Suzanne Ness
President
Forward Effect Coaching
Connect Online with this Speaker

Suzanne is the President and Co-founder of Forward Effect Coaching, and a nationally recognized Trainer, Speaker, and Coach. She has led sessions in a variety of organizations throughout North America. As an ICF certified coach with a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management, she continues to train, coach, and empower workforces and organizations, specializing in all aspects of communication, leadership development and team building. She currently serves as a representative in the IL General Assembly.  She is married, has 3 adult children and a granddaughter, and lives in Crystal Lake IL.

SESSIONS:
Stuart Chittenden
founder & principal
Squishtalks
Connect Online with this Speaker

Born in sight of England’s Canterbury Cathedral, Stuart has called the Midwest home since 2004. Stuart believes that conversation helps us to live better and work well in our organizations and our communities. Stuart founded the conversation catalyst Squishtalks in 2010, working with Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits, leveraging the power of conversation to unlock the capacity of human relationships and spark innovation and performance. Previously, Stuart was a UK lawyer and a partner at a branding agency. He is a member of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development with Master’s level accreditation in Organizational Learning & Development. 

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 - 11:15am to 12:15pm
Jennifer Lee
Director of Learning and Development
JB Training Solutions
Connect Online with this Speaker

Jennifer Lee is an experienced keynote speaker, engaging educator, and talented facilitator. Jennifer has over 15 years of learning and development experience with a robust background in luxury hospitality, human resources, and training. As the former Learning and Development Director at the AAA Five Diamond-rated Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the former Learning Manager at The Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, Jennifer brings a rich perspective in leadership, management, service, hospitality and presentation skills training. When she’s not presenting, Jennifer can be found checking items off her bucket list, which still includes attending the Oscars at least once in her lifetime.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 2:00pm to 3:00pm
David Lewis
founder, president and CEO
OperationsInc.
Connect Online with this Speaker

David Lewis is the founder, president, and CEO of OperationsInc, one of the nation’s largest human resources consulting firms. OperationsInc has grown steadily since its inception in 2001, and now engages a team of over 90 professionals providing HR, Payroll, Training, and Recruiting support to a base of over 1,600 clients. David is leveraging a 30-plus year career in human resources and operational management for leading firms including Merck/Medco and Computer Associates. He serves as an on-air subject matter expert in the areas of human resources, workplace management, and small business issues for MSNBC, FOX, CBS Radio and NPR, and regularly appears in national publications like The New York Times, Inc., and The Wall Street Journal.

SESSIONS:
Johnny Campbell
Co-Founder and CEO
Social Talent
Connect Online with this Speaker

Johnny Campbell is a serial disrupter in the world of hiring. As founder and CEO of SocialTalent, the world’s leading hiring skills platform, he works with some of the largest enterprises in the world (such as Intel, IBM and Ikea) to drive hiring excellence in their organizations. Hiring, for Johnny isn't just about finding and hiring great talent, it must include on-boarding and fully engaging new hires for it to be considered truly successful. He has presented these concepts at some of the world’s biggest hiring conferences across the world. His dedication is matched only by his enthusiasm, making him one of the most sought after speakers on the topics of hiring and talent. 

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 - 11:15am to 12:15pm
Glen E. Kraemer, Esq.
Partner
Hirschfeld Kraemer, LLP
Connect Online with this Speaker

Glen  E. Kraemer, a founding and managing partner of the employment law boutique firm Hirschfeld Kraemer LLP, is nationally recognized for his “best practices” training programs relating to workplace harassment, bullying, violence prevention, and investigations.  From 2005 – 2021 Glen has been voted a California employment “Super Lawyer,” and in 2020 and 2021 ranked by Chambers USA as a top Labor & Employment Law attorney.  Named by Lawdragon as one of 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, he has also received the “Elite Boutique Trailblazer” award from the National Law Journal, and garnered “Top Speaker” recognition for each of his SHRM Annual Conference presentations from 2009 - 2019.

SESSIONS:
Karlyn Borysenko
Principal
Zen Workplace
Connect Online with this Speaker

Dr. Karlyn Borysenko is the force behind Zen Workplace. An organizational psychologist and executive/performance coach, she is a leader in integrating mindfulness strategies at work to increase productivity and creativity, reduce stress, and create better work experiences. Her practice is based in the greater Boston area and serves clients all over the world. She holds an MBA and a PhD in Psychology, is an experienced trainer and facilitator, coach, and award-winning speaker. Karlyn is a contributor to Forbes.com and the author of Zen Your Work: Create your ideal work experience through mindful self-mastery.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 - 11:15am to 12:15pm
Bob Kelleher
CEO
The Employee Engagement Group
Connect Online with this Speaker

Bob Kelleher is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and consultant on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends. Bob is the author of the bestselling book, LOUDER THAN WORDS: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results, CREATIVESHIP, A Novel for Evolving Leaders, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT for Dummies, and I-Engage, Your Personal Engagement Roadmap.   

Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS, NBC News, Business Week, Forbes, and Fortune, and has presented to many of the world’s top companies

Bob is also the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global survey, products, assessment, consulting firm.  

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Bob Kelleher
CEO
The Employee Engagement Group
Connect Online with this Speaker

Bob Kelleher is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and consultant on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends. Bob is the author of the bestselling book, LOUDER THAN WORDS: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results, CREATIVESHIP, A Novel for Evolving Leaders, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT for Dummies, and I-Engage, Your Personal Engagement Roadmap.   

Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS, NBC News, Business Week, Forbes, and Fortune, and has presented to many of the world’s top companies

Bob is also the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global survey, products, assessment, consulting firm.  

SESSIONS:
Jennifer Currence, SHRM-SCP, MBA
Senior Partner
HR Soul
Connect Online with this Speaker

Jennifer Currence is a Senior Partner of HR Soul consultancy firm in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through strategic HR solutions, customized training, and coaching programs for organizational and HR leaders. She is the creator of The SOTO Approach to Leadership and the content architect for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) international People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer is regularly published and featured in industry magazines, webinars, and podcasts, and is the author of three HR books on behavioral business competencies.

Jennifer was named one of the top 100 Influential HR professionals in Leadership and Development in 2023 and Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year in 2017.  She is a faculty member for SHRM and a former management professor at the University of Tampa.

SESSIONS: