Douglas J. Nicholls is the 27th Mayor of the City of Yuma, Arizona. He began his second four-year term as Mayor in January 2018. Mayor Nicholls is committed to the Yuma community through his core belief that quality communities provide opportunities to success to all residents through quality jobs, superior education and robust quality of life.

Mayor Nicholls spearheads many efforts to enhance and grow the Yuma community, including serving as the Founder and Chairman of 4FrontED’s Governing Board. The 4FrontED effort is an economic development-focused governing board of regional mayors from the region that includes states near the U.S.-Mexico border. Together, they work collaboratively to maximize impact at the global forefront, representing a population of more than one million people.

His vision to enhance accessibility to higher education culminates in plans for the Yuma Multiversity Campus (YMC). Mayor Nicholls currently serves as Chairman of the YMC’s Governing Board which includes multi-disciplinary industry leaders from throughout the community who are working to develop a centralized campus in Yuma. The YMC will offer baccalaureate programs in full, utilizing the academic programs and specialties offered by the state universities and local community colleges.

Mayor Nicholls was appointed to the Military Affairs Committee by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. He serves as Treasurer of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns’ Executive Committee. In 2019, he was inducted into the Arizona State University (ASU) Academy of Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame for the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.

Mayor Nicholls was raised in Yuma, Ariz., and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from ASU, before continuing post-baccalaureate studies in transportation engineering. In addition to his role as Mayor of Yuma, he is President/Owner of Core Engineering Group, an active Rotarian, a deacon at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, and a dedicated husband and father. Mayor Nicholls is married to Danette, his high school sweet heart, and the two have four children.

Responsible for the design and execution of the people strategy of more than 230,000 associates, with the main focus in supporting business continuity and making Walmart the best place to be, grow and belong, leading the company transformation from the HR view within an agile framework. In 2020, Eduardo joined Walmart Foundation Board of Directors (Mexico & USA) and BIG Group Board of Directors (Brazil).

Prior to joining Walmart, Eduardo was the CHRO for PepsiCo and an active member of the PepsiCo LATAM leadership and transformation council, with a focus on strategy of organizational development, culture and talent management. Responsible for cultural transformation in projects such as the integration of Gamesa and Sabritas.

Eduardo has a history of more than 35 years in Human Resources in various companies and has obtained several awards such as: Top 10 CHRO´s during the last three years (Executive World) and HR Executive (AMEDIRH). Additionally, he has participated as a speaker in national and international forums, including: RH ERIAC World Forum (2018), Marcus Evans Latin Summit (2018) and AMEDIRH World Forum (2017).

Eduardo is an industrial engineer from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon and has an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources and Productivity from the same institution.
Eduardo is the current president of NAHRMA (North America Human Resource Management Association) and was president of AMEDIRH from 2015 to 2016. Additionally, he is an active member of the board of Talent and Culture in the TEC of Monterrey, and former board member of companies such as Naranya, Endeavor and Intelexion.

Kelly Meerbott is a passionate advocate, ally and activist for diversity, equity and inclusion. In 2009, at the height of the recession, Ms. Meerbott found herself caught up in a round of 30,000 layoffs - a defining moment in her career. As Kelly explored what was next, she hired a coach who subsequently changed her life. The support and guidance of a personal coach helped her realize her passion for helping others and desire to make it a career. More importantly, she recognized how impactful and life-changing a great coach can be. This is what inspires and motivates her to share her talents to make a difference in the world. She employs a unique coaching style that allows her to follow her intuition. Kelly quickly gets to the root of an issue and shifts the prevailing mindset to bring about positive change with her clients. Kelly is a true champion of everything that makes humans magnificent, and she works tobring out the best in everyone. She embodies and enacts the phrase: Your legacy is every life you touch.