Conferences

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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Matt Cooper

vice president , Marketplace Operations

oDesk

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Matt brings to oDesk over a decade of executive operating experience in both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. Previously, as a member of the executive team at Accolo, Inc., a recruiting services and technology firm, he grew the business from one employee into one of the top 50 companies on the Inc 500 list. He also co-founded a boutique strategic consulting firm for ramping early-stage companies, and started his career in investment banking at JPMorgan Securities. Matt puts his finance, operations, and strategy expertise to work leading oDesk’s risk management, marketplace operations, and customer support and services teams. Under his stewardship, customers are getting the support they need to succeed on oDesk. Matt holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University.

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Mary Ann Downey

head coach

HR Metrics Coach

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Mary Ann Downey, Principle and Co-Founder of HR Metrics Coach, and known as “Mad” to friends and colleagues, founded HR Metrics Coach because (she thinks) she knows what she should do when she “grows-up”.

Mad has always been a renaissance woman, and is more interested in the connections between disciplines rather than specializing in a specific subject. Her non-traditional professional path and keen problem-solving aptitude make her uniquely qualified to help organizations maximize their human capital for the benefit of the enterprise and the individual.

Mad has had the privilege of working with organizations from a variety of industries, sizes, and global footprints. She has provided in-house and virtual training to organizations such as GE, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and ConAgra on a variety of human capital topics like Workforce Planning, Diversity and HR Analytics.

Mad’s clients appreciate her sometimes irreverent, and always practical approach to solving their challenges. Her philosophy is that in a global, yet flat world the only source of competitive advantage is through people. While her undergraduate Economics professor was attempting to make a joke, she realized there is truth in the punch line that “the only asset that appreciates is human.”

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