SHRM PDCs

Shari Dunn, a managing director and national practice leader of the HR and Compensation Consulting Practice (HRCC) within Gallagher, specializes in the design and development of strategic base pay plans, performance-based incentive programs and general human resources consulting. Working with private sector for-profit and nonprofit clients and known for her innovative, highly effective approach to job evaluation, salary administration and performance measurement, Dunn supports her clients’ ability to pay competitively, equitably, cost-effectively, motivationally, and legally. She is a frequent presenter at professional conferences, and serves as a guest lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Dunn was in compensation management in banking, consumer goods, and manufacturing companies, as well as two global consulting firms, McKinsey and Deloitte, prior to starting her own consulting firm in California. She was the founder and principal of CompAnalysis for many years prior to its acquisition by Gallagher.

Ei Ei Samai is the founder of the Samai Group, which grows agility, resilience, and belonging in social impact groups through a dynamic combination of consulting, coaching, facilitating, and training. Her skill-building as a mindful facilitator began when she learned Vipassana insight meditation as a 4 year old. She was introduced to diversity, inclusion, and equity work as a working class immigrant teen at a Silicon Valley High School in the 90s and continued investing in her capacity as a culture designer throughout her education and career. 

In addition to holding a Master of Science in Organizational Management and Transformative Leadership, she is certified in advanced facilitation, experiential training, community mediation, conflict transformation, restorative justice, ecological model of leadership, regenerative human systems design, and in Neuroscience of Conversations® by the late Judith Glaser. In 2019, she was chosen as a Courage Catalyst in the first cohort of Brené Brown's Dare to Lead™ Facilitator Training.
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With over 20 years of experience in social impact, Ei Ei brings grounded expertise in shaping bold conversations in areas such as educational equity, social and environmental justice, trust architecture, collective impact, strategy planning, program and service design, family and community engagement, collaborative partnerships, knowledge management, and organizational culture. 
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Ei Ei co-founded Seedles, LLC, which inspires kids (and their grown ups) to positively impact the planet they are inheriting. Seedles has made possible the growing of millions of wildflowers for pollinators across the US through collective action. In 2017, she was recognized by Congresswoman Jackie Speier for her contributions to California’s 14th District.

She has lived, studied, or traveled in 6 continents and identifies as a global citizen. As a mom of two, her primary professional mission is to make the world a safer, kinder, fairer place for all children through her contributions.

Heather Johnston is the Founder of Renowned Recruitment Group (RRG) located in San Francisco. Heather comes with over 20 years of repeated success in designing and delivering world-class human capital strategies and programs that drive organizational change and operational excellence for startups to Fortune 500 organizations.

She is a spokesperson for numerous media outlets around the world and a sought-after speaker for topics that include employment trends, employee engagement, and marketplace forecasting.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, M.B.A., is Chief People Officer for King’s Hawaiian, a global producer of irresistible Hawaiian food. Amy was brought on to King’s Hawaiian to re-envision the employee experience and transform the People function from traditional HR to a strategic driver of business growth. During her time at the company she has worked to radically redefine the purpose, structure and activities of HR with significant results. Prior to her role as CPO, Amy ran a successful human capital consulting firm, The Interchange Group, helping executives and HR professionals retool and adapt their strategies to rapidly changing workforce expectations and business landscapes.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, M.B.A., is Chief People Officer for King’s Hawaiian, a global producer of irresistible Hawaiian food. Amy was brought on to King’s Hawaiian to re-envision the employee experience and transform the People function from traditional HR to a strategic driver of business growth. During her time at the company she has worked to radically redefine the purpose, structure and activities of HR with significant results. Prior to her role as CPO, Amy ran a successful human capital consulting firm, The Interchange Group, helping executives and HR professionals retool and adapt their strategies to rapidly changing workforce expectations and business landscapes.

Alden Parker is the managing partner of the firm's Sacramento office and the co-chair of the Hospitality Industry Group. Alden represents employers in all facets of employment law matters. He has considerable experience defending employers in litigation involving claims under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), California’s wage and hour laws, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), California Family Rights Act (CFRA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Alden has also defended employers against whistleblowing and retaliation claims, including claims under the California Whistleblower Act and various provisions of the California Labor Code.
 
