In-person Pass

A recognized visionary leader who draws on more than 28 years of experience leading strategic human resources, change management and coaching initiatives in the defense, nonprofit and corporate sectors. She provides a fresh perspective to her clients by merging real world experience with proven knowledge of human resources and the real need to align with organizational goals.  Cherrie keys on two things; the individual and the process.  By doing so, she can relationship build, drive positive performance and deliver winning solutions.

Cherrie’s career landed her in key assignments world-wide to lead and influence change in Hungary, Bosnia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Afghanistan, Iraq, South Korea, the Pentagon, Our Lady of the Lake, GE Lighting and GE Capital.  She culminated her military career at the Pentagon, by leading the Army Chief of Staff’s transitional strategy in three pivotal roles: Chief of Operations for Transition Strategic Outreach, Deputy Director for Transition Strategic Outreach and as the Employment Director for the Soldier for Life Program.  After her military service, Cherrie served as the Human Resources Director for Our Lady of the Lake, Quality Trainer and Organizational Developer for GE Financial Services, Marketing and Sales for GE Lighting.  Her corporate culmination came as an executive for GE Capital, as the Senior Integration Leader. 

She is the President at ShiftForward, a Human Capital Solutions firm, based in Atlanta, GA.  Cherrie received her B.A. in Communications from Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD, where she was recognized as the Distinguished Military Graduate and by Who’s Who among Students in American Colleges and Universities. She earned a Master’s in Human Resources with an emphasis in International Management, from Webster University, St. Louis, MO.  She holds professional certifications for Senior Professional Human Resources, Executive & Organizational Coaching and Quality Management.

As SHRM’s Director of Certification and Veteran Affairs Andrew Morton works with the military and veterans' organizations to develop workforce readiness pathways for veterans and military-families. As part of SHRM’s Speaker’s Bureau Andrew informs and empowers organizations in their inclusion-hiring efforts across many populations including Veterans, individuals with disabilities, and Returning Citizens as part of SHRM’s Getting Talent Back to Work Initiative.  He is the contributing author to Justin Constantine’s SHRM published book “From We Will to At Will- A Handbook for Veteran Hiring, Transitioning and Thriving in Today’s Workplace.” 

Andrew, a retired Infantry-Officer, served in several leadership roles during multiple overseas and combat tours (Iraq, Bosnia, Macedonia and Egypt) in his 21-year Army career. He also served as the Chief of Marketing and Advertising for the Army Reserve.   Prior to his arrival at SHRM in 2014 Andrew previously served as public relations director for a PR firm in Alexandria. 

Andrew is passionate about awareness and resources in support of mental health within our workforce and society at large and is currently completely his Masters in Mental Health Counseling at the College of William and Mary.       

Erica started her career designing and facilitating training for social impact organizations. She quickly realized her calling: arming organizations with the capability needed to evolve. Since joining SHRM four years ago, Erica has held three roles. She began her career at SHRM in Research, then moved onto the founding SHRMLabs team. SHRMLabs explores the intersection of work and technology. Now, Erica oversees the enterprise client experience as the Manager of Solution Architecture.

Erica holds a master’s degree in industrial/Organizational Psychology, with a focus in instructional systems design. She earned her SHRM-SCP and consistently speaks on behalf of SHRM on workplace tech, the future of work, DEIB, and upskilling. Outside of work, you can find Erica tending to her indoor and outdoor garden, and giving her cat, Suki, more attention than she wants.    

Eric Ellis, President and CEO of Integrity Development Corp., is an award-winning entrepreneur, thought leader, author, and keynote speaker with over thirty years of experience in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.  

Named one of the Top 100 DEI Experts in the World by the Society for Human Resources Management and "Cincinnati's Diversity Fixer" by The Cincinnati Enquirer, Eric is an innovative thought leader who helps transform organizational cultures into people-centered workplaces that inspire employee engagement and a sense of belonging.

Eric is a singer/songwriter, and the author of Diversity Conversations. He hosts a weekly podcast named after his book, which can be found on Apple, Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.

Laura Whitaker, M. Ed., began her relationship with Extra Special People, Inc. by working as a counselor and, subsequently, a leadership team member in 2003.  With her passion for enhancing the lives of children with developmental disabilities and her specialized education in this field, Laura was selected as the director after the founder, Martha Wyllie’s sudden passing in 2004. She has found her dream job with ESP (or as she says, her dream job found her!).  As Executive Director, Laura uses her leadership and management strengths to manage staff, oversee multiple year-round programs and raise funds to run programs. Her favorite part of the job is getting to hug the many children who walk through the ESP doors.