Jerold A. Ramos Sr., CPP, CFE is the Corporate Manager for Talent Acquisition/Corporate Military Liaison for AlliedBarton Security Services. AlliedBarton Security Services is a premier security services company, established in 1957 and currently has 58,000 employees. Jerold is a Navy Veteran, and has been in Human Resources/Talent Acquisition for the past 35 years. Jerold retired from his first career after 33 years in Public Law Enforcement recently, where he held the position of City Marshal. Jerold has won the Presidents “Gold Level” Volunteer Service Award for the past three years now and is a volunteer with the American Red Cross and the Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve. Through Jerold’s partnerships with Military Assistance Groups, Jerold has assisted over 10,000 veterans in getting hired.

Carolyn Kurowski, Senior Vice President of Federal Management Partners, Inc., has over 15 years of experience leading a diverse range of projects and providing analytical and consulting services in the area of human resource management. She currently works with VA’s Learning University (VALU) to design MyCareer@VA, a world-class online resource that offers current and potential employees a “one stop shop” for career planning and development. Ms. Kurowski provides technical guidance, leading the overall integration efforts that help drive this innovative project. With a focus on building cross-functional and cross-organizational teams, she works closely with her team and her clients to navigate information analysis, process engineering, IT integration and solution development challenges. Ms. Kurowski received her M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Clark University and B.A. from Notre Dame University.

Dan Heath co-wrote four of the most-loved business books of the past decade: Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive, and their latest book, The Power of Moments, which explores why certain brief experiences can jolt, elevate and change us—and how we can learn to create these extraordinary moments in our life and work. All four were New York Times best-sellers. Together the Heath brothers' books have sold over two million copies worldwide and been translated into 33 languages.

Dan is a senior fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports entrepreneurs who fight for social good. He is also an entrepreneur himself, having founded Thinkwell, an innovative education ompany that will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2017. A former case writer for Harvard Business School, Dan was named in 2013 to the Thinkers 50, a ranking of the world’s 50 most influential management thinkers, and also to Fast Company magazine’s list of the Most Creative People in Business.
He has delivered keynotes or workshops for teachers, police chiefs, U.S. senators, interior designers, Navy admirals, health care leaders, marketers, ministers, and countless executive teams, across 26 countries on 6 continents. (He’s still waiting for that invitation from Antarctica.)

Dan has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Stephanie R. Thomas is the CEO of Thomas Econometrics Inc. She provides economic and statistical consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, major law firms, and government agencies such as the Department of Justice and the FBI. Stephanie has testified as an expert on gender, race and age discrimination claims in compensation, hiring, promotion, termination and other employment practices in federal and state courts throughout the U.S. She is a noted authority on internal pay equity, and is the author of Compensating Your Employees Fairly: A Guide to Internal Pay Equity, published by Apress in April 2013.

Liz Vollmar has more than 25 years of hands-on experience in planning and implementing cost-effective welfare benefit plan designs and compliance strategies. As a senior member of Willis' National Legal and Research Group (NLRG), she provides expertise and leadership within NLRG and works closely with Willis consultants and clients across the country. Liz's wide-ranging expertise with respect to welfare benefits includes particularly in-depth knowledge of ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA and health care reform. She has also worked extensively with consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), wellness programs, cafeteria plans, and welfare benefits issues in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.

David Lindgren is a Senior Manager with Flexible Benefit Service Corporation (Flex), a fullservice wholesale insurance firm and administrator of tax-advantaged benefit plans based in Rosemont, Illinois. David oversees the Compliance and Public Affairs departments at Flex and brings fifteen years of experience to his role.

He is a subject matter expert in the areas of ERISA, HIPAA, Cafeteria Plans, Healthcare Reform and various Employee Benefit Programs, including consumer-driven plans that incorporate Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and wellness programs.

Kevin Cope is the #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author of Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company. A renowned trainer and speaker, Kevin has spent the last 25 years working with top organizations including 30 Fortune 50 companies. His 5 Business Drivers model and ideas, shared with millions through his book, articles, and courses, have been praised for being relevant and actionable; they help you come to the table prepared.

 

John G. Blumberg is inspiring a movement on building value with core values. Leaving behind an HR career he loved, in 1996, John began his journey as a full-time professional speaker. He works with leaders who deeply believe their most genuine business strategy comes from a clearly defined personal and organizational core. As a Certified Speaking Professional, John has received the highest earned designation in the speaking profession. He is also the author of Silent Alarm: A Parable of Hope for Busy Professionals as well as GOOD to the CORE: Building Value with Values.

As SVP HR global categories & R&D for Unilever, Ms. Laird is responsible for managing the development of talent, organizations and culture across the region in alignment with Unilever’s global HR strategies. She is specifically responsible for HR operations, labor relations, continuous improvement, and change management for Unilever’s businesses within North and Latin America. She serves as a member of both the Americas Leadership Team and Unilever’s Global HR Leadership Team. Ms. Laird also serves as the head of Communications for Unilever Americas. In this role, she is responsible for delivering a cohesive communications strategy in the region, ensuring the integrity of the Unilever brand, and effectively linking together Unilever’s internal and external communications efforts, including media relations, public affairs, corporate responsibility and employee communications. She serves as a member of the Unilever’s Global Communications Leadership Team. Ms. Laird joined Unilever as labor and employment counsel for Unilever United States in 1991. In 1994, she moved to Human Resources to support the Unilever Foods North America business group and was subsequently appointed to the board of Lipton as vice president, Human Resources in 1998. In 2000, she was appointed senior vice president, Human Resources for Unilever Bestfoods North America, and in 2005, senior vice president, Human Resources and Communications for Unilever Americas. Prior to joining Unilever, she practiced law at the New York law firm of Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon. Ms. Laird is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde where she completed a double major program in English and history. She holds a J.D. degree with honors from Case Western Reserve University