Early Career

Nathan blends data with industry trend analysis to share Indeed’s story and bring the value of the company’s programs and solutions to life. In his role, he focuses on crafting holistic, strategic solutions for clients to aid in solving their hiring challenges. With nearly ten years of experience within the HR and Staffing industry, Nathan still looks to challenge himself and learn from others every chance he gets. Prior to entering the private sector, Nathan worked for the Fire Department in Southern California for ten years. Nathan’s experience in public service is evident in his passion to deliver Indeed’s mission to “Help People Get Jobs.”

Heidi Laki is a product leader with a decade of experience with AI and its application across industries. She's passionate and committed to guiding and creating human-centered AI technologies and applications. At Indeed, Heidi focuses on using AI to improve recruiter efficacy with personalized messages, matching algorithms, and enhanced candidate evaluation.

Janice Litvin is an award-winning workplace wellness speaker and author of Banish Burnout Toolkit. She is on a mission to help leaders and teams banish burnout in their organizations so they can retain top talent. She does this through keynotes, workshops and coaching groups.

What makes Janice unique is her 10 years in corporate IT, 20 years in tech recruiting, and a lifetime of working on her own work-life balance.

Janice is past president of National Speakers Association of Northern California, and is a member of SHRM, for whom she is a Recertification Provider.

For fun she leads Zumba Fitness classes.

Brian Peckrill is executive director of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, leading all operations of the Fund. He previously served as the fellows program director, where he was responsible for the design and implementation of this forward-thinking, ethics-focused experience for top MBA students, as well as fostering an active and engaged alumni community of young business leaders as they embark on and manage their careers.

Prior to joining the McGowan Fund, Brian served as vice president of WorldChicago, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization focused on engaging the world in person-to-person exchange-based, capacity building projects. There he gained extensive experience developing leadership programming programs across the globe, from Chicago to Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Japan.

He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Wheaton College, as well as an MPA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Sharon Newport is an organizational consultant, facilitator, speaker, and executive coach with clients in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors across the globe. Sharon also serves as adjunct faculty at Georgetown University's Institute of Transformational Leadership. Sharon spent over a decade as an association and nonprofit executive, successfully leading wide-scale strategic, operational, and cultural change, and her early career, she was a documentary television/film producer and actor. Sharon has earned the Certified Association Executive designation from American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), a certification in the Key Polarity Indicator™, a credential in the Foundations of Somatic Abolitionism, a certificate in the Neuroscience of Change, an Executive Certificate from Georgetown University in Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership, and her B.F.A. from the State University of New York, Purchase College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Sharon was awarded a Leader of Distinction by digitalNow and is a proud ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program alumnus.

Azizi Marshall, a leading mental health and workplace wellness expert, guides global businesses in cultivating their healthiest, most successful selves. As the Founder & CEO of the Center for Creative Arts Therapy in Chicago, she's a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Board Certified Trainer in Creative Arts Therapy, international speaker, and published author. Featured in Oprah Magazine, CNN, NBC News, Thrive Global, Bustle, Reader’s Digest, and The Huffington Post, Azizi's expertise extends to podcasts and international news articles, focusing on workplace wellness and creativity. Through interactive wellness trainings and programs, she actively engages corporations worldwide, shaping healthier work environments for all.

Raiyana Bryant serves as a Human Resources Specialist at SHRM. She is dedicated to providing exceptional onboarding and orientation experiences for new employees. Transitioning from a fast-food marketing background to the corporate sector, she brought a fresh perspective and a commitment to ensuring smooth transitions for all hires. In her brief tenure in HR, she completely revamped the onboarding process, boosting its efficiency and appeal, leading to increased satisfaction and retention rates. Her dedication extends to ensuring that every new hire's transition is welcoming and seamless, regardless of background, earning her recognition as an invaluable asset in her organization. Her passion for people extends further as she expands her role in the talent acquisition space, internship programming, and overall employee engagement, fostering a positive work environment for a better workplace for all.

Jay Jones brings ten years of broad HR experience, including employee relations, performance management, training, and career development. As a senior HR Specialist at SHRM, he serves as a trusted advisor to people managers and employees throughout the employee lifecycle. He is a critical part of the Talent Management Employee Experience and broader HR team, supporting talent recruitment and retention and employee engagement solutions that enable an agile, engaged, and inclusive workplace.