Early Career

Mary Cheddie, SHRM-SCP is Divisional Director, Membership Community. 

Cheddie has more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in all aspects of human resources and training. She has extensive experience with strategic planning, M&As, and in starting and turning around businesses.

Prior to joining SHRM, she served as senior vice president of human resources for Interval Leisure Group, Inc. and its affiliated companies. The company was publicly traded on NASDAQ and the leading provider of vacation services with a global consumer membership base of nearly 2 million member families, more than 2,500 member resorts in over 75 countries worldwide, and has oversight for about 14,000 employees. 

Cheddie also served as senior vice president, people with PRC, as well as vice president, human resources, strategic planning, office services, and facilities for The Orvis Company, Inc. in Manchester, VT.

She earned her MBA from Upper Iowa University, a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional.

Cheddie received the HR Award of Excellence, Hospitality in 2016 from South Florida Business & Wealth. Business Leader Magazine named Cheddie one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire and in 2012 the National Diversity Council awarded her the Glass Ceiling Award.

She serves on the Board of Trustees for Upper Iowa University, Chairs the Human Capital Committee and is a member of the Governance and Advancement Committees, Chaired the Keiser Career College’s Advisory Board, was a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) from 2003-2008 and chaired SHRM’s governance and compensation committees. Cheddie has more than 35 years of SHRM volunteer leadership experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels.  She also served on the Waldorf College Alumni Board from 2004 through 2008 and was the President of the Dallas HR Association in 2000 (one of the largest affiliated SHRM chapters). She resides in South FL.

Giselle is a key member of the SHRM Certification Exam Development team, where she plays a pivotal role in working closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop and administer to HR professionals worldwide.

Giselle's 20 years of military service in the United States Marine Corps have deeply ingrained in her a profound dedication to service. This experience has not only shaped her values but also fueled her unwavering commitment to advocating for others, both within and beyond the workplace.

She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Excelsior College and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Georgetown University and is SHRM-CP certified.

Kenny Latimer is the Director of Product Marketing at BambooHR where he leads go-to-market strategies, product messaging, and audience insights. Before BambooHR, Kenny held senior brand management and marketing positions at Melaleuca and NuSkin where he introduced home care and wellness products into domestic and international markets. He later joined a market research company, SSI, where he launched their first self-serve research and data tools. Now at BambooHR, Kenny and his team have launched countless HR-related tools to the market, including payroll, ben admin, time tracking, and employee experience surveys. He has spent the last 6 years deepening his understanding of HR and the people-related challenges faced by business leaders in a modern workforce. He is passionate about helping HR showcase its value to an organization and building great places to work.

Senior leader in education technology with a proven track record of supporting enterprise clients. My team develops and implements learning solutions that support organizations’ strategic goals.

As a former systems administrator and instructional designer, my technical knowledge and people skills drive a systems approach when I conduct needs assessments and design solutions. My focus is building sustainable options for my clients that are adaptive to evolving needs and challenges.

In my current role with Open LMS, I work with three learning management systems building solutions for clients in higher ed, non-profit, government, and corporate sectors.

Dr. Dieter Veldsman is a renowned figure in the field of organizational psychology and HR, with a distinguished 15-year career in Strategic HR, Organizational Design, and Development. Throughout his professional journey, he has held key positions, including Group Chief Human Resource Officer, People Effectiveness Executive, and Principal Consultant, allowing him to make impactful contributions to organizations across regions like EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

Dr. Veldsman's expertise in the HR sector has earned him prestigious recognition, including the 'Chief HR Officer of the Year' by the CHRO SA Society in 2021 and the 'Practitioner of the Year Award' by the Society for Industrial Psychology South Africa in 2018.

As a sought-after speaker at global conferences, he delves into crucial topics such as HR, The Future of Work, and Organizational Development. Additionally, he hosts "The HR Dialogues," a compelling videocast where he engages with leading HR professionals worldwide, sharing valuable insights and experiences. Over the last 12 years, he has spoken at over 100 conferences and published over 80 articles on HR and the future of work. 

Currently serving as the Chief HR Scientist at the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR), Dr. Veldsman is dedicated to spearheading thought leadership, subject matter expertise, and research initiatives to empower and educate 100,000 HR professionals by 2025.
 

Laura Maffucci is G-P’s Head of HR, and she leads the company’s global workforce, talent, and employee experience. She operates from a people-first mindset and strongly believes that diversity of thought is paramount for a healthy workspace. 

Laura previously held leadership positions in the Global Total Rewards team at G-P, from Sr. Director to VP. Before this, she led Total Rewards & HRIS at Progress, a tech company focused on products to develop, deploy and manage high-impact applications. Prior to Progress, she held roles of increasing responsibility with Ocean Spray Cranberries, where she was awarded HR Award for Innovation and Creativity (2016). Her tenure at Ocean Spray Cranberries was preceded by roles with an emphasis on compensation and HR practices.

In her 20+ year career in HR, Maffucci has spoken on global and national platforms about compensation, employee well-being and mental health. She’s a staunch advocate for the employee experience and creating a culture of inclusivity. Laura is passionate about the future of work, normalizing the value of work everywhere, and enabling employees across the globe to be their best selves and add value wherever they go and whatever they do.
Maffucci resides in Boston, MA with her family.
 

Mary Cheddie, SHRM-SCP is Divisional Director, Membership Community. 

Cheddie has more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in all aspects of human resources and training. She has extensive experience with strategic planning, M&As, and in starting and turning around businesses.

Prior to joining SHRM, she served as senior vice president of human resources for Interval Leisure Group, Inc. and its affiliated companies. The company was publicly traded on NASDAQ and the leading provider of vacation services with a global consumer membership base of nearly 2 million member families, more than 2,500 member resorts in over 75 countries worldwide, and has oversight for about 14,000 employees. 

Cheddie also served as senior vice president, people with PRC, as well as vice president, human resources, strategic planning, office services, and facilities for The Orvis Company, Inc. in Manchester, VT.

She earned her MBA from Upper Iowa University, a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional.

Cheddie received the HR Award of Excellence, Hospitality in 2016 from South Florida Business & Wealth. Business Leader Magazine named Cheddie one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire and in 2012 the National Diversity Council awarded her the Glass Ceiling Award.

She serves on the Board of Trustees for Upper Iowa University, Chairs the Human Capital Committee and is a member of the Governance and Advancement Committees, Chaired the Keiser Career College’s Advisory Board, was a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) from 2003-2008 and chaired SHRM’s governance and compensation committees. Cheddie has more than 35 years of SHRM volunteer leadership experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels.  She also served on the Waldorf College Alumni Board from 2004 through 2008 and was the President of the Dallas HR Association in 2000 (one of the largest affiliated SHRM chapters). She resides in South FL.

Achal Khanna has a diverse experience and a highly successful track record of building and operating successful and profitable businesses for leading multinational and India companies and managing their businesses across the globe.

She is the CEO for SHRM India and the Business Head over Asia Pacific and MENA. She joined SHRM 6 years ago as COO for SHRM-India, was promoted to CEO-SHRM India and now manages the global business development role also.

Khanna is responsible for leading the India operations of SHRM, as well as Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa. In her current role she is responsible for building SHRM brand, expanding its business and developing professional relationships with government agencies, and other HR and business associations in the region.

She has over 30 years of work experience. Prior to joining SHRM, she was Managing Director for Kelly India operations and successfully put them on a high-growth path in India. Before that she was Vice President for GE, managing business development and operations for two important GE businesses,  NBC & Consumer Industrial, across India, China, Hungary and Mexico. In her earlier role as Country Manager for Polaroid India, she managed the entire India operations including their software development center. She has worked with Dupont, ITC and Cosmo Group handling key global business development and operation roles.

She is a recipient of the "Best Women Executive in India" award.

Khanna holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics, a Master's Degree in English Literature and a Master's in Business Management.

Giselle is a key member of the SHRM Certification Exam Development team, where she plays a pivotal role in working closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop and administer to HR professionals worldwide.

Giselle's 20 years of military service in the United States Marine Corps have deeply ingrained in her a profound dedication to service. This experience has not only shaped her values but also fueled her unwavering commitment to advocating for others, both within and beyond the workplace.

She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Excelsior College and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Georgetown University and is SHRM-CP certified.

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.

Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.com

Kate Southall is the co-founder of Maxi Club DC, a dynamic fitness collective bringing high-energy, dance-inspired group workouts to the DMV.

A lifelong dancer and two-time marathon finisher, Kate blends endurance, rhythm, and community into every class. She previously served as the head coach of the George Washington University Dance Team and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University.

Ryan Leak is a best-selling author, researcher, and transformational speaker who gets an opportunity to impact 100,000 people every single month through his inspiring keynotes. He trains over 50,000 leaders each year, from Fortune 100 companies to professional sports teams. He’s widely known for his viral documentary, The Surprise Wedding, where he and his wife got engaged and married on the same day. Their story also led to an opportunity for Ryan to meet Kobe Bryant and try out for the Phoenix Suns, highlighted in another documentary called Chasing Failure. Ryan leverages hilarious stories to inspire audiences to see their challenges as opportunities to level up in their life and careers.