In-person Pass

Karith Foster is a Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Expert and creator of the groundbreaking INVERSITY™ methodology and other signature programs. She is creating a seismic shift in diversity and culture change in academic institutions, organizations and corporations across America. These new conversations are revolutionizing the way we address issues of diversity, mental wellness and leadership.

Karith brings the perfect blend of humor, knowledge and experience while conveying the ever-present need to address diversity, inclusion and effective communication. Karith leaves her audiences feeling engaged, connected, inspired and encouraged to commit to the journey of mutual respect, acceptance and a greater sense of belonging.

As a speaker, humorist, TV & radio personality, author, entrepreneur, wife, and mother, Karith is a positive force of change with her sense of duty, service—along with her riotous sense of humor. “If you can laugh at it you can get through it,” is her motto and the invaluable lesson she seeks to instill in others. 

In addition to being CEO of INVERSITY™ Solutions, Karith is also the Founder of F.R.A.M.E the Foster Russell Alliance for Meaningful Expression a 501(c)3 non-profit, whose mission is to inspire free speech, inclusion, social change and empowerment through education and mentorship on college and university campuses.

Karith was featured in two hit documentary films “Can We Take a Joke?” and "No Safe Spaces" which have garnered accolades in The Washington Post and TIME Magazine, as has her TEDx Talk “The Art of Defying Stereotypes: Learning to be True to Your Voice.” Karith is a former co-host on Imus in the Morning, has also made regular appearances on Fox&Friends, MSNBC, Howard Stern, Comedy Central, and Oprah.

Tony Buffum is Vice President of HR Client Strategy at Upwork, where he is responsible for helping accelerate the growth of enterprise companies, helping them solve HR challenges related to finance, procurement and talent transformation. Tony brings over two decades of experience leading global HR teams as well as driving transformational change in company culture, organizational design, performance management, and employee integration and engagement. He joins Upwork following a series of leadership positions including chief human resources officer (CHRO) at FLIR Systems, VP of global human resources at STANLEY Security and VP of human resources at Stanley Black & Decker.

Jeanne is CFP® and a CPFA with Strategic Retirement Partners. She serves as a retirement plan consultant and financial wellness educator for companies across the country. Jeanne’s goal is to simplify advice in an over-complicated, jargon-filled industry. She has been interviewed by national publications including Forbes Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, CNBC News, etc. She brings an energy and simplicity to complicated topics and is known for the original content she posts on social media. Topics range from personal finance to employer-sponsored plans. You can find her using the hashtag #401klady. Jeanne’s accessible way of providing virtual advice and engagement is creating a more collaborative platform for financial professionals to support each other and their clients in the digital age. She and her team live in Bowling Green Kentucky, but serve clients across the country.

Kevin Harrington, chairman and founder of As Seen On TV, Inc., is widely acknowledged as a pioneer and principal architect of the infomercial industry.

In 1984, Kevin produced one of the industry's first 30-minute infomercials. Since then, he has been involved with over 500 product launches that resulted in sales of over $4 billion worldwide with 20 products that reached individual sales of over $100 million.

Kevin founded Quantum International, Ltd. in the mid 1980s, which merged into National Media Corporation in 1991. Under his leadership as President, National Media reached $500 million in annual sales, distributing in over 100 countries and 20 languages. This company's success has been chronicled in a case study at Harvard/MIT for over a decade.

Kevin was also CEO of several other entrepreneurial companies including HSN Direct, a joint venture with Home Shopping Network, in 1994 and Reliant International Media in 1997. Reliant International Media was sold in 2007.

In 2011, Kevin's company As Seen On TV, Inc. acquired the web property AsSeenonTV.com. AsSeenOnTV.com represents a highly trafficked catalog of direct response products with over two million customers, 700,000 email registrants and hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month.

Throughout his career, Kevin helped to establish two of the most important and recognized global networking associations: the Entrepreneur's Organization, or EO (formally known as the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization) and the Electronic Retailing Association, or ERA. Today, the EO has 113 chapters in 38 countries. The ERA represents the $125 billion electronic retailing industry and is comprised of over 450 member companies and subsidiaries that use the power of electronic retailing to sell directly to consumers via television, radio, Internet and wireless media in over 100 countries worldwide.

Due to his extensive resume, Kevin was selected as an investor "Shark" on the ABC television series Shark Tank produced by Mark Burnett. The show gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their products to a panel of acclaimed judges in hopes of turning their ideas into a successful business reality. He has a book entitled "Act Now: How I Turn Ideas into Million-Dollar Products" that chronicles his life and experiences in the DRTV industry.

