Susan L. Harmansky, SPHR, is a management consultant and author focusing on workforce planning and strategy.  She has had a diverse career in human resource management most recently as Global Vice President Human Resources for SGS International, a design-to-print graphic services and marketing firm headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.  Her previous experience includes HR leadership roles with LG&E and KU Energy, Farm Credit Bank, Papa John’s International and the Presbyterian Church USA national headquarters.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Bellarmine University.  She has served as president of the Louisville Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter and as state director for Kentucky SHRM.  She also led the SHRM-sponsored task force that developed the first American National Standard for performance management and served on the first international committee developing ISO standards for HR.   

She served seven years on the board of the premier international certifying agency for human resources, the HR Certification Institute, including a year as Board Chair during which HRCI expanded its reach internationally to the European Union and China. 

She has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources since 1990 and is a recipient of the Louisville SHRM Award for Professional Excellence.  

Effenus Henderson is Chief Diversity Officer for Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, Washington where he advises the CEO and senior management team on diversity, inclusion and affirmative action related matters. He is an internationally recognized diversity thought leader and has been invited by numerous companies and organizations to share his expertise.  He recently led the development a company-wide “Inclusive Leadership Learning Series” for the top 1,500 leaders which is currently being implemented. Additionally he has provided advisory support on diversity to the Federal Government’s EPA office and Office of Personnel Management.

John Edwin Mein is a Brazilian, born in Recife Brazil. After receiving his Masters in International Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management, in Arizona, he worked in the International area of a US Bank, in business promotion for the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and in business development for American and Brazilian companies. He was president of the American Chamber in Brazil for 13 years, during which it became the largest American Chamber outside the US.

John Edwin Mein led the efforts to organize and is the Executive Coordinator of the Alliance for Modernization of Logistics and Foreign Trade  - PROCOMEX. The PROCOMEX Alliance is a coalition of 70 business associations with the common objective of modernizing Brazilian customs processes as a means to increase the country’s competitiveness. The operational arm of the coalition is the Instituto Aliança Procomex which is maintained by over 40 companies.

John is the president of CONSENTES – Institution Building, a consulting company to companies, associations and NGOs in the areas of planning, organizational and business development, communication, social responsibility and public policy.

John is on the board of SOBEET - The Brazilian Institute to Study Transnational Enterprises and Globalization, and was its president from 2005 to 2007.

John has been a member of the board of Transparency Brazil since its inception.

John is a member of the Private Sector Consultative Group of the World Customs Organization.

Michael J. Fox is an Emmy-award-winning actor, author and advocate. He is well-known for his award-winning roles on the television series “Family Ties” and “Spin City,” and as the star of the cult classic “Back to the Future” movie trilogy, he has won numerous awards and is considered one of the most successful actors in the business.

In 1991 Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and in 1998 he disclosed his condition to the public. As the symptoms of his disease worsened in 2000, Fox semi-retired from acting. He has since dedicated his life to research and advocacy for finding a Parkinson’s disease cure through the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Fox continues to act and has recently appeared as himself in a prime-time special “Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.” Fox will close the 2011 conference with his incredible story; he will talk about his struggle, his outlook on life and how to remain positive, even in difficult times.

Tony Hsieh is the CEO of online shoe and clothing shop Zappos.com, Inc,. Hsieh joined zappos.com as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO where he helped the company from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune’s annual Best Companies to Work For list. In November 2009, Zappos.com, Inc. was acquired by Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing. Hsieh graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Computer Science. In June 2010, Hsieh published New York Times #1 bestseller Delivering Happiness, a book about his entrepreneurial endeavors.

Sir Richard Branson is the founder and president of Virgin Group. One of the world's most recognized and respected brands, Virgin has expanded into air and rail travel, hospitality and leisure, telecommunications, health and wellness, and clean energy through more than 300 companies in 30 countries. A leader in product innovation and customer service, he was knighted in 1998 for his “services to entrepreneurship.”

