Leadership & Navigation

Pandit Dasa is a Mindful Leadership Expert. He has spoken on Mindfulness and conducted workshops at Google, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Nationwide, Intel, Novartis, The World Bank, UNICEF, Harvard and many other institutions. He has also presented at the World Government Summit in Dubai, the national SHRM convention, Oracle HCM conference, and WorkHuman. Through these workshops, Pandit helps individuals develop positive leadership qualities, lower stress and anxiety, increase focus and productivity, and boost emotional intelligence. Pandit has spoken at a TEDx conference and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PBS, NPR, The New York Times and Inc.   

Alan A. Malinchak is a goal-driven leader with broad strategic and tactical operational success in the private and public sectors.  Al is known for transforming organizations by crystallizing direction, addressing emergent talent and learning challenges and issues, and executing tactics to improve and enhance workforce and organizational performance.

Al is currently the Executive Advisor, Talent and Learning Practice at Deltek, leading customer facing engagements involving assessments, evaluations and recommendations to address a company's "People Challenges" employing best practice solutions in talent, learning and leadership development programs focused across all corporate and business functions to drive both employee and organizational growth.  Al conducts keynotes, leadership development seminars/workshops and consultations regarding the administration and operation of corporate universities.  Al is also CEO of two certified and verified (cVe) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses - Éclat Transitions LLC offering “Public to Private Career Transition Services” at www.eclat-transitions.com and STRATactical LLC offering change agility, learning agility, leadership agility and knowledge agility services and solutions at www.stratactical.com.  Prior, Al was Chief Learning Officer (CLO) at Homeland Security Solutions, Inc. (HSSI) and business development executive for eLearning and instructor-led training programs and initiatives (2011-2013); VP/CL) at ManTech International (2005-2011), where he founded, developed, implemented and led the administration and operation of ManTech’s first corporate university, ManTech University.  From 1984 to 2004, Al was a FBI Special Agent (retired) with a variety of assignments, including  federal investigations of homicides, rapes, fugitives, kidnappings and skyjackings; Instructor at the FBI National Academy; Administrator of the FBI's National Executive Institute; Supervisory Special Agent of Criminal Squads focused on Organized Crime, Narcotics and White Collar Crime; Inspector; On-Scene Crisis Commander for the 2002 Winter Olympics; Chief of Investigative Training; Acting Senior Executive of New Agents Training, National and International Law Enforcement Programs, and Facilities and Security of the FBI Academy; and, lastly as the Chief of the FBI's Leadership Development Institute (LDI). In the LDI, his responsibilities included leading the administrative and operational oversight of all internal and external leadership programs for executive and middle-management FBI Special Agents and Professional Support employees; leadership services and training for 26,000 employees; leadership curriculum development; professional presentations; drafting of the FBI’s Strategic Development Leadership Plan; and, executive board member to several professional law enforcement associations.  Throughout his career, Al held a variety of academic positions - included are a tenured Associate Professor, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, New York (1978–1984); as well as former Adjunct Professor positions at the University of Virginia (1992-1995); and both a graduate and undergraduate Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, (2002 to 2005).

Rick Tiemann started The Executive Group in 1991 and works with companies in the areas of organizational and business development. His expertise is on developing organizational effectiveness through employee selection and development with a targeted focus on sales and leadership. His experience in mergers and acquisitions including turnarounds and employee integration make him a sought after consultant to organizations preparing for or in the midst of implementing change.

With over 40 years of business experience including having owned three businesses, Rick has worked in both national and international arenas and has held positions of Director of Sales and Marketing, VP of Sales, Asian Business Development Manager, and President of a 75 million dollar company in the fire and security industry.

He brings a unique mix of sales and business expertise along with a deep understanding of personality and performance potential to his practice. Over the past 24 years he has interpreted more than 12,000 16PF assessments.

Rick is also an accomplished Executive and Behavioral Coach and uses his insight into behavior to assist CEO’s, Sales and Operations Managers, and business owners in their professional development.

Rosie is an accomplished speaker, writer and consultant. She has spent more than 20 years in worksite health promotion and organizational development. In addition to her bachelor’s degrees in Kinesiology and Public Health, and a doctorate in Organization and Management, Rosie is also a Certified Intrinsic Coach® Mentor, Certified Judgment Index Consultant, a Certified Valuations Specialist, and a Board Certified Coach. Rosie uses this unique combination to work with executive and leadership teams to create comprehensive development strategies centered on shifting thinking patterns. She is a contributing author to the book, “Organization Development in Healthcare — High Impact Practices for a Complex and Changing Environment.” She leverages these principles to help organizations develop and implement strategies to create a thriving workplace culture that values and supports wellbeing and the unique, intrinsic needs of employees.

Queenie C. Plater’s career began at Sibley Memorial Hospital in 1989; she was named VP and Chief Human Resources Officer in 2005. Sibley integrated into Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2010, and Ms. Plater was named Vice President of Human Resources for the Johns Hopkins Medicine Community Division, which includes Howard County General, Sibley Memorial and Suburban Hospitals, in September 2014.

