Conferences

Kevin Carroll

founder

Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC

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Kevin Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and the author of three highly successful books, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What's Your Red Rubber Ball?! and The Red Rubber Ball at Work, published by ESPN, Disney Press and McGraw-Hill. As an author, speaker and agent for social change (a.k.a. the Katalyst), it is Carroll's "job" to inspire businesses, organizations and individuals—from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren—to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth. With his consulting endeavors, Carroll has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as the National Hockey League, ESPN, Nike, Starbucks (his words appeared on 17 million Grande cups), The National Basketball Association, Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Hasbro, Procter & Gamble, Discovery Channel, Capital One and many others. Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Carroll spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball. His subsequent pursuit of play and his "red rubber ball" took him overseas with the Air Force, where he served as a language interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian and German. After serving in the Air Force for ten years and earning his college degree, Carroll became an athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia. His expertise in sport performance recognized by the 76ers organization and led to his job as the head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995. While at the 76ers, Nike tapped Carroll to bring his unique experiences to the sneaker giant in 1997. Although no job "officially" existed at the time, Carroll was directed to create a position at the company that would add value to the overall mission of the brand. Carroll accepted the challenge and stayed for seven years as "Katalyst" (the 'K' is for Kevin)—a creative change agent. At Nike he was instrumental in helping the company develop a deeper understanding of athletic product performance, team dynamics and interpersonal communication. Carroll left Nike in 2004 to create his own company, Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC, committed to elevating the power of sport and play around the world. Carroll has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change. He partners with non-governmental organizations and businesses around the world that share his vision and goals. He was honored to address the United Nations as part of the UN Year of Sports for Development and Peace in 2005 and to serve as the host of the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards that featured Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2009. Carroll holds a MS in Health Education from St. Joseph's University, a BA in Speech Communication with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University and an Associates Degree in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of the Air Force. Carroll is a frequent visiting professor across the United States.

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Jane McGonigal

Creative Director, Social Chocolate. Author of The New York Times best seller, Reality Is Broken.

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Jane McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist, and she is harnessing the power of the Internet games in new ways to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and tomorrow.

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John Jacobs

Chief Creative Optimist

The Life is Good Company

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John Jacobs is the Chief Creative Optimist of The Life is good Company. A $100 million privately held business based in Boston, MA, Life is good® spreads positive vibes with its colorful collection of apparel and accessories. Jake, Life is good’s iconic hero with the contagious smile, teaches men, women and children that optimism is fun, healthy, and empowering. John created his first poorly spelled and crudely drawn book at the age of five. He’s been writing and drawing ever since, graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1990 with dual degrees in English and Art. He immediately began designing and selling tee shirts after college and worked as a substitute teacher to supplement his income during Life is good’s infancy. In 1994, with a combined sum of just $78 in the bank, John and his brother Bert officially launched Life is good. Today, Life is good products are sold by over 5,000 retailers nationwide, and in 32 countries worldwide. John, Bert, and The Life is good Company are living proof that “Optimism can take you anywhere.” Believing that consumers are already overwhelmed by too much “noise” in the marketplace, Life is good has never spent a penny to advertise its products. 100% of the company’s growth is attributable to consumer word-of-mouth. In 2006, at the Life is good Pumpkin Festival on Boston Common, Life is good broke the Guinness World Record for the most carved, lit pumpkins in one place at one time. Because Life is good considers children its ultimate source for inspiration, the company is totally committed to helping kids who face unfair challenges. 100% of all funds raised from Life is good Festivals as well as 100% of profits from a growing number of Life is good products benefit the Life is good Kids Foundation. Bert and John are the youngest of six siblings from Needham, MA. They credit their mother with teaching them to face the bumps in the road with a smile. The Jacobs brothers see simplicity, humility and a sense of humor as the three keys to Life is good’s continued success. When John is not evolving the brand for future seasons, he enjoys any game under the sun, film, music, and diving into the water to catch things. He lives in his favorite sports town, Boston, with his wife Jessica and their recently christened King of the Castle, Oskar.

