Relationship Management

Karlyn Borysenko, PhD is the force behind Zen Workplace. An organizational psychologist and executive/performance coach, she is a leader in integrating mindfulness strategies at work to increase productivity and creativity, reduce stress, and create better work experiences. Her practice is based in the greater Boston area and serves clients all over the world. She holds an MBA and a PhD in Psychology, is an experienced trainer and facilitator, coach, and award-winning speaker. She is the author of Zen Your Work: Create your ideal work experience through mindful self-mastery.

Michael Lyons is a professional member of the National Speakers Association, and an author, actor, and former business executive for 40+ years in the hospitality industry.

Mike delivers talks in the U.S. and abroad on numerous topics, with a focus on leadership development and personal branding. His book “Set Yourself Free: Daydream it… Believe it… Achieve it!” was released in 2017 to widespread acclaim. 

A professional actor since 1990, Mike has dozens of credits in major films, TV shows, and commercials including speaking parts in “The Sixth Sense”, “All My Children”, “Veep”, “What Would You Do”, “Outsiders” and “House of Cards”, among others.

As Owner of Evolve Global, she works primarily with Senior Leaders, High Potentials and Teams on: Leadership Development & Team Building. Heather is a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association and serves
on the Board of Directors as President-Elect for the Florida Speakers Association.

Using her expertise in behavioral analysis and executive alignment, Heather helps leaders grow their influence by developing others. As a professional speaker, she has mastered a practical and entertaining delivery methodology –
all of her program material is designed to inspire and motivate change. She gives each audience practical and actionable steps to apply each concept that she shares.

Heather’s guiding principle is to increase employee engagement and bottom line results through leadership development. She works with her clients to build their self-leadership; anticipate and embrace change; and to understand and adapt their behavioral style to improve communications and influence others to increase results.

Heather is also a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). The CSP designation is the highest earned specification that can be achieved by a member of the National Speakers Association or Global Speakers Federation Member
Associations.

Gerry Valentine inspires people to build resilience—to overcome setbacks, to look at challenges in new ways, and to understand that adversity can become a source of resilience. Gerry’s a public speaker, executive coach, and business advisor with more than 25 years of Fortune 100 leadership experience. As the founder of Vision Executive Coaching, he is a trusted advisor to corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and entire companies.

Gerry is a TEDx speaker, is a contributor to Forbes.com, and has taught executive leadership at Colorado State University. Gerry earned a BS from Cornell University and an MBA from New York University.

Marlin D. Smith is a dynamic HR professional that is passionate about helping employees and companies find common ground for success. As founder of Mandrake HR Consulting, LLC, he has a solid background in leadership, safety, and employee culture from over 15 years in Human Resources leadership. He believes that the key to a successful employer/employee relationship is commitment: on the part of the employer to provide the best environment for employee to thrive, and on the part of the employee to bring the whole of their skills to the table to fulfill their given roles. When both parties bring their best, it’s amazing what can happen!

Shyrl Scalice is Assistant Director in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Center on Employment at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.  In addition to supporting students, she provides consultation and training to numerous employer organizations nationwide on recruitment, communication and inclusion strategies related to working with deaf and hard-of-hearing employees.  She regularly participates in conferences of national organizations including the NACE, SHRM, Disability:IN and ILG.

She previously worked as a Career Consultant and Trainer with Lee Hecht Harrison, a career transition and outplacement firm where her clients were from the Financial, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing industries.  She managed Diversity Training programs and also worked as a Corporate Recruiter at Eastman Kodak.  Her areas of expertise include Career Management and Transition, Networking and Job Search Best Practices, Inclusion practices for the deaf and hard of hearing.  Shyrl holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Nazareth College and Biology degree from SUNY at Geneseo.

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.”

Ricardo is an international keynote speaker, consultant, author, filmmaker, and explorer. He immigrated to the United States from Mexico City after graduating from photography school with the singular focus of building a career that would allow him to explore the world. Later he earned a Film degree at the University of Texas at Austin, then he went on to create documentary work in Mexico and China, and make the famous pilgrimage Camino de Santiago in Spain. His most recent project, Pedal South, entailed leading a team on a two-year expedition cycling from Alaska to Argentina.

Natalie Egan (she / hers) is an openly transgender, award-winning B2B software entrepreneur and a recognized thought leader living her life at the intersection of technology and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Natalie has over 20 years of experience driving digital change, developing high performing teams, building complex products, and selling enterprise solutions. Today, she is the CEO & Founder of Translator, Inc., where she and her team are on a mission to scale empathy and equality through technology. Prior to founding Translator in 2016––and prior to her transition––Natalie was CEO & Founder of PeopleLinx, a venture capital backed sales technology solution that was acquired in 2015. In addition to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Natalie has also worked in sales leadership positions at large public companies like LinkedIn, Autonomy, and Ecolab. Outside of work, Natalie is a parent, a marathon runner, an artist, and a consummate activist for transgender rights and representation. Based in Philadelphia, PA––Natalie received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, her MBA from The Villanova School of Business, and is currently writing her first book about her gender transition as a CEO in corporate America and the business lessons learned along the way.

Steve joined Workhuman in December of 2017 as chief human resources officer (CHRO) and works with HR leaders and senior management executives worldwide to help build workplaces where every employee feels recognized, respected, and appreciated for who they are and what they do. He champions and promotes our Workhuman movement to inspire HR leaders to embrace more humanity and foster a sense of purpose in the workplace. Steve is focused on building upon Workhuman’s award-winning culture, which has set a new industry standard through its own power usage of recognition and positivity. Before joining Workhuman, Steve served in senior HR executive roles for Walgreens Boots Alliance and Monster.com. A frequent presenter on Capitol Hill, in 2015, he was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities.