Shirley is Lead Professor HR & Workforce Readiness at Central Carolina Community College, and a member of the SHRM Membership Advisory Council (MAC). 

Jason Sutheimer, SHRM-SCP is Director of HumanResources for the ND Department of Environmental Quality, and a member of the SHRM Membership Advisory Council (MAC). 

Louis Lessig is a Partner at Brown & Connery, LLP, and a Member of the SHRM Membership Advisory Council (MAC). 

Heather Merrick, SHRM-SCP, is the Members and Community Director for SHRM's North Central Region. 

Mary Helen Beard graduated from the Vanderbilt School of Law where she was a founding member and editor of The Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice.  The cited decision of Johnson v. Metro Davidson County School System, 108 F. Supp. 2d 906 (M.D. 2000) is a result of her work in the Vanderbilt Legal Clinic. Ms. Beard began her legal career with the former Weintraub & Stock, P.C. (now Fisher Phillips) and later became an associate attorney at FordHarrison.  She held the positions of Senior Attorney/Employment Litigation with FedEx Express Corporation and Senior Counsel/Labor and Employment with FedEx Corporation, being a business partner and counsel to the most senior executives at the parent company as well as three corporate subsidiaries.  Ms. Beard was the  Senior HR Counsel for HCA Healthcare, where she advised the Chief Human Resources Officer and her senior executive team.  Mary then served as Senior Technology Counsel with HCA Healthcare, excited to merge her over two decades of labor and employment with knowledge of the ever-evolving Technology and Artificial Intelligence legal landscape.  Mary is currently the inaugural Vice-President of Employment and Litigation at Ardent Health where she he will partner with human resources teams and department leaders to provide legal guidance, advise on the development of system policies and procedures, and review and negotiate various legal transactions.

Whether as outside counsel and corporate counsel, Mary has placed a specific emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion within the corporate ranks. Mary recently earned recognition at the Nashville Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity Awards in the Outstanding Community Voice category. This inaugural Leaders in Diversity class is made up of individuals and companies who are leading the charge to advance diversity and inclusion practices within the Nashville Business Community. Mary was also awarded Nashville Business Journal Best of the Bar Award, being recognized by her fellow lawyers in Nashville for her contributions to her clients and the legal profession.

Committed to making a positive impact in her community, Mary has shared her many talents and leadership expertise with countless professional, civic, and charitable organizations. Mary served as the Tennessee Bar Association Inaugural Chief Diversity Officer. She is also a former co-chair of its’ Labor and Employment Executive Council and the Racial and Ethnic Diversity Committee.  She is a Past President of the Napier-Looby Bar Association and the Ben F. Jones Bar Association, both of which are affiliate chapters of the National Bar Association. She is a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Association, Memphis Bar Association and Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Ms. Beard is a former chair and co-chair of the Tennessee Judicial Nominating Commission.  Additionally, Mary serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sexual Assault Center. She serves as a deacon and trustee for Watson Grove Baptist Church. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and The Parthenon (TN) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. She is an Athena Traditional Award Nominee.

She was awarded the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 Award. She received the Presidential Award from the National Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association.  She has received the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

In her spare time, Mary immensely enjoys  domestic and international travel,  interior decorating, reading, exercising,  community service, and serving as an armchair coach and quarterback for the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.