In-person Pass

Doug Stockham is co-founder and president of Emergency Assistance Foundation (EAF), the oldest and largest standalone charity designed solely to administer global disaster and hardship relief funds, thereby providing grants to individuals in need around the world. At EAF’s founding, Doug conducted an in-depth assessment of more than 100 independent relief fund programs to determine relief fund industry best practices and benchmarks. As a result, EAF developed a unique approach to disaster response by remaining adaptable, harnessing technology, creating scalable platforms and procedures, and constantly evaluating processes for improvement opportunities. EAF’s resourceful and fearless approach ensures that financial assistance reaches individuals in need as quickly and efficiently as possible, no matter the unique circumstances. EAF now administers 300+ funds around the world, serving more than 10 million individuals. In 2020 and 2021 combined, the organization awarded more than $162 million in grants to 250,000+ individuals who were impacted by disasters and personal hardships. Doug is also the founder of Relief Fund Services Group (RFSG) and Emergency Relief Fund Education Group (ERFEG); is a member of the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF); and sits on the board of Emergency Assistance Foundation Canada (EAF Canada). Doug earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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.

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.

Karen A. Young capitalizes on her more than 30 years of experience in human resources as she and her team utilize savvy strategies to develop solutions that produce real results. Karen believes that when the HR pieces fall into place, an organization begins to run like a well-oiled machine.

Karen inspires CEOs, CFOs, and other Accidental HR® managers to fulfill the organization’s mission while strengthening their workforce. She is committed to going the extra mile for clients, helping them build an HR framework that results in improved workplace culture and lower HR costs.

Karen is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and author. The second edition of her book, “Honest and Real: An Essential Guidebook for Drama-Free Human Resources,” debuted in 2020 as a Hot New Release in HR, Amazon’s largest business category.

Karen A. Young, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, has been recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business, and AGS ranked HR Resolutions as a Best HR Consulting Company in 2021. Central Penn Business Journal honored HR Resolutions in 2020 as a Game Changer—one of Central PA’s most dynamic and impactful businesses and leaders. She lends her HR expertise to businesses throughout Central PA via her leadership in the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and the PA Chamber of Business and Industry. Karen regularly contributes HR insights and strategy nationwide to Forbes, USAToday, SHRM, and ZipRecruiter.

Karen resides in Harrisburg, PA, with her husband and retired racing greyhounds. She is an active member and leader in area business chambers and professional organizations.

Tony Lee recently retired as vice president of content for the Society for Human Resource Management, where he oversaw all editorial functions and staff and focused on evolving SHRM's content strategy globally. Lee hosts two award-winning podcasts, All Things Work and People + Strategy, and is a recognized authority on recruitment trends.

Lee is a frequent conference speaker in the U.S. and internationally, and has appeared as a career guidance authority on a range of television and radio programs, such as those produced by NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, NPR, CNBC, Huffington Post, WCBS and The Wall Street Journal, including “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America.”

Lee is co-author of “The Jobs Rated Almanac” (Barricade), and “Career Choice, Change and Challenge” (JIST Pub.), and has published more than 15 books through his career. He also is a columnist for a range of industry web sites, including RecruitingTrends, Jobboarders and Staffing Stream. He has written The Wall Street Journal's “Managing Your Career” column, and his articles have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines globally. Lee also has served on the board of directors of the International Association of Employment Web Sites for many years.

Prior to joining SHRM, Lee was editor and publisher of CareerCast.com, an award-winning site he created for job hunters and the HR community. He also served as chief alliance officer of CareerCast’s parent company, Adicio Inc..Lee also is the founder and former publisher of The Wall Street Journal Online Vertical Network and all of the sites within that network, including CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com, CollegeJournal.com and “Political Diary,” a paid email newsletter about politics. Under his leadership, those sites won a range of awards and accolades. Combined, the Network sites attracted an average of 2.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. Lee also was one of two finalists for the Newspaper Association of America’s annual Online Innovator Award. Prior to moving online, Lee was editor in chief of the National Business Employment Weekly and of Managing Your Career, both published by Dow Jones & Co. Lee started his career as Director of Publications for the Chicago Chapter of the American Diabetes Association.

As a passionate human resource professional, Kim has spent more than 30 years as a trailblazer to advance the profession and mentor human resource professionals along their growth and development journey.

After several years of working for organizations as their first HR leader, Kim transitioned into a consulting role.  She partnered with hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries, for profit and not for profit, to mentor their human resource professionals and to assist in strengthening the human resource function of the organization.   

In 2017, Kim founded her company, THriv, to mentor, coach, teach, and train human resource professionals and other leaders for success. She partners with organizations to provide a variety of business consulting, training & development, compliance management, and other human resource related services.

Kim has had the opportunity to speak on leadership and human resource related topics at a variety of events locally and nationally including the 2019 National SHRM Conference in Las Vegas.   

Kim has spent more than 20 years teaching the SHRM HR Essentials, the SHRM Learning System, and other human resource related courses to mentor and encourage human resource professionals to grow in their professional development and pass the certification exam! Kim teaches through a variety of universities and has recently joined the SHRM Instructional Team.

