SHRM PDCs

Ayesha Blackwell-Hawkins, Esq., Sr. Director, Talent Mobility for Johnson & Johnson.   Ayesha is the Global Head for Talent Mobility at Johnson & Johnson where she is responsible for all aspects of talent mobility including operations, strategy and compliance.  She served as member of the Board of Directors for Council for Global Immigration for 10 years (2007-2017) helping to influence immigration laws globally and was named one of Deloitte’s Women to Watch in the Tech, Media and Telecom fields in 2017.  Prior to her current role, Ayesha spent nearly 9 years growing the immigration and global mobility functions for Amazon.com, with her most recent role as head of Mobile Talent & Immigration Strategy for the e-commerce giant.  She also served as Counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb where she headed the Immigration Department.  She began her career in immigration as an Associate for Epstein, Becker and Green PC in New York. She holds a J.D. Degree from Rutgers School of Law, Camden, NJ, a B.A. from Rutgers College/Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and is licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Simon Marti is the Head of the Office of Science, Technology and Higher Education at the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America. In this capacity, he and his team are focusing on strengthening the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science, technology and education; they cover the respective policies, and showcase the Swiss higher education, research and innovation landscapes.

Until summer 2016, Mr. Marti worked with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in Switzerland, as a Project Manager in Education Management and Research. Previously, he conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University in New York (Fellowship by the Swiss National Science Foundation) and worked for the European Parliament and for the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, among others. He is a political scientist and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Basel and a Master’s degree from the University of Bern. Before entering academia, he has started out on a vocational and professional education and training pathway.

House Committees:

During the 2019 legislative session, Ruth is a member of: Joint Finance Committee; Appropriations Committee; Education Committee, Health & Human Development Committee, Manufactured Housing Committee, Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee, Transportation/Land Use and Infrastructure Committee, and Veterans Affairs Committee.

More about Rep. Briggs King:

Ruth is the 37th District Representative and has served the area since a Special Election in 2009.  She is a gifted and engaging presenter, as well as a consultant for not-for-profit organizations and strategic human resources. She has an extensive resume in a variety of fields including medical, education, banking and finance with an emphasis on leadership, organizational development, and strategic planning. Ruth is known for her honesty, straight forwardness, problem-solving abilities, and her focus on issues to get results. She has accepted major assignments in the Legislature, tackling Workers’ Compensative Reform, Prevailing Wage Reform, Financial Literacy, the Structural Revenue Review Task Force, the Mental Health Task Force and educational funding task force. Ruth initiated legislative action on opiate and heroin issues in Delaware by bringing attention to substance-exposed infants. Ruth also serves on the newly formed Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, as well as continuing to serve on not-for-profit boards including the University of Delaware’s Sea Grant board, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition advisory board, and the Cancer Consortium. 

In 2017, Ruth was invited to attend three significant leader events outside of Delaware: Civility Training in Hyannis Port, MA, Legislative Leadership at the Fels Institute with the Council of State Governments, and the National Foundation for Women Legislators, where she serves as the State Director for Delaware.

As a strong advocate on many issues, she also maintains a busy local schedule in order to be accessible and accountable to her constituents. Ruth is married to Stanley King and they have two adult sons and six grandchildren. The latest arrival, Sawyer Renee, was born on January 12, 2018.

As the Executive Director of the Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation, Genevieve drives creation and growth of national efforts to expand employment opportunities for people with criminal backgrounds. On a given day you’ll find her sharing expertise with a group of hiring professionals, meeting with government agencies to advocate for hiring people with criminal backgrounds or collaborating with Second Chance Employers around the country to recruit more businesses into the fold. In addition to producing multiple Second Chance Summits around the country, she’s participated in the Center for American Progress and Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives task forces, presented at the Inc 5000, SXSW Interactive Festiva, Sustainable Brands,  International Corrections & Prisons Association, partnered with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to launch the Getting Talent Back to Work Toolkit, and joined hundreds of other companies across America on the Fair Chance Business Pledge and at the White House in 2016 and 2019.

Heidi Mason represents public and private organizations in employment and labor law matters at Innova Legal Advisors PC.  Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Mason worked as a human resources professional for mid-sized and large corporations. She has hands-on experience in recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, employee and labor relations, occupational safety, leaves of absence, payroll, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements. Ms. Mason earned her bachelor's degrees in human resource management and general management from Portland State University and her J.D., cum laude, from Lewis and Clark College, Northwestern School of Law. She serves as a Workforce Readiness Co-Director for the Portland Human Resource Management Association and oversees the organization’s Second Chance activities and outreach efforts.

