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 a marketing professional with a passion for wellness. She is a lifelong dancer and a two time marathon finisher (soon to be three!). She previously coached the George Washington University Dance Team in Washington, DC, and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University. She leads fitness classes of all genres in the DMV area, and is excited to add to the energy of SHRM24 on the Wellness Stage.

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. 

Shari Harley, author of How to Say Anything to Anyone, is known globally as an engaging, funny, content-rich business speaker. Her international training firm, Candid Culture, is making it easier to tell the truth at work. Shari is bringing candor back to the workplace. A former HR practitioner and operations leader, Shari’s practical approach has led her to speak and train in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Dubai and Australia. From “Making Meetings Work” and “Delegating Better” to “Managing Your Career” and “Saying Anything to Anyone,” Shari’s tips are sure to delight and inform in a real, direct and very funny way. Watch videos and learn more about Shari at www.candidculture.com.

Peter Canellis is an award-winning meditation energy healer who specializes in sound baths and sound therapy. In 2019, Peter discovered the benefits of sound therapy after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, with an expected five-year lifespan. He has been living in remission since November 2020, thanks in part to the healing impact of sound therapy. Peter has led sound therapy workshops in numerous institutions around Chicago, including the Willis Tower Skydeck, the City of Chicago Police Department, Workday Corp, Advocate Christ Hospital, and many more. In 2023, he established the only sound studio in Chicago dedicated solely to sound healing, Saints and Angels Healing Through Sound. In addition to his work in sound therapy, Peter offers workshops and training on crystal singing bowls and other healing instruments at his studio and showroom. Through these workshops, Peter inspires and educates others about the profound effects of sound on mind, body, and spirit. His work has garnered attention, earning him a feature on the upcoming national and local lifestyle TV channel "Destination Chicago Season 2." 

Teira (TEER-UH) joined First Stop Health in 2015 with an aim to make healthcare the way it should be: accessible, affordable and delightful.

As an experienced healthcare professional, she spent her early career in healthcare market research and consulted with leading health systems across the country to help them better use patient and physician experience data to improve care. She is well-versed in the fact that “good” is never good enough and commits herself daily to improving First Stop Health’s service, so the company may, in turn, improve the state of healthcare.

She has worn several hats at First Stop Health and has touched nearly every part of the business first-hand: from product development to client care and sales to physician network management. Now, as Chief Executive Officer, she guides the organization’s efforts on growth and patient impact.

First Stop Health’s values are Caring, Unrelenting, Trusted and Transparent, and Teira takes every opportunity to weave those values into her lead-by-example leadership style. Her colleagues describe her as a learner and a teacher. She dedicates herself to building trust with those inside and outside of the organization, and focuses on coaching individuals and teams to the next level.

Teira grew up on a cattle farm in Southwest Missouri, where her interest in increasing access to care was born. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in health administration.

In her spare time, Teira practices yoga, makes groan-worthy puns, and loves spending time in nature and with family.

Michael Dickerson is the CEO and Founder of Dickerson Consulting Group LLC, a human resource consulting firm specializing in stress management, workplace mental health and employee wellbeing. He worked 13+ years as a mental health professional. Michael holds a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from the Flourishing Center in New York. His ultimate mission? To help leaders create a culture of wellbeing — so employees can uncover their strengths, find meaning, and flourish at work. He is the author of a new book “Struggle Well at Work: Positive Mental Health Strategies for a Flourishing Workforce.”