Catherine Mattice, SHRM-SCP
Founder & CEO
Civility Partners
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Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, a strategic organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500's to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought-leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker and blogger, author of three books, and she has 50+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.

 

SESSIONS:
Monday, June 24, 2024 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Jason Sudeikis
Emmy-Winning Actor, Comedian, Writer, and Producer
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Jason Sudeikis is an award-winning actor, comedian, producer, and writer who stars as the buoyant optimist Ted Lasso in the widely popular Apple TV+ series he co-created. Good to the core, its first season was honored with the prestigious Peabody Award “for offering the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity, both on-screen and off, in a moment when the nation truly needs inspiring models of kindness.” The first season garnered 7 Primetime Emmy Awards after being nominated for a historic 20. Following the second season, it once again garnered 20 nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, winning four total, including Outstanding Comedy Series, acting awards for Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein, and a directing award for MJ Delaney.

In 2021, Sudeikis was the recipient of two Emmy Awards, “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Comedy Series" for Ted Lasso. In 2022, he won both of those awards for the second year in a row. He was also awarded a Golden Globe for best actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, and a Critics Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. The Writers Guild of America awarded Sudeikis and the show “Best Comedy Series” and “Best New Series.”

Best known for his amazing work on Saturday Night Live, Jason made an even bigger name for himself in tentpole comedy films. In 2011, he starred in the hit comedy Horrible Bosses. Quickly thereafter he found himself again alongside Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx in the smash sequel Horrible Bosses 2. His hilarious performance as a small-time pot dealer David Clark in We’re the Millers in 2013 helped the film make over $270 million at the box office.

Jason’s recent work includes dramatic turns in Nacho Vigolando’s sci-fi thriller Colossal opposite Anne Hathaway, Alexander Payne’s Downsizing alongside Matt Damon, and Kodachrome opposite Ed Harris. Jason also stars in the dramatic thriller Driven where he plays conman-turned-FBI-informant Jim Hoffman as he and his handler take down the mysterious, wealthy, and drug-embroiled millionaire John DeLorean (played by Lee Pace). He also starred alongside Jessica Biel in the indie drama The Book of Love, played legendary Jesse Owens coach and mentor, Larry Snyder in Race, and won viewers over as Jake in Leslye Headland’s Sleeping with Other People. He can also be seen opposite Rebecca Hall in Tumbledown. Other recent films include the 2016 heist comedy Masterminds alongside Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig and playing Principal Brown in the film Booksmart.

Born in Fairfax, Virginia Jason grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. Though he received a basketball scholarship to a local junior college after high school, he found his true passion in show business 40 miles away where he spent every weekend taking classes at the then ComedySportz Theater in Kansas City. Jason later made his way to the Chicago as part of renowned touring improv companies before moving to Nevada to become a founding member of The Second City Las Vegas. In 2003, Jason sent a tape of his work to the producers of Saturday Night Live, earning him a coveted spot on the show’s writing team. Two years later, Jason was in front of the camera as a cast favorite, skyrocketing his career as a beloved comedian and actor. Sudeikis completed his eighth and final season on the legendary show in 2013, cementing his place as a fan favorite with his Presidential impersonations and charming characters.

Jason’s other small screen work includes a multi-episode arc on the comedy Last Man on Earth alongside his fellow SNL alum, Will Forte. He served as Executive Producer with Lorne Michaels on the workplace buddy comedy Detroiters, voiced the lead in the animated comedy, Son of Zorn, and garnered rave reviews as Tina Fey’s love interest in 30 Rock. He was also seen in Eastbound & Down, Seth MacFarlane’s The Cleveland Show, and guest starred in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as the forgotten fourth member of Paddy’s gang, Schmitty. Jason voiced the lead role of Red in the Angry Birds animated film series for Sony and lent his voice to the animated Marvel series Hit-Monkey on Hulu in November of 2021.

Taking his talents to the stage in late 2016, Jason led Dead Poets Society at the acclaimed Classic Stage Company Off-Broadway, where he played Robin Williams’ iconic role of Professor John Keating in the film of the same name.

Jason is actively involved with The Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City as well as other charities. He currently resides in New York City.

SESSIONS:
Kathleen Hogan
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Microsoft
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As executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Kathleen Hogan empowers 220,000+ global employees to achieve Microsoft’s mission. In her role, she focuses on making Microsoft an exceptional place for employees to work, and ensures that the company is creating a culture that attracts and inspires the world’s most passionate talent.

Hogan previously served as corporate vice president of Microsoft Services, a team dedicated to helping businesses and consumers maximize the value of their investment in Microsoft technologies. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, she was a partner at McKinsey & Co. and a development manager at Oracle Corp.

In 2021, Hogan was named “HR Executive of the Year” by Human Resource Executive magazine for her leadership and people strategy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She sits on the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) as well as the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Executive Council. As a breast cancer survivor and former board member of the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, she lends her personal and business perspective to that board of directors. Hogan is also involved in the Seattle community and is a board member of the Alaska Air Group.

Hogan earned her bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University. In addition, she holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

SESSIONS:
Jared Spataro
Corporate Vice President, Modern Work & Business Applications
Microsoft
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Jared leads Microsoft’s Modern Work and Business Applications team, which is dedicated to helping every person and organization adapt to the new world of work. His team drives research to help predict and shape what the future of work and business will look like across industries, while also delivering new products and features within Microsoft 365, including Copilot, Teams, Viva, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, to enable everyone to thrive.

