People (Technical)

Clayton Lord (Clay, he/him) oversees strategy, planning, program delivery, and program evaluation for the SHRM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of SHRM, which focuses on widening pathways to work and helping every worker and workplace thrive by empowering HR leaders to be forces for social good. He is a social impact executive who has spent his career driving systemic change in the world of work. Clay is also a writer, painter, and quilter, as well as a travel fanatic, and holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband and daughter in Maryland.

Andy Tonsing is Vice President of Postsecondary Education at Stand Together. He is an experienced philanthropic and business leader in advancing innovative work and learning models that help people unlock their potential. He has a background in international education and online learning startups, including helping to establish the Pioneer Research Program, one of the premier academic summer programs for high school students in the US.

Clayton Lord (Clay, he/him) oversees strategy, planning, program delivery, and program evaluation for the SHRM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of SHRM, which focuses on widening pathways to work and helping every worker and workplace thrive by empowering HR leaders to be forces for social good. He is a social impact executive who has spent his career driving systemic change in the world of work. Clay is also a writer, painter, and quilter, as well as a travel fanatic, and holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband and daughter in Maryland.

Elizabeth is currently the Manager, Foundation Programs overseeing SHRM Foundation’s strategic priority of Building Inclusive Workplaces. In that capacity, she oversees the Foundation’s initiatives around leveraging untapped talent including Veterans At Work, Employing Abilities and Getting Talent Back to Work. She joins the Foundation with extensive experience across the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors. She most recently served as the Deputy Executive Director for PFLAG National working to advance equality and anti-discrimination efforts. In that role, she also partnered with corporate diversity and HR professionals on partnerships to impact the workplace culture for the LGBTQ community. She lives in Alexandria with her spouse, two sons, and an oversized rescue dog.

Allison Chamberlayne is the Director of Operations for Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation connecting transitioning service members, veteran, military spouses, and caregivers with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce. In her role, Allison focuses on day-to-day program operations, staff development, process improvement, and strengthening partnerships.

Allison is a military spouse who served alongside her husband, a retired Army Engineer, for over 25 years. She joined Hiring Our Heroes in January of 2018, as a part of the Corporate Fellowship Program. Over the past four and a half years, Allison has held several roles to include Operations Manager, Program Manager of Corporate Fellowship program in the National Capital Region and Deputy Director of the Military Spouse Fellowship Program.

Before her career at Hiring Our Heroes, Allison faced the same employment challenges as those she currently serves. She has held full time, part time and temporary positions in multiple fields to include Accounting, Logistics, Marketing, Finance and Education. This has made her a passionate advocate for military spouses in their pursuit of meaningful employment opportunities.

Allison has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech and being a diehard Hokie consumes much of her and her family’s free time. She resides in McLean, VA with her husband, Ed (VT ’93, ‘02, ‘11 ) and son Eddie (VT ’24). Her daughter, Emma (UVA ’20) lives nearby and tolerates the VT fanaticism.

Thomas Bertels is a business transformation expert on a mission to make work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful. He has three decades of experience helping companies from start-ups to Fortune 5 transform how work gets done. Thinkers360 has recognized Thomas as a Top 50 Thought Leader on the Future of Work and Design Thinking. 

Thomas has written several books and numerous articles. His latest book is the award-winning business fable ‘Fixing Work: Designing Jobs Employees Love’. He also hosts the Work Matters podcast, where he explores in conversations with thought leaders and executives what leaders can do to fix work. 

Harvey Singh, CEO and founder of Instancy, has pioneered AI-Agent Learning and Learning Ecosystems over three decades. He developed innovative platforms and advised on using Generative AI in education. Harvey contributed to eLearning standards via the ADL initiative and IMS Global Learning Consortium, earning a 2001 nomination for eLearning Executive of the Year. He founded MindLever, introducing the first SCORM-based Learning Object Repository, and co-founded Empower Corporation, which created interactive applications for clients like Microsoft and Oracle. Harvey holds a Master's from Stanford in Computer Science and Education and started his career at Apple's ACOT project in 1991.

Dr. Amy Beacom is credited as the trailblazer who built the vertical broadly referred to as parental leave support. Amy conceived of and began developing the field of parental leave coaching and consulting in 2006. In 2014 she founded the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, the first full service consultancy in the US to focus exclusively on parental leave strategy, research, and training. Drawing on over 25 years in executive leadership development and coaching, Amy consults with organizations of all sizes to drive talent development, attraction, and retention while improving the employee experience.

Dr. Amy Beacom is credited as the trailblazer who built the vertical broadly referred to as parental leave support. Amy conceived of and began developing the field of parental leave coaching and consulting in 2006. In 2014 she founded the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, the first full service consultancy in the US to focus exclusively on parental leave strategy, research, and training. Drawing on over 25 years in executive leadership development and coaching, Amy consults with organizations of all sizes to drive talent development, attraction, and retention while improving the employee experience.

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential. 

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential.