In-person Pass

Nikki Lanier is an experienced leader with over 25 years of career achievements that span Banking, Labor and Employment Law, Collective Bargaining, Human Resources, and State Government. She is an author, a sought after keynote speaker, and has received many awards and recognitions for her expertise and leadership in talent development, HR innovation, community development, DEI, and economic equity.

Nikki spent eighteen (18) years as an HR Executive and employment attorney. She has worked in more than ten (10) sectors including manufacturing,  consulting, consumer goods, health care, media, law, government, higher education and banking. She has led organizations in both the public and
private sector. She has served as an HR Executive with Philip Morris USA (VA) and Georgia-Pacific Corp (GA), CHRO for Charter Schools USA (FL), Vice Chancellor of HR for Maricopa Community Colleges (AZ), and Personnel Cabinet Secretary for the Commonwealth of Kentucky (youngest and first black female appointee).

In these roles, she drove accelerated cultural change, created and implemented innovative organizational development, and focused on strategic planning, employee relations, community engagements and partnerships, training and development, succession planning, recruitment and retention, and labor negotiations.

Nikki is deeply involved in the community and has served on more than 25 nonprofit boards, commissions and civic committees. Through her work and strong local and national board memberships, she is widely recognized as an accomplished thought leader in progressive HR strategies and in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism, corporately and civically.

She is the current Board Chair of OneWest Community Development Corporation, Chair of the Commonwealth of Kentucky – Kerner Commission 2.0, Secretary, Treasurer and Audit Committee Chair of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority Board (4th largest Cargo airport in the world w/ $129 mil budget); a board member of Greater Louisville Inc. Chamber of Commerce (GLI), Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and two national foundations.

Nikki earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law, a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Hampton University and holds a certification in Collective Bargaining from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She has served as an adjunct MBA professor for the University of Louisville College of Business since 2018, where she also serves on its Board of Advisors.

Tracy is the VP of Marketing for Fountain, an all-in-one high volume hiring platform empowering the world’s leading brands to find and hire the right people through smart, fast and seamless recruitment. Prior to Fountain, she worked at SparkPost, where her passion for creativity and media was the drive behind some of SparkPost’s award winning campaigns, such as #FindTheFlame. Prior to SparkPost, Tracy spent 10 years at TiVo and almost 5 years at Cisco helping marketing organizations deploy digital solutions and tell stories that drove significant market impact. She has served on the board of Women for WineSense, and co-founded a nonprofit for lung cancer, for which she received a Bay Area Jefferson Award. She has also been an adjunct professor in digital marketing and social media at UC Berkeley and SFSU, and has authored Taking Your Brand from the Bench to the Playing Field.

Jay Charness is a sales professional with over 20 years of driving change at organizations of all sizes. He is passionate about working directly with individuals to better understand their talent management and talent acquisition needs to better solve the business challenges they face every day. When not helping clients tackle their business challenges, Jay spends his time teaching self-defense workshops and enjoying the beauty of Colorado with his family.

Danielle Mahoney is the Vice President of Human Resources and Training for Insight Credit Union, headquarters in Orlando, FL.  Danielle has 20 years of Human Resources experience with concentration in the Financial Industry sector.  She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Management with focus in Human Resources Management from the University of Central Florida, and holds a SHRM-SCP and SPHR certification.  Danielle is experienced in Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Compensation and Benefit Analysis, including 401(k) and 457(f) plan review and implementation, and overall strategic Human Resources planning.

Brian joined Transamerica in 2019 as AVP, Business Development and is responsible for overseeing the business development effort for retirement plans across the country. He works on firm-level business planning and implementing business development strategies with Transamerica’s top distribution partners. He has spent the past 24 years in multiple leadership roles in the Retirement industry, from Service and Operations to Sales and Business Development. Brian lives in Hamden, CT with his wife of 22 years, Kim, daughter Abby (17), and son, Tyler (14). Brian enjoys golfing, running, and spending quality time with his family, and he makes maintaining an active lifestyle one of his top priorities.

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.

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.    

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.

Magie, whose birth name is Magdalena De La Cruz Cook Garcia, is a Latino businesswoman who was born in an orphanage in Mexico. She grew up in poverty along with 68 brothers and sisters. She missed her opportunity to play basketball for the Mexican National team because she broke her collarbone. Shortly after she immigrated to the US on a basketball scholarship at the University of Charleston.

