Zig Serafin is the Chief Executive Officer of Qualtrics. Zig helped Qualtrics create and become the leader of the experience management category, with the launch of the Qualtrics Experience Management Platform,  changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of business—customer, employee, product and brand. He has led the rapid growth of Qualtrics to over 16,750 customers, and he led the team that took Qualtrics public under the ticker symbol ‘XM’ with an IPO valuation of $15B. Previously, he was a leader in SAP’s 2019 acquisition of Qualtrics for $8B, at the time the largest private enterprise software acquisition ever. Zig sits on the board of Qualtrics and the board of Moody’s.

Zig joined Qualtrics as Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and was previously Corporate Vice President at Microsoft and led its multi-billion-dollar enterprise collaboration services business that became Microsoft Teams.

In his 17-year career at Microsoft, Zig served as Corporate Vice President of program management and design for Microsoft's services in anticipatory computing, speech/audio/vision processing, location/language understanding, and geospatial data, leading the teams that developed Microsoft's artificial intelligence platform.

Steve will be the first to tell you that recruiting is marketing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance at Brigham Young University and started his career in recruiting in Feb 2005. In 2008, he took a risk during a recession to help start a new company with Ryan Kohler, called ApplicantPro, a full suite HR platform for small to mid-sized businesses. With 11,000 clients and close to 300 employees, ApplicantPro has made the Inc 5000 list 11 years in a row, Top Places to work in Utah 3 years in a row. ApplicantPro was also named an Indeed Platinum Partner in 2023, one of five companies in the country to receive this designation. Steve is SHRM-CP and PHR certified, and currently volunteers on the Utah SHRM State Council as the immediate past State Executive Director. His book, The Hiring Tree: Laws of Applicant Attraction, was released in early 2023, and has helped thousands of organizations across the country rethink the way they approach hiring. If you need help understanding the principles and role of SEO, marketing, and AI when it comes to attracting job seekers, Steve provides a solid framework for hiring.

Niki has served the education and non-profit world for the past 20 years teaching, training, and offering professional development to educators and non-profit staff.

For over 10 years, Niki has worked with Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) at the state and local level. She began her journey in the classroom working with high school youth, to leading staff as a Regional Director, to then creating a training and professional development process for all incoming JAG Specialists (educators) across Kansas. Niki’s work led her to the JAG National team where she co-developed a learner-centered approach to support young people obtaining employability skills.

Since 2020, she has led in JAG’s Development department, starting as Director of Partnerships, bridging relationships between JAG National’s employer partners and its 39 state affiliates. After evolving in this position, Niki moved into her current role as Director of Corporate Development where she oversees all private sector relationships, both current and future, working closely with JAG’s EVP & Chief Operating Officer on all fundraising efforts and developing strategies to expand its portfolio. Current corporate partner relationships include Hilton, SHRM, Honeywell, Lowe’s, Nike, IHG, Regions Bank, Synchrony Financial, Principal Foundation, AT&T, and ADM to name a few.

Niki received her Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics in Organization Development and her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership from Friends University.

Outside of JAG, Niki is an adjunct instructor at Wichita State University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She enjoys traveling, exploring new Vegan cuisines, and spending time with family that includes her husband and adult children.

Lauryn Howard is the National Career Association Secretary. Lauryn is a senior at Little Rock Southwest High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The 2021-2022 school year was Lauryn’s first year in JAG which helped her develop a plan for her future career. She plans to attend Duke or Washington University and study Biomedical research to learn how viral infections, diseases, and hereditary/genetic afflictions react in and affect the human body and the methods in which to cure or treat said afflictions. Currently, Lauryn works at Zumiez, a clothing store for skating apparel and footwear. 

Robyn Hopper is a SHRM-CP with 24+ years of experience in the human resources field.  She obtained a BA, in Integrative Studies with a specialty in Social Work from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.  She has worked in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, for profit and nonprofit along with large and small employers.  Her experience also includes training HR professionals and supervisors in a variety of programs including FMLA; ADA; Recruitment; Terminations; FLSA; Reasonable Accommodation; and much more. 

Robyn has been a Knowledge Advisor for over 2 years and loves working for SHRM.  She says that this is the best company she has ever worked for with the hardest job she has ever had but wouldn’t change that for anything.  What she loves most about being an HR Advisor is helping members every day!