Leadership & Navigation

Jennifer Millman specializes in driving organizational performance to new heights through talent and performance management and development strategies. She has been applauded for her uncanny ability to quickly and accurately assess talent and makes courageous recommendations on the most effective structure of existing talent as well as finding rare A+ external talent to fill the gaps and upgrade the overall talent bench of an organization.

With more than 15 years’ experience leading strategic HR teams, mostly in the technology industry, from global Fortune 500 corporations to entrepreneurial firms, as well as Consulting engagements across all industries, Jennifer is well-positioned to assist HR professionals strategically align with business leaders to effect real, immediate impact through increasing existing performance and significantly affecting the bottom line through creating and maintaining a workforce of A+ players.

Jennifer currently leads the Talent Acquisition function at Vology, an Inc. 500 Company and a Fast 50 Technology company.  Jennifer is also a writer, speaker, consultant, foodie, and mother of a 5-year-old superhero son.

Areas of Expertise:
Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Change Management, Succession Planning, Performance Management, Topgrading, Organizational Development, Executive Searches, Creative Recruiting Programs, Social Media.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter on @Jenny_Millman.

Rachel founded Ascend Employee Wellness to provide professional consultancy services which enhance businesses’ ability to attract and retain staff, and connect with diverse customers. Her vision is to inspire greater authenticity, vitality, and collaboration within business communities. Because of Rachel's unique educational and work history, she excels at delivering services and programs that inspire and enthuse employees to lead more productive, positive lifestyles.

Rachel is a Human Resources professional with over 10 years of experience in nonprofit, healthcare, and university settings. Her experience includes Human Resources program development, recruiting, staff education, and management consulting. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Marylhurst University where her studies focused on counseling and world religions.

Follow Rachel on Twitter @jayaradheshyam.

Jill Kopanis is the vice president, Human Resources for Dynamic Dies, Inc. based in Toledo, Ohio where she leads human resource initiatives for manufacturing and sales locations nationwide Ms. Kopanis has been involved in the field of Human Resources for over 20 years working with both Fortune 500 and International companies. She was nominated for the Excellence in HR Management Award and was a finalist in the 2007 Benny Awards – awarded for outstanding benefit initiatives. She has served in a variety of SHRM leadership roles at the state and local level include Chapter President and State Director of Certification. Jill holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership and earned both PHR and SPHR certification. A speaker on several human resource topics, she has spoken at numerous national conferences enlightening her audiences and receiving top audience ratings along with writing a monthly HR column for a national magazine.

Follow Jill on Twitter @JillKopanis.

John Austin is the P.D. Merrill Endowed Chair and Dean of the newly formed Honors College at University of New England. He also works with organizations around the world to improve the foresight skills of their leaders and future proof strategies and initiatives. Dr. Austin holds a BA in economics from The Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in management from Boston College. He is the author of Unquestioned Brilliance: Navigating a Fundamental Leadership Trap and Leading Effective Change: A Primer for the HR Professional published as part of the SHRM Foundation’s Effective Practice Guidelines Series. 

 

Through his keynote presentations, interactive workshops, leadership coaching, and custom-designed facilitation service, Ian helps his clients achieve greater results from their managers and teams.

He specializes in what he calls "micro leadership," helping managers lead successfully at the "micro" level–in that vital interpersonal space between the manager and his/her individual employee. He shows managers how to generate strong results through effective conversations with staff around (1) job performance, (2) job satisfaction and motivation, and (3) ongoing development.

He began the independent consulting firm, Fulcrum Associates, Inc., back in 1988, following seventeen years of corporate experience in both the high tech manufacturing and transportation industries. His extensive client list includes some of the largest corporations in the private sector, major trade and professional associations, small business, government, and not-for-profit organizations.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and, from Cornell, a Masters degree in Industrial & Labor Relations, majoring in Human Resources Management, and has been a lecturer in the Faculty of Business of Ryerson University. In addition, from the Gestalt Institute of Toronto he earned a (3-year) Diploma in Gestalt Theory and Methodology that significantly deepened his ability to achieve results as both a facilitator and executive coach.

He is author of Would They Call You Their Best Boss Ever?: Practical Tips and Insights for the Successful Manager.

 

Ian is actively involved with the community leadership organization Leadership Fairfax Inc. A graduate of LFI’s Signature Leadership program class of ’04, he has served both on the Board and as Chair of the Program Committee, and has been a keynoter in their Speakers Series. Currently he facilitates a one-day Open Space event for the Emerging Leaders program and, for the Signature program class, facilitates individual team process debrief meetings following completion of their projects.

Jen Shirkani is the CEO of Penumbra Group and has spent over 20-years as a learning and development specialist, trainer and speaker. Her topics are presented from a leadership perspective filled with practical strategies and immediately useable tips. She lives in New England where she oversees a national talent management firm. She has been a past speaker at national SHRM conferences and at SHRM affiliates in Colorado, Washington, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Maine, and the North East. Jen holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership and focuses on leadership development, communication skills and on making common sense more common.

Anthony “AB” Bourke is an F-16 fighter pilot and the founder and CEO of Mach 2 Consulting, a global management training company. Bourke takes the tools he learned in the fighter pilot’s world and applies them to business, having trained more than 50,000 managers and salespeople at companies ranging from established Fortune 1000 businesses to small startups.

Using fighter pilot principles, he addresses the systems that the military uses to achieve success. In his presentations, Bourke discusses communication, leadership, organization, team work, commitment, culture, and selling and debriefing techniques. His talks include state-of-the-art multi-media presentations and can be customized to your business and your goals.

Follow Anthony on Twitter @mach2consulting.

Michelle Maldonado is a former corporate attorney turned business professional with 17 years of leadership experience in new business development, strategic planning, and operations across the e-learning, online media and entertainment, and legal industries. She is the creator and editor of The Authentic Leadership Series and serves as Associate Vice President of Corporate and Strategic Relationships for American Public University. Michelle is passionate about the topic of leadership authenticity and its convergence with emotional intelligence, mindfulness and other “conscious leadership” practices that help build successful and sustainable organizations. Michelle’s work has been featured in Chief Learning Officer, Human Capital Insights, Leadership Excellence, and Training magazines as well as through conference and client presentations around the country.

Scott Burrows is living proof your life can change in an instant. By the age of 19, he was playing college football at Florida State University as a wide receiver and a top-ranked kick-boxing champion, with his last fight broadcast by ESPN. On November 3, 1984, Scott’s life took a dramatic and irreversible turn. He was involved in a serious automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down and diagnosed a quadriplegic.  

Despite his grim diagnosis, Scott refused to be sidelined. He made the decision to take action, to focus on the positives of the experience as opposed to dwelling on the obvious and overwhelming negatives. With the tremendous clarity provided by his singular focus, Scott resolved to thrive in his life by using three principles:  

• Vision helped him see complete success in his mind’s eye first.
• Using Mindset, he let go of the past and focused 100% on what he could control.

• With Grit, he determined to take action and persevere until he succeeded.  

Scott’s application of these innovative concepts boosted and enhanced his recovery, and he achieved results that astonished doctors, therapists, family and friends alike. After graduating from college, he qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table in the insurance and financial industry, a 100% commission-driven award achieved by fewer than 8% of agents worldwide. He also developed into a wheelchair athlete and became a best-selling author with his book, Vision Mindset Grit: How to Stand Up When Life Paralyzes You. Employing his paralysis as a visual metaphor, Scott encourages his audiences to stand up to their challenges—regardless of circumstances—using the dynamic principles of Vision, Mindset and Grit. His presentations are inspirational, focused and enthusiastically received. Scott has presented to hundreds of associations and corporations in the U.S. and around the globe. He has also shared the stage with iconic celebrities such as Rudolph Giuliani, Terry Bradshaw and Neil Armstrong. Speaking to more than 100,000 people a year, he influences the lives of millions as well through his keynote speeches, books, CDs and DVDs.

Diane Egbers is Founder and President of Leadership Excelleration, Inc. (LEI) and engages with clients to provide Executive Coaching, Organizational Effectiveness, Talent Management and Leadership Development services to LEI clients. Diane understands her client’s needs given her prior experience as VP of Human Resources. Now, and in the past 16 years, her passion is to serve leaders as a dynamic coach, facilitator and management consultant. Diane works collaboratively with clients to set and achieve goals that involve cultivating the strengths of key talent and realizing potential for success at organization, team and individual levels. This may include: coaching executives, facilitating 40+ leadership topics with senior leaders, as well as assessing organizational capacity to improve performance. Valued clients include: Cincinnati Bell, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Eli Lilly, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Fidelity Investments, Fifth Third Bank, General Electric, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Procter and Gamble, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, TriHealth and UC Health. Diane holds a Master’s Degree in Executive Human Resources Development from Xavier University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Personnel and Industrial Relations from the University of Cincinnati. Follow Diane on Twitter @LEI_Consulting.