An accomplished HR practitioner, Laurie has industry experience in non-profit, health care, consumer packaged goods, and banking. As a senior leader of SHRM’s HR team, she focuses on strategic initiatives to drive innovation to positively impact the employee experience and allow staff to maximize their potential through a culture of learning. She received her Masters’ degree in HRM from Capella University, is a Certified Strengths Coach and holds both SHRM-SCP and CAE designations.

Machael Sherry is a Principal Consultant and Executive Coach at Linkage, a SHRM company, with over two decades of expertise in the learning and development arena. Throughout her career, Machael has spearheaded the creation, implementation, and management of large-scale leadership development initiatives designed to foster self-awareness, inspire action, and drive impactful outcomes for individuals, teams, and organizations. Prior to her tenure at Linkage, Machael held esteemed senior leadership roles, where she consistently enhanced organizational performance by clarifying vision and strategy, nurturing talent, and cultivating inclusive cultures that prioritize people's value and investment in the organization's success. Machael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston College, a Master of Science in Education from Pace University, and a Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Law. She has further honed her coaching expertise through an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Machael also holds certifications in Linkage’s Advancing Women Leaders Assessment, Linkage’s Purposeful Leadership Assessment, the Hogan Assessments (HPI, HDS, and MVPI), and the EQ-i 2.0 Assessment. Her multifaceted background and unwavering commitment to excellence position her as a trusted advisor and catalyst for professional growth and organizational success.

Clayton Lord (Clay, he/him) oversees strategy, planning, program delivery, and program evaluation for the SHRM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of SHRM, which focuses on widening pathways to work and helping every worker and workplace thrive by empowering HR leaders to be forces for social good. He is a social impact executive who has spent his career driving systemic change in the world of work. Clay is also a writer, painter, and quilter, as well as a travel fanatic, and holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband and daughter in Maryland.

Andy Tonsing is Vice President of Postsecondary Education at Stand Together. He is an experienced philanthropic and business leader in advancing innovative work and learning models that help people unlock their potential. He has a background in international education and online learning startups, including helping to establish the Pioneer Research Program, one of the premier academic summer programs for high school students in the US.

Clayton Lord (Clay, he/him) oversees strategy, planning, program delivery, and program evaluation for the SHRM Foundation, the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of SHRM, which focuses on widening pathways to work and helping every worker and workplace thrive by empowering HR leaders to be forces for social good. He is a social impact executive who has spent his career driving systemic change in the world of work. Clay is also a writer, painter, and quilter, as well as a travel fanatic, and holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband and daughter in Maryland.

Elizabeth is currently the Manager, Foundation Programs overseeing SHRM Foundation’s strategic priority of Building Inclusive Workplaces. In that capacity, she oversees the Foundation’s initiatives around leveraging untapped talent including Veterans At Work, Employing Abilities and Getting Talent Back to Work. She joins the Foundation with extensive experience across the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors. She most recently served as the Deputy Executive Director for PFLAG National working to advance equality and anti-discrimination efforts. In that role, she also partnered with corporate diversity and HR professionals on partnerships to impact the workplace culture for the LGBTQ community. She lives in Alexandria with her spouse, two sons, and an oversized rescue dog.

Allison Chamberlayne is the Director of Operations for Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation connecting transitioning service members, veteran, military spouses, and caregivers with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce. In her role, Allison focuses on day-to-day program operations, staff development, process improvement, and strengthening partnerships.

Allison is a military spouse who served alongside her husband, a retired Army Engineer, for over 25 years. She joined Hiring Our Heroes in January of 2018, as a part of the Corporate Fellowship Program. Over the past four and a half years, Allison has held several roles to include Operations Manager, Program Manager of Corporate Fellowship program in the National Capital Region and Deputy Director of the Military Spouse Fellowship Program.

Before her career at Hiring Our Heroes, Allison faced the same employment challenges as those she currently serves. She has held full time, part time and temporary positions in multiple fields to include Accounting, Logistics, Marketing, Finance and Education. This has made her a passionate advocate for military spouses in their pursuit of meaningful employment opportunities.

Allison has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech and being a diehard Hokie consumes much of her and her family’s free time. She resides in McLean, VA with her husband, Ed (VT ’93, ‘02, ‘11 ) and son Eddie (VT ’24). Her daughter, Emma (UVA ’20) lives nearby and tolerates the VT fanaticism.

Thomas Bertels is a business transformation expert on a mission to make work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful. He has three decades of experience helping companies from start-ups to Fortune 5 transform how work gets done. Thinkers360 has recognized Thomas as a Top 50 Thought Leader on the Future of Work and Design Thinking. 

Thomas has written several books and numerous articles. His latest book is the award-winning business fable ‘Fixing Work: Designing Jobs Employees Love’. He also hosts the Work Matters podcast, where he explores in conversations with thought leaders and executives what leaders can do to fix work. 

Christie Engler has been a Human Resources practitioner for 20 years with a focus on small businesses. 

Christie is dedicated to advancing the HR profession.  She has spoken at various HR conferences, and she writes a blog entitled ‘Living in the Gray’ designed to inspire HR professionals.  Christie contributed to the book, ‘People Fusion’, which was published in January 2023. 

Christie is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the Keller Graduate School of Management.  She holds the SPHR and SHRM-CP certifications. 

Christie lives in the Columbus, Ohio area with her husband and two daughters.  She is a fanatic of Ohio State football and Orangetheory Fitness.