Maryella Gockel is the EY Americas Flexibility Strategy Leader and a member of the EY Americas Inclusiveness Center of Excellence. In this role, she is focused on embedding a sustainable inclusive and flexible culture to enable EY professionals to achieve their potential and make a difference, wherever they come from and whatever their characteristics.

Maryella is a noted speaker on flexibility in the workplace and has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Working Mother Magazine and Good Morning America. She is the recipient of the 2012 Ted Childs Life Work Excellence Award and Families and Work Institute’s 2009 Work Life Legacy Award.

Maryella joined Ernst & Young in the US in 1980 as a client service professional after completing her M.B.A. in accounting from Rutgers Graduate School of Management. She also completed her CPA certification during that time. She then transitioned to becoming a Human Resources professional, serving as a People Leader for numerous business units in Ernst & Young LLP before taking her current EY Americas role. She also consults with other EY member firms around the world, including Latin America, Europe and Asia, to help make flexibility initiatives locally relevant in those cultures and locations.

During Maryella’s leadership tenure, Ernst & Young LLP has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for its inclusive and flexible culture, including 15 consecutive years on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list and the 2012 Great Place to Work^® Top 25 World’s Best Multinational Workplaces list. The firm has also achieved 16 consecutive years on the Working Mother100 Best Companies list, the past seven as a Top 10 employer.

Jack H. Cage, Ph.D., is president of Cage Talent (CageTalent.com), an executive recruiting and management consulting firm, and Premier Profiling (PremierProfiling.com), which offers customized, multi-component solutions to talent challenges pre- and post-hire. Jack is the coauthor of HR’s Seat at the Table: How to Lead the Conversations and Deliver the Talent That Drives Strategic Results.

A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, Jack served in the US Army for 22 years: as a commander of infantry units; a special assistant to the Army’s senior leadership, advising White House/National Security Council, congressional, and Pentagon staffs; and as a CIO overseeing large-scale technology migrations. He returned to West Point as an associate professor to teach psychology, leadership, and research methods. A recipient of the Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, and three Legions of Merit, Jack was an Airborne/Ranger infantryman who retired as a colonel.

Jack created Antigua Partners, Inc., and Cage Talent with his wife, Laura Larson, in 2007 and Premier Profiling in 2011. Together they conduct talent-centric work (search, pre-hire assessment, individual/team evaluation and development, management consulting) for both business and nonprofit organizations, as well as for high-net-worth families in the United States. They also design and implement customized programs centered on workplace effectiveness, selection and hiring best practices, and leadership, for the City of New York, the US State Department, and Chinese CEOs visiting the United States.

Jack holds a master’s in social psychology and a doctorate in organizational psychology, both from Columbia University. Upon retirement from the US Army in 1997, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a senior client partner for 10 years in executive search at the two largest publically traded search firms, Heidrick & Struggles and Korn/Ferry International. At these firms, he specialized in advanced technology and financial services searches, placing senior executives at, among many others, American Express, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase, McGraw-Hill, Visa, and Wells Fargo.

Jack is on the board of the Pat Tillman Foundation. He also does extensive pro bono coaching to veterans transitioning to civilian life.

In his current role, Mark is responsible for program development, project management and the expansion of Tanenbaum programs nationally and internationally. A sought-after expert on equality issues like race, gender, sexual orientation and religion, Mark's recent engagements include workshops at SHRM’s Annual Conference & Exposition, the National Association for Multicultural Education, the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, and Multicultural Forum for Workplace Diversity.

Ed Rodriguez joined Ventura Foods as Vice President of Field Human Resources in 2011 and has held the title of Vice President of Organizational and Leadership Development since 2012. He began his career in human resources at PepsiCo in 1995. After serving as a Human Resources Manager in several Los Angeles area locations, he became regional Staffing and Training Manager for Southern California in 1999. In 2001, he joined Pepsi Bottling Group’s headquarters HR team as a Labor Relations Manager and Chief Spokesperson. A year later, he joined the acquisition and integration team, and later was named Director of Human Resources for PBG Mexico, where he was responsible for 26,000 employees, twenty-five plants, and more than 150 sales and distribution locations. In 2004, Mr. Rodriguez returned to PBG’s headquarters as Vice President of International Capability for its Mexico, Canada, and European operations, and was later named Vice President of Organizational Capability and Diversity, where he led PBG to a #2 ranking on DiversityInc Magazine’s 2006 Top Companies for Diversity. In 2007, he was named divisional Vice President of Pepsi’s West Business Unit, where he was responsible for 7,500 employees across California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, and Alaska. In 2009, Mr. Rodriguez was named to HispanicBusiness magazine’s Top 60 Corporate Elite list. 

Mr. Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Communication Management from USC. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Education with an emphasis in Leadership studies at Chapman University in Orange County, California.  He is a Certified Professional Coach.

Kathy Kacher, President of Career/Life Alliance Services, (CLAS) and Cofounder of The SMART Workplace, is a workforce transformation expert with a focus on workplace mobility, change management and leadership engagement. She is also a faculty member with World at Work.

As a managing partner and co-founder of n-gen People Performance Inc., Adwoa has dedicated the last 10 years to working with industry leaders across North America, in both the private and public sectors, to build strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage a multigenerational workforce.

With over 15 years of training and performance consulting experience, she has leveraged her expertise to create solutions in five practice areas – sales & customer service; leadership, team building, Gen Y and HR. Adwoa has presented to international audiences, has written numerous whitepapers, and co-authored two books: Loyalty Unplugged: How to Get, Keep & Grow All Four Generations and Upgrade Now: 9 Advanced Leadership Skills.

Diana Solash joined EY in 1994 and is currently a Director in the organization’s Americas Inclusiveness Office. In this capacity, Diana works closely with senior leaders, EY member firm partners and all EY people so that EY values are reflected across the Americas. She helps member firms leverage the diversity that each person brings to the table — e.g., generations, cultural background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, experiences, and education. Diana has worked in several Talent team functions in building her career at EY, including campus recruiting, experienced recruiting and organizational development. She also co-chaired the Northeast Inclusiveness & Diversity Council and served as the Northeast Community Engagement Champion for Ernst & Young LLP.  

Diana has been involved with several community organizations. Currently, she serves as a board member and the immediate past President of the Metro NY Chapter of Ascend, a professional society for Asians in business, as well as a member of the New York Women’s Foundation Corporate Leadership Committee. Previously, she served as a member of Jumpstart’s Advisory Board and she is a past member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Minority Initiatives Committee. Diana also completed the Coro Leadership New York Program in 2009 and currently serves on Coro’s Alumni Advisory Board.  

Diana graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. She lives in downtown Manhattan with her son, Max, and daughter, Mia. 

Michael John Carley joined the Asperger Syndrome Training and Employment Partnership, as the Executive Director, in January, 2011. In addition, Mr. Carley serves as the Executive Director of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) and he is also the author of Asperger’s From the Inside-Out (Penguin/Perigee).

Mr. Carley has appeared in the media widely, most notably in the New York Times, Washington Post, NY Newsday, the London Times, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Chronicle of Higher Education, NEWSWEEK OnAir, ABCNews, BBC News, Psychology Today, and on radio with Terry Gross’ Fresh Air, and The Infinite Mind. NPR News also aired a 12-minute story in June of 2006 that featured Mr. Carley and GRASP. He was also featured in the documentary, “On the Spectrum.” His articles have been published in magazines such as Autism Spectrum News, Autism Spectrum Quarterly, TAP (The Autism Perspective), and Autism/Asperger Digest. He has made over 70 speaking engagements to conferences, hospitals, universities, and health care organizations.