30 years of personal passion toward the development of thoughtful leadership practices, he works with executives and their teams to:

•  Increase productivity through smart time and people management practices
•  Retain and recharge their team members and processes for the benefit of their internal and external company stakeholders 
•  Prime their organizations for physical, client and/or revenue growth

Jim’s methods include training and consulting via traditional and technologically advanced means. Whether through Zoom/Skype, a webinar or a conference room presentation, he uses his deep understanding of the
critical role of healthy corporate cultures to take businesses to the next level of excellence.

Jim has amassed a number of articles, white papers, book reviews, training seminars and workshops, including:

• The 10 Keys of Effective Supervision™ training series 
• Servant Leadership: History & Evolution 
• The Pillars of Conflict Resolution 
• Critical Issues Facing Supervisors: An Initial Look

A man with principles firmly grounded in Christian values, Jim holds a B.A. in Secondary Education and Mathematics, and an M.S. in Education (with a focus in Instructional Technology and Media Management, both from Potsdam State College, New York). Jim lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife of more than 29 years and their four children. At the end of the day, he firmly trusts that treating people with dignity, love and forgiveness are the keys to health
in all aspects of an individual’s life.
 

Leading at the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and workplace culture, in her role as Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist of Rework Work, Stacey Gordon coaches and counsels executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business. She has worked with people managers and executive leaders from companies such as American Express, ADP, Kia Motors, Hewlett Packard, Walmart, GE and many others to deliver education, coaching and consulting sessions that support their D&I efforts.

As a globally recognized keynote speaker, leadership consultant and DEI strategist, Stacey has provided subject matter expertise to Harvard Business Review, SHRM, Fast Company, Skillsoft, Forbes, NPR Radio, BBC Radio, and the Association for Talent Development.

Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release list, her unconscious bias course on the LinkedIn learning platform was the #1 most watched course of 2021 and has been translated into at least six languages. With more than 1 million unique learners across four courses, Stacey has been recognized as a passionate supporter of DEI by Forbes, Pepperdine University and LinkedIn. She earned her MBA from Pepperdine University Business School and her SHRM-SCP certification, as well as the SHRM Inclusive Workplace Culture Credential.

Garrett Mintz is the founder of Ambition In Motion where he helps professionals accelerate communication, engagement, and performance by combining Industrial Organizational Psychology with technology. 

Garrett’s two main areas of focus are creating software to augment the performance review process by making data and conversations around performance easier for managers and facilitating horizontal mentorships between employees to reduce communication silos across teams.

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.

Suzanne is the President and Co-founder of Forward Effect Coaching, and a nationally recognized Trainer, Speaker, and Coach. She has led sessions in a variety of organizations throughout North America. As an ICF certified coach with a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management, she continues to train, coach, and empower workforces and organizations, specializing in all aspects of communication, leadership development and team building. She currently serves as a representative in the IL General Assembly.  She is married, has 3 adult children and a granddaughter, and lives in Crystal Lake IL.

John Valverde is the President and CEO of YouthBuild USA. He joined YouthBuild in 2017 after decades of work as an advocate for creating access to opportunity and removing barriers for formerly incarcerated and low-income people.

John began working with imprisoned individuals in 1992 to ensure access to HIV/AIDS counseling, high school equivalency instruction, alternatives to violence programs, and college education. In 1995, responding to the gap created by the elimination of TAP and Pell funding for people in prison, he led an initiative to develop and deliver a college-level certificate program, the Certificate in Ministry and Human Services. Today called Rising Hope, this program continues in several New York State prisons. In 1998, he co-founded Hudson Link for Higher Education, the first privately funded accredited college program in New York’s prisons. More than 450 students in prison have graduated from Hudson Link, which has grown to serve five prisons with six college partners.

In 2009, John worked with a team at the Osborne Association to create New York City’s first green jobs training program exclusively for people with criminal records. As Osborne’s Executive Vice President, John launched, managed, and led programs including children, youth, and family services; substance abuse treatment; workforce development; community benefit projects; financial literacy; health and wellness services; housing; alternatives to incarceration; mentoring and leadership development; and social enterprises. John has led teams that offer multiple evidence-based interventions, with a trauma-informed approach, to distinct populations that range from very young children to the elderly.

As a steady and persistent advocate for creating access, John has worked with city, state, and federal agencies to develop and operate proven job readiness and placement programs. He forged Osborne's first relationships with labor unions and has served on the Board of Pathways to Apprenticeship that supports individuals from traditionally underserved communities gain access to apprenticeship programs.

John often serves as a keynote speaker at important and related events to share his personal story of transformation and second chances. As a young man who was incarcerated at 21, John’s work to accept responsibility for his actions and commit to making amends started him on a journey of redemption that allowed him to imagine and build a new future. Though he was incarcerated for almost 16 years, John is now recognized as a proven leader and example for people affected by the criminal justice system. John’s personal and professional life embodies the work of YouthBuild and is a powerful representation of its mission. He is the proud recipient of the 2018 Brian S. Fischer Achievement Award from Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. This award is presented annually to a formerly incarcerated leader who has made an impact by advocating for positive change in the world.

John is a graduate of Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy and a 2018 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. John received his Master of Professional Studies in Urban Ministry from the New York Theological Seminary and holds a Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from Mercy College.

Alyssa Gioscia is the Director, Strategic Accounts for CareerArc with more than 10 years of strategic marketing and social media experience. Alyssa has worked with organizations across a wide range of industries—from hospitality and healthcare to retail and IT/engineering—and is passionate about developing high-impact social strategies for clients and providing creative solutions to positively impact employer brand. She delivers ongoing client education and loves bringing the latest best practices in social recruiting to her clients. Alyssa lives in sunny Southern California where she enjoys hiking, salsa dancing, and trying new restaurants.

Erica Dhawan is an internationally recognized leading authority, speaker and advisor on 21st century teamwork, collaboration and innovation. Named by Thinkers50 as the “Oprah of Management Thinkers”, she is the author of two books Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence and Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance. It’s 2021, the world of business is increasingly digital and work practices have changed at a blistering rate. Erica shares innovative strategies to unlock the collective power of teams, build a culture of trust across any distance and create authentic engagement to ensure competitiveness. Rated #1 on the Top Women Keynote Speakers of 2020 and featured as one of the management thinkers most likely to shape the future of business, Erica frequently appears in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wall Street Journal. Erica speaks on global stages ranging from the World Economic Forum at Davos to TEDx and for companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, SAP, and Cisco. She has degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School.

Jennifer Currence is a Senior Partner of HR Soul consultancy firm in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through strategic HR solutions, customized training, and coaching programs for organizational and HR leaders. She is the creator of The SOTO Approach to Leadership and the content architect for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) international People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer is regularly published and featured in industry magazines, webinars, and podcasts, and is the author of three HR books on behavioral business competencies.

Jennifer was named one of the top 100 Influential HR professionals in Leadership and Development in 2023 and Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year in 2017.  She is a faculty member for SHRM and a former management professor at the University of Tampa.