Monday, October 30, 2023 - 12:30pm to 12:50pm
Collis R. Jones
Vice President, U.S Public Affairs Policy & Strategy
Deere & Company
Connect Online with this Speaker

Collis R. Jones holds the position of Vice President, U.S. Policy & Strategy, for John Deere Public Affairs in Washington, DC.  He leads the team responsible for managing U.S. federal and state government relations activities on behalf of Deere. These efforts are aimed at supporting legislation and public policies that are favorable to the interests of the company’s customers, employees and business partners.

Collis brings over 20 years of governmental strategic, tactical and policy development experience to this role and is one of Deere’s key contributors in delivering client-focused business initiatives within the organization. His 34-year career began at John Deere Financial and has included various marketing, sales and public policy leadership roles across the enterprise.

Collis serves on the Board of Directors for The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, The Congressional Award, Public Affairs Council, Government Relations Executive Council, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Augustana College President’s Advisory Council and The FiscalNote Executive Institute Advisory Board.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. 

Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity.

 

 

SESSIONS:
Emily M. Dickens, J.D.
Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary
SHRM
Connect Online with this Speaker

Emily M. Dickens, J.D., serves as SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary. She is the executive responsible for coordinating staff to implement the CEO's vision, serving as corporate secretary for the SHRM Board and subsidiary boards, as well as managing external partnerships and providing oversight for the Government Affairs division.

Dickens is an attorney with significant and progressive experience in government, higher education and the non-profit sector. She has served as a member of the leadership team at the University of North Carolina system, the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  Her prior roles include general counsel, chief relationship officer, senior vice president, vice president for public policy and assistant vice president for federal relations.  Dickens has also worked at Duke University and Fayetteville State University in administrative and external affairs roles. 

Emily is actively engaged in board service. She formerly served on the  Fayetteville/Cumberland (NC)  Chamber  of  Commerce  (Secretary  of  the  Board),  the Cumberland County Workforce Development Board, the  North  Carolina  Partnership  for  Defense  Innovation Board, and the Educational Advancement Foundation. She is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina Central University, and chairs the International HBCU Task Force for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Central University School of Law. 

 

SESSIONS:
Sunday, October 29, 2023 - 6:00pm to 8:30pm
Mary Augustin, SHRM – SCP
Members and Community Director
SHRM
Connect Online with this Speaker

Mary A. Augustin, SHRM-SCP, is the Members and Community Director for SHRM's SW Central Region.  She specializes in the topics of Employee Engagement, Harassment, Board Training, and Development, as well as Empathy and Culture in the Workplace.

SESSIONS:
Megan Nail
SHRM Membership Advisory Council
Connect Online with this Speaker
SESSIONS:
Caz Walcott
Director, Inclusive Hiring
Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
Connect Online with this Speaker

Caz is Director of Inclusive Hiring, where she leads RBIJ’s first and second chance hiring programs, including Unlock Potential (UP). In addition to leading the Inclusive Hiring team, her responsibilities also include collaborating with community-based organizations, advocacy leaders, and social services providers.

Previously, Caz worked at various nonprofits, including as the program manager at the Vera Institute of Justice’s Redefining Public Safety team, the Director of Employment Services for Westhab’s NYC and Westchester County shelter and community-based employment programs, and as Director of Fathers Count - Family Services of Westchester’s federally-funded Responsible Fatherhood Program. She received a Citation from Mayor Mike Spano for her contribution to Westchester County and the City of Yonkers and a Certificate of Recognition from the Senate of the State of New York for Exemplary Service to the community. While in the UK, Caz also worked as a probation officer for HM Prison & Probation Service and as a youth social worker with Camden Children & Family Services.

SESSIONS:
Jonay Foster Holkins
Senior Director, Policy & Corporate Initiatives
Business Roundtable
Connect Online with this Speaker

Jonay Foster Holkins is Senior Director of Policy for the Business Roundtable. In this role, she oversees the Roundtable’s racial equity and justice policy agenda.

Before joining the Business Roundtable, Ms. Holkins was Counsel for Congressman David N. Cicilline, where she managed the Congressman’s Judiciary Committee portfolio, including civil rights, criminal justice reform, election security, immigration, intellectual property, police reform, privacy, and technology. She advanced the Congressman’s legislative priorities by drafting and analyzing legislation, building strategic alliances, and preparing the Congressman for hearings and other public appearances. Ms. Holkins was also responsible for analyzing legislation and providing policy recommendations on issues related to health care and financial services.

