Relationship Management

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

Blake Mycoskie is the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, and the person behind the idea of One for One®, a business model that helps a person in need with every product purchased.

A simple idea has grown into a global movement: TOMS Shoes has provided over 60 million pairs of shoes to children since 2006, TOMS Eyewear has restored sight to over 400,000 since 2011 and TOMS Roasting Company has helped provide over 335,000 weeks of safe water since launching in 2014. In 2015, TOMS Bag Collection was founded with the mission to help provide training for skilled birth attendants and distribute birth kits containing items that help a woman safely deliver her baby. As of 2016, TOMS has supported safe birth services for over 25,000 mothers.

TOMS humble beginnings happened unintentionally. While traveling in Argentina in 2006, Blake witnessed the hardships faced by children growing up without shoes. His solution to the problem was simple, yet revolutionary: to create a for-profit business that was sustainable and not reliant on donations. Blake’s vision soon turned into the simple business idea that provided the powerful foundation for TOMS. Over the course of its first five years, TOMS was successful enough in providing shoes for children in need. But Blake, having recognized other vital needs during his travels around the world, realized that One for One® could be applied to more than shoes. He developed the idea for TOMS Eyewear in which for every pair of eyewear purchased, TOMS would help give sight to a person in need. One for One®. In the fall of 2011, Blake released his first book, Start Something That Matters, offering his own amazing story of inspiration, and the power of incorporating giving in business. He references other companies and individuals who have been motivated and inspired to integrate philanthropy into their profession as well as their personal lives. The book became a New York Times best-seller. More importantly, it is Blake’s hope that Start Something That Matters inspires others to turn their passion and dreams into a reality.

From shoes to eyewear and now a book, Blake’s unique approach to business has awarded him with numerous accolades. In 2009, Blake and TOMS received the Secretary of State’s 2009 Award of Corporate Excellence (ACE). At the Clinton Global Initiative University plenary session, former President Clinton introduced Blake to the audience as “one of the most interesting entrepreneurs (I’ve) ever met.” People Magazine featured Blake in its “Heroes Among Us” section, and TOMS Shoes was featured in the Bill Gates Time Magazine article “How to Fix Capitalism.” In 2011, Blake was named on Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing him as one of the top young businessmen in the world.

Jenn Lim is the CEO and CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) of Delivering Happiness (DH), a company she and Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos.com) co-founded to inspire science-based happiness, passion and purpose at work, home and in everyday life.

Jenn has been a consultant with Zappos from its start-up days in 2003 to the several billion-dollar business it is today. She created the Zappos Culture Book, an embodiment of how companies can use happiness as a business model to increase productivity and profitability.

In 2010, Jenn led the launch and management of Tony’s first book (Delivering Happiness) which sold over 800,000 copies internationally and hit #1 on numerous bestsellers list (including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today). It was voted one of the best business books by NPR, Inc. Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, remained on the New York Times list for 27 weeks and has been published in 20 languages around the world. 

Jenn’s experience with Zappos, combined with her development of scientific frameworks for workplace happiness, created the evidence that happier employees = happier customers = successful companies (and meaningful lives).

Jenn has traveled around the world to speak on this equation and most importantly, share the practical ways of HOW this equation works. 

Upon the discovery that every organization can have similar results, DH evolved into the culture coachsulting company it is today...to help businesses, hospitals and governments actualize their own sustainable culture for positive ROI.

Today, Jenn is dedicated to growing DH to inspire people, companies and communities to change their world, so together, we can change the world.

Additionally, Jenn sits on the Global Happiness Council of Work and Wellbeing and the advisory board for Springboard an initiative led by Geisinger Health Systems.
 

Leah Owens, Senior Director of Human Resource Operations for Gaylord Opryland Resort & Attractions. In her role, Leah is instrumental in recruitment, total compensation and wage planning, STAR relations and the execution of key objectives as outlined in the Resort’s HR Goals and total property business plan. Additionally, Leah also oversees analytical reporting for the HR team in order to identify key market trends for hiring and recruiting throughout middle Tennessee. 

With more than 11 years’ experience in Human Resources, Leah began her career as a Human Resource Assistant at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, and within a year, she was promoted to Human Resource Manager at the Doubletree Collinsville/St. Louis. In this role, Leah was responsible for overseeing all human resource functions for the property, including training, interviewing, implementing community events, managing benefits enrollment and more. From there, she moved to the Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Downtown where she was Director of Human Resources. In 2012, Leah returned to the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark as Director of Human Resources and spent two and a half years in this position. Following this role, Leah relocated to Savannah, Georgia, where she became the Director of Human Resources at the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront.

