Organization (Technical)

Dr. Edward E. Hubbard, President and CEO of Hubbard & Hubbard, Inc., an International Business Performance Consulting Corp. specializing in Business Improvement, Diversity Return on Investment (DROI®) Measurement/Analytics, and organizational development.  Author of more than 59 DEI ROI and Business-related books, Dr. Hubbard is an expert in Organizational Analysis, ROI Measurement, Strategic Planning, and more. Dr. Hubbard was an honoree at the Inaugural International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals Living Legends of Diversity Award Ceremony in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico where he received the “Living Legends of Diversity Award” for creating the “Diversity ROI Analytics” and “Diversity Measurement Fields and their associated Disciplines” and is recognized globally as the creator of these unique sciences and fields of study. 

Dr. Hubbard received the “Excellence in Global Leadership Award” from the World HRD Congress (the highest individual professional award given), the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, the Sentry Award from the U.S. Pentagon, and many others.

Dr. Hubbard serves on the Harvard Business Review, Diversity Executive Magazine and Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management (SDIM) magazine Editorial Advisory Boards and serves on the Board of Directors for The Ohio State University African American Alumni Society. He also holds a Practitioner Certification and Master Practitioner Certification in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a Neuroscience discipline. Dr. Hubbard earned Bachelors, Masters Degrees from The Ohio State University and earned a Ph.D. with Honors in Business Administration.

Daniel Villao holds decades of experience in policy development and is currently the CEO of Intelligent Partnerships (IP), a strategic planning company focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion design for the modern-day workforce. Daniel’s sought-after experience in strategic policy previously earned him top influential positions including Chair of the National Board of Directors for the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPHA) and former Deputy Administrator in the Office of Apprenticeship for the US Department of Labor under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.  

Currently, Daniel specializes in implementing innovative and accessible workforce designs that transform the way government and businesses nationwide approach the ever-changing landscape of the labor force. His dedication to job inclusivity has not only helped organizations navigate vital inclusion policies but thousands of jobs and apprenticeship opportunities have been created due to his emerging and progressive job models.  

Marna C. Whittington, PhD, serves on the board of directors of Phillips 66, where she is chair of the human resources and compensation committee and serves on the nominating and governance, public policy and sustainability, and executive committees. She has been a director at Oaktree Capital since June 2012, and she is on the board of directors of Macy’s, Inc.

Marna was chief executive officer of Allianz Global Investors Capital, a diversified global investment firm, from 2002 until her retirement in January 2012. She was chief operating officer of parent company Allianz Global Investors from 2001 to 2011. Prior to that, she was managing director and chief operating officer of Morgan Stanley Asset Management. Marna started in the investment management industry in 1992, joining Philadelphia-based Miller Anderson & Sherrerd. She was executive vice president and CFO of the University of Pennsylvania and, earlier, secretary of finance for the state of Delaware.

Marna earned a PhD and master’s degree in quantitative methods from the University of Pittsburgh, and received her bachelor’s in mathematics from the University of Delaware.

Tamla Oates-Forney is an innovative thought leader and speaker, women’s advocate, wellness champion, philanthropist and investor. She serves as CEO of Linkage, a SHRM company, a global leadership development firm committed to advancing women and accelerating inclusion in leaders and organizations.

Tamla previously served as EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for USAA, where as a member of the Executive Council she led USAA’s team of more than 500 HR professionals spanning talent development, talent acquisition, pay and benefits, culture and employee services for 37,000 teammates.

Prior to joining USAA, Tamla served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at WM (previously Waste Management). She spent the majority of her career (20 years) at General Electric, where she held multiple leadership roles, including HR Leader for GE Africa, Chief Diversity Officer for GE Appliances and Lighting, and Vice President of HR for GE Energy Connections.

Tamla is also an independent director and member of the Human Capital and Compensation committee for Summit Materials. She serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for her alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and is a sought-after speaker, advisor and thought leader for several HR-related technology startups.

She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration. A renowned expert in her field, she has received multiple honors, including being featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business and Savoy’s 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), a network of black CEOs and business leaders who support the development of diverse talent and the promotion of social justice.

Tamla enjoys spending time with her husband, Warren, and their two children, Annia (25) and Camden (15). She also enjoys traveling to Africa, discovering new vegan restaurants, working out, and watching interior design shows on HGTV. She is a member of the 1% club having completed a marathon in 2018.

Melissa Risteff spent the past few decades as an executive thriving in technology. As CEO and Founder of an EdTech startup, she sparked equitable change in STEM education. Risteff is the Chief Strategy Officer at MindSpark Learning – providing visionary leadership in the development of human capital solutions for the education-to-workplace ecosystem. 

Guillermo Corea has been involved in digital technology for over 25 years. He’s currently the Managing Director for SHRMLabs, SHRM's workplace innovation laboratory and venture capital arm. He is charged with establishing SHRM as a research thought leader and product testbed for technologies impacting the future of work and the workplace.

