Monique Akanbi, SHRM-CP, is an HR professional with over 15 years of broad-based experience in the public school and private sector in various roles and disciplines. A Miami, Florida native, Monique earned her degree in Public Administration with a specialization in HR from Barry University. Monique is also a Master Examiner and Mentor with the Florida Sterling Council Board of Examiners, visiting organizations throughout the state across all industries to assess their leadership system and organizational performance through the National Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence model. In her volunteer role, Monique has been an active SHRM Chapter leader serving in various roles including Chapter President and District Director with HR Florida. In addition, she serves on various local non-profit boards. As a high energy, creative thinker, team builder, and problem-solver, Monique has a passion for service and assisting others in their purpose, potential, and professional development through meaningful connections.

Art Gloria, SHRM-CP is Director, Membership Community Initiatives for SHRM. In his role, he is responsible for member acquisition and retention, leadership development for volunteer leaders, chapters, and state councils, and creating the value-added proposition for SHRM.

Art Gloria is an award-winning, experienced professional in human resources, finance, and general business management with a demonstrated history of working in the government, health care, and diverse private business industries. Gloria has a very rich background in volunteer leadership, having been in various board roles with local SHRM chapters and state council, including most recently serving as the chapter president of El Paso SHRM. In addition, he serves on various non-profit boards in his home state Texas.

Art holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Regents University London. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science.

Heather Merrick, SHRM-SCP, is the Members and Community Director for SHRM's North Central Region. 

Shannon is a seasoned human resource professional with over 12 years of experience in program development, relationship building, and employee relations. She has helped numerous companies, including ADP, Apple, Amazon Web Services, and BlackBerry, attract and retain top talent. Shannon has a keen eye for understanding the inner workings of people and businesses and a professional interest in emotional intelligence in the workplace. In her free time, she enjoys riding her Vespa scooter or hiking along the shoreline in San Francisco.

Dianna Sporcic, SHRM-SCP is Members and Community Director for the Southeast Region, which includes the states of AL, FL, GA, Mississippi, Bahama, BDA, PR, DC, KY, NC, SC, TN, VA, WVA. She works remotely from her home in St. Petersburg, FL.

Dianna spent almost 30 years with Hyatt starting in operations and then moving into HR. Most recently she was Director of HR for Hyatt Vacation Ownership (HVO) who is known for the most luxurious vacation ownership resorts in the world. She was instrumental in the M&A when Interval Leisure Group (ILG) purchased HVO. She remained on as a highly valued and strategic member of the ILG HR team while still supporting HVO. After Marriott purchased ILG, Dianna joined ONICON Measurement Solutions. Dianna has diverse HR experience in hospitality, manufacturing and labor relations. Dianna is a member of our Tampa chapter and holds SHRM-SCP certification.

Bill Kramer has been with the company since 2011. Recognized for his wide breadth of state legislative and policy knowledge, Bill oversees the firm's research services, advises clients on strategic government affairs initiatives, develops and manages coalitions and associations, and pens the weekly Morning MultiState newsletter, among other problem-solving endeavors.

At the onset of the 2020 pandemic, Bill was integral in quickly organizing internal resources to create MultiState's COVID-19 State and Local Policy Tracker, a resource library and data dashboard providing clients and the public with timely, accurate information on the state and local government responses to COVID-19. Subsequently, Bill has launched similar policy tracking projects focused on reproductive health care and artificial intelligence policy.

He is an experienced lawyer and association executive who served as deputy executive director of the Council of State Chambers (COSC) — the association of state chambers of commerce — and built the COSC Policy Center from the ground up. Bill is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) where he was a member of the Government Relations Section Council and chaired the State Relations Subcommittee from 2016 to 2019. Bill became a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 2018 and is a member of both the State Bar of California and the DC Bar.

Bill has addressed and presented to dozens of trade and professional organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Public Affairs Council (PAC), State Government Affairs Council (SGAC), and The Council of State Government (CSG). Major publications have quoted Bill as a policy and industry expert, including The Wall Street Journal,  The New York Times, Politico, Pluribus News, and Governing Magazine.

His previous experience includes the U.S. Senate, California State Assembly, and Legislative Counsel's Office of California. Bill earned his bachelor's degree in history from Ohio University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the McGeorge Law Review. Bill considers himself a policy generalist but has a passion for technology and infrastructure issues. He also enjoys developing future leaders, and as such, initiated and coordinates MultiState's internship program.

As NRF’s chief workforce policy lobbyist, Ed directs advocacy efforts on labor, employment, health care, retirement, and immigration policy on behalf of the retail industry.

