Gene has spent the last 20 years working in HR Technology including learning, applicant tracking, performance management, recognition and collaboration.

Diane Strohfus has been leading and scaling organizations for the last 20 years with an approach of creating purpose-built strategies that enable and align people to drive business results. In her role as CHRO of BetterWorks Diane sits at the intersection of HR strategy and technology, and is responsible for scaling the company through innovative people practices while simultaneously working closely with the product team to influence and evolve the companies product offerings.

Prior to joining BetterWorks, Diane was Head of HR at 8x8 and held various HR leadership positions at Cisco, and holds a B.A. in Business from Northern State University and a MBA from Golden Gate University.

Drew Brees is the 2009 Super Bowl MVP---winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. A native of Austin, TX, Brees attended Westlake High School and lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and as a senior in 1996 led his football team to a perfect 16---0 record and the 5A State Championship while garnering 5A Offensive Player of the Year honors. He attended Purdue University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Management from the prestigious Krannert School of Management while lettering in football from 1997---2000. A two---time Heisman finalist, Brees led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl appearance during the 2000 season. In that same year, he won the Maxwell Award as the nation's top collegiate player as well as being named Academic All---American Player of the Year and was a recipient of the National Football Foundation's post---graduate scholarship. In Brees' five years with the San Diego Chargers and eleven years with the New Orleans Saints, he has been elected to 12 Pro Bowls while being named 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, 2006 All---Pro Team, 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, 2008 and 2011 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl XLIV Champion and MVP.

As much pride as Brees takes in his on---field performance, he takes even more pride in his community service endeavors. Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then have contributed over $33,000,000 to help improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provide care, education and opportunities for children and families in need. Brees has also proudly participated in five USO trips visiting Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Turkey, Djibouti, Dubai, Okinawa, and Guantanamo Bay.

Drew currently lives with his wife Brittany and children Baylen, Bowen, Callen and Rylen in New Orleans, LA.

J

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Jarik Conrad, EdD, SPHR, SHRM-CSP, NACD.DC, is vice president of the Human Insights team at UKG, which consists of former HR practitioners, business leaders, and consultants who are distinguished experts in the HCM field and uniquely qualified to help leadership teams reach their organizational goals. With an acute pulse on industry trends, best practices, and technological innovations, Jarik and his team serve as liaisons, trusted advisors, and thought leaders who help to shape HR industry conversations and direction. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Workforce Institute at UKG. 

Prior to UKG, Dr. Conrad spent more than 20 years in HR leadership roles in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He is a sought-after speaker on employee health and wellness, the future of work, emotional intelligence, and workplace diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEI&B), and has been recognized as one of the world’s top “people practitioners” as well as a “Top HR Influencer.” 
 
Dr. Conrad is the author of the bestselling books, “The Fragile Mind: How it Has Produced and Unwittingly Perpetrates America’s Tragic Disparities,” and, “In Search of Humanity: Why We Fight, How to Stop, and the Role Business Must Play.” 
 
Dr. Conrad, who grew up in public housing in East St. Louis, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, two master’s degrees from Cornell University, and a Doctor of Education from the University of North Florida.