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J. Craig Mundy

vice president, enterprise learning & talent management

Ingersoll Rand

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J. Craig Mundy, vice president, enterprise learning and talent management for Ingersoll Rand. Mundy’s expertise rests in developing best-in-class global HR organizations in diversified global and vertical markets. His experience runs deep in applying HR and human capital strategies to drive measurable business outcomes including profitable growth, increased productivity and global market expansion in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Mundy has strong experience in strategic planning, change management, leadership development, talent solutions, labor relations, conflict and crisis resolution, training and organizational development, and operational excellence..

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Lisa Sterling

senior Director, People Engagement

Ultimate Software

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Lisa Sterling serves as the Director of Global Talent Management and is responsible for designing, developing, and deploying the strategies of Ultimate Software's Talent Management solutions. She is extremely passionate about talent and understanding how people interact collectively to identify ways for working effectively for personal and organizational success. Lisa has over 14 years of experience in people, process, and software design and execution.

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Charu Avasthy

consultant

Berkshire Associates, Inc.

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Charu Avasthy is a leading Human Resource Consultant for Berkshire Associates Inc. With over ten years in the industry and as an expert in compliance regulations, Charu provides customized solutions to a national base of clients across a broad span of industries. With in-depth knowledge of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) regulations, Charu helps clients with the design, development, and implementation of affirmative action programs. She also provides clients with leading salary equity analyses, audit support, outreach, training, and government regulation assistance. As a talented speaker, Charu is passionate about educating fellow professionals, which is why she regularly conducts training courses on the latest HR trends and updates. Charu has also spoken at industry meetings and events throughout the country including the FL chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and local Industry Liaison Groups (ILG). Before working at Berkshire, Charu has been an HR Generalist in the Telecommunications, Research and IT industries. Charu holds a Masters of Business Administration and has maintained her Professional in Human Resources designation since 2006.

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Emily King

author, vice president

Military Transitions

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Emily King, Vice President of Military Transitions, is a nationally recognized expert on the transition from military service to civilian employment. She has worked extensively with organizations that hire and want to retain veterans, as well as with veterans directly. Emily’s business-focused approach emphasizes the role of the civilian hiring organization in making veterans successful, and has directly contributed to the retention of veterans. Emily brings a unique ability to translate between cultures so that military personnel and civilians benefit from their association with one another.

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Crystal Gayle Miller

founder & strategist

Branded Strategies

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Crystal Miller is a Founder & Strategist with Branded Strategies.

She has 7 years of Agency Search & leadership experience, 5 years of HR Business Partnership, 3 years heading up Corporate Recruiting, and 2 years of Training experience. She has been a Team Leader & Practice Director for two of the more cutting edge groups within one of the best & brightest recruitment firms in the US w/ 4 "Best Place to Work" wins & knows how to leverage culture into Talent Marketing & Attraction campaigns.

Having built successful Talent Marketing/Attraction, Community, Social Media/Digital strategies for over 50 companies since 2005 with over a repeat clientele rate of over 80%; she has built a reputation as an established, progressive advocate in the areas of social media, recruitment and HR marketing.

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Doug Ring

Chief Technology Officer

Peoplefluent

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Mr. Ring is responsible for leading Research & Development at Peoplefluent. This includes identifying and executing on strategic partnerships and acquisitions, as well as reviewing strategic technologies and product planning. Through his broad exposure within the software industry and key relationships with industry influences, Mr. Ring brings extensive technology acumen and strategic vision to the company’s innovation agenda. Most recently, Doug has been a Principal at Bedford Funding, providing technical and product guidance on Bedford’s technology investments. He was previously Chief Technology Officer of Geac, where he was responsible for all aspects of the software creation process including strategy, innovation, engineering and deployment. He was also actively involved in the communication of technology strategy to the press, industry analysts, senior management, partners and customers. Mr. Ring also served as Director of Emerging Technologies at Dun & Bradstreet Software prior to its acquisition by Geac. Adding to his domain expertise in the HCM marketplace, Mr. Ring spent a number of years in Human Resources consulting at a number of leading companies including Holiday Inn Worldwide, the Los Angeles Times, and Mattel Toys. He started his career at Canada Mortgage and Housing. Educated in Canada, Mr. Ring has a diploma in Civil Resources Engineering from Seneca College in Toronto and in Information Technology from Algonquin College in Ottawa.

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