Shelley Correll is professor of sociology and organizational behavior at Stanford University and the Barbara D. Finberg Director of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research. Her expertise is in the areas of gender, workplace dynamics and organizational culture. She has received numerous national awards for her research on the “motherhood penalty,” research that demonstrates how motherhood influences the workplace evaluations, pay and job opportunities of mothers. She is currently leading a nationwide, interdisciplinary project on “redesigning work” that evaluates how workplaces structures and practices can be better aligned with today’s workforce. She is also studying how gender stereotypes and organizational practices affect the entry and retention of women in technical professions and how the growth of the craft beer industry affects the founding and success of women brewers. Correll consults on reducing stereotypic biases in the workplace and speaks to professional groups interested in advancing women’s leadership.

Penny Wofford is a South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Specialist in Employment and Labor Law. She concentrates her practice in the area of employment litigation and employee benefits. She advises and defends employers, employer sponsored plans, and plan fiduciaries against all types of claims under ERISA and employment discrimination laws. Penny not only provides proactive counseling and legal advice to employers and management regarding human resources issues but also assists employers with the design, drafting, and administration of welfare benefit plans. Penny is a frequent speaker on employee benefits and employee leave topics and regularly provides company and supervisor training on employment discrimination, documentation and confidentiality.

Jeremy Eskenazi, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CMC is Managing Principal of Riviera Advisors, Inc., a global Human Resources management consulting and training firm that helps organizations improve, enhance and optimize their internal talent acquisition and recruiting capabilities.

Prior to founding Riviera Advisors in 2001, Jeremy spent almost 20 years leading talent acquisition and recruiting teams at Universal Studios, Amazon.com, and Idealab. A regular SHRM speaker and a member of the SHRM Talent Acquisition Special Expertise Panel, Jeremy is also proud professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the Institute of Management Consultants-USA.

Jeremy is the author of the books, “RecruitCONSULT! Leadership – The Corporate Talent Acquisition Leader’s Field Book”, and “The High-Performance Talent Acquisition Advantage”.

Dick Finnegan is THE global turnover expert, having cut turnover by 30% and more for healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, distribution centers, call centers, and other industries…and on all six inhabited continents.

Dick has authored the top-selling SHRM-published book, The Power of Stay Interviews, along with four other books. BusinessWeek magazine has said “Finnegan offers fresh thinking for solving the turnover problem in any economy”. He has been similarly cited by Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, and Consulting Magazine.

He holds bachelors and graduate degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and lives in Orlando, Florida.

Mike Aitken has worked at SHRM since 2003 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining SHRM, he served for 14 years as associate director for Governmental and External Relations at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Previously, Aitken worked on state public policy issues at Bonner & Associates, a public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Currently, he is based in Alexandria, VA.

Mike Reardon incorporates outstanding leadership skills, a passion for customer service and an entrepreneurial spirit into helping businesses enhance the way they do business. Mike began his Disney career in 1999 as a part-time merchandise host. Inspired by Disney’s approach to leadership and service, Mike sought and obtained a role as park retail guest services manager for the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. During that time, he implemented practice techniques such as engaging employees through action planning sessions, safety meetings and feedback sessions. Mike’s team received recognition as the guest service team of the year for 2002. He was also instrumental in the development and execution of a new and very successful employee recognition program for the Magic Kingdom. In 2006, Mike served in a temporary role as a Traditions assistant, welcoming new cast members to the Disney family on their first day of employment. This led to an opportunity to join the operations learning and development team where Mike taught the principles of the Disney service basics to cast members. He also facilitated leadership sessions focused on making recognition a priority at Disney University. Mike brought his comprehensive knowledge to Disney Institute in 2008. 

Prior to joining Disney, Mike earned extensive experience as a leader with a major energy company. Mike earned his Associate of Arts degree from Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Mass. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, and a Master of Business Administration degree in human resource management from Saint Leo University, in Saint Leo, Fla. He is a member of Delta Nu, the Saint Leo division of the national scholastic honor society Delta Epsilon Sigma. Mike is a member of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and holds the ASTD Certification Institute's Certified Professional in Learning and Performance Certification (CPLP). He is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He is driven by a passion for family, faith, leadership and conveying the principles of guest service. Mike is a history buff and researches family genealogy and looks for inspiration from historical leaders, plays guitar, and follows the pursuits of New England football and baseball teams.

Follow Michael on Twitter @DisneyInstitute.