Melissa Severance, PCC
Executive, Leadership & Career Coach | Corporate Training & Consulting
Inspire Big Dreams
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Melissa began her career in Big 4 accounting before transitioning to HR leadership at a rapidly expanding firm, experiencing a tenfold growth. Over 20 years, she has excelled in spearheading leadership development, performance management, team building, training, and employee engagement initiatives. Through her Inspire Big Dreams company, Melissa offers corporate training, leadership coaching, speaking, and consulting to enhance careers and leadership skills. She empowers executives, entrepreneurs, and companies to evolve by shifting their mindsets, strategizing, fostering employee relationships, preventing burnout, and amplifying leadership.

SESSIONS:
Delphine Carter
Founder & CEO
Boulo Solutions
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As a business, product, and technology leader, Delphine Carter uses transformational change and agile practices to solve complex business challenges. She is the founder and CEO of Boulo, an innovative recruitment platform that matches experienced female candidates, who also happen to be mothers or caregivers, with progressive companies. Delphine is on the Board of Storytellers Live, Vestavia Lacrosse Organization, and is a Women’s Foundation Fellow. She was recently named Top Birmingham Woman and nominated for CEO of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal.

SESSIONS:
Monday, April 15, 2024 - 1:30pm to 1:50pm
Delphine Carter
Founder & CEO
Boulo Solutions
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As a business, product, and technology leader, Delphine Carter uses transformational change and agile practices to solve complex business challenges. She is the founder and CEO of Boulo, an innovative recruitment platform that matches experienced female candidates, who also happen to be mothers or caregivers, with progressive companies. Delphine is on the Board of Storytellers Live, Vestavia Lacrosse Organization, and is a Women’s Foundation Fellow. She was recently named Top Birmingham Woman and nominated for CEO of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal.

SESSIONS:
Monday, April 15, 2024 - 11:00am to 11:20am
Delphine Carter
Founder & CEO
Boulo Solutions
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As a business, product, and technology leader, Delphine Carter uses transformational change and agile practices to solve complex business challenges. She is the founder and CEO of Boulo, an innovative recruitment platform that matches experienced female candidates, who also happen to be mothers or caregivers, with progressive companies. Delphine is on the Board of Storytellers Live, Vestavia Lacrosse Organization, and is a Women’s Foundation Fellow. She was recently named Top Birmingham Woman and nominated for CEO of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal.

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Miguel Joey Aviles
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/Él
Chief Belonging Officer
MJA & CO, LLC
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Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.com

SESSIONS:
Miguel Joey Aviles
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/Él
Chief Belonging Officer
MJA & CO, LLC
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Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.com

SESSIONS:
Jessica Miller-Merrell, SHRM-SCP
Chief Innovation Officer
Workology
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Jessica Miller-Merrell is the Founder of Workology, a workplace resource for HR, recruiting professionals and business leaders, and host of the Workology Podcast. The site has been listed twice as a top 75 career resource by Forbes. Jessica is the president and CEO of Xceptional HR, a human capital strategy and consulting agency. Because of her industry expertise and knowledge, Jessica’s expertise is sought after and sourced by publications and media including: The Economist, Forbes, CIO Magazine, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, and SHRM’s HR Magazine. Her new book, Digitizing Talent: Creative Strategies for the Digital Recruiting Age was published in 2023 by SHRM.

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Kristen Koluch, CFA, CFP
Senior Vice President, Investments
Raymond James
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Kristen has dedicated her career to helping people prepare for the most significant milestone in life – retirement. She helps corporate plan sponsors and their retirement, investment and finance committees meet their fiduciary responsibilities; and strives to help their employees and beneficiaries make meaningful progress toward their financial goals. Kristen is co-head of the investment committee and leads the portfolio research team for her team’s institutional clients.

She also leads her team’s Women & Investing initiative. She understands that female investors often face a complicated financial situation, balancing the roles of mother, daughter, wife, grandmother, colleague and friend – while putting their own needs last. As part of this initiative, she plans and hosts educational events for female investors.

As a Chartered Financial Analyst®, Kristen holds one of the world’s most respected and recognized investment designations, giving her the skills needed for high-level, specialized asset-management responsibilities, including security analysis, portfolio management and business reporting. In 2020, Kristen obtained her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, demonstrating her commitment to her profession.

Prior to joining Raymond James in 2015, she worked at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor for over twelve years and has prior experience as an investment banking analyst. Kristen maintains Series 7, 63, 66 and Life, Accident, & Health Insurance licenses.  She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and currently resides in Congers, NY.

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Laura Shact
Principal
Deloitte Consulting
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Laura is a Principal at Deloitte Consulting and comes with almost two decades of experience in workforce strategy to achieve business outcomes. She leads workforce transformation for technology and media companies - using her passion for human-centered design, equity, and organizational change at scale. 

She is currently focused on unlocking the potential of AI in Human Capital as the AI Strategic Growth Opportunity (SGO) leader, and the intersection with spatial computing for Deloitte’s Unlimited Reality business. 

Laura has an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. She served as an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow while at Stanford and served on the Board of Directors for Stanford Pride for more than 10 years, Stanford University's LGBTQ alumni organization. 

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - 10:50am to 11:30am
Laura Shact
Principal
Deloitte Consulting
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Laura is a Principal at Deloitte Consulting and comes with almost two decades of experience in workforce strategy to achieve business outcomes. She leads workforce transformation for technology and media companies - using her passion for human-centered design, equity, and organizational change at scale. 

She is currently focused on unlocking the potential of AI in Human Capital as the AI Strategic Growth Opportunity (SGO) leader, and the intersection with spatial computing for Deloitte’s Unlimited Reality business. 

Laura has an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. She served as an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow while at Stanford and served on the Board of Directors for Stanford Pride for more than 10 years, Stanford University's LGBTQ alumni organization. 

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