In-person Pass

Founder of The Brave Initiative, Carol empowers audiences globally, and works with numerous Fortune 500 companies, International Associations, and individual leaders to get their brave on! She is committed to building braver workplaces - where every person brings all they are to all they do.

A dedicated mental health advocate, she’s the creator of the Brave Beyond Diagnosis community, and author of The Brave Healing Journal, a guided journey to find your brave and empower your life, one day at a time.

She’s lived in 16 countries, completed marathons and triathlons, bungee jumped in her birthday suit, and is a serious carpool karaoke-er!

A trusted advisor among Fortune 500 clients, Kenny Snarr’s knowledge and practice is backed by experience in executive and leadership training, instructional design, public speaking, board governance, sales management, and sales consulting.

As a general manager with Acumen Learning, Kenny manages client relationships spanning across the healthcare, consumer goods, manufacturing, technology, professional services, defense, retail, and education industries. A selected client list includes AbbVie, Career Builder, Coca-Cola, Family Dollar, Gartner, General Dynamics, KPMG, Lockheed Martin, Marathon Petroleum, Mars, McDonalds, Newell Brands, Northwestern Mutual, Office Depot, State Farm, ULTA Beauty, UnitedHealthCare, and Verizon.

Kenny holds an MBA with an emphasis in finance from the John M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. As an undergraduate, Kenny graduated cum laude with a B.S. degree in business management from Utah Valley University.

Outside of his efforts training clients, Kenny spends time volunteering and looking for ways to connect with others. In addition to working as an EMT and first responder in his local community, Kenny has worked with humanitarian organizations in Europe, Africa, and South America. He makes genuine connections with colleagues, friends, and students, regardless of the environment he’s in.

Kenny lives with his wife and four children in Springville, Utah.

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.

As President of AIIR Analytics, Derek Lusk, Ph.D., helps Fortune 500 organizations with executive-level succession planning and predicting leadership effectiveness in the C-suite. He’s a trusted advisor in several industries, including real estate, retail, education, financial services, chemicals, business services, and biotech. He’s also on the executive team at AIIR Consulting, a leadership consultancy specializing in coaching, leadership development, and team effectiveness. Derek is a contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today, and author of Overcoming Bad Leadership in Organizations, a book that helps leaders, talent management professionals, and psychologists improve toxic and ineffective leadership in organizations.

Amy P. Kelly, GPHR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a human resources and talent development executive who believes in people and helps them grow. She loves business, teamwork, and the people who make it all happen. Amy is the Vice President of Consulting for The Jon Gordon Companies and co-creator of The Power of a Positive Team Training Program. She is the author of G.L.U.E. A Leadership Development Strategy to Bond and Unite and co-author of The Energy Bus Field Guide A Roadmap to Fuel Your Life and Work with Positive Energy.

Attorney James P. (“Jim”) Reidy is a management-side labor and employment lawyer. He is a partner in the New England based law firm, Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green, PA, where he is the Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment group. His practice focuses on prevention, training and compliance but he also handles matters when claims arise.

He has more than 35 years of experience in the field and been a media resource on workplace law for media outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Business Magazine, Bloomberg, NPR, The Associated Press, NPR Market Place, Buzz Feed, Law 360, Inc. Magazine, The HR Power Hour, HR Breakroom, SKI Magazine and HR Magazine as well as several local/regional publications.

In 2020 Jim was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. 

Chambers USA and New England Super Lawyers have ranked Jim in the Top Tier of management-side employment lawyers for each year of the last 15 years. Best Lawyers USA named Jim the 2022 Lawyer of the Year for Labor and Employment Law (Manchester, NH) and the NH Business Review named him one of the top 200 most influential business leaders in New Hampshire.

Jim has been a presenter regularly at SHRM’s Legal and Legislative Conference in Washington, DC as well as SHRM’s annual conferences.

Jay has more than 30 years of experience as a tax attorney specializing in employee benefits.  Prior to joining World, Jay was a Sr. VP and Senior ERISA Attorney with Lockton was previously the national practice leader for the legal and research team at WT.W

Jay served as a Peace Corps volunteer and business consultant from 1979 to 1982. 

He has an LL.M.  in taxation from New York University School of Law, J.D. with distinction from the University of Arizona College of Law and a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis.  Jay is the former Chair of the American Benefits Council, an adjunct professor of employee benefits in the LL.M. program at Washington University School of Law.

Paul Falcone (PaulFalconeHR.com) is principal of Paul Falcone Workplace Leadership Consulting, LLC, specializing in management & leadership training, executive coaching, international keynote speaking, and HR advisory services. He is the former CHRO of Nickelodeon Animation and has held senior-level HR positions with Paramount Pictures, Time Warner, and City of Hope. He has extensive experience in entertainment, healthcare/biotech, and financial services, including in international, nonprofit, and union environments.

Paul is a long-term columnist for SHRM, a certified executive coach, a board member of the American Management Association, and a bestselling author of 17 books published by HarperCollins Leadership, the American Management Association, and SHRM.

Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.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.