Amber Clayton is the Senior Director of Knowledge Center Operations at SHRM.  Amber leads a team of HR experts who field an average of 60,000 HR-related inquiries from members a year.  She is frequently sought after as a speaker and expert for webinars, conferences, and media interviews.  Amber co-hosts a podcast called Honest HR.  She is SHRM-certified with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore.  She also holds specialty credentials in California law, inclusive workplace culture, and workplace investigations.  Prior to joining SHRM in 2011, she had years of HR experience in healthcare and retail.

Michelle V. Katz is the head of Talent and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at DailyPay where she designs and leads the strategy for Talent Management, Talent Development and DEI at this industry-leading emerging fintech company providing the recognized gold standard in on-demand pay.

Prior to DailyPay, Michelle was the Culture & Engagement Lead in the Talent Management and Organizational Development department at PepsiCo Beverages, N.A., where she led the strategic integration of Diversity & Inclusion, Culture, Recognition, and Leadership Development of underrepresented talent, to advance a more inclusive and winning culture. While at PepsiCo, Michelle also served as the Development Lead for the Global Talent Assessment & Development COE, where she designed and executed an enterprise-wide strategy for development initiatives focused on high potential global talent.

Michelle’s work at PepsiCo built upon her previous experience as a Business Leader in the Global Talent Management function at MasterCard, where she utilized principles in neuroscience to design processes centered around the employee experience, and programs that built leader capability to support the acceleration of emerging high potential leaders. As the first Director of Talent Management at Kenneth Cole Productions, Michelle developed the vision and plan for a more strategic Human Resources function and created Talent Management practices that aligned with the values of the organization. In her formative HR years at Citi Cards, Michelle worked in various disciples within Human Resources to gain breadth and sharpen her knowledge base.

Throughout her career, Michelle has been continuously recognized for her pragmatic and innovative approach to improvement and unlocking potential, building strong relationships with business and HR partners, fostering a great working environment, and developing high-impact strategic plans and implementing them. Michelle is passionate about elevating Diversity & Inclusion to create a more consciously competent organization, with a focus on improving equity, and creating a sense of belonging, to enable employees to realize their full potential.

Karen Loiterstein is the Vertical Marketing Leader for the Employer Services – Workforce Solutions Division of Equifax. In this role, she oversees go-to-market execution, product marketing, and demand generation for the portfolio of solutions. For more than 20 years, Karen has pioneered first-of-its-kind marketing initiatives through leadership roles in nationally recognized companies including Enterprise Bank & Trust, Express-Scripts, FleishmanHillard, WorldCom and Willis Towers Watson. As a regular speaker at conferences on issues including data-driven strategies and sales & marketing alignment, she is passionate about helping leaders modernize their revenue functions. Karen serves on the executive committee of Boys Hope Girls Hope, the St. Louis Forum, and she is a former International President of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization. She received her MBA from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas.

Sarah joined DailyPay in 2018 becoming a founding member of the technical implementation team. She has helped many marquee partners including Aramark, McDonald’s, HCA, Target, and ProMedica to onboard the benefit. She brings a PM background and technical thought leadership to the table to help create a seamless end to end experience for our employer partners. Her passion is matching each organization’s needs, teams, systems and processes with bespoke technology and services that solve business challenges and create value for employees. 

Kristin is on a mission for everyone to find meaning in their work. That's why she's spent most of her 20-year professional experience in the staffing industry.

Kristin built her reputation as a marketing strategy and consulting leader with pivotal roles at The Intersect Group, where she served as CXO; Randstad, where she served as the North American CMO; and Hire Dynamics, where she led marketing and communications. In these positions she shaped brand, launched innovative strategies to align sales and marketing, and led integrated marketing programs.

An expert in demographic workforce shifts, women in leadership, work/life balance, and millennial employee motivations, Kristin has a passion for sharing her industry knowledge with professional organizations and publications.

Walter’s third and most recently released book Swim!, has picked up speed since its debut in July, and has become a staple for business people and students across the country. His easy-to-read professional development book combines lovable characters, relatable life lessons, and hard truths that help readers understand the power of leadership, mentoring, and next-level success. 

Walter travels the country speaking, coaching, teaching, and inspiring companies across a wide range of industries, from financial services to agriculture and franchising to real estate and many more in between. At any given time, you can find Walter leading a mastermind class, offering one on one professional development, hosting book talks, and coaching hungry business leaders and entrepreneurs towards success. 

While many know Walter Bond as a former NBA player, more and more people know Walter as a passionate and motivated speaker, author, and business coach with one goal: to help people see their full potential. 

Walter graduated from the University of Minnesota and has been married to his wife and business partner Antoinette for nearly 30 years. They have three adult children.