She received her master’s degree in applied behavioral science from the Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from what is now Washington Adventist University. Until 2010, Ms. Plater both taught at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies and also served as an academic preceptor and executive mentor in that university’s Health Systems Administration program.

Kendra Janevski leads the human resources functions of Casey Health Institute, an integrative primary care and wellness center that focuses on healing and optimizing health, from primary preventive care to nutrition to yoga classes and more. A people-enthusiast at heart, Kendra has worked almost a decade pursuing organizational excellence for health related non-profit institutions. Before her work in health services and advocacy, she contributed to non-profits in the arts, civic society, and as a municipal and NGO development volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. She is passionate in her professional and personal life about teamwork and collaboration to make positive change. At Casey Health Institute, she heads the leadership effort to create flexible and innovative workplace programs and practices. She believes strongly that the workplace should be a win-win proposition for everyone involved. Since joining Casey Health Institute, the organization has grown, revised, and created every aspect of the human resources experience. Much like Casey Health’s orientation on the whole-person foundation of wellness, so too the human resources department under Kendra’s direction is a whole-organization approach to work-life balance. 

Kimberly is the Outreach Development and Community Relations for Treasure Valley Hospice.  She attended Seattle Pacific University, Northwest Nazarene University and has 10+ years’ experience in Internal Medicine both in clinical and administrative positions.  Working with Treasure Valley Hospice provides workplace flexibility and has given her a perspective which is unique in healthcare and businesses alike.

She is active in the community and currently is a member of JAVA (Justice Alliance for Vulnerable Adults), IGFA (Idaho Guardian and Fiduciary Association), Meridian Chamber, IAHC (Idaho Assoc. for Home Care), IDQOL (Idaho Quality of Life Coalition) as well as serving on several community boards. Kimberly is married and has two boys ages 16 and 18.

Mike Aitken has worked at SHRM since 2003 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining SHRM, he served for 14 years as associate director for Governmental and External Relations at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Previously, Aitken worked on state public policy issues at Bonner & Associates, a public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Currently, he is based in Alexandria, VA.

Sara Shinneman is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, with 17 years of experience in human resources, including working at Hewitt Associates (now Aon Hewitt) and Frito-Lay. Sara is a graduate of Leadership Plano, Texas and Leadership Pipeline, Texas. In 2008, she was awarded the President's Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing over 4,000 volunteer service hours. Sara was recently nominated for the Great Women of Texas Award for her professional and civic leadership. Sara holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

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.

Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is The Business Book Strategist and works with professionals and thought leaders who want to write a book as a business development strategy.  She is the author of eleven books, including—On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks, Blog2Book: Repurposing Content to Discover the Book You’ve Already Written, and with coauthor Lois Creamer, The Speaker Author: Sell More Books and Book More Speeches. Her book, Authority, is an anthology about the power of authorship and was a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Her newest book is My New Book: The Upcoming Message that will Change the World.

Since beginning her business in 2014, she has helped over 200 professionals become published authors. She believes that we all have a purpose, and that our stories are the way in which we share our truth with others. She is certain that authors can and do change the world, one word at a time.

John O’Leary lived through worse than most can imagine. At age nine, a fire exploded and burned 100% of his body. Given a one-percent chance to live, he fought extraordinary odds.

John spent five months in the hospital, underwent dozens of surgeries, lost all of his fingers to amputation and had to relearn to walk, write, and feed himself. He endured, persevered, and survived – largely because others emerged, served and inspired. John now lives to share the life-giving lessons from his story in hopes that he can Spark! the extraordinary possibility of your story.

He shares these lessons as a tribute to those who leapt into the flames to save him. Who worked tirelessly to restore him. Who pushed him to write though he no longer had fingers. Who held him close when the days were dark and the nights scary. He shares these lessons as an invitation for you to choose to wake up to the fullness of your life, to embrace the amazing gift of each moment, and to celebrate the joy of your inspired life!

As he shares these lessons, sparks will leap.

Sparks that can renew you with hope, purpose, perspective, faith and love. Sparks that remind you that one person, one action, one word, does indeed make a difference. Sparks that liberate you from excuses, destructive cynicism, limiting beliefs, broken relationships, and lousy results. And sparks that, when united, ignite us together toward an extraordinary future!

What John knows for certain is this: You can’t always choose the path you walk in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk.

Eric C. Peterson, MSOD is a Senior Consultant with Cook Ross Inc. He is a recognized facilitator and educator in the Diversity & Inclusion space with over 15 years of experience in Unconscious Bias, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), Learning Strategies, and Organization Development. Eric is certified in the use of both the Predictive Index and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and is a graduate of the Facilitation Learning Partners Program of Healing the Heart of Diversity. He has been published in Profiles in Diversity Journal and Echelon Magazine, and has been sourced as a D&I expert by CNN, National Public Radio, USA Today, The Bloomberg Group, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times.