SESSIONS:
Vivian Hairston Blade, MBA, MBB, PMP
Personal Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Leadership & Resilience Expert | President & CEO
Experts in Growth Leadership Consulting, LLC
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Recognized by Engagedly as a Top 100 Global HR Influencer and among the most influential HR voices by Nestor, Vivian is a sought-after leadership expert and thought leader. She works with the world’s top brands to build better, more resilient workplaces, equipping leaders to solve pressing burnout, turnover, and workplace culture challenges. 

Her impact is felt as a keynote speaker, and in delivering transformative leadership development, executive and team coaching, and corporate consulting.

Vivian is the author of four books, including the Amazon #1 best-seller Resilience Ready: The Leader’s Guide to Thriving Through Unrelenting Crises, and Influence in Talent Development.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Fred Miskawi
Vice President | AI Innovation Expert Services
CGI Global AI Enablement
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Fred Miskawi, a seasoned AI strategist, spearheads the AI Innovation Expert Services at CGI’s AI Enablement Center of Expertise. With a career in deploying solutions that include AI technologies since the 1990s, Fred has been at the forefront of guiding transformative AI technologies. His expertise bridges AI, human-centered design, and agile methodologies, focusing on creating responsible and ROI-driven AI ecosystems. At CGI, Fred plays a pivotal role in linking a coalition of AI experts across Innovation Centers, emphasizing human judgment and pragmatic, culture-tailored solutions. A member of CGI’s Global AI Cabinet, he has shaped governance and ethical frameworks for AI, advocating for augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them.

SESSIONS:
Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH
Personal Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Principal
Employment Practices Specialists
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For over 20 years, Allison West has used her employment law background in delivering customized workplace training, conducting investigations, coaching executives/managers, serving as an expert witness, and specializing in conflict resolution and facilitated discussions to create more collaborative work environments. 

Allison is a top-rated speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference as well as other HR/diversity conferences, and is a national expert on harassment, discrimination and investigations. She has appeared on PBS, CBS This Morning and in O Magazine discussing workplace harassment issues. 

She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds her SHRM-SCP certification and AWI-CH (investigation) certificate.

 

 

SESSIONS:
Monday, June 24, 2024 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Tim Orellano
President
The Human Resources Team
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Tim is the President of The Human Resources Team, a Little Rock based human resources management consulting company. His consulting firm provides assistance and resources in preparation, training, support and implementation of Affirmative Action Plans with Positive Solutions. He works with a wide and diverse range of industries including banks and financial institutions, utilities, health care, technology, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, nonprofit, construction, and service organizations. He has over 30 years of experience in all areas of functional areas of HR as a Director of Human Resources in manufacturing, service and financial industries and in his consulting firm with client’s coast to coast.

He is a top-rated speaker on the topic of Affirmative Action compliance for SHRM and other conferences many other professional associations and conferences across the country. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Member Award from the local SHRM chapter and the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. He received the Arkansas Human Resources Professional of the Year Award and was finalist for the SHRM National Award for Professional Excellence and the Jim Wilkins Life Time Achievement Award in Human Resources and the Russell Gunter Legislative Advocacy Award.

He is the Chair for the Arkansas Industry Liaison Group.

He has served the ARSHRM State Council as Professional Development Director and is currently the Government Legislative Affairs Director.

As a cancer survivor he serves as a coach for esophageal cancer patients with MD Anderson Medical Cancer Center.

SESSIONS:
Monday, June 24, 2024 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Judy Ellis
Personal Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
SVP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory
AMS
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As a DEI practitioner and organizational consultant, Judy leads strategic culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion transformations to build organizations where all employees thrive. For over 20 years, she has designed and delivered solutions for corporate, nonprofit and educational clients.

Judy leads the global DEI consulting practice of AMS (Alexander Mann Solutions), a Talent Acquisition and Workforce Solutions firm. She has designed diagnostic tools of end-to-end recruitment processes to foster inclusivity that she’s delivered for organizations including Barclays and Bristol Myers Squibb. She’s also developed DEI strategy, communication plans, career development frameworks and global training initiatives on Inclusive Leadership, Conscious Inclusion in Hiring, and Unconscious Bias for companies including Delta Airlines and MUFG. Prior to joining AMS, Judy led a certified Woman- and Minority-owned DEI consulting firm, Think People.

​Judy serves as an Adjunct Instructor in Workforce Diversity at the University of Cincinnati ‘s Master’s in Applied Psychology Program. She has a B.S. in Management & Organizations from Indiana University's Kelly School of Business. She holds certificates in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University, and Coaching with the International Coaching Federation; she is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®. She has been named a “Top Diversity Officer” by the National Diversity Council. Her expertise in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been featured in Forbes, DiversityQ magazine, the Recruiting Daily podcast and on numerous conference platforms, including SHRM’s Inclusion Conference.

SESSIONS:
Giselle Kovary
Practice Lead
Optimus SBR
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Giselle is the Practice Lead in Optimus SBR’s Learning & Development Group with over 25 years experience as a sought after resource to industry leaders across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors dedicated to building strategies and programs that help clients target, motivate and engage employees in order to increase performance and productivity.

Giselle has devoted more than 20 years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance, creating solutions and programs in four areas – leadership, high performance teams, early career talent, and reinforcement & sustainment of learning. Giselle has co-authored two books and completed her Master of Arts Degree in Communications Studies at the University of Windsor.

She is Chair of the Board at The Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL), co-chair of the Cross Academy Association and Advisory Council member at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.

SESSIONS: