Ramona Royal, PHR, CPCU
manager of Employment and Employee Integration
Amica Insurance
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Ramona manages the employment section in Human Resources at Amica Mutual Insurance Company in Lincoln, R.I., which focuses on diversity, engagement and employment issues. She works with Amica managers across the country to improve the company’s diversity and engagement footprints, and to ultimately support the corporate mission, which is to create peace of mind and build enduring relationships.

Ramona, who has more than 15 years of HR experience, holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She also has earned the insurance industry’s Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) professional designation and the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification.  Additionally, Ramona is a mentor for the Year Up program and holds a board position for Diversity and Inclusion Professionals in Providence, R.I.

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Mary L. Martinéz
director, Diversity and Inclusion Practice
APTMetrics, Inc.
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Mary Martinéz is the diversity and inclusion (D&I) practice leader for APTMetrics, Inc. As an experienced D&I practitioner, she provides guidance and support for organizations that are committed to maximizing the bottom-line benefits of D&I through assessment, engagement, and measurement. She has more than 20 years of experience as a consultant and as an HR leader in organizations representing multiple industries and in the nonprofit sector where she has implemented a wide range of diversity and talent initiatives. Her capabilities include designing and implementing strategies and processes, creating and delivering training, and implementing organization development interventions. Most recently, Mary led the global diversity consulting practice for Mercer/ORC Networks (formerly part of ORC Worldwide -- where she began her career, and to which she returned in 2008). Immediately prior to this, she was responsible for global performance management and professional development at Alcatel-Lucent where she was instrumental in integrating the merged company’s talent processes.

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Deborah Rinner Godwin
Vice President
Tero International
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Deborah Rinner Godwin is Vice President for Tero International. Deborah joined the Tero Team in 2002 and brought expertise on business etiquette and cultural communication issues that arise daily in business situations pertinent to presenting a positive image in our changing times. In addition to a masters in effective teaching from Drake University, Deborah is certified as a Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol consultant from the Protocol School of Washington, D.C. Deborah's role at Tero has evolved to include serving as a lead trainer in presentation skills, negotiation skills, leadership development, corporate etiquette, cross cultural communication and executive presence as well as customizing curriculum for clients from various industry groups. Deborah also serves as an executive coach to many of Tero's clients, and is an experienced keynoter.

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Curtis Olson
inspector
Calgary Police Service
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Curtis Olson is an Inspector with the Calgary Police Service and currently oversees the Community and Youth Services Section. With over twenty years of policing experience he recognizes the strength of diversity and understands the importance of strategic planning to anticipate emerging demographic trends. One of his responsibilities is managing the Diversity Resource Team in which members are responsible for 9 different community portfolios: Aboriginal, African, Caribbean/ Latin America, Sexual and Gender diversity, Hate/Bias crimes, South East Asian, South Asian, Middle East/Europe and Persons with disabilities.

Recently, he guided the development of an integrated, multi-layered organizational framework to advance diversity that includes service provision, human resource practices, community capacity building and strategic communications, within the context of business planning. Curtis has presented at various conferences about topics that have national to international application. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity Western University, a Professional Management Certificate from the University of Calgary and is an alumnus of the 2012 Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference.

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Steven Jones
CEO
Jones & Associates Consulting
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Nationally known as one of "America's Top Experts on Diversity" (Diversity, Inc., 2005), Dr. Jones’ philosophy is to lead with listening to support clients in finding a strategy and solution that works for them.

Dr. Jones has been heralded as a dynamic keynote speaker, transformational facilitator, phenomenal organization effectiveness consultant, and innovative executive. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a master’s in Multicultural Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology. He is the author of Journey to Excellence, a transformational book helping people define and achieve excellence in their lives.

Dr. Jones founded Jones & Associates in 1993 in order to build a firm committed to making a widespread positive impact in the world in the area of diversity, inclusion, and organizational excellence. The company's team of certified Jones & Associates consultants provide diversity, inclusion, organizational change and organizational development services to corporations, educational institutions, government agencies and non-profit organizations.

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Shilpa Pherwani
principal/CEO
IBIS
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Shilpa Pherwani is an organizational psychologist by training and the Principal and CEO of IBIS Consulting Group, Inc. She has expertise in the areas of cultural competency, diversity and inclusion, organizational development and e-­learning.  As a consultant and trainer, Shilpa provides guidance to organizations to develop and achieve their D&I business goals.  She provides subject matter expertise in change management, organizational development and diversity to help organizations align D&I with business strategy. Shilpa heads the design and development team at IBIS for diversity e-­learning tools. She has led the team for several highly effective programs for clients such as Aetna, Boeing, Campbell Soup, Grainger, ESPN, Nestle, Microsoft, Sun Life Financial, and Xerox. Shilpa’s work with global organizations has included conducting diversity assessments, diversity and cross-­cultural training, leadership development, and implementation of diversity strategic plans. Shilpa received her Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Springfield College with a focus on Organizational Development.

 

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Diana Cruz Solash
director, Americas Inclusiveness Office
EY
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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. 

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Michael John Carley
Executive Director
ASTEP (the Asperger Syndrome Training & Employment Partnership)
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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.

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Rebecca Shambaugh
president & CEO
Shambaugh Leadership
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Rebecca Shambaugh is an internationally recognized leadership expert, author, and keynote speaker. Rebecca is President of SHAMBAUGH, a global leadership development organization and Founder of Women In Leadership and Learning (WILL), one of the first executive leadership development programs in the country, dedicated to the research, advancement, and retention of women leaders and executives. Rebecca has coached and advised over a hundred leaders and executives and has enhanced their overall level of excellence in such areas as communications, strategic thinking, gender intelligence, visionary leadership, employee engagement, executive presence, and culture transformation. Prior to starting her own company, she worked for such premier organizations as General Motors, Fairchild Industries, and Amax Inc. as a senior executive in the leadership and human resources arena.

 

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Rohini Anand
senior vice president and global chief diversity officer
Sodexo
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Dr. Rohini Anand is Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo, a leading provider of Quality of Life Services with $20 billion or 13.4 billion euro in annual revenue and nearly 420,000 employees in 80 countries.  In her current role, Dr. Anand is responsible for the strategic direction, implementation and alignment of Sodexo’s integrated global diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as Sodexo USA’s sustainable development and corporate social responsibility strategies. Today diversity and inclusion and sustainability are drivers of Sodexo’s business growth and progress.  

Previously, Dr. Anand served as Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Sodexo USA, where she led the organization’s overall diversity and inclusion strategy. Dr. Anand was responsible for designing and developing the organization’s sustained culture change initiatives and its integration in the overall business growth strategy.    

Under Dr. Anand’s leadership, Sodexo received the prestigious 2012 Catalyst Award and was ranked #1 in 2013 and 2010 and #2 in 2012 and 2011 on the DiversityInc business index of Top Companies for Diversity and Inclusion.  In addition, the National Restaurant Association awarded Sodexo its Faces of Diversity Inspiration Award and Working Mother Media has named Sodexo a Best Company for Hourly Workers for the fourth consecutive year. Today the Sodexo brand is synonymous with diversity leadership. Sodexo’s remarkable culture change, led by diversity and inclusion, was featured as a Harvard Business School case study.  

Widely considered a leading expert on organizational change and diversity and inclusion, Dr. Anand has authored several manuals and has been published in numerous trade journals. Her works include texts on cultural competency and diversity training such as a chapter in The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence (2009), Customizing Diversity Training Using Case Vignettes (2001), Multicultural Case Studies: Tools for Training (1999), Teaching Skills and Cultural Competence: A Guide for Trainers (1997) and Cultural Competency in Health Care: A Guide for Trainers (1997).

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