After obtaining her college degree, and not being able to find a job, Magie became homeless and lived on the streets. When someone recognized her, she was given a place to stay. A few weeks later, she entered a Fresh Salsa competition for the State of West Virginia and won unanimously. At this event, she was given $800 to start her business.

Not knowing anything about business and with perseverance, she created Maggie’s All-Natural Fresh Salsa’s & Dips, a company that grew into a multi-million-dollar business within 4 years and distributed products across 38 states to major supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods and many more. At the height of her success in 2015, Maggie’s Salsa sold to Campbell’s Soup. Shortly after, she went back to Mexico and rescued 31 orphaned children from a drug cartel.

As a CEO, Magie shares her unconventional and unique techniques that made her super successful in life and in business. She was given a Nobel Entrepreneurial Prize in Mexico, the Small Business Administration gave her the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the University of Charleston Awarded her into the Hall of Fame, and West Virginia inducted her into their Generation Next, 40 under 40. Magie is a board member of AFIRE Pinellas, an organization that provides educational scholarships to kids with disabilities.
Magie’s company has been mentioned and featured on the following news and Television Networks: CNN, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, USA Today, The Washington Post, Fox News, Daystar, the American Dream Television, The Shelby Report, Kiplinger, Executive Magazine, ABC, CBS, the show Ask Dr. Nandi, and has been featured in many more tv, radio shows, magazines and newspapers.

Magie is the author of the book Mindful Success™ - How to use your mind to transform your life (Amazon). She’s also the founder of success workshops and a success masterminds for personal and professional development for individuals and companies. She founded a movement with an idea to solve the generational issue of human (sex) trafficking. In 2019, she began working with the AOF Hollywood Dreams International Film Festival to make a feature film about her story.

Jeff Korzenik is one of the country's leading experts on the reemployment of people with criminal records. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News and Bloomberg TV, Jeff’s writings on economics and public policy have been published in Barron’s, Forbes, The Chicago Tribune and other periodicals.  He is the author of "Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community" (HarperCollins Leadership, April 2021), which shares the business case and best practices of hiring people with criminal records. Jeff earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Certificate of Proficiency in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University.

Emily M. Dickens, J.D., serves as SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary. She is the executive responsible for coordinating staff to implement the CEO's vision, serving as corporate secretary for the SHRM Board and subsidiary boards, as well as managing external partnerships and providing oversight for the Government Affairs division.

Dickens is an attorney with significant and progressive experience in government, higher education and the non-profit sector. She has served as a member of the leadership team at the University of North Carolina system, the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  Her prior roles include general counsel, chief relationship officer, senior vice president, vice president for public policy and assistant vice president for federal relations.  Dickens has also worked at Duke University and Fayetteville State University in administrative and external affairs roles. 

Emily is actively engaged in board service. She formerly served on the  Fayetteville/Cumberland (NC)  Chamber  of  Commerce  (Secretary  of  the  Board),  the Cumberland County Workforce Development Board, the  North  Carolina  Partnership  for  Defense  Innovation Board, and the Educational Advancement Foundation. She is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina Central University, and chairs the International HBCU Task Force for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Central University School of Law. 

Camille is a trusted advisor to national companies facing high-profile legal, policy, and media challenges, especially in situations with significant reputational risk. She excels at helping clients navigate complex issues and turn abstract risks into actionable decisions. Camille is renowned for her expertise in crisis management and legal strategy, making her an invaluable asset to her clients. 

A partner at Seyfarth, Camille co-chairs the National Complex Litigation practice group and leads the Complex Discrimination Litigation practice group. She is also a member of the firm’s National Labor and Employment Law Steering Committee. With nearly 30 years of experience, Camille has represented clients in employment discrimination, harassment, wage-and-hour disputes, and independent contractor matters across the country. 

Camille’s distinguished trial record includes serving as lead defense trial counsel in high-stakes cases involving harassment, discrimination, and systemic policy violations. She has also worked as outside counsel to boards of directors and executive teams on sensitive internal investigations. Her sophisticated approach to litigation has led to numerous successful resolutions, often on the eve of trial or through creative motion practice. 

In addition to her legal practice, Camille has regularly testified before the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, EEOC, and Department of Labor on key legislative issues. She has served as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity policy subcommittee since 2013, advocating for employer perspectives on critical employment laws. 

Camille earned both her B.A., with Highest Honors, and her J.D. from the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, she was awarded the Eita Krom Scholar distinction for her published thesis. Her extensive legal and policy contributions make her a sought-after speaker and a leading voice in the field of complex litigation.