Previously, as Director, Digital Media and Business Development at SHRM, he lead e-commerce operations and identified non-dues revenue opportunities through a variety of activities, including business and product development, and content and technology partnerships.

Tim Sackett, SCP, is the CEO of HRUTech.com, a leading technical recruiting firm. Tim has over 20 years of combined executive HR and talent acquisition experience working for Fortune 500 companies. Tim is a highly sought-after international speaker on leadership, HR &TA Tech, talent acquisition, and HR execution. Tim is currently a Senior Faculty member with the Josh Bersin Academy. He is also an Angel investor and advisor and sits on multiple HR Technology corporate boards.

Tim is the author of the newly released book The Talent Fix, Vol. 2. He also writes daily on his blog, the Tim Sackett Project. Tim is married to a hall-of-fame wife, has three sons, and his dog Tucker. In 2023, he was named a Top Global HR & Recruitment Influencer by HR Executive. He has more Twitter (X) followers than his 3 Gen Z sons and is sponsored on stage by diet Mt. Dew.

Jason Finkelman is an Immigration Attorney working at the forefront of immigration law to assist domestic and foreign businesses, as well as international individuals in a variety of employment-based and family-based immigration matters.  He represents U.S. and international companies, entrepreneurs, investors, business-owners, executives, professionals, skilled workers, students, and families in obtaining employment visas, lawful permanent residence ("green cards") and U.S. citizenship.  Jason works with clients across a number of industries including high-tech, semiconductor, healthcare, higher education, energy, oil/gas, import/export, research, and entertainment to help them meet their immigration goals. Please visit www.finkelmanlaw.com for more information on his services.

Recognized as one of the Top 30 Global Guru’s in Organizational Culture both in 2021 & 2022, April is an internationally known organizational change management expert who has implemented change for government, health care, higher education and corporate clients.

She served on the ACMP Standard Working Group to develop the global professional standard for all change management practitioner’s worldwide and is CEO of Springboard Consulting, a change management consulting firm which provides enterprise implementation support, education and exam preparation in organizational change management for Human Resource professionals.

Her expertise and experience has resulted in certifications such as, PMP® (Project Management Professional), CSP™ (Certified Speaking Professional) and she was one of the first CCMP™’s (Certified Change Management Professional).

April is the author of four books including the bestsellers “READY, Set, Change! Simplify and Accelerate Organizational Change” and “READY, Set, CCMP™ Exam Prep Guide.  

Recognized as one of the Top 30 Global Guru’s in Organizational Culture both in 2021 & 2022, April is an internationally known organizational change management expert who has implemented change for government, health care, higher education and corporate clients.

She served on the ACMP Standard Working Group to develop the global professional standard for all change management practitioner’s worldwide and is CEO of Springboard Consulting, a change management consulting firm which provides enterprise implementation support, education and exam preparation in organizational change management for Human Resource professionals.

Her expertise and experience has resulted in certifications such as, PMP® (Project Management Professional), CSP™ (Certified Speaking Professional) and she was one of the first CCMP™’s (Certified Change Management Professional).

April is the author of four books including the bestsellers “READY, Set, Change! Simplify and Accelerate Organizational Change” and “READY, Set, CCMP™ Exam Prep Guide.  

Two themes are woven throughout Lauraine Bifulco's diverse career: a passion for a job well done and a zest for continual learning and improvement.  Lauraine infuses Vantaggio HR with these qualities every day. When she founded the firm in 1994, Lauraine combined her rare talent in understanding what a client needs and her gift of business foresight to create a company that can service the HR and management consulting needs of small and large companies equally well.  Today, Vantaggio serves clients across the country from their offices in California, Hawaii, Colorado, and New York. 

Her Career experience helps employers realize their HR goals and adapt to the shifting HR landscape.  Lauraine is a veteran HR executive and entrepreneur with 25 years of international, corporate, and consulting experience. Her bold career has taken her to employment and business opportunities in Europe and multiple U.S. cities. She serves as co-chair of the California Small Business Administration's committee on Labor Issues which reviews and makes recommendations on pending labor/employment laws, keeping her abreast of legal developments.                                                                            

Delivering over 30 presentations and webinars each year, Lauraine is a well-respected, and highly sought after guest lecturer and speaker on a variety of business management and HR-related topics for both state and national organizations including Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA), American Payroll Association (APA), Next Concept HR Association (NCHRA), Paylocity annual Elevate Conference, and HR Star Conference to name a few. She has been invited to review, develop, and deliver certificate programs for SHRM, and has developed and delivered curriculum for businesses throughout the U.S.                                                                   

Lauraine received a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and conducted graduate level studies in linguistics at the Sorbonne in Paris.

As a senior human capital management (HCM) strategy consultant for UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), Chas Fields helps organizations identify, assess, and maintain their human element, focusing specifically on how increasing employee efficiency while cultivating a differentiated employee experience can ultimately drive business success. As a change management practitioner, Fields is passionate about helping organizations deliver successful initiatives at any scale. Fields is also a host of the People Purpose Podcast of The Workforce Institute at UKG.