Relationship Management

As a passionate human resource professional, Kim has spent more than 30 years as a trailblazer to advance the profession and mentor human resource professionals along their growth and development journey.

After several years of working for organizations as their first HR leader, Kim transitioned into a consulting role.  She partnered with hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries, for profit and not for profit, to mentor their human resource professionals and to assist in strengthening the human resource function of the organization.   

In 2017, Kim founded her company, THriv, to mentor, coach, teach, and train human resource professionals and other leaders for success. She partners with organizations to provide a variety of business consulting, training & development, compliance management, and other human resource related services.

Kim has had the opportunity to speak on leadership and human resource related topics at a variety of events locally and nationally including the 2019 National SHRM Conference in Las Vegas.   

Kim has spent more than 20 years teaching the SHRM HR Essentials, the SHRM Learning System, and other human resource related courses to mentor and encourage human resource professionals to grow in their professional development and pass the certification exam! Kim teaches through a variety of universities and has recently joined the SHRM Instructional Team.

Kim holds the SHRM-SCP certification through the Society of Human Resource Management, the SPHR certification through HR Certification Institute, the Compensation Management Specialist designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits, and has completed the John C. Maxwell Certification Program to teach, coach, train, and speak.

Kim is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and a Past President of the Human Resource Professionals of Central PA.  She is a graduate of York College of PA with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Education, and holds an MBA/Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix.

Howard A. Wallack has been the Deputy Chief Human Resources & Administrative Officer since 2016 in the Global Human Resources (GHR) department at Jhpiego in Baltimore, MD, an international, non-profit health organization, affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Jhpiego is dedicated to improving the health of women, children, and families in lower-resourced countries, with approximately 4,200 employees worldwide in 38 countries. At Jhpiego, Howard spearheads the organization’s leadership development program and leads a team of 5 regional HR business partners who support country HR operations, himself currently backstopping Ghana, Guatemala, and Mozambique. During his 40-year career with experience in nearly 90 countries, Howard has had senior-level positions in HR, training and development, global business development, and program management in for-profit and non-profit businesses and the US Peace Corps. In April 2023 Howard was recognized with an OnCon Icon peer-voted award among the “Top 50 HR Professionals” for having made a considerable impact on their organization and/or previous organizations; made strong contributions to their community through thought leadership; innovated in their role/career; and exhibited exceptional leadership. He has advanced degrees in international affairs and international human resources and globalization and holds multiple professional certifications, including the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and the GPHR® & SPHRi™ qualification from the HR Certification Institute. As a volunteer he has served on the Board of Directors of Cultural Vistas since 2011.

Shawn Kent Hayashi is the founder and CEO of The Professional Development Group and a global expert in developing inspiring leaders and high performing teams. Growth, innovation, and elevated performance and profits are the results of Shawn’s work as an executive coach and consultant.  Shawn facilitates growth in leadership ability, emotional intelligence, communication skills, collaboration, and building trust and stronger relationships.  Her clients include entrepreneurial companies, Fortune 500, and associations around the globe. The author of six business communications books, Shawn has also been a feature expert in The New York Times, Forbes, and FastCompany.

Kris Dunn is a Partner and CHRO at Kinetix, a national RPO firm for growth companies headquartered in Atlanta. He's also the founder of two industry-leading blogs – Fistful of Talent and The HR Capitalist – and has written over 70 feature columns at Workforce Management magazine. Prior to his investment at Kinetix, Kris served in HR leadership roles at DAXKO, Charter and Cingular. 

Specialties: Belief that the HR function rocks mixed with Business chops. Crossover Dribble. Encyclopedia-like knowledge of the Grunge Era.

Kris is the author of The 9 Faces of HR: A Disruptor’s Guide to Mastering Innovation and Driving Real Change.

Dick Finnegan is THE global turnover expert, having cut turnover by 30% and more for healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, distribution centers, call centers, and other industries…and on all six inhabited continents.

Dick has authored the top-selling SHRM-published book, The Power of Stay Interviews, along with four other books. BusinessWeek magazine has said “Finnegan offers fresh thinking for solving the turnover problem in any economy”. He has been similarly cited by Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, and Consulting Magazine.

He holds bachelors and graduate degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and lives in Orlando, Florida.

Michele Hester is Senior Manager of Client Services at Berkshire Associates. In her position, Michele is responsible for overseeing, developing, and implementing training and consulting services related to affirmative action and human resources management.

With more than 20 years in the human resource industry, Michele is an expert in HR practices and procedures. This experience allows her to develop and present training sessions to educate clients on the latest affirmative action, applicant management, compensation, and workforce analysis topics and trends. She has a true passion for educating fellow HR professionals, which is why she has been an active speaker throughout the country at conferences and meetings including the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Talent Management and Annual Conferences.

Michele has a Masters of Business Administration in Human Resource Management and Management Skills from New York State University at Buffalo. Michele holds both SPHR and SHRM_SCP Certification and is a member of the national Society for Human Resource Management. 

Michael Elkon is a partner in the Atlanta office of Fisher Phillips. He helps companies with all manner of employment issues, both by providing advice and also by handling litigation from start to finish. Michael has a number of sub-specialties, including: (1) non-compete and trade secret issues; (2) advice regarding employment agreements; and (3) handling retaliation lawsuits, including under specific whistleblower laws. Michael has been included in Georgia Super Lawyers - Rising Stars or Georgia Super Lawyers every year since 2010. He also worked with the Georgia Legislature regarding the Georgia non-compete statute (HB 173) in the 2009 Legislative Session.

Danielle Compton is a Human Resources Consultant with Fallon Benefits Group advising on HR strategy and leadership practices. She serves a diverse client base with her compassionate spirit and unwavering belief in a better workplace. Danielle’s specialties include talent development and leadership coaching.  Her favorite days are spent learning in a classroom or brainstorming with engaged leaders over coffee.

Danielle earned her M.Ed. in Organizational Development and B.A. in Communication from the University of Georgia. She holds the SPHR and SHRM-CP designations and several personality inventory certifications.