Advanced (Elevating I&D)

Katrina “KT” Thornton is Taco Bell’s Sr. Executive - HR and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Since joining Taco Bell in October 2021, KT has been energetically leading Taco Bell’s efforts in advancing Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (EI&B). She leads with the belief that EI&B needs to be woven into the business strategy and rooted in action. She is leading Taco Bell’s equity evolution with over 15 years of experience. Before her time at Taco Bell, KT spent her career with Kellogg’s, Sears Holdings Corporation, and Target Corporation in multiple HR leadership assignments.

Joelle is a highly respected and accomplished executive, strategist, speaker, and facilitator who has earned national recognition. Prior to launching the LLI, she had a 15-year career crafting impactful strategies for communication, business development, and public affairs across private and public sectors. Joelle's areas of expertise include Neuroleadership, Latino identity, civic engagement, demographic shifts, and workplace diversity and inclusion. Notably, Joelle has made significant contributions to various community and business organizations, actively serving on the Hispanic Advisory Council for Coca-Cola, multiple non-profit boards, for-profit advisory committees, and executive committees.

Jennifer McCollum is CEO of Linkage, Inc., where she oversees the strategic direction and global operations of the Boston, MA-based leadership development company. With a mission to “Change the Face of Leadership,” Linkage has dedicated 30 years to improving leadership effectiveness and equity in hundreds of organizations globally. Linkage provides assessments, training, coaching, consulting and conferences, with Solutions designed to Accelerate Purposeful Leaders; Advance Women Leaders; and Create Inclusive Organizations. 

Jennifer is a highly sought-after consultant and speaker, with a deep expertise in Inclusive Leadership and Advancing Women Leaders. She has delivered workshops, keynotes, webinars and podcasts to thousands of leaders globally on live and virtual stages, including 100 Leaders Live (Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches conference), Chief Learning Officer Exchange, Chester Elton’s “Leading with Gratitude” LinkedIn Live, John Baldoni’s “Grace under Pressure” LinkedIn Live, Candy O’Terry’s “The Story Behind Her Success” podcast, and VoiceAmerica radio broadcast. She is a contributing author to Leadership in a Time of Crisis and has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Chief Talent Development Officer, CEO Refresher, and Real Leaders. She is a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches.

Background & Experience:

Jennifer has 20 years of experience building and leading businesses in the leadership space. Prior to Linkage, Jennifer spent a decade growing businesses within Korn Ferry and Corporate Executive Board (CEB), now Gartner. At CEB, she led product management within the leadership division, driving innovative solutions that helped organizations select, develop and place leaders at all levels. She also ran CEB’s Leadership Academies business, which developed more than 30,000 professionals in 2,100 companies throughout 50 countries and grew revenue at a 97% combined annual growth rate across five years. 

Previously, Jennifer served as CEO of IntraVision, a leadership consultancy she founded and grew over the course of eight years. She worked with public companies, start-ups, associations and nonprofits. Her passion is creating vision, executing strategy and managing cohesive teams toward aspirational goals, with a special focus on supporting women in leadership roles.

She is an avid tennis player and skier, and lives in Bethesda, MD, with her husband and three children.

Education & Training:

Jennifer has a master’s degree in communications from the University of Stirling in Stirling, Scotland, and an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in psychology and communications.

Lisa Sharapata is the Chief Marketing Officer at The Arbinger Institute, the innovator of leadership development and culture transformation. At Arbinger, Sharapata taps into her 20 years of marketing experience to create strategies that engage and inspire audiences across the buyer journey. 

Prior to Arbinger, Sharapata served as CMO at BoostUp.ai, was the VP of Global Marketing at MindTickle, and held senior positions at 6sense and Aprimo.  

Sharapata has been widely recognized for her contributions in marketing, including being named as one of CIOLook's 10 Most Influential CMOs to Follow in 2023. She was also awarded the 2021 B2B Vanguard and B2B Innovator, and was named a "Woman to Watch” by DMN. 

Sharapata is passionate about making a difference. She serves as a GTM Partners Ambassador, lends her expertise as an advisor for Hushly, and plays a pivotal role as Co-Founder and board member of the PEAK Community. Outside of work, she thrives in the great outdoors, and enjoys watching soccer and spending time with her family and dog. 