Prior to moving to Capitol Hill, Ms. Holkins was a senior litigation associate at Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, where she advised and represented community health centers and other federal grantees across the country on a range of issues involving constitutional and administrative law, immigration, internal investigations, the False Claims Act, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Ms. Holkins graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Studies, and received her J.D. from the University of Arizona. During law school, she interned in White House Counsel’s Office and was an associate in the Presidential Personnel Office for President Barack Obama. She also served as a fellow with the Committee on Education and the Workforce and interned with the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. After law school, she served a two-year term as a judicial law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. She resides in Washington, D.C with her husband, Patrick, and dog, Jackson.

SESSIONS:
Mike Fenlon
Chief Future of Work Officer
PwC
Connect Online with this Speaker

Michael J. Fenlon Ph.D. (Mike) is an executive leader of organizational, workforce and cultural transformation for the digital economy. He is recognized for expertise in people and workforce strategy, building inclusive cultures, leadership and executive team development, and using HR technology to drive productivity and employee experience. He has served in US and global leadership positions, including C-suite, at PwC, one of the largest professional services firms in the world.

Currently, Mike is Chief Future of Work Officer. In this newly created role, he develops thought-leadership, shares PwC perspectives on disruption and megatrends, drives strategic leadership development and advises Fortune 500 C-suite clients on the future of work. He also leads PwC’s sponsorship and strategies for CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the largest CEO driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, comprised of 2,400+ CEOs and university presidents representing 21M employees. He served as a PwC co-sponsor for the UN HeForShe initiative on global gender equality.

Prior to that, Mike was PwC’s Chief People Officer with CHRO responsibility for PwC US and Mexico plus employee centers in India, China, Argentina, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Earlier, he was Global and US Talent Leader for the PwC network, where he drove performance management, talent acquisition, technology and brand initiatives across 157 countries.

Fast Company Magazine honored Mike as one of the 100 most creative business leaders in the world, and HR Digest named him to its “Most Influential HR Leaders Power List.” Prior to joining PwC, Mike was a faculty member on the Columbia Business School executive education team that was ranked by The Financial Times as #1 in the world. As Associate Dean, he led top-ranked executive MBA programs in New York, EMBA Global with the London Business School, and an EMBA partnership with Berkeley-Haas.

Mike earned a PH.D and masters degrees from Columbia University, and a BA at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Mike lives in New York with his wife, four children, and the Labrador retrievers they raise for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
 

SESSIONS:
Sara Taylor
President and Founder
deepSEE Consulting
Connect Online with this Speaker

Sara Taylor, President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting, has 35 years of extensive experience, nationally recognized as in the practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion serving local, national and global clients. While her areas of specialty are in both Diversity and Leadership Development, Sara has become a thought leader particularly in the field of Cultural Competence. Her bestselling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, is used by numerous individuals and organizations to increase success and create greater effectiveness. Sara holds a Master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development and, prior to founding deepSEE, held positions such as Chief Diversity Officer and Leadership and Diversity Specialist.

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 - 11:40am to 11:55am
Michael Bach
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/His
CEO
Future of IDEA, LLC
Connect Online with this Speaker

Michael Bach is a nationally and internationally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert in the fields of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA). He has worked globally in the IDEA field, including as the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for KPMG International. He is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), CCDI Consulting and Pride at Work Canada.

He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning books Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right and Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work.

SESSIONS:
Scott Warrick
President
Scott Warrick Consulting & Employment Law Services
Connect Online with this Speaker

Scott Warrick  (www.scottwarrick.com) is an Employment Law Attorney, HR Professional, and best-selling author with 40 years of hands-on experience.  Scott uses his unique background to help organizations get where they want to go, which includes coaching and training managers and employees on-site in his own unique, practical, and entertaining style.  

Scott's best-selling books include: Solve Employee Problems Before They Start, Living The Five Skills of Tolerance, and Healing The Human Brain, which is an International Best Seller.  

Scott travels the country presenting on such topics as Emotional Intelligence, Resolving conflict, Harassment & Bullying, Tolerance, and Healing the Human Brain. 

 

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 - 8:35am to 8:50am