Amy Blankson
Chief Evangelist
Digital Wellness Institute
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Amy Blankson, is the Co-founder and Chief Evangelist for the Digital Wellness Institute and bestselling author of The Future of Happiness. A graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Management, she’s the only person to receive a Point of Light award from two US Presidents – an award she received for her work in civic engagement. She is also a former member of the UN Global Happiness Council, a Fellow of the World Innovation Organization, a featured professor in Oprah’s happiness e-course, and a regular contributor to Forbes.

SESSIONS:
Kate Frear, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CEO
Joyntly
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Kate Frear, PhD, SHRM-SCP has over 15 years of experience in human capital innovation and leadership development. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Joyntly, which is a soft skills learning platform that combines behavioral science and algorithms to generate personalized learning plans targeted to each learners’ specific needs. As a former professor of management, and research scientist in organizational behavior, her mission is to use the latest science and technology to help people work better together in teams and organizations.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Kate Frear, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CEO
Joyntly
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Kate Frear, PhD, SHRM-SCP has over 15 years of experience in human capital innovation and leadership development. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Joyntly, which is a soft skills learning platform that combines behavioral science and algorithms to generate personalized learning plans targeted to each learners’ specific needs. As a former professor of management, and research scientist in organizational behavior, her mission is to use the latest science and technology to help people work better together in teams and organizations.

SESSIONS:
David Suson
Author, Corporate Leadership Coach, Speaker
Proliance Group LLC
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David studies the keystones for success and achievement in the areas of Leadership, Communication and Personal Performance.  He studied over 3,000 top performers to find what the top leaders, salespeople and employees do.  And more importantly, he discovered the roadblocks that hold people back.  For over 25 years, David has worked with hundreds of clients of all sizes in many industries such as technology, banking, communications, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution.  He specializes in leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, sales and personal development and brings his insights to you to create breakthrough solutions. 

SESSIONS:
Elliott Masie
Learning & Development (L&D) Innovator
Broadway Producer
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Elliott Masie is a provocative, engaging, and entertaining researcher, educator, analyst, and speaker - focused on the changing world of the workplace, learning, and technology. Elliott is acknowledged as the first analyst to use the term eLearning and has been an active explorer of combining AI with Human Intelligence for Talent & Learning.

​He heads the MASIE Learning Foundation based in Saratoga Springs, NY focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He leads the Learning COLLABORATIVE, a coalition of 75 global organizations cooperating on the evolution of learning strategies. Members include Amazon, Zoom, Bank of America, Fidelity, The Hartford, and others.

He is the editor of eNOTES by Elliott Masie (and a regular columnist in professional publications, including CLO Magazine. He is the author of 12 books, including the ASTD/MASIE Center’s Big Learning Data and recent eBooks on “Learning Pivots” and “Empathy”.

Elliott's professional focus has been in the fields of corporate learning, organizational performance, and emerging technology. He has developed models for accelerating the spread of knowledge, learning, and collaboration throughout organizations.

​Elliott serves as an advisor to a wide range of government, education, and non-profit groups. He has served on the Board of Trustees of Skidmore College, as a member of FIRST Robotics Board of Directors, and as a board member for the Williamstown Theater Festival. He has also served as a pro-bono advisor to the Department of Defense and on the White House Advisory Council on Expanding Learning Opportunities, and as a member of the CIA University Board of Visitors.
 
Elliott has presented programs, courses, and speeches to over 3,100,000 professionals around the world. He lives in Saratoga Springs, owns thoroughbred horses, and is a Tony Nominated Broadway Producer of shows, which include: Kinky Boots, Here Lies Love, Just Another Day, An American in Paris, The Prom, The CHER Show, Anastasia, The Play that Goes Wrong, SpongeBob, Seared, Between the Lines, Funny Girl. and more.

 

SESSIONS:
Michael S. Cohen, J.D.
Partner
Duane Morris, LLP
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Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.  Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year.  He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.

Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as an Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

SESSIONS:
Erika Tedesco
Vice President of (HR) People & Culture
Diversified Automation
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Erika Tedesco describes herself as culture champion in her role as Vice President of (HR) People & Culture at Diversified Automation, responsible for the culture, engagement, retention, and recruitment of professional talent at the company. Erika also teaches at the Gordon Ford School of Business at Western Kentucky University on International HR Business, leveraging her practical experiences with multinational entities to train the HR professionals of the future. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Louisville and a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Illinois.

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 - 9:00am to 10:00am
Abhijit Bhaduri
Talent Management Coach & Consultant
Formerly General Manager Global L&D of Microsoft
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As the GM Global L&D, Abhijit Bhaduri managed the upskilling strategy for Microsoft across 190 countries. Forbes described him as "the most interesting generalist from India." The San Francisco Examiner decribes him as the "world’s foremost expert on talent and development."

He is a LinkedIn Top Voice with more than a million followers on LinkedIn. Society for Human Resource Management has rated him as the No 1 HR influencer on social media. He is rated among the top ten experts on learning across the world. He is ranked among the top five "most sought after brand evangelists.

Prior to leading learning and development globally for Microsoft, he led an advisory practice to help organizations develop their leadership and talent strategy. His client include Disney, VMWare, Adobe, GE, Wipro. He has been an talent brand strategist and executive coach to CXOs.

He has led HR teams for Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo, Tata Steel and was the first Chief Learning Officer for Wipro. He was conferred Distinguished Alumni from XLRI where he did his post-graduation in Human  Resources. Abhijit taught Learning and Development to the post graduate students at XLRI. He teaches at the Doctoral Program for Chief Learning Officers at the University of Pennsylvania.

Abhijit Bhaduri has been a bestselling author with his book on hiring called Don't Hire the Best (Harper Collins) which explains why hiring for "match quality" is a better predictor of hiring success for executives. Career 3.0 (Penguin 2023) suggests six skills that everyone will need in a world getting shaped by AI. He hosted a podcast called Dreamers and Unicorns that made the list of top business podcasts by Apple. His writings have appeared in Forbes and Business Line. He wrote a fortnightly column for The Economic Times about work, workers and workplaces that ran for several years. His article on skilling strategy for businesses was one of the most read articles in Harvard Business Review in 2023.

SESSIONS:
Tina Schust Robinson
Personal Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Founder
WorkJoy LLC
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As founder of WorkJoy, Tina builds on 20 years of operations, technology consulting, and HR leadership experience to provide facilitation and coaching solutions to organizations ready to unleash the potential of their people. She co-creates talent programs that drive business outcomes and deliver human results, partnering with leaders from prominent organizations including Fabletics, FOX Sports, National Wildlife Federation, SAP, Savage X Fenty, and Spotify. Tina graduated from the University of Virginia (BA), University of Michigan (MBA), and Coactive Training Institute coaching program, and is adjunct faculty at Loyola Marymount University. She lives in Los Angeles with her writer husband and two pet parrots.

 

SESSIONS:
Martin Franchi
Co-founder
Navigation Consulting & Training
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Martin is a certified corporate wellness specialist and psychological H&S advisor and advocate for healthy work environments and reducing stress in the workplace.  With over a decade of experience leading health and safety courses, Martin’s expertise navigating OH&S requirements has been further deepened as a certified joint H&S committee member. 

Martin co-founded Navigation Consulting & Training, to support and promote healthy work environments as a business imperative for organizational success through strategic HR consulting, training and development, and workplace harassment investigations.  Away from work Martin enjoys cycling, sailing and photography.

SESSIONS:
Shelly Meadows
Co-founder
Navigation Consulting & Training
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Shelly is a CHRP, MBA, CPA, and certified psychological H&S advisor with executive-level experience.  Shelly leverages her professional expertise and life experience, combined with her passion as a speaker, facilitator, and consultant to have a positive and meaningful impact on organizations and their people so that they can thrive.

Shelly co-founded Navigation Consulting & Training, to support and promote healthy work environments as a business imperative for organizational success through strategic HR consulting, training and development, and workplace harassment investigations.  Away from work Shelly enjoys sailing, squash, and random acts of kindness.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - 4:15pm to 5:15pm