Leadership & Navigation

Pat Wadors currently serves as Chief Talent Officer for Procore, the digital workflow company focused on improving the lives of everyone in construction. That purpose, as well as Pat’s longtime focus on building healthy companies that scale, drives her vision to create amazing employee experiences for Procore’s people around the world. 

Prior to joining Procore in November 2020, Pat was the Chief Talent Officer of ServiceNow and prior to that, she was the Senior Vice President, Global Talent Organization at LinkedIn, where her focus was on recruiting and developing top talent, driving organizational transformation, supporting a highly engaged workforce, and growing LinkedIn’s global footprint.

Pat has also held human resources leadership positions at Plantronics, Yahoo!, Align Technology and Applied Materials. Pat earned her B.S. in business management with a concentration in human resources management and a minor in psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

 at currently serves on the boards of directors for Accolade and Ultimate Kronos Group. 

Nestor Ares conceptualized and currently manages the People Analytics and Processes Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank. In this capacity, he oversees complex data collection, dashboard production, and analytical output. The Unit is accountable for producing human resources business intelligence, providing insight for operational leaders and evaluations of business and/or system process, supporting workforce planning and strategy development. Since its creation, four years ago, the Analytics Unit has gone from organizing data and producing reports, to being at the forefront of the business intelligence at the Bank, by developing the most advanced data visualization dashboards, and producing high impact analytics that effectively combine operational and personnel data.

Prior to leading the People analytics Unit, Mr. Ares held various positions at the IADB, including Advisor to the Vice-President of countries, where he supervised resources management and budget execution.

Mr. Ares holds a M.S. in Information Systems Technology from the George Washington University.

Dawn Burke, founder of Dawn Burke HR, is an HR leader, speaker and writer specializing in new HR practices, engagement and workplace culture. Her HR and leadership career has spanned the last 20 years, most recently serving as VP of People for Birmingham, AL, award-winning technology company, Daxko.

During her tenure as VP of People, Dawn was responsible for finding great talent, developing team members, and preserving company culture - a culture recognized in Fortune Magazine as one of the “50 Best Small and Medium Workplaces.” Recognized as a Top HR Innovator, she is creator of DawnHBurke.com, and a contributor to a variety of national blogs including SHRM Next and Fistful Of Talent.

Heather Kinzie has been an HR and Organizational Performance Professional for over 20 years and is proud of it. If you ask her what she is proud of, she'll tell you it's because she has made a positive difference. She's mentored a leader, she's salvaged a business, she's encouraged a student, and she's inspired the discouraged. This hasn't made her rich but it's enriched her career.

Heather is a writer and public speaker covering topics such as leadership, workforce engagement and collaboration, strategic planning and organizational performance. She is from the south and loves to tell stories! She is uber excited to be in Vegas speaking to professionals who are committed and dedicated to their organization’s success.

 Joe is a leading thinker in managing and motivating people. He’s passionate about helping organizations achieve their vision through effective performance management.

 He’s a top-rated SHRM speaker and serves as Chief Value Officer for Delphia Consulting, a national HR and Payroll software consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Joe is the co-creator of miviva, a continuous performance management application.

 Joe has over 30 years of experience and serves as VP of Professional Development on the Human Resources Association of Central Ohio (HRACO) Board of Directors. Joe is a cited contributor to the SHRM Learning System.

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

Jennifer Payne is an HR veteran with nearly two decades of experience in various aspects of the profession, including employee & labor relations, learning & development, and talent acquisition.  She currently oversees talent management, engagement, and employee communications for Tops Markets, a regional grocery chain based in Buffalo, NY, and her dedication to that industry has earned her recognition as a “2016 Top Woman in Grocery” through Progressive Grocer magazine.   Outside of her “day job,” Jennifer is a seasoned blogger.  She is one of the co-founders, principal writers, and current editor of the Women of HR blog, has blogged for numerous SHRM Annual Conferences, and is part of the “HR Tech Insiders” for the HR Technology Conference.  Always an HR practitioner at heart, she strives to bring that point of view to the topics she explores, and to challenge others to think differently about how they approach their jobs.

Sophia is a leadership neuroscientist, consultant, facilitator, and coach.  Her industry experience spans finance, manufacturing, sports, technology, and telecom in the United States and Canada with organizations like Comcast, LafargeHolcim, Cigna, Gates, and the NFL. 

In July 2017, Sophia will complete her MSc in Professional Development, Neuroscience of Leadership from Middlesex University, UK.  Her current research in Applied Neuroscience investigates how findings from neuroscience, social science, and behavioral science can inform our understanding of the effect of stress on cognition, emotions, and behavior, as well as their application to leadership development. 

Although she has been coaching organizational leaders for 17 years, she founded Lexicon Leadership Group in 2011 to help leaders, their teams, and organizations benefit from neuroscience-backed leadership development and innovation. Sophia typically works with professionals who seek expertise in effective communication, trust, transparency, and candor. 

Sophia is a Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and serves on the board of Human Resources People and Strategy (HRPS).  She’s also a member of the ICF and the Social & Affective Neuroscience Society. 

She is a featured speaker for many organizations, such as The Association for Corporate Growth, Comcast and HRPS.