Branson has been involved in a number of world record-breaking attempts since 1985. In 1986 his boat, 'Virgin Atlantic Challenger II,' crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the fastest ever recorded time. This was followed a year later by a hot air balloon crossing of the same ocean in 'Virgin Atlantic Flyer.' In 2004, Branson launched Virgin Unite to tackle tough challenges facing the world. Richard pledged 100% of profits of Virgin transportation companies to clean tech investments, and this year he launched the Carbon War Room to mobilize capital, innovation, expertise and entrepreneurs to advance climate change efforts.

Branson is the author of several books including Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way and Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen, and Blasting into Space.

Ann Rhoades is a dynamic and visionary Human Resources Executive with over 25 years experience in a variety of service-based industries. She held the position of vice president of the People Department for Southwest Airlines and executive vice president of Team Services for Promus Hotel Corporation and most recently, the executive vice president of People for JetBlue Airways where she currently remains as a Board Member as well as President of People Ink, her Human Resources consulting company.

Rhoades has a respected reputation in the industry for her creative approach to creating cultures around fun and for blending cultures in merger situations. During her tenure with Doubletree Hotels, later Promus Hotel Corporation, she built a service culture focused on delivering outstanding service to Guests. During the time Rhoades headed the People Department at Southwest Airlines, she solidified Southwest’s reputation of retaining and hiring the best people in the airline business despite Southwest’s rapid growth during that time. Most recently, Rhoades took responsibility for the creation of JetBlue Airways Corporation’s People Team in New York.

In her role as head of Human Resources, Rhoades has been a key member of the executive team, and is extremely successful in her role as internal counsel to executives in every discipline in the organization.

Rhoades is a popular speaker on the subject of customer service and how to build a strong service culture. She has great passion for certain industries such as healthcare where she is making a great contribution to revitalizing the workforce and culture of our nation’s hospitals. She serves on patient safety and quality task forces with the Texas Medical Institute of Technology involved in setting metrics used in pay-for-performance programs across the country such as the Leapfrog Group. She is co-founder and CEO of CareLeaders Corporation a company dedicated to help US hospitals attain a new level of performance. Her community involvement includes the University of New Mexico-Robert O Anderson School of Business National Advisory Board and former Board of Director, Albuquerque Community Foundation. Rhoades currently serves on JetBlue Airways Corporation, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Accion New Mexico, HireVue, Inc., and executive council, Brigham & Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School Boards and as chairwoman for Safer New Mexico Now. Rhoades has an MBA in Management from the University of New Mexico.

Michael Staab is Co-CEO of Innovative Rx Strategies. Michael is also founder of the PBM and Pharmacy Law Group, the parent company of Innovative Rx Strategies. He is an experienced health care attorney and former litigator. Prior to starting Innovative Rx Strategies, Michael was the Vice President of Legal Services and Managing Counsel for CVS Caremark. He supervised the attorneys responsible for drafting and negotiating all clients contracts (employer; health plan; Medicare Part D).

Milton J. Perkins, PhD ABD, MSHRM, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPC, is the chief accountability and human resources officer for Vanguard Integrity Professionals, a leader in cybersecurity software and solutions. Previously, he was the Senior Director of Workforce Solutions for Agile•1 (HR consulting practice leader). Other positions Milton has held are the recruitment/staffing practice leader for EDS/ExcellerateHRO, managing director for Kaufman, VonStuben & Associates and the global talent acquisition leader for Hewitt Associates. Milton has a tremendous wealth of practical, research, teaching and consulting experience in human capital strategies, tactics and initiatives. He was also the SHRM’s director, North Central Region, responsible for facilitating strategic planning and providing advice and counsel to the Society’s volunteer members and leaders. He has been teaching SHRM courses for nearly 15 years.

Milton is completing his PhD (2015) research in Organizational Management – Human Resources, focusing on the topic of Environmental Variables Impacting Virtual Employee Engagement. He received his Masters of Science in Human Resources, as well as Bachelors of Science in Management, Computer Information Systems. He holds certifications as a SHRM-SCP, SPHR, and CPC. He has completed human resource leadership studies at the Disney Institute, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Executive Leadership Development Program at Babson College, and the PDI Assessment Center.