Alden has extensive experience defending employers in federal and state court, as well as in investigations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), United States Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 

In addition to defending his clients in litigation, Alden frequently counsels employers to assist them in avoiding litigation. He regularly advises clients on leave management issues and the interactive process for employees with disabilities, reinstatement obligations under various leave laws and wage and hour compliance. Alden has prepared employee handbooks and a variety of agreements, including independent contractor, employment, confidentiality and trade secrets agreements.
  
His clients are involved in a variety of industries, including restaurants, retail, construction, and healthcare. Alden is also a frequent speaker for many human resources organizations, including those affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management.
 
Alden has been recognized in Northern California Super Lawyers since 2013 and Northern California Top Lawyers since 2014.

Rachel Shaw is the President and Principal Consultant of Shaw HR Consulting, Incorporated. With 20 years of executive-level Human Resources experience, Rachel is recognized nationwide as a leader in helping public and private sector employers manage their most challenging personnel issues. Rachel and her team provide comprehensive solutions to employers on how to successfully manage the interconnected roles of human resources, workers’ compensation and disability compliance to successfully reduce litigation, the costs of claims and improve employee-employer relations throughout the process.

Rachel is known nationally as the authority on how to implement and manage the FEHA/ADA Disability Interactive Process for candidates and employees. Her trainings and seminars are highly anticipated by Human Resource and Risk Management professionals as informative, dynamic and packed with real-life practical solutions. She is author of the industry best-selling and award-winning book, “The Disabled Workforce: What the ADA Never Anticipated.”

Rachel served as the Director of Human Resources for the City of Oxnard and prior to that was the Human Resources Director for the Montebello Unified School District. She is a graduate of Brown University and later earned a Master of Business Administration from Colorado State University.

Lara is an experienced trial lawyer and client advocate. Her extensive career has involved representing companies of all sizes, across many industries, in all aspects of employment law. Lara has successfully defended clients in the courtroom, before administrative agencies, and on appeal.

In addition to litigation, Lara has spent her two-plus decades of experience partnering with clients to counsel them through complex issues involving discrimination, retaliation, accommodation, and wage and hour compliance. Lara has also developed a passion for guiding clients through high-stakes matters involving pay equity, harassment, leave of absence and accommodations. Lara has had the distinct experience of working as in-house counsel for two large, multi-national corporations, which gives her a unique perspective on how to address the intricate issues facing organizations and their employees.

Lara is an accomplished speaker and presenter, having presented on cutting edge employment law topics at local and national events, as well as many online forums. Lara is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Jeanine uses her courtroom experience to help employers prevent lawsuits through well-crafted policies, staff training and informal dispute resolution. Jeanine counsels businesses on employment and issues. Her practice focuses on representing employers in all areas of employment law, including wage and hour claims, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and other employment-related claims. She represents employers in administrative proceedings, class actions, civil litigation, mediation and arbitrations.

Jeanine is committed to providing her employer clients with ready access and quick response. She assists with all aspects of the employment lifecycle, from hiring to compensation to management to separation, including creating and implementing workplace policies and procedures (including technology privacy) and counseling on employee performance management, including corrective actions and terminations.

Jeanine is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators and is regularly retained to conduct workplace investigations for claims regarding harassment, discrimination, retaliation, toxic work environment and workplace conditions. She has conducted investigations at nonprofit agencies, foundations, private employers and public entities.

Jeanine regularly provides training for managers and staff on harassment prevention, fostering respectful workplaces, and managing within the law, among other topics.

Diane has been leading and scaling organizations for the last 20 years with an approach of creating purpose-built strategies that enable and align people to the business, driving business results. In her role as CHRO of BetterWorks Diane sits at the intersection of HR strategy and technology. Leveraging her unique experience, Diane is responsible for scaling the company through innovative people practices while simultaneously working closely with the product team to influence and evolve the companies product offerings. 

Prior to her role at BetterWorks, Diane was head of HR at 8x8 during a period of hyper growth that included multiple expansions and acquisitions. She spent 13 years in various HR leadership positions at Cisco, including three years on a team dedicated to continuous performance management. She honed her recruiting and consulting skills early in her career as a headhunter in Silicon Valley. 

Diane holds a B.A. in Business from Northern State University and a MBA from Golden Gate University.