Kim holds the SHRM-SCP certification through the Society of Human Resource Management, the SPHR certification through HR Certification Institute, the Compensation Management Specialist designation from the International Foundation of Employee Benefits, and has completed the John C. Maxwell Certification Program to teach, coach, train, and speak.

Kim is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and a Past President of the Human Resource Professionals of Central PA.  She is a graduate of York College of PA with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Education, and holds an MBA/Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix.

Dr. David S Cohen, Ed. D. has a vision: organizations that thrive by living their values in good times and especially VUCA times. David's first career was in elementary and high school education, where he built a reputation for building school communities based on purpose and social responsibility. Thirty-three years ago, David transitioned to corporate consulting. As a consultant, David earned a reputation as a contrarian consultant because he does not always follow what is popular in his chosen field. David works with leaders helping them understand what is and what is not necessary to build an active and positive organization. He helps leaders' step into life's challenges, inspiring them to create a sustained approach through a values-based focus, resulting in better business results. David has had the privilege of partnering with firms across five continents and all business sectors. Additionally, he has worked with governments, from the local to the federal levels, and not-for-profits.

He has taught at Queens University School of Labour Relations and the executive education program at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Currently, he teaches organizational development at Durham College. David earned his doctorate from Boston University in Humanistic and Behavioural Studies. During that time, he also completed independent studies at the Harvard School of Education, where he was a teaching assistant.

David is a keynote speaker, educator, disruptor, facilitator, team builder, and executive coach. He has authored two books and numerous articles in professional journals.

• The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers (John Wiley and Sons, August 2001)
• Inside the Box: Leading With Corporate Values to Drive Sustained Business Success (Jossey-Bass September 2006)

When David is not travelling, he is hanging out with his five grandchildren, when possible, attending Toronto Raptor's games, or relaxing with family and friends.

David is honored to be recognized by the GlobalGurus30 as one of the top 30 GlobalGurus in Organizational Culture.

Leadership speaker, Best-selling author, Award-winning Businesswoman, Pegine (Peg-een) is an advisor to US Presidents and their task forces as well as Fortune 500 executives to be effective at engaging their people and stakeholders. She educates leaders and businesswomen on influencing, impacting, and inspiring others to increase profits productivity, and positivity.  Pegine coaches women CEOs, Admirals and Generals, College Presidents, and entrepreneurs on influence, impact, and presentation skills. Her expertise is on women leaders and women in business. Her newest book is “Called to Lead: Success Strategies for Women”

 AVON and Real Leaders magazine called her one of the world's top leadership motivational speakers. Clients include ten percent of Fortune 100 global corporations.

Business and Leadership News Outlets including Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Real Leader Magazine, HR Magazine, seek her expertise for interviews.  

Karen A. Young capitalizes on her more than 30 years of experience in human resources as she and her team utilize savvy strategies to develop solutions that produce real results. Karen believes that when the HR pieces fall into place, an organization begins to run like a well-oiled machine.

Karen inspires CEOs, CFOs, and other Accidental HR® managers to fulfill the organization’s mission while strengthening their workforce. She is committed to going the extra mile for clients, helping them build an HR framework that results in improved workplace culture and lower HR costs.

Karen is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and author. The second edition of her book, “Honest and Real: An Essential Guidebook for Drama-Free Human Resources,” debuted in 2020 as a Hot New Release in HR, Amazon’s largest business category.

Karen A. Young, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, has been recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business, and AGS ranked HR Resolutions as a Best HR Consulting Company in 2021. Central Penn Business Journal honored HR Resolutions in 2020 as a Game Changer—one of Central PA’s most dynamic and impactful businesses and leaders. She lends her HR expertise to businesses throughout Central PA via her leadership in the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and the PA Chamber of Business and Industry. Karen regularly contributes HR insights and strategy nationwide to Forbes, USAToday, SHRM, and ZipRecruiter.

Karen resides in Harrisburg, PA, with her husband and retired racing greyhounds. She is an active member and leader in area business chambers and professional organizations.

Alexander is a doctoral candidate at the George Washington University (GW) with research interests in servant and transformational leadership; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and organizational resilience. Alexander has spoken at various conferences and events, including for the Society of Human Resource Management, Institute of Management Accountants, Michael J. Fox Parkinson Foundation, IDEA User Conference, and local non-profits across the DC Metropolitan area.

A Human Resources scholar and senior certified professional, Alexander serves as the HR Business Partner for Inclusion & Belonging at HubSpot, a CRM platform developer. His role accelerates the company’s mission to create an environment where everyone can do their best work and thrive regardless of background. He supports HubSpot employees, especially employees from underrepresented groups, by listening, leading with empathy, and building solutions that ensure all of the company’s people, systems, and processes are working with the mission. Alexander has recently served as the lead HR advisor for departmental leadership and leads the human resources function for various divisions at GW. He was responsible for all HR activities for clients, such as leading workforce planning and organizational assessment, employee relations counseling and investigations, departmental policy development and implementation, training, recruiting and retention, diversity and inclusion, performance management, coaching, and employee recognition.