After spending more than a decade in talent management for the legal industry, Rachael founded Fringe Professional Development in 2017 with a singular goal: to help people communicate with each other more effectively at work. Today, Fringe is a full-service training and coaching company that’s dedicated to applying the science of how our brains work to its customized and progressive programming — all to help ambitious, high-achieving professionals excel in their careers. Rachael holds a certification in brain-based coaching from the NeuroLeadership Institute, as well as certificates in mediating disputes from the Harvard Law School of Executive Studies and women in leadership from Cornell University. Rachael is an active member of the Forbes Coaches Council and has had the opportunity to lead workshops for thousands of professionals and conference attendees around the globe.

Christopher Patrick is a Principal in the Denver, Colorado, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and is a member of the Firm’s Affirmative Action Compliance and OFCCP Defense Practice Group, Pay Equity Resource Group, and Corporate Diversity Counseling Group.

Christopher counsels on EEO compliance, affirmative action, pay equity, and diversity.  He also oversees the preparation of affirmative action plans, directs privileged pay analyses under state and federal laws, and defends employers in OFCCP audits. 

Robin Lawton is a highly engaging, internationally top-ranked speaker.  Rob has been guiding leaders from industry, government, healthcare and education around the world since 1985. He coined the term “customer-centered culture” in his first book, Creating a Customer-Centered Culture: Leadership in Quality, Innovation & Speed (1993).  Rob’s work to infuse strategic systems thinking, rapid transformation, and the voice of the customer into his clients’ world has resulted in many earning industry awards and customer recognition for excellence. His fourth book, Mastering Excellence: A Leader’s Guide to Aligning Strategy, Culture, Customer Experience & Measures of Success, (2017), provides an in-depth road map for transformation leaders. Find Rob at www.C3Excellence.com.

Lester S. Rosen is an attorney and Founder  of Employment Screening Resources (ESR) a service offering of ClearStar.   He is the author of, “The Safe Hiring Manual,”  (3d Edition 2017), the first comprehensive book on employment screening.  He is also a consultant, writer, expert witness and frequent presenter nationwide on safe hiring and due diligence.  He is both a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.  Mr. Rosen was the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) and served as the first co-chairman in 2004. He  received the  PBSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Robin Rosenberg, Ph.D., is CEO and Founder of Live in Their World, a company that, in part, uses virtual reality to address issues of bias and incivility in the workplace and upskill employees for respectful engagement. She is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, writes college textbooks, and has taught psychology classes at Harvard and Lesley Universities. She's combined her interest in immersive technologies with her coaching and clinical experiences to foster in employees a deeper understanding of how and why other people may feel slighted or marginalized, and how to approach such interactions differently. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology.

Dr. Christopher D. Lee is a retired HR executive having served as the CHRO for William & Mary, the Virginia Community College System, and Bates College. He is now a managing director with Storbeck Search. Chris has authored four books, including the SHRM-published Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity, and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals). He has consulted with over 100 clients in the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa on HR related topics. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps Reserves.       

Christie Engler has been a Human Resources practitioner for 20 years with a focus on small businesses. 

Christie is dedicated to advancing the HR profession.  She has spoken at various HR conferences, and she writes a blog entitled ‘Living in the Gray’ designed to inspire HR professionals.  Christie contributed to the book, ‘People Fusion’, which was published in January 2023. 

Christie is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the Keller Graduate School of Management.  She holds the SPHR and SHRM-CP certifications. 

Christie lives in the Columbus, Ohio area with her husband and two daughters.  She is a fanatic of Ohio State football and Orangetheory Fitness.

As a senior human capital management (HCM) strategy consultant for UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), Chas Fields helps organizations identify, assess, and maintain their human element, focusing specifically on how increasing employee efficiency while cultivating a differentiated employee experience can ultimately drive business success. As a change management practitioner, Fields is passionate about helping organizations deliver successful initiatives at any scale. Fields is also a host of the People Purpose Podcast of The Workforce Institute at UKG.  

As a senior manager for the  human capital management (HCM) strategy consultant group for UKG Incorporated, Teresa Smith advises business leaders and their leadership teams on how to better maximize people-centric strategies to achieve long-term success. With deep expertise in change management process and business innovation, Smith is an advocate for the unmatched value of an empowered workforce, and helps organizations more effectively attract prospective employees, engage existing employees, and holistically develop and manage an exceptional employee experience.