Since 2016, Leah has been a part of the Gaylord Opryland family, joining the HR team as a Human Resource Business Partner. In this role, she assisted our Rooms and Engineering Divisions with all aspects of human resources, including employee relations, training, recruiting and retention initiatives, as well as employee engagement in both strategy and execution. In September 2017, Leah was promoted to Director of HR Operations and has been thrilled to grow her career with Gaylord Opryland and Marriott International.

Leah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management with an emphasis in Human Resources from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, she is a 2018 graduate of the Marriott International ‘Emerging Leader Program’. When not in the office, she likes to travel, attend concerts and practice yoga. She also enjoys being creative, and in her spare time, she restores furniture, crafts and takes on a variety of home improvement projects.

Tim Kenyon is the director of recruiting at NASCAR, responsible for attracting and sourcing winning talent. Tim provides leadership and strategic direction for the recruiting team, overseeing and supporting all recruiting activities from job posting to offers. He also leads the organization’s diversity and inclusion strategies, and is responsible for building and evangelizing NASCAR’s employment brand.

Prior to joining NASCAR, Tim served as a recruiting manager at Wells Fargo for six years, where he led a team of recruiters supporting senior level roles with an emphasis on mobile and internet product management, risk and compliance and small business strategy and development.

Phil Houston is the Chief Executive Officer of QVerity Inc. QVerity is a provider of behavioral analysis and screening services for private- and public-sector clients worldwide. Phil is also a nationally recognized authority on deception detection, critical interviewing, and elicitation. His 25-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency was highlighted by his service as a senior member of the Office of Security. He is credited with developing a detection of deception methodology currently employed throughout the U.S. intelligence and federal law enforcement communities. Phil is co-author of The New York Times bestsellers Spy the Lie and Get the Truth. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

Caron is a Senior HR Expert with over 24 years of diverse experience in all HR management systems. She led a team of 22 professionals in the Telecommunications industry and led the Selection system update with international ICT consultants for its flagship Customer Relationship Management upgrade. Caron and her team provided strategic support to the corporation’s achievement of business critical objectives.

Ms. Greaves successfully created and deployed job enrichment (inclusive of company orientations for all levels of staff) and developmental programmes geared towards enhancing the talent pool of not only company assets but also the youth of Trinidad and Tobago. She has continued her family’s tradition of wealth creation by successful creating and executing her unique business seminar – Innovation is Serious Business, since 2016. Caron is so committed to HR capacity development that she founded the H2H Leadership Forum in 2017 to nurture leadership talent and advocate for diversity awareness as a champion of women’s and management’s right in Trinidad & Tobago.

Caron is a Senior lecturer at one of the premier educational institutions in Trinidad and facilitates Masters Students reading for the HRM and Employee Relations modules of the Edinburgh Business School (EBS) programme. Additionally, Ms. Greaves is the EBS’ virtual tutor for the global online revision course. She attained her Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education with the University of Greenwich - 2016. 

In 2014, Ms. Greaves realized one of her life’s dreams by opening her HR consulting organisation – Choice HR Limited; which brings a brand of purposeful HR services to Trinidad & Tobago and the region. In August, Ms. Greaves delivered life skills and professionalism to young professionals as a partner of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.

Caron is the MD - Options for Choices, a Laventille based wealth creation NGO dedicated to providing quality education and youth development opportunities within the Laventille community.

Colleen, founder of  A Slice of HR, assists growing small businesses in recruiting and retaining amazing talent. Her 15+ year HR portfolio, started in a small startup brewery called Samuel Adams which helped lead the disruption of an entire industry. Her practice is in Cincinnati Ohio with a special focus on Family/Closely Held Businesses, Construction, Union-Shops, Manufacturing, Ad Agencies and Non-for Profits. She enjoys football, Pokémon Go, and everything else that comes with being Mom of three boys. Her HR expertise has been featured in CareerBuilder, Spark Hire, FitSmallBusiness, Undercover Recruiter, Bento for Business and Disrupt HR.

Ben Eubanks is a bestselling author, speaker, and researcher living in Huntsville, AL. He spends his days as the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, developing groundbreaking research on workforce trends and examining the talent technologies and People practices that set great organizations apart from the rest. 

His latest book Talent Scarcity explores why companies are having difficulties finding quality talent and how they can solve it. His first book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, is the world’s most-cited resource for leveraging technology to create a more human experience at work. His new book The Payroll Promise (March 2025) examines how HR and payroll teams can create workplace trust and do more meaningful work at the same time. He also hosts HR Summer School, a virtual event focusing on improving human resources, one HR pro at a time. When he's not speaking or writing, he spends time with his five kids and runs in a variety of outlandish races for fun.