Ed came to NRF after supervising the National Labor Relations Board’s Office of Congressional & Public Affairs. In this role, Ed oversaw the Board’s interactions with Congress, other federal agencies, the media, and stakeholder groups.

Prior to his work at the NLRB, Ed directed federal policy for the Xerox Corporation, advocating for the company’s interests on employee benefits, corporate governance, and employment issues.

From 2005 to 2011, Ed was Republican Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, a key subcommittee of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Reporting to Chairman Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Ed led Republican efforts on issues related to the National Labor Relations Act, ERISA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Occupational Safety & Health Act. He covered similar issues in the 108th Congress for then-HELP Committee Chairman Judd Gregg.

Prior to working on Capitol Hill, Ed spent four years in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits Division.

A Maryland native, Ed holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He and his wife Joy reside in Nokesville, Virginia with their two sons, Wynn and Jack.

Alex Nock brings 25 years of experience in Federal education, disability, labor and health policy to Penn Hill Group. During his time in Washington, DC, Nock has been a part of every major piece of Federal education and disability policy legislation.

At Penn Hill Group, Nock manages an array of clients across the full spectrum of policy areas. He helps clients identify and secure their policy goals with Congress, the Administration, and congressional and presidential campaigns. He also helps clients better communicate their policy goals and objectives to policymakers and the public.

Prior to his position with Penn Hill Group, Nock served as the Democratic deputy staff director for the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor. From 2007–10, Nock oversaw all aspects of the committee’s work on elementary and secondary education, higher education, disability policy, early childhood education, health care, retirement security, workplace safety, mine safety, workforce training and national service.

Nock has led numerous reauthorizations while working on Capitol Hill, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Workforce Investment Act, the Higher Education Act, the Head Start Act, and Federal child nutrition laws. Nock also played key roles in advancing and securing passage of the two major higher education budget reconciliation bills in 2008 and 2010, as well as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Nock previously served as the director of the Commission on No Child Left Behind, a bipartisan, independent effort to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. During his time with the commission, Nock recruited Commission Co-Chairs Secretary Tommy Thompson and Governor Roy Barnes, as well as the 13 commission members. Nock managed the completion of the commission’s report, which laid out a comprehensive set of recommendations for improving the No Child Left Behind Act. At the time of issuance, the commission’s report was regarded as the pre-eminent set of reauthorization recommendations.

Prior to the commission, Nock developed education and social policy on Capitol Hill. He held several positions, including education coordinator for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he spearheaded all Democratic policy and politics on higher education, elementary and secondary education, workforce and job training, disability policy, and other social service issues. Nock also worked for Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-CA), the Human Resources Subcommittee, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD).

Nock holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland.

Monique Akanbi, SHRM-CP, is an HR professional with over 15 years of broad-based experience in the public school and private sector in various roles and disciplines. A Miami, Florida native, Monique earned her degree in Public Administration with a specialization in HR from Barry University. Monique is also a Master Examiner and Mentor with the Florida Sterling Council Board of Examiners, visiting organizations throughout the state across all industries to assess their leadership system and organizational performance through the National Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence model. In her volunteer role, Monique has been an active SHRM Chapter leader serving in various roles including Chapter President and District Director with HR Florida. In addition, she serves on various local non-profit boards. As a high energy, creative thinker, team builder, and problem-solver, Monique has a passion for service and assisting others in their purpose, potential, and professional development through meaningful connections.

Faith is Manager, Academic, Affiliate and Student Communities for SHRM.  Prior to this role, Faith served as a Field Services Director (FSD) based in Pittsburgh, PA. In this role she is responsible for membership growth through renewals and member acquisition working closely with the chapter and state council volunteer leaders in IN, KY, MI, ND, SD and TN. Faith also leads strategic planning and succession planning workshops for state councils and chapters along with speaking to SHRM members and non-members on a wide range of HR topics that are impacting employees and employers who are creating Better Workplaces for Better Worlds.

Art Gloria, SHRM-CP is Director, Membership Community Initiatives for SHRM. In his role, he is responsible for member acquisition and retention, leadership development for volunteer leaders, chapters, and state councils, and creating the value-added proposition for SHRM.

Art Gloria is an award-winning, experienced professional in human resources, finance, and general business management with a demonstrated history of working in the government, health care, and diverse private business industries. Gloria has a very rich background in volunteer leadership, having been in various board roles with local SHRM chapters and state council, including most recently serving as the chapter president of El Paso SHRM. In addition, he serves on various non-profit boards in his home state Texas.

Art holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Regents University London. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science.

Heather Merrick, SHRM-SCP, is the Members and Community Director for SHRM's North Central Region.