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Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Jessica Herrera-Flanigan is Executive Vice President of Government and Corporate Affairs for Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America. In this role, she spearheads the Company’s government relations efforts, corporate social responsibility, social impact and empowerment initiatives including Univision Contigo as well as cross-platform diversity and community efforts. Herrera-Flanigan oversees the Univision Washington, D.C. office, which focuses on developing strategies to address the key public policy issues that impact the Company and the U.S. Hispanic community. She leads a first-class team that works to enhance Univision’s presence among policymakers and influencers, as well as extend the Company’s communications with key stakeholders, such as business and trade associations, consumer groups, think tanks and partners.

Before joining Univision, Herrera-Flanigan served as a partner at Monument Policy Group, where she led the firm’s technology, media and crisis communications practices, as well as advised on such issues as national security, privacy, immigration, and sports. Previously, Herrera-Flanigan served as the Staff Director and General Counsel for the House Committee on Homeland Security, where she was the first Latina to lead a major Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has held various other government service positions, including serving as senior counsel in the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney working on fraud and public corruption cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. She started her career as a communications and energy lawyer in private practice.

Herrera-Flanigan has deep ties to the Hispanic community, having served as president of the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. and regional vice president for the Hispanic National Bar Association. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and currently serves on the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board and the U.S. Center for Safe Sport Board of Directors. A sought-after speaker and recognized with multiple industry accolades, Herrera-Flanigan was named to Cablefax Magazine’s 2018 Top Women in Cable and Media, honored as Multichannel News’ Wonder Woman, named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States three times by Hispanic Business Magazine, received the President’s Award from the Hispanic Lobbyists Association in 2015, and has been featured in The Hill’s Top Lobbyists list multiple times.

Herrera-Flanigan received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Yale University.

Kevin Harper is a Senior Retail Executive who recently retired from Walmart after more than 37 years of successful experience in Human Resources, Store Operations, Technology Implementation and International Acquisition Integration.  Before retiring, Kevin spent more than 13 years in Human Resources where the last position he held was that of Senior Vice President People Strategy and Operations.  Delivering quality customer focused results through agile, innovative and people led initiatives around the globe is what inspires Kevin.  In retirement, Kevin is enjoying spending his time with family and traveling with his wife Marsha.

Dr. Larry J. Sabato is a New York Times best-selling author, has won three Emmys, and is recognized as one of the nation’s most respected political analysts.

He appears multiple times a week on national and international TV, including FOX, CNN, MSNBC, and CNN International.

A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Sabato is the founder and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, and has had visiting appointments at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England.

Dr. Sabato is the author or editor of two dozen books on American politics. He has taught over 20,000 students in his 40-year career, and the University of Virginia has given him its highest honor, The Thomas Jefferson Award.

Richard A. Fowler is the nationally syndicated radio host of the The Richard Fowler Show, a Fox News Channel contributor and millennial messaging expert.

Positioned at the intersection of news, politics and the cultural issues facing everyday Americans, Richard’s fresh style and non-traditional spin on populism have taken audiences by storm. He pushes all ages and demographics to ask more of themselves. As a gay man, Fowler understands this fight more than most, having fought for equality his entire adulthood.

From his campaign work uncovering the deplorable school conditions in the Detroit Public School system to his effort training and equipping hundreds of millennials to run for office and take charge of their community, Richard brings a sense of realness to everything he does.

When asked what drives him Richard says, "Talk is cheap. Our country needs real solutions, and they will come from our greatest resource –our people."

Dr. Wade Larson is a workforce consultant and human resources executive with 30-years of experience in strategy, leadership enablement, and talent management. His    expertise in HR and leadership helps organizations improve structures, culture, management, and leadership to achieve their goals. As an international speaker, published author, and professor, he strives to help others achieve the best versions of themselves. Wade has worked with hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders to shift mindsets, innovate programs, and lead change that helps them do more, achieve more, and live their best lives.

Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer who also closely tracks the most important developments at the U.S. Supreme Court impacting the business community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing management in a wide variety of employment and labor matters in perhaps the most challenging state in the nation for employers – California.  Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics.  He is a member of SHRM and has been an annual presenter at both the SHRM Annual Conference and the Employment Law and Compliance Conference for two decades.  Mr. Beachboard is frequently quoted in such leading publications as HR Magazine, National Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, HR Executive and Workforce, and has been published in dozens of legal and business journals. Throughout his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Beachboard has represented dozens of studios and entertainment properties.  He cites his most interesting project as working with the cast and crew of the television show The Office, from its pilot through the final season.