In-person Pass

Jay Polaki, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, is a global HR technology innovator and thought leader in HR digital transformation, future of work, ethical AI in HR, talent selection and assessment systems, and employee experience. She brings her experiential learning and insights to her keynotes and regularly contributes to Forbes, HRD, and other global HR publications. Meeting the challenges of people right where they are, taking the people-first approach, and providing transformational workplace technology solutions is why Jay loves working in the People function. As the founder & CEO of HR Geckos, a digital HR operations platform powered by an AI chatbot, Jay's mission is to transform employee experiences in the hybrid workplace so that people and organizations thrive. Making HR as agile as a gecko is Jay's motto! Jay lives in the Washington DC Metro Area, reads Agatha Christie, grows tomatoes and roses in her verdant garden, swaps HR tech stories with global HR leaders on her podcast HR Bytes, solves puzzles and crosswords, and loves training her chatbot, HR GeckoBot, with her little nephews.

Aradhya Srivastava is a product and technology thought leader with extensive experience and expertise in leading people/HR technology products from inception to shipping. He is currently working at Intuit and playing a leading role in HR technology programs with a focus on total rewards and shared services. Aradhya has worked with global companies such as Levi Strauss Co. ,ESRI , Capgemini and Accenture, where he successfully delivered an Enterprise Technology portfolio of multi-million-dollar programs for several years. He loves working on new products and complex business problems to provide simple, delightful, and scalable solutions that create exceptional customer, employee, and shareholder experiences. He is a turnaround and transformation expert who specializes in bringing structure to chaotic functions/programs and leading product-enabled transformation.

Aradhya has a dual passion for people and technology, and HR tech is a blend of the two. He is passionate about improving the 'technology experience' at large corporations so that all employees have the same flawless experience when interacting with all technology touchpoints at work as they do with consumer technology.

.

Jessica Miller-Merrell is the Founder of Workology, a workplace resource for HR, recruiting professionals and business leaders, and host of the Workology Podcast. The site has been listed twice as a top 75 career resource by Forbes. Jessica is the president and CEO of Xceptional HR, a human capital strategy and consulting agency. Because of her industry expertise and knowledge, Jessica’s expertise is sought after and sourced by publications and media including: The Economist, Forbes, CIO Magazine, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, and SHRM’s HR Magazine. Her new book, Digitizing Talent: Creative Strategies for the Digital Recruiting Age was published in 2023 by SHRM.

Dave is a nationally recognized trainer, facilitator and speaker. He is the founder and CEO of Oak and Reeds, which offers practical business training to clients including CBRE, PayPal, the Kellogg School of Management, and more.
Prior to starting Oak and Reeds, Dave was a Strategic Consultant at AECOM Strategy Plus, where he developed workplace strategy, change management and virtual collaboration services for government, technology and university clients.
Dave is also an accomplished improvisor. Along with his teammates, he won the National Collegiate Improv Tournament, has headlined shows and festivals across the country, and coached hundreds of people in the art of improvised comedy.
Dave graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Communications and currently resides in Castro Valley, CA with his wife and two cats.

 

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

Brian Westfall is a Principal Analyst at Capterra specializing in human resources and talent management, with a focus on helping small and midsized businesses get the most out of their HR technology. His research on the intersection of talent and technology has been featured in Bloomberg, Fortune, SHRM, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.

Kiki Orski, author of the newly released book “Smash the Silos: A surprisingly easy way to enhance collaboration, boost productivity and improve organizational results” is an experienced Performance Improvement Consultant with over 20 years of coaching and training leaders to achieve exceptional results.    Kiki coaches leaders on how to work more effectively and transform business practice with their leadership teams, employees and clients to improve productivity, engagement and ultimately profits.   Her company, Peak Performance Consulting is dedicated to helping organizations achieve exceptional performance at every level, starting at the top!

Jennifer McClure is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and high-performance coach who works with leaders to leverage their influence, increase their impact, and accelerate results.

Frequently recognized as a global influencer and expert on the future of work, strategic leadership and innovative people strategies, Jennifer has decades of in-the-trenches leadership and executive experience working in and with startups, privately held companies, and Fortune 500 organizations in a variety of industries.

As a top-rated keynote speaker, Jennifer has shared her insights with thousands of leaders at conferences and corporate events around the world. Clients include Procter & Gamble, General Electric, IBM, SAP, Bloomberg, Charles Schwab, Stryker, LinkedIn, Notre Dame University, Society for Human Resource Management, Association for Legal Administrators, and Association for Talent Development.

In her informative and entertaining keynote programs and workshops, she shares a blend of research, best practices, case studies and storytelling which leaves audience members inspired and motivated to take action when they return to work.

Jennifer is also the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, a global community designed to move the collective thinking forward when it comes to talent in the workplace, and she hosts a weekly podcast – Impact Makers with Jennifer McClure – sharing conversations with practitioners, entrepreneurs, authors and speakers who are changing the world while building careers that they love, and lives that matter.

With 15+ years of experience in developing talent at scale across various industries, I have a proven track record of creating robust talent pipelines. My expertise ranges from developing talent for world-famous brands to portfolio holding companies, covering industries such as banking, telecommunications, energy, and food service. Growing up with a blue-collar work ethic and a passion for both the arts and business has given me a unique combination of creativity, work ethic, and business savvy. Leveraging technology to enable organizations, upskilling current workforces, training-as-recruiting, and growing future leaders are my specialty.