In-person Pass

Jessica Jensen is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Indeed. She is responsible for brand, communication, product and acquisition marketing globally.  Before joining Indeed, Jessica was CMO at OpenTable. Prior to OpenTable, she led B2B marketing for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and other Meta platforms. She has held leadership roles at Apple and Yahoo! and started her professional career at the Boston Consulting Group. Jessica holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Masters in International Relations from University of California San Diego and a B.A. from Amherst College.

Svenja Gudell. Ph.D. is Chief Economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Business Economics. Prior to joining Indeed, Svenja was Chief Economist at Zillow Group. Previously, Svenja worked on economic, financial and strategic consulting for Analysis Group, and was an assistant economist in the research group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Svenja has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Rochester, a master’s degree in economics from New York University, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Rochester.

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.

Al Roker is the weather and feature anchor of NBC News’ TODAY as well as the co-host of third hour of TODAY. He joined in January 1996.

From July 2009 to September 2015, Roker served as co-host of the morning show “Wake Up with Al” on the Weather Channel.  Until January 2000, he also served as the weekday weather forecaster for News Channel 4’s early evening newscast Live at 5 on WNBC-TV, NBC’s flagship owned and operated station in New York City.

Roker came to WNBC-TV as a weekend weathercaster in December 1983 from WKYC-TV, the NBC television station in Cleveland. Roker began his broadcasting career while still in college by landing a job as a weekend weatherman at WTVH-TV in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1974. After graduation he moved on to weathercasting jobs in Washington, D.C. (1976-1978) and Cleveland (1978-1983).

Roker has been named Best Weatherman twice by New York Magazine. He is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious Seal of Approval and has been a pioneer in the use of computer graphics for weathercasting. Roker has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of TODAY’s recognition as the best morning newscast (2007, 2009, 2010).

Roker also co-hosts Sirius XM’s “Off the Rails” with Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones and hosts “Cold Cuts with Al Roker” on Today.com and YouTube. He made his Broadway stage debut in “Waitress” in October 2018 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City, playing the part of Old Joe.

In November 2014, Roker made history on TODAY for “Rokerthon,” in which he broke the Guinness World Record for the Longest Uninterrupted Live Weather Report Broadcast by providing 34 hours of continuous weather coverage. The following year in October 2015, “Rokerthon 2” broke the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Time to Report a Weather Forecast from All 50 US States and the District of Colombia, which he completed in one week. In March 2017 for “Rokerthon 3,” Roker visited five colleges across the country in five days and helped college students break additional Guinness World Records. In August 2020 for “Rokerthon 4,” Roker enlisted the help of nearly 70 renowned chefs, including Bobby Flay, Priya Krishna, Sandra Lee, Marcus Samuelsson and Andrew Zimmern, to set a new Guinness World Records record for the most people in an online sandwich-making relay.

Throughout the years, Roker has reported live for TODAY from some of history’s worst storms and natural disasters including Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Isaac, Superstorm Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti.

Among many highlights of his career as an interviewer, Roker conducted an exclusive interview with Peanuts creator Charles Shultz shortly before his death from colon cancer. Additional interview highlights include Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, James Earl Jones and B. Smith.

Since 1985, Roker has co-hosted the annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting. He also co-hosts the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade. For ten years, from 2001 to 2010, and in 2017, Roker’s “Lend a Hand Today” initiative took him across the country and raised millions to help small charities work towards improving conditions in their communities. 

In 1994, Roker founded Al Roker Entertainment, Inc. (ARE), a thriving multimedia company involved in the development and production of network, cable, home video, and public television projects.  ARE produces programming for a diverse clientele including NBC News, Lifetime Television, A&E, The History Channel, E!, Discovery Networks, PBS, TV ONE, Oxygen, The Cartoon Network and NBC Television Stations Group.

Roker is a bestselling author with 13 acclaimed books to his credit: “The Morning Show Murders”, “The Midnight Show Murders”, “The Talk Show Murders”, “Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue”, “Don’t Make Me Stop This Car: Adventures in Fatherhood”, “Al Roker’s Hassle Free Holiday Cookbook”, “Never Goin' Back : Winning the Weight Loss Battle for Good”, “Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood”, “Been There Done That: Family Wisdom For Modern Times”, “The Storm of the Century”, “Al Roker's Extreme Weather,” “Ruthless Tide,” and “You Look So Much Better in Person.”

Roker is a member of several professional organizations including the Friars Club, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Meteorological Society.

Raised in Queens, New York, Roker received his B.A. in Communications from the State University at Oswego in 1976, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the school in 1998. He resides in Manhattan with his wife, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts. Roker has two daughters and one son.

Follow Al on Twitter and Instagram: @alroker
 

Betty Thompson is Booz Allen Hamilton’s Senior Executive Advisor. Ms. Thompson joined the firm in 2008, bringing more than 20 years of experience directing human capital strategy and human resource functions for large corporations. As the head of people services, Ms. Thompson ensures that the company has the best-in-class talent to solve their clients’ evolving needs. She is also instrumental in a creating a world-class employment experience for all staff. In addition to leading the day-to-day human resources functions, Ms. Thompson is a driving force behind the firm’s people strategy. Designed to enable key business imperatives, her people strategy focuses on workforce planning, talent management, critical skills and expertise, and employee engagement. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Thompson most recently served as Vice President of Human Resources for Fannie Mae. There she was responsible for all aspects of human resources management and operations. Ms. Thompson led company-wide organizational redesign and staffing efforts, as well as initiatives to improve productivity and reduce costs. She was also responsible for developing the company's people strategy to increase the performance, utilization, and engagement of Fannie Mae's workforce. Prior to her tenure at Fannie Mae, Ms. Thompson also held several human resource leadership roles with IBM, after holding key line positions in marketing and customer service operations. Ms. Thompson holds a master’s in human resources and personnel management from American University in Washington, DC.

Jeanne Morris started her SHRM journey over 30 years ago, advancing from roles in accounting to HR strategy and was recently appointed to SVP, Consumer Products.  Jeanne provides leadership and oversight of the design, development, and execution of all consumer products and certification operations businesses. This includes certification preparation, seminars, specialty credentials, eLearning, the People Manager Qualification (PMQ) and credentialing operations. Jeanne and her team are passionate about providing professionals with the tools and knowledge to elevate performance in their workplaces, build resilient teams, and cultivate positive and flourishing cultures.

Keren Maldonado joined SHRM two years ago after an exciting career focused on international markets including Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.  Keren has lived stateside in Miami, and as a two-time expatriate, she has lived abroad in Antwerp, Belgium, and London. Throughout her career, she has led different regional teams in building compensation and benefits programs on a regional and global scale. She has also adapted frameworks for local regulations and culture and driven change to improve employee work experience. Now, Keren is leading the evolution of the SHRM employee rewards experience by remodeling SHRM’s programs for the diversified talent that strengthens the organization.