SHRM PDCs

Terri Hartwell Easter is a seasoned executive and management consultant, HR expert, and executive coach with nearly 30 years’ experience and a trademark for delivering innovative, informed thinking to some of the toughest HR management challenges in highly regulated, competitive industries, such as utilities, energy and power.

Terri is a well regarded organizational change strategist for leading professional services firms, commercial banks and the White House alike. Understanding that at the heart of every organization is its people, Terri’s signature employee engagement approach moves beyond elusive measures with limited impact to actionable best practices that grow the bottom line.

Before establishing her consulting practice, Terri was the Chief Operating Officer of a major Washington, DC law firm. During her tenure, the firm’s financial results doubled placing it among the top 200 in the national AmLaw rankings by profitability. The firm is regarded as one of the best financially managed firms among those annually surveyed by Citibank and Wachovia Bank.

Terri is a regular on the national speaking circuit. Recent topics include: Making Diversity Work: Building a New Culture of Inclusion to Attract and Retain Top Talent, Managing a Multi-Disciplinary Team, Measuring the Effectiveness of Human Resources Initiatives, New Strategies for Law Firm Revenues, Business Planning for Legal Professionals, Making the Transition from Law School to Law Practice, and Managing Real Estate Today. Notably, Terri was recently selected to present at the 2014 National SHRM Diversity & Inclusion Conference on the topic of diversity as a way to achieve employee engagement. In addition, Terri is the keynote speaker at Delaware Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) statewide diversity conference in July 2014. She will be speaking to DE SHRM members about “Diversity & Inclusion: Moving Beyond the Numbers.” Previously she has spoken to local SHRM chapters, including DelMarVa SHRM. She has been quoted as an HR expert in publications including The Legal Times, Human Resources Executive Online, and ABA Management Magazine.

Terri is a graduate of Southeastern University, with graduate coursework in business administration from Howard University and Harvard University and specialized training in business process re-engineering and service quality management from the Disney Institute and Stanford University. She is a former trustee of Southeastern University, former chair of the Human Resources Section of the Association of Legal Administrations (Capital Chapter), and past member of Commercial Real Estate Women.

Jack Gottlieb is a results-driven senior executive with 20 years of experience in transforming and revitalizing organizations. As the CEO of Total Solutions Group, a strategic consulting and results-based training firm, he has a proven track record of aligning culture, strategy, and capability to achieve critical short-term and long-term goals. TSG has generated $3.25 billion in ROI for clients in growth, profitability, innovation, and efficiency, including leading fifteen M&As and ten turnarounds from inception to implementation. 

With extensive experience in the C-Suite and as an HR leader Jack has a deep expertise of how to drive organizational health and performance through an embedded employee experience. Jack has had global roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, & Chief Culture Officer in banking and currently is the Vice President of Global Capability & Transformation in a market leading test lab in the gaming industry. 
Jack has been one of the top rated speakers and thought leaders for SHRM both at annual and state council conferences. Jack also hosts the successful "L&D Transformation Podcast: How To Lead The Future Of Our Organizations Through Talent Development” which is in its third season with over 100 episodes.

Tim Mulligan serves Vulcan Inc, in Seattle, managing a staff of over 25 employees who fulfill employment needs for the organization, develop benefits packages for its very diverse group of employees and handle organizational and strategic challenges that occur in a very unique workplace.  Mulligan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Washington State University in 1990 before receiving his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1994.  He has extensive experience in human resources legal issues having practiced labor and employment law from 1995 – 1998.  Prior to joining Vulcan, Mulligan served as Chief Human Resources Officer for San Diego Zoo Global from 2004 – 2017, and previously spent several years in various Human Resources leadership positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.  Mulligan just recently joined Vulcan Inc. in early 2017.

Heather Parnell is a Total Rewards professional whose HR career started almost by accident in a benefits call center in the late 1990s.  She's had a variety of Benefits, Compensation and Rewards management roles since then, where she's been able to focus on the design and delivery of effective, value-added programs and the promotion of genuine understanding when it comes to what employees get in exchange for their time, talent and effort at work. 

 Originally from Wallkill, NY, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from George Mason University as well as an MBA from Marymount University.  She enjoys being outside whenever possible, reading a good book, or doing simple crafts that do not involve sand or glitter.  She's also a lifetime Girl Scout, Army wife, Mom of 3, proud owner of 2 shelter dogs, 2nd grade Catechist, and first-time SHRM speaker.  

Rick Ridgeway is Patagonia’s Vice President of Public Engagement and represents and promotes the company’s core values with external stakeholders.  In this role, he is one of Patagonia’s key spokespersons in all its global markets. During his 12-year tenure at the company he has worked with teams to develop and launch environmental and sustainability initiatives within the company, including Freedom to Roam, the Footprint Chronicles, the Responsible Economy Campaign and Worn Wear.  He also was founding chairman of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, today the largest apparel, footwear and home textile trade organization in the world.

In addition, Rick is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers.  With three companions, he was the first American to summit K2, considered the hardest of the world’s high-altitude mountain to climb, and he has done other significant climbs and explorations on all continents including the first direct coast-to-coast traverse of Borneo and a traverse of the Tibet’s Chang Tang plateau on a route never explored. His magazine articles have appeared in National Geographic and Harvard Business Review, and he is the author of six books, including Seven Summits, The Shadow of Kilimanjaro and Below Another Sky.  National Geographic honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award.   He serves on the boards of Conservacion Patagonica and the Turtle Conservancy, and is on the Advisory Boards of World Wildlife Fund, Unilever USA, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 

Elise Freedman is a Director specializing in Talent Management in the Washington, D.C. market of Willis Towers Watson as well as the Mid-Atlantic Line of Business Leader for RTC. For over twenty five years, Elise has worked with clients to align their talent management processes with their business strategy to drive engagement and business results. Prior to Willis Towers Watson, Elise also held a number of senior roles at Accenture, BearingPoint, and Novations where she developed a broad base of talent management, change management, human resources and project management skills and expertise. 

Elise is certified and/or has utilized a number of assessments including Saville, Facet5, various 360 Degree Assessment tools, DISC, MBTI and Hogan. She frequently speaks and writes on a number of human resources topics including performance management, succession planning, career development, leadership development, learning and development, talent acquisition and onboarding.  She has presented at conferences for Society of Human Resources, American Society of Training and Development, IHRIM, Linkage, World at Work, and Bersin. 

Elise holds a Master of Business Administration degree from George Mason University with a concentration in Management and Marketing.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Tulane University. 

Scott Christopher (M.S.HRM, UCONN) is author of the best-selling People People, The Levity Effect and a fixture on SHRM Top-Rated Speakers Lists.

As a work culture and leadership consultant, Scott has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Fox Business Channel, CNBC, National Public Radio, BBC and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Post, Newsweek, Economist magazine, Ladies Home Journal and many other publications. 

In his rare spare time Scott is a professional film and television actor (Modern Family, Criminal Minds, Granite Flats)

Brandon Smith is a highly sought-after leadership and business communication expert who combines humor, research and practical steps to help audiences overcome some of the biggest challenges facing workplaces today. Known as “The Workplace Therapist,” Brandon has been interviewed by NPR, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the Today Show for his expertise.  A TedX speaker, Brandon combats workplace dysfunction regularly on his podcast “The Brandon Smith Show” where Brandon assists listeners with navigating their career and work-life challenges and on his blog where he writes on topics ranging from managing workplace relationships to leadership.  When he is not out fighting workplace dysfunction, Brandon teaches in the graduate MBA programs at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School on topics related to leadership, communication and healthy workplace dynamics where he has won numerous teaching awards.

Read more about Brandon on his website at http://theworkplacetherapist.com/

Janet Hendrick is a partner in the Dallas office of Fisher Phillips and an experienced employment litigator who tackles her clients’ problems with a tailored, results-oriented approach. Whether training managers on employment law compliance to minimize legal risk or representing the employer in court or arbitration, she brings years of experience and in-depth legal knowledge to deliver results.  Janet regularly appears in state and federal court to defend employers of all sizes against discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and related claims. Janet is a sought-after speaker and author on topics including gender diversity, LGBT employee protections, and workplace accommodations and leave management.