In-person Pass

Kris Krupka is an Advanced Certified Paralegal who has been employed with Baird Holm LLP in Omaha, Nebraska for over 24 years.  She works in the firm’s Labor & Employment section, primarily focusing on employment defense work involving employment litigation, tort and personal injury, and workers’ compensation.  She has a special niche regarding Emergency Crisis Response cases, assisting clients in protecting their workplaces and employees from disgruntled workers, customers, and patients. 

Bernadette Jones is a trailblazing HR leader with over 20 years of experience crafting "Culture-First" solutions across diverse organizations. As Human Resource Committee Chair at Richmond Art Center and Professional Development Chair for SHRM Northern California, she champions intentional inclusion and culture-first practices. Bernadette's innovative "Respect in the Workplace Starts With Me®" workshop series addresses crucial compliance and cultural issues. With SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications, she brings deep HR expertise to her roles. Bernadette's leadership in Visionova's participation in SHRM's National HR Registered Apprenticeship Program demonstrates her commitment to nurturing HR talent and enhancing workplace environments. Her work connects over 27,000 HR professionals across 16 SHRM chapters in Northern California.

Dr. Jessica Hicksted, is a resilient and innovative AuDhd woman. With a PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology, her research and advocacy serve as a beacon for inclusion and diversity. Dr. Hicksted illuminates the complexities of invisible disabilities, challenging stereotypes and championing workplace inclusivity. Her groundbreaking work includes the development of a pioneering survey, gauging the stigma surrounding invisible disabilities. By dissecting acceptance, ableism, and advocacy, she sheds light on dynamics affecting disclosure decisions in professional settings. Through her work, she emphasizes shifts in workplace culture, enhancing performance and satisfaction where every individual thrives.

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

Ms. Walters has more than 30 years’ combined experience in management, HR administration, employment law practice, and teaching.

She has presented at conferences across the country, been engaged as an expert witness, and testified before U.S. Congressional and state legislative committees on employment issues.

Her book, “From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations” is in its 2nd edition and was one of the SHRMStore’s “Great 8” best-sellers for eight consecutive years.

Today, Ms. Walters works as an independent consultant doing business as FiveL Company, “Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law.”SM

As the CEO and Founder of RiseKit, a software company that connects untapped job seekers to career opportunities and supportive services, Matt has over 5 years of experience in social entrepreneurship and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Matt's passion for focusing on social problems stems from his volunteer work as a mentor for young people from under-resourced communities in Chicago. He realized the need for a system change that would break down the barriers and silos in workforce development and empower job candidates to access the resources and networks they need to thrive. That's why he created RiseKit, a software platform that helps nonprofits, employers, government systems, and community foundations save time in finding, training, and supporting job candidates, while also collecting powerful data on how to best organize communities and cities. Matt and his team work tirelessly around the belief that the zip code in which someone is born shouldn't determine one's life trajectory.

Matt is also a Forbes Human Resources Council Influencer and Contributor for The Sociable, where he shares his insights on topics such as talent acquisition, diversity equity and inclusion, social entrepreneurship, culture, community engagement, and mental health.

For fun, you should ask Matt about his love for soccer, family, poke bowls, or social entrepreneurship.

Melanie Hallenbeck is Chief Growth Officer at Alegeus, leading the company’s go-to-market strategy. With more than two decades of channel experience in the employee benefits and consumer-directed healthcare space, Melanie most recently served as chief growth officer at Elevate, a fast-growing developer of employee benefits technology. Prior to Elevate, she served as chief growth and marketing officer at benefitexpress, which was acquired by Wex, a leading global benefits company. Previously, she was senior vice president at WageWorks, leading the organization’s health plan partner channel business. Earlier in her career, she held senior sales roles at ADP and Progressive Benefits Solutions.

John works with leaders and teams to activate their DEI values, cultivate leaders within an organization, and unify teams. He is a changemaker who builds bridges and inspires genuine impact through his leadership and speaking!

John’s unique perspective in the diversity, equity, and inclusion conversation empowers leaders to use their own unique experiences to bridge divides. As an executive leader of an organization that works with dozens of cross-sector executives, John actively collaborates with professionals of diverse and divergent views to improve their city.

As a result of John’s work, people experience a real understanding of why bridge builders are needed and how to authentically be one. Palpable growth in organizations happen when this culture of belonging and leadership is cultivated with the tools and language John provides.
 

Dr. Diane Bergeron is a social-organizational psychologist and current Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership. She has consulted and worked with Fortune 500 companies. She earned her PhD at Columbia University. Her research and consulting areas include women’s leadership, workplace listening, and grief and bereavement in the workplace. Prior to graduate school, she spent two years volunteering in the Dominican Republic. Formerly, she was an associate professor in a business school at a research university. She took two years off work for a family sailing adventure. It was the best decision she ever made.

Dr. Michael Baran is the CEO of Iris Inclusion, a global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) firm. Dr. Baran draws on his own social science research to inform his DEI speaking engagements, writings, consulting, leadership development, and eLearning. After teaching at Harvard University, he has been supporting DEI in organizations for 20 years. His work has been covered in the New York Times, BBC, Forbes, CNN, NPR, and more.

His recent book, Subtle Acts of Exclusion, was named by Forbes as one of “The 11 Books To Read To Be A More Inclusive Leader” and has won several awards.