My name is Jenya Raytses, and I began my fine art education from early childhood in the former Soviet Union, having gone through a rather traditional, and technical training in artistic development.

I continued my studies over the course of many years in the United States, earning degrees from Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and the Hofstra University of New York, where I got my MSFAE. Along with a lifelong practice of traditional studio arts in every medium, I possess a degree in graphic design.

I'm excited to be a part of the Krafty Lab team and share my love of arts through its fun and dynamic virtual program!

Hi, I’m Nini – Bucket Lister, iConnector & Pancake Enthusiast!

I love to talk (…a lot), adventuring around the world, and connecting people in a meaningful way.

After living my own adventurous Bucket List year (including touching hands with the Dalai Lama and hitchhiking Nicaragua in a toilet paper truck), I figured out two things.

All that is ever between who we are and who we want to be is (not rocket science but): Taking action.

The quality of our relationships defines the quality of our lives.

So I made my passion my purpose by inspiring others to do the same. That's why I am now living the coconut-slurping dream as a remote Bucket List coach & connection card game creator…while I’m still figuring out how to monetize my pancake passion.

I strongly believe that when people thrive, organizations thrive! That’s why my big vision is to help team members of remote work teams to feel more fulfilment from the inside to eventually perform better at their work - and every area of their lives. How? By creating a positive “Bucket List” corporate culture across borders & making connections stronger than Wi-Fi.

When I’m not creating other people’s Bucket Lists, you can find me ticking off my own...or catching waves on my surfboard at the Bali beaches.

Jeff Wald is a serial entrepreneur, Board Member, Best Selling author, Keynote speaker and investor. His latest company Boomerang Intelligence, an employee lifecycle management platform, was founded in June 2023.

Jeff is also co-founder and Chairman of five other technology startups, Bento Engine (toolkit for financial advisers), Independetly.ai (compliance solutions for independent workers), Heist (short form audio network), Memory Lane (digital story telling to power an AI avatar) and Sonero (AI tool that provides summaries and action items from meetings (sold to MediaFly in December of 2022)). Jeff’s previous company, Work Market, an enterprise software platform that enables companies to manage freelancers was acquired by ADP in 2018, where he served on the Senior Leadership Team until 2020.

Mr. Wald has founded several other technology companies, including Spinback, a social sharing platform (purchased by Salesforce). He began his career in finance, serving as Managing Director at activist hedge fund Barington Capital Group, a Vice President at venture capital firm GlenRock and various roles in the M&A Group at JP Morgan.

Jeff has served on numerous public and private Boards of Directors including Steel Connect (NASDAQ: STCN), Register.com (NASDAQ: WEB), Costar Technologies (OTC: CSTI) and venture backed TransfrVR. Mr. Wald serves as an adviser to several companies and entities including the X-Prize’s Rapid Reskilling Initiative.

Jeff is the author of the #1 Amazon Best Seller, The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations and The Birthday Rules: A Fun and Flexible Framework for Raising Children in a Technology Enabled World.

Jeff frequently speaks at conferences and in media on startups and the future of work. Mr. Wald was named several times as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Staffing by the Staffing Industry Analysts. He is a producer of the Tony Award winning Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and the full length feature film, Inez & Doug & Kira, which won Best Picture at several film festivals.

Jeff formerly served as an officer in the Auxiliary Unit of the New York Police Department. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and MENSA.

Jeff holds an MBA from Harvard University and an MS and BS from Cornell University.

Ms. Kimberly Nguyen is the newest member of SHRM's J-1 Exchange Visitor Program team. As Senior Coordinator and Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO), she works to support the needs of the intern and trainee programs. Ms. Nguyen comes to SHRM with 4 years of experience in international exchange and program administration. She previously administered the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to hundreds of participants across multiple time zones and professional disciplines. Prior to this, she completed a fellowship at the Business Council for International Understanding. Ms. Nguyen holds a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Delaware. She is fluent in Spanish and lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina while volunteering in the Maquinista de Savio province.

Dr. Maria Raviele is a senior program analyst and team lead for research on the Survey Analysis (SA) team in Strategic Workforce Planning. Recent research priorities include future of work and hybrid work environments, employee engagement, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Results produced by these projects help track progress on the President’s Management Agenda as well as other Federal priorities.

Dr. Raviele has a PhD in Anthropology from Michigan State University. She has over a decade of experience in applied social science research and evaluation working with non-profits, NGOs, and Fortune 500 companies.

Julia La Roche is a veteran financial journalist and current host of "The Julia La Roche Show," a podcast featuring discussions with the brightest minds in business and investing. Julia was previously an on-air correspondent for Yahoo Finance, where she was best known for her executive interviews. She's had exclusive interviews with the CEOs of Google, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, Starbucks, Salesforce, and many others. She's also had exclusive interviews with top investors, including Paul Tudor Jones, Charlie Munger, Jeffrey Gundlach, Ray Dalio, Bill Ackman, and Stephen Schwarzman. Julia's experience also includes serving as an adjunct instructor at The University of North Carolina's Hussman School of Journalism and reporting for Business Insider and CNBC.com.

Kyle M.K. is the best-selling author of The Economics of Emotion and an executive advisor known for his emotion-first approach to business. As Indeed’s Work Wellbeing Advisor, Kyle works with top brands to enrich the employee experience from Search to Exit by removing friction between employees and their best work.