Eddie Turner is an in-demand leadership development expert who works with leaders to “Accelerate Performance and Drive Impact!”®  He is "Changing the Face of Leadership" and helping to create “Better Workplaces and a Better World”™ as a Principal Consultant and Executive Coach at Linkage, a SHRM company.

 Eddie is a professional speaker, facilitator, trainer, technologist, author, and executive coach.  He is recognized on global ranking lists and has shared his expertise in national print, radio, and television media, such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, PBS, NPR, and ABC.  He has also worked as a national media commentator.

Sara leads Cara Collective’s national expansion arm, Cara Plus, where she drives growth, strategic partnerships, and impact to help businesses and non-profits drive more inclusive employment pathways in Chicago and around the country. Prior to Cara Collective, Sara spent 12 years managing, measuring, and scaling programs across the social sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, and as a social impact strategy and measurement consultant for organizations like the Canadian Federal Government, City of Chicago, Google.org, TD Bank, and YouTube. Sara serves on the Executive Board of Fast Company and as a graduate mentor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She holds a BA from Boston University and an MPP from the University of Chicago.

Exceptional at using story-telling to teach concepts and inspire, Candice Gottlieb-Clark is a sought-after speaker at leadership conferences world­wide. A renowned Business Advisor, Coach and Conflict Management Specialist, Candice distills her more than 20 years of expertise into actionable strategies, that attendees can apply to raise the functionality of their teams, leaders and organizations. 
Candice is the author of the best-selling book, FIND, FIX, FILL your LEADERSHIP GAP, and she has been published in numerous business and professional journals, including Business Insider and Forbes, where she serves as a contributing writer. Candice's passion and expertise for helping businesses raise the level of their functionality, teamwork, productivity, and performance are boundless. 

As an Executive Coach within The Black In HR community, Willena is dedicated to driving positive change in the HR industry. Her passion for diversity and inclusion has positioned her as a key influencer, igniting crucial conversations and spearheading actions that promote equity within organizations.

With a track record of collaboration alongside influential leaders, including CEOs and senior executives from Fortune 500 companies, Willena's expertise is a testament to her ability to navigate complex corporate environments. Her dynamic approach to leadership growth, career advancement, and personal fulfillment has inspired countless individuals to unleash their potential and embrace growth.

In her pursuit of excellence, Willena is not only a coach but a catalyst for transformation. Her presence leaves an indelible mark, and her dedication to empowering individuals to become the best versions of themselves sets her apart as a true advocate for positive change and empowerment.

 

Stephen Paskoff is president and CEO of ELI®, which helps organizations activate and align their values with core organizational behaviors to build respectful, welcoming and inclusive cultures, maximize results and reduce legal and operational risks.

Paskoff has been named the highest-ranking speaker at SHRM’s national conference. The EEOC recognized ELI’s impact and quoted Paskoff in its Harassment Study. He is a nationally recognized speaker, commentator and author on workplace issues.

Before founding ELI® in 1986, Paskoff was an EEOC trial attorney and partner in a management law firm. He authored Teaching Big Shots to Behave and Civility Rules!

Angela L. Talton, MBA, is City of Hope’s system senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. In this role, Talton leads the development of City of Hope’s vision and strategy for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), improving health equity and community benefit, and ensuring measurable DEI progress across administrative, clinical and research functions. 

Under her leadership, City of Hope has improved its ranking on DiversityInc’s list of Top Hospitals and Health Systems from #8 to #2. City of Hope has also earned the Healthcare Equality Leader designation from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for four years.

Bethany Adams has more than 15 years of experience in HR and education.  She began her career working in learning & development and human resources in the restaurant and retail industries. She has experience in both small, privately-owned businesses and large, Fortune 500 organizations. Bethany holds a BA in Psychology, MA in Organizational Management, the SHRM-SCP certification, and is a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She currently teaches at Villanova University in the Graduate Programs in HR Development.  Bethany has spoken at a variety of conferences throughout the country and leads corporate training on topics including emotional intelligence, DEI, and strategic HR.  Bethany hosts an HR podcast called HR Tea.