James Ellis is an employer brand consultant and the host of The Talent Cast, a weekly deep-dive into the mechanics and theory of recruitment marketing and employer branding. He has worked with Target, SavATree, Aprilaire, QuEST Global, and many others to attract better talent faster.  Most recently, he transformed Groupon's employer brand, reaching Hired's list of strongest employer brands in Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Wade Larson is a workforce consultant and human resources executive with 30-years of experience in strategy, leadership enablement, and talent management. His    expertise in HR and leadership helps organizations improve structures, culture, management, and leadership to achieve their goals. As an international speaker, published author, and professor, he strives to help others achieve the best versions of themselves. Wade has worked with hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders to shift mindsets, innovate programs, and lead change that helps them do more, achieve more, and live their best lives.

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.

Brad is the Founder and CEO of JB Training Solutions. An accomplished public speaker and executive coach, Brad has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and Dr. Phil, and has been quoted in: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and USA Today. Brad is also the author of three business books including the critically acclaimed Manager 3.0: A Millennial’s Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management, which you can read in Mandarin (assuming you can read Mandarin).

Prior to creating JB, Brad spent 15 years at advertising agency Leo Burnett in Chicago. Today, Brad presents for major organizations including Eli Lilly, Securitas, Top Tier Capital Partners, and Saint Laurent. When he’s not enjoying a robust buffet, you can find Brad playing racquetball or drafting the perfect fantasy football roster. Brad is left-handed.

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.

Brad is the Founder and CEO of JB Training Solutions. An accomplished public speaker and executive coach, Brad has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and Dr. Phil, and has been quoted in: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and USA Today. Brad is also the author of three business books including the critically acclaimed Manager 3.0: A Millennial’s Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management, which you can read in Mandarin (assuming you can read Mandarin).

Prior to creating JB, Brad spent 15 years at advertising agency Leo Burnett in Chicago. Today, Brad presents for major organizations including Eli Lilly, Securitas, Top Tier Capital Partners, and Saint Laurent. When he’s not enjoying a robust buffet, you can find Brad playing racquetball or drafting the perfect fantasy football roster. Brad is left-handed.

Former U.S. Department of Justice attorney Michael Johnson has trained thousands of people on skills for detecting signs of deception and truthfulness, including presenting at dozens of conferences for human resource professionals and other busines executives.  

He has spoken at numerous conferences around the world for HR, legal, law enforcement, and other professionals.  He has provided numerous client-specific sessions for international organizations such as the United Nations (in New York, Congo, and Sierra Leone) and the World Bank, government agencies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Social Security Administration, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies such as Google and Northrup Grumman.

 As an attorney with the US Department of Justice, Michael was the lead attorney on one of DOJ’s first “pattern or practice” sexual harassment cases.  Michael has served as an expert witness in cases challenging the adequacy of employer’s investigation procedures. 

He is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School.

David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, national bestselling author of The Trust Edge, inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™, and director of one of the nation’s foremost trust studies: The Trust Outlook™. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal. David has advised leaders and delivered life-changing presentations on six continents, with audiences ranging everywhere from FedEx, Toyota and global governments to the New York Yankees and the Department of Homeland Security. Get free resources and more at www.DavidHorsager.com and www.TrustEdge.com

Valerie helps companies improve their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders.

She served in senior leadership roles at RollsRoyce Aircraft before helping to found InterActiveCorp, parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster. She then went to work for Oprah Winfrey, helping to found the Oxygen channel which was later sold to NBC Universal.

Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality, helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.