Early Career

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential. 

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential. 

Teresa Lawrence, PhD, PMP, CSM, is recognized internationally as the SME on the integration of Creative Problem Solving into Project Management. Since 2017, 85K+ people have participated in one of her in-person or virtual trainings, workshops, keynotes or facilitated sessions. Services include cognitive diversity training, executive leadership searches, coaching, team development, transformational goal setting, and developing a project management mindset. Teresa serves as Senior Advisor to the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of the Virgin Islands. International Deliverables, LLC is a NYS Women Business Enterprise (WBE).

Fadjanie Cadet (she/her), is an organizational development certified professional and DEI leader, that blends empathy with boldness to inspire inclusive cultures. With a background spanning technology and professional services, she champions high-performing teams and equitable systems. Fadjanie’s approach fosters sustainable change, shifting inclusion efforts from passion to influence. Passionate about amplifying first-gen voices, she drives conversations on intersectionality and talent retention. As the first Global Diversity and Inclusion Director at Forrester, she spearheads D&I strategy, partnering with executives to embed priorities. Fadjanie's unique edge as a speaker lies in her practical insights, drawn from real-world corporate DEI leadership.

Kris Krupka is an Advanced Certified Paralegal who has been employed with Baird Holm LLP in Omaha, Nebraska for over 24 years.  She works in the firm’s Labor & Employment section, primarily focusing on employment defense work involving employment litigation, tort and personal injury, and workers’ compensation.  She has a special niche regarding Emergency Crisis Response cases, assisting clients in protecting their workplaces and employees from disgruntled workers, customers, and patients. 

Bernadette Jones is a trailblazing HR leader with over 20 years of experience crafting "Culture-First" solutions across diverse organizations. As Human Resource Committee Chair at Richmond Art Center and Professional Development Chair for SHRM Northern California, she champions intentional inclusion and culture-first practices. Bernadette's innovative "Respect in the Workplace Starts With Me®" workshop series addresses crucial compliance and cultural issues. With SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications, she brings deep HR expertise to her roles. Bernadette's leadership in Visionova's participation in SHRM's National HR Registered Apprenticeship Program demonstrates her commitment to nurturing HR talent and enhancing workplace environments. Her work connects over 27,000 HR professionals across 16 SHRM chapters in Northern California.

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

Known as the Boss Whisperer®, psychotherapist, corporate executive, executive coach, researcher, professor, speaker, and author, Dr. Laura Crawshaw specializes in researching and coaching abrasive leaders. She has served an international clientele of employers, including over 40 Fortune 500 companies, United Nations organizations, and NASA. She published her first book, Taming the Abrasive Manager: How to End Unnecessary Roughness in the Workplace, in 2007. Dr. Crawshaw founded The Boss Whispering Institute in 2009, whose mission is to stop suffering in the workplace caused by abrasive leaders through research and training.  Her new book is Grow Your Spine & Manage Abrasive Leadership Behavior: A Guide for Those Who Manage Bosses Who Bully.

Sharell Thomas-Hodge is a dynamic speaker, coach, and consultant.  As CEO of the Sharell Group, her mission is to help individuals connect purpose and passion leading to a career of meaning and profits.  She is a wife, bonus mom of four and woman of faith.  She enjoys reading, singing, traveling, and most importantly spending time with family.  Additionally, Sharell is the Total Rewards Director for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.  She joined the company in 2020 and is responsible for formulating and executing a strategic approach to compensation, benefits, and incentives that attract and retain top talent.  Prior to joining the Y, Sharell was the Director of Total Rewards at Dekra North America. During her tenure at Dekra she played a significant role in the acquisition of 7 companies and was a key architect in the creation of a total rewards program designed for the newly established safety company. Sharell is a graduate of Devry University and holds an MBA. She is a SHRM Certified Senior Professional.  She has been a featured speaker with Wellspring Living, BLR, HR Jetpack, Quit Commuting Conference and PayScale, just to name a few.  She currently serves on the board of Friends of Refugees and the Atlanta Mission, where she provides human resources expertise.  She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia but is a proud native of Nassau, Bahamas.

Darrell “Coach D” Andrews, CSP (Certified Professional Speaker) is known by corporations and organizations worldwide as “America’s Passion Coach.” He is one of less than 600 Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide which means that by selecting Coach D to speak at your event you are choosing someone who has met the speaking industry's international measure of professional platform skills. His passionate speeches, professional development workshops and coaching sessions are designed to help individuals become introspective when considering changes needed to improve workplace performance. He customizes all of his events to assure that your needs, whether it’s a company or conference keynote speech, staff development, or an individual coaching session, are met.