Alexander Alonso, PhD, SHRM-SCP is the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Chief Data & Insights Officer leading operations for SHRM's Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional certifications, research functions, and the SHRM Knowledge Advisor service. He is responsible for all research activities, including the development of the SHRM Competency Model and SHRM credentials.

During his career, he has worked with numerous subject matter experts worldwide with the aim of identifying performance standards, developing competency models, designing organizational assessments, and conducting job analyses. He was also responsible for working on contract task orders involving the development of measurement tools for content areas such as job knowledge (like teacher knowledge of instructional processes) and organizational climates (like organizational climate forecasting in military health care).

Dr. Alonso received his doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Florida International University in 2003. His works have been recognized for their contribution to real-world issues. They include being recognized by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the APA; SIOP) with the 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for the development of the federal standard for medical team training, TeamSTEPPS; being awarded a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for supporting the development of competency model for team triage in emergency medicine; and receiving the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award.

Throughout his career, he has published works in peer-reviewed journals such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, People and Strategy, Personality and Individual Differences, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and Human Resources Management Review. He has also authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, as well as co-authoring Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice.

Dr. Alonso also served as a columnist analyzing major trends in the workforce for The Industrial Psychologist and HR Magazine. In addition, he has served on several professional society boards including the SIOP and the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.

Erica Pinsky, B.A. M.Sc. CHRP ignites conversations that build respect. As a speaker, trainer, author and consultant she provides a full range of customized services and solutions to eliminate discrimination, harassment, bullying and destructive conflict in the workplace. She is the corporate Ombudsperson for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and a faculty member at the Center for Conflict Resolution at the Justice Institute of B.C. Her highly acclaimed book "Road to Respect: Path to Profit" is filled with engaging stories, powerful insights and concrete strategies for achieving sustainable success in today's highly challenging and diverse business environment. A professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, Erica was a Top Ten finalist in North America's Next Greatest Speaker contest 2012.

Steve is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and was recognized in 2015 as one of the top 10 motivational speakers globally from over 9,000 candidates.

In addition to being one of the most sought-after speakers in North America, he has written 11 books and was named Author of the Year by Advantage/Forbes for his book Enjoy The Ride.

Steve built a multimillion-dollar company, which the Pittsburgh Business Times named one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region. Steve is one of SHRM’s top-rated speakers. This is his 18th consecutive year speaking at the SHRM Conference.

Hailed by Tom Peters for bringing his company out of the doldrums, almost overnight, heralded by the media as the UnGuru because he is such a convention-breaker, Aman Motwane is the man behind the movement to change how the world of business does business — Skills 2.0.

Aman holds degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology and a Master’s from Stanford University, which he received in 9 months. But he’s the first to point out that education and information are worth nothing if you don't understand the right questions to ask.

As a Business Strategist and Executive Coach, LaFern Batie leads The Batie Group, LLC, a business consulting and leadership development firm serving organizations around the globe. With extensive Fortune 500 corporate leadership experience and widely recognized expertise, she works with international organizations and leaders across diverse industries to maximize their collective and individual performance. Leaders value her high business acumen, ability to quickly connect with teams, thorough and efficient approach to identifying challenges and commitment to helping them achieve results that exceed their expectations. 

Follow LaFern on Twitter @LaFernBatie.
 

Stacey Carroll is the President of HR Experts On-Call. HR Experts On-call provide strategic HR consulting services to business owners and HR professionals. Prior to establishing HR Experts On-Call, Ms. Carroll served as the Director of Professional Services & Education for PayScale. As Director of Professional Services, Stacey created and managed the compensation consulting business for PayScale, a venture-backed SaaS provider of compensation resources to HR and business leaders.  Prior to her  work at PayScale, Stacey spent over 12 years in various positions within Human Resources for Trendwest Resorts, Nordstrom, and Western Washington University. Stacey’s specialty areas in HR include: compensation, benefits, training & development, and strategic human capital management.  She earned her BA and MBA from Western Washington University. Stacey has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). In addition to her regular full time responsibilities, Stacey has taught HRM classes for Western Washington University, Seattle Research Partners, and Tacoma Community College. She also speaks at many local, regional and national conferences.

Follow Stacey on Twitter @HRStacey.

Michele Espada joined Federal Home Loan Mortgage Co.(Freddie Mac) as a Recruiting Manager in March 2006. Michele was promoted to her current role, Talent Acquisition Director in August of 2012. She is responsible for leading a team of 35 recruiting professionals who support the executive and non-executive recruiting efforts. Prior to assuming her current duties, Michele was a Director of Recruiting for Nextel Communications. In this role, she was responsible for managing the nationwide recruiting efforts for the Information Technology, Engineering and Technology Development departments. Michele brings seventeen years of recruiting and leadership experience to her role with Freddie Mac. Michele earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA.

Melvin Brown II is an author, conference speaker and organizational consultant. He is sought out by both government and industry as an expert in the areas of  Chanage Management, Program Management, Knowledge Management and Training.  

Nicknamed “Mr. Turnaround” he has more than twenty years of not only turning around the lives of individuals but several organizations both in the private sector and the federal government.  

He has developed several change management strategies for collaboration and is the recipient of the America Council for Technology, Industry Advisory Council’s, 2007 Excellence in Government award.

Follow Mevin on Twitter @melvinbrownii.

As one of North America’s pre-eminent specialists in organizational, professional and personal productivity, Ann Max is known for her engaging and performance-driven approach to productivity enhancement. Her information-packed presentations are grounded on solid experience from her active consulting and coaching practice. Her sessions are highly motivating, fun and deliver skills that can be directly put to use. Her realistic approach, lively sense of humor and engaging style immediately create trust and rapport and instill confidence