Jessica teaches leadership to executives and emerging leaders around the world. 

She was a recipient of the University of Michigan’s Positive Business Award in 2016 for her ground-breaking work applying the science of human flourishing to organizations. In addition to being a sought-after speaker and workshop leader, Jessica’s work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Chief Learning Officer, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Fulfillment Daily. Jessica received an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and master’s degrees from Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania.  She has worked at Deloitte, Booz & Co., IBM, Nike, Victoria’s Secret, VMware, and, most recently, Logitech. She lives in San Ramon, California with her husband and two boys.

Dana Connell has practiced exclusively in the field of employment law for over 30 years, representing companies in all types of employment matters. He has extensive experience in ADA and FMLA matters, litigating numerous cases, and counseling clients on how to comply with these laws while also calling games-playing employees to account. He has spoken and written extensively on these topics, and has testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights regarding the ADA. He is recognized as a Best Lawyer in America, a Leading Lawyer in Illinois and awarded the AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Bernard joined Uber as the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in January 2017. In this role, he drives the D&I programs through meaningful relationships, both internally and externally, as well as promotes Uber as a leader in ride sharing, and as a forerunner in D&I engagement. Prior to Uber, Bernard led Hillary for America’s D&I and HR initiatives, as the first ever Chief Diversity and Human Resources Officer in U.S. history for any presidential campaign and political party. Bernard’s written for Catalyst, SHRM and his insights have appeared in the Nasdaq Government Clearinghouse and the Huffington Post.  Bernard holds an M.B.A. from Trinity University, a B.A. in psychology from Hampton University, a Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management certification from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

John Austin came to SHRM in February of 2016 and served as the Operations Manager for the Knowledge Center for three years. Prior to joining SHRM, he served in various operational and managerial capacities. John is currently the Manager of Certification Relations, where he is responsible for managing operational planning and oversight of market/constituency growth initiatives for the Certification Department. John holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, University College and earned his bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University. 

Amber Clayton is the Senior Director of Knowledge Center Operations at SHRM.  Amber leads a team of HR experts who field an average of 60,000 HR-related inquiries from members a year.  She is frequently sought after as a speaker and expert for webinars, conferences, and media interviews.  Amber co-hosts a podcast called Honest HR.  She is SHRM-certified with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore.  She also holds specialty credentials in California law, inclusive workplace culture, and workplace investigations.  Prior to joining SHRM in 2011, she had years of HR experience in healthcare and retail.