People (Technical)

Donna Bungard, a strategic force, integrates disability inclusion into Indeed’s brand DNA, prioritizing accessibility and belonging. Her work focuses on dismantling systemic barriers with partnerships and processes that embed inclusion deeply within the company’s culture.

Dr. Brittany Boone is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist and experienced diversity and inclusion professional . Prior to transitioning into the D&I space full-time, Dr. Boone worked in the insurance industry and spent several years facilitating diversity and inclusion (D&I) trainings and discussions with Farmers Insurance. For the last several years Brittany has worked as a diversity and inclusion consultant, where she works with clients in the beauty industry, entertainment industry, law firms, financial services sector, museums, and a host of other organization types both in the U.S. and abroad, to design, facilitate and deliver diversity & inclusion trainings, review on-set wardrobe and footage, train production teams and on-air talent, conduct culture assessments, and assist clients with the overall implementation of D&I strategic plans and goals.

 Brittany holds a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Missouri-Columbia, an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Avila University in Kansas City, and a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with a specialization in organization development and social change from Walden University.

Megan Taylor is a seasoned finance and strategic planning expert, a founder, and a certified RETAINTM parental leave coach. With rich experience across the healthcare, professional services and media industries, she has transformed financial planning and analysis capabilities, architected innovative strategic planning processes, built businesses from the ground-up and significantly improved organizational efficiency. She is skilled in leading teams, working cross functionally and partnering with executive leadership. During her 10+ years in the healthcare sector, Megan pioneered several resources for working mothers and parents at her Fortune 500 employer’s world headquarters. She founded her own coaching and consulting company, has served dozens of clients, and specializes in elevating leadership performance and solving complex problems. Megan is a part of the core leadership team at the Center for Parental Leave Leadership where she serves as Business Development and Finance Lead. She holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and has completed over 300 hours of leadership development training.

Maria Ross is a speaker, facilitator, author, strategist, and empathy advocate who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She’s spent decades helping forward-thinking leaders, teams, and brands connect and engage through empathy to accelerate growth. Maria has authored multiple books, including her newest, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries, Her previous book, The Empathy Edge sparked a movement and she now hosts the top-rated The Empathy Edge podcast, speaking with leaders, changemakers, authors, and activists on how to achieve radical success through empathy. Maria delivers powerful talks and leadership training workshops for companies such as CHRISTUS Health, TBWA/Worldwide, and CHRISTUS Health. She has delivered dynamic keynotes at venues ranging from TEDx to The New York Times to The 3% Conference. Maria has appeared in many prominent media outlets, including MSNBC, NPR, Wisdom from the Top with Guy Raz, Forbes, ABC News, Entrepreneur and Thrive Global. Maria lives in Northern California with her husband, young son, and American Bully rescue dog and serves clients worldwide.

Learn from great leaders, experts,  and thinkers on her weekly podcast at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com and learn more about Maria's work at www.Red-Slice.com

Global Speaker Sonia Aranza has presented on the international stage from Spain to Singapore.  She brings 27+ years of experience in Diversity, Inclusion & Global Leadership. Her clients include Boeing, CIA, McDonald’s and more. The U.S. Department of Labor describes her work as “Outstanding” and was selected to execute programs for landmark cases. SHRM featured her as a Diversity & Inclusion Expert in HR Magazine and she is a LinkedIn Top Voice in Leadership. She serves on the Faculty of Howard University’s Executive Diversity Program; named “100 Most Influential Filipina Americans in the United States” and honored “100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World.”

Michael Bach is a nationally and internationally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert in the fields of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA). He has worked globally in the IDEA field, including as the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for KPMG International. He is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), CCDI Consulting and Pride at Work Canada.

He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning books Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right and Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work.

Jim Fielding is a respected leader and C-Suite veteran in brand strategy, consumer products and experiences, and storytelling.   He is a passionate advocate and philanthropist for the Queer Community, higher education, and diversity, equity and inclusion. As author of All Pride, No Ego (Wiley, Aug. 15, 2023), he is committed to safe and authentic spaces for all individuals and communities.   Jim spends his time as an Executive Coach, Speaker, and Advocate now and gives back through his work with Braven Mentoring, the Indiana University Foundation Board, and The Trevor Project.

As a DEI practitioner and organizational consultant, Judy leads strategic culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion transformations to build organizations where all employees thrive. For over 20 years, she has designed and delivered solutions for corporate, nonprofit and educational clients.

Judy leads the global DEI consulting practice of AMS (Alexander Mann Solutions), a Talent Acquisition and Workforce Solutions firm. She has designed diagnostic tools of end-to-end recruitment processes to foster inclusivity that she’s delivered for organizations including Barclays and Bristol Myers Squibb. She’s also developed DEI strategy, communication plans, career development frameworks and global training initiatives on Inclusive Leadership, Conscious Inclusion in Hiring, and Unconscious Bias for companies including Delta Airlines and MUFG. Prior to joining AMS, Judy led a certified Woman- and Minority-owned DEI consulting firm, Think People.

​Judy serves as an Adjunct Instructor in Workforce Diversity at the University of Cincinnati ‘s Master’s in Applied Psychology Program. She has a B.S. in Management & Organizations from Indiana University's Kelly School of Business. She holds certificates in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University, and Coaching with the International Coaching Federation; she is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®. She has been named a “Top Diversity Officer” by the National Diversity Council. Her expertise in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been featured in Forbes, DiversityQ magazine, the Recruiting Daily podcast and on numerous conference platforms, including SHRM’s Inclusion Conference.

Emily Gregory’s gift is to create for her audience a moment of self-discovery that leads to change.

Clients praise Emily for her nuanced mix of vitality and credibility. Emily’s depth of experience, academic background, and rigorous intellectual reasoning that provides the solid foundation for her message.

For 15 years, Emily led Crucial Learning teams including Product Development, Training and Consulting, Delivery Operations, and Sales.

Emily is also the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High and travels the world speaking and presenting on the crucial skills for improving results and relationships.

Jim Link is the CHRO for SHRM.  With more than 340,000 members worldwide, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace.

Jim’s career includes roles of increasing responsibility across various industries and companies, including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad.  In his most recent role as CHRO for Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader.

Jim has served as a volunteer leader in several organizations including the SHRM Foundation Board, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Human Capital Advisory Board, and the Human Resources Leadership Forum.

Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University.  Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA. 

Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.

Yvette Lee, SHRM-SCP, is an HR Knowledge Advisor at SHRM, the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000+ members in more than 165 countries. Yvette possesses over 25 years of human resources experience. Her expertise includes talent management, benefits, compensation, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, ethics and compliance, and employee development. A published author of several articles in SHRM's HR Magazine on various topics, Yvette holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Virginia. She also holds the SHRM California Law HR, Talent Acquisition, Inclusive Workplace Culture, People Manager Qualification and HR Dept. of One Specialty Credentials. Yvette enjoys spending time with her family and doing community service.