SHRM PDCs

Nicholas Epley conducts research on the experimental study of social cognition, perspective taking and intuitive human judgment. "Most people are intuitive psychologists in their daily lives - wondering why people think or behave as they do. I just happened to find a profession that enables me to answer these questions for a living," explains Epley.

In his new book, Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want (February, 2014), Epley introduces what scientists have learned about our abilities to understand the most complicated puzzle on the planet—other people—and the surprising mistakes we so routinely make.

His research has appeared in more than two dozen journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Psychological Review and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. His research also has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Wired and National Public Radio, among many others, has been funded by the National Science Foundation and has earned the 2008 Theoretical Innovation Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and the 2010 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association.

Epley received a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy in 1996 from Saint Olaf College. In 2001, he graduated from Cornell University with a PhD in psychology, where he earned a Graduate Teaching Award from the Department of Psychology as well as a Cornell University Teaching Fellowship. Epley became an Assistant Professor at Harvard University and then joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 2004. He hopes that his students gain an appreciation for the power of scientific methodologies to provide accurate knowledge about the determinants of human thought and behavior. Outside of Chicago Booth, Epley's interests include hiking, fishing and woodworking.

Luke Williams is a globally recognized authority on innovation leadership. He works with organizations on challenges ranging from creating new products and services, to transforming organizational processes and behaviors. He is Professor of Innovation and executive director of the Berkley Entrepreneurship Center at New York University's Stern School of Business and a fellow at Frog, one of the world's most influential innovation companies. Williams is a sought-after commentator on disruptive innovation, entrepreneurship and cultural change. He is invited to speak worldwide, and his views are regularly featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, GQ, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and MSNBC. He is the inventor of over fifty United States patents and the best-selling author of Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business.

Jay has more than 30 years of experience as a tax attorney specializing in employee benefits.  Prior to joining World, Jay was a Sr. VP and Senior ERISA Attorney with Lockton was previously the national practice leader for the legal and research team at WT.W

Jay served as a Peace Corps volunteer and business consultant from 1979 to 1982. 

He has an LL.M.  in taxation from New York University School of Law, J.D. with distinction from the University of Arizona College of Law and a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis.  Jay is the former Chair of the American Benefits Council, an adjunct professor of employee benefits in the LL.M. program at Washington University School of Law.

Jason Barger is committed to engaging the minds and hearts of people. He is the globally celebrated author of Thermostat Cultures, Step Back from the Baggage Claim and ReMember as well as a coveted dynamic keynote speaker around the world. As founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, he partners with organizations to strengthen leadership development, culture-shaping, and clarity of mission, vision and values. He has added value to global brands like Nationwide Insurance, Wendy’s, Ultimate Software, Deloitte, TEDx and across industries from corporate america to government to education to healthcare. Learn more at JasonVBarger.com @jasonvbarger

Avish Parashar is the world's only “Motivational Improviser.” He works with groups that want their people to be more flexible and with organizations who want to increase innovation. Avish uses his 20+ years of experience performing, teaching, and studying improv comedy to show organizations and individuals how to improvise, adapt and innovate in an ever-changing world. He specializes in helping professionals access and develop their creativity and apply those skills to think quickly and deal with change.

Avish grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY, and now makes his home in Philadelphia, PA. Though he performed all through high-school, he decided to stop performing when he went to college to “focus on his studies.” That resolve lasted only a few months, as the first time he saw an improv comedy show he fell in love. One week later he auditioned for the campus improv group, got in, and the rest is history. After graduating, he started Polywumpus Improv Comedy, which did regular performances in and around Philadelphia for 7 years. Avish closed up Polywumpus to focus on the speaking and training side of the business – using improv comedy as a tool to teach valuable business skills such as creativity, innovation and adaptability. Avish is the author of “Improvise to Success!” and the Amazon best-selling, “Say 'Yes, And!'”

With his quick wit and master story-telling ability, Dave Davlin captures an audience like no one else. Quickly building rapport, he is able to touch not only the intellect of the audience, but their hearts and souls as well. He shares principles concerning true success in life and business and challenges the audience to reach high and dig deep to discover their own form of greatness. From public school students to CEOs, Dave’s message has made a difference in the lives of thousands, and his impact continues to grow each year as he shares his philosophy and wisdom through speaking and writing.

Amy Freeman is Assistant Dean of Engineering Diversity at Pennsylvania State Universitity. She oversees all aspects of the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP) and Women in Engineering Program (WEP) including planning, developing programs and funding, recruiting new minority and women engineering students, and working actively with current undergraduate and graduate students.

Patricia A. Wise is a labor and employment lawyer at Niehaus Wise & Kalas Ltd and is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in that area of practice.  Patty has received Martindale-Hubbell's AV-Preeminent rating for her  legal ability and high ethical standards.  She represents clients of all sizes in a variety of businesses, industries, and professions and focuses her practice on the areas of:

Employment and Labor Law
Business Litigation and Banking
Civil Rights

Patty is a former senior vice president and in-house counsel for a billion dollar bank holding company and continues to serve many financial institution clients.  She is a frequent speaker for state banking associations and serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In addition to her legal practice, Patty has been a Visiting Professor or Adjunct Professor at The University of Toledo College of Law since 1999, teaching employment law as well as civil and political rights.  Patty trains and speaks extensively on employment law issues. She recently completed the third edition of her book, Understanding and Preventing Workplace Retaliation, published by the Thompson Publishing Group, Inc. and her article "Harassment in the Workplace:  Sexual, Racial and Religious Complaints," was published in the Thompson Publishing Group, Inc. in 2012.

Laura Stack is America's Premier Expert in Productivity™. In 1992, Laura founded her company, The Productivity Pro, Inc., which specializes in business performance, strategy execution, and employee productivity. As a highly-regarded speaker and author, Laura shares her vision and methodologies around the globe on creating Maximum Results in Minimum Time®. A sought-after thought leader, Laura writes on high-performance cultures, human potential, and peak performance in her columns in The Business Journal, Success, Training, Productive, and Time Management Magazines. Widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of human performance and workplace issues, Laura has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Forbes magazine. Laura is bestselling author of six books by major publishers including Random House, Wiley, and Berrett-Koehler, most recently Execution IS the Strategy.

Follow Laura on Twitter @laurastack.

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.