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Kate Southall is the co-founder of Maxi Club DC, a dynamic fitness collective bringing high-energy, dance-inspired group workouts to the DMV.

A lifelong dancer and two-time marathon finisher, Kate blends endurance, rhythm, and community into every class. She previously served as the head coach of the George Washington University Dance Team and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University.

Kate Southall is the co-founder of Maxi Club DC, a dynamic fitness collective bringing high-energy, dance-inspired group workouts to the DMV.

A lifelong dancer and two-time marathon finisher, Kate blends endurance, rhythm, and community into every class. She previously served as the head coach of the George Washington University Dance Team and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University.

Peter Canellis is an award-winning meditation energy healer who specializes in sound baths and sound therapy. In 2019, Peter discovered the benefits of sound therapy after being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, with an expected five-year lifespan. He has been living in remission since November 2020, thanks in part to the healing impact of sound therapy. Peter has led sound therapy workshops in numerous institutions around Chicago, including the Willis Tower Skydeck, the City of Chicago Police Department, Workday Corp, Advocate Christ Hospital, and many more. In 2023, he established the only sound studio in Chicago dedicated solely to sound healing, Saints and Angels Healing Through Sound. In addition to his work in sound therapy, Peter offers workshops and training on crystal singing bowls and other healing instruments at his studio and showroom. Through these workshops, Peter inspires and educates others about the profound effects of sound on mind, body, and spirit. His work has garnered attention, earning him a feature on the upcoming national and local lifestyle TV channel "Destination Chicago Season 2." 

Jim Link is the CHRO for SHRM.  With more than 340,000 members worldwide, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace.

Jim’s career includes roles of increasing responsibility across various industries and companies, including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad.  In his most recent role as CHRO for Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader.

Jim has served as a volunteer leader in several organizations including the SHRM Foundation Board, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Human Capital Advisory Board, and the Human Resources Leadership Forum.

Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University.  Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA. 

Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.

Donald Knight is Chief People Officer at Greenhouse Software. He leads with a people-first mentality hoping to unlock the potential of Greenhouse talent globally. With a laser focus on the connection between people and the processes that serve them, Donald and his team create proximity by building bridges focusing on enhanced experiences that nurture culture and develop people.

In his role leading the People team, Donald works to help Greenhouse create an environment for people to do the best work of their lives. He is responsible for providing global strategy and leadership in developing, overseeing, and administering people programs. With expansion top of mind, the team delivers a scalable people strategy that enables the organization to expand globally. Before Greenhouse, Donald served as Senior Vice President of Global Talent for Edelman. He helped shape the HR brand as a proactive, insightful, and collaborative solution provider in this role. Donald has held numerous senior leadership roles for Southern Company Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), and the Defense Commissary Agency.

A native of Virginia, Donald holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s degree in human resource management from the University of Richmond. Donald is also a graduate of the project leadership program at the engineering school of Cornell University for business executives. He and his family reside in the Greater Atlanta area.

Julie Burch has spoken at 2 SHRM National Conferences, 5 state SHRM conferences, and countless regional and local SHRM events. She was also inducted in to the Speaker Hall of Fame at the Society for Human Resource Management’s Southwest Conference in 2017. She has spoken in all 50 states, 3 countries, and 3 U.S. Territories. Where she has designed programs for industry leaders in a wide range of industries

Julie is the comedienne with content! Julie’s presentations are high energy, highly interactive and packed with real world, tangible techniques the audience can implement immediately. Julie also loves to make them laugh! She has discovered the more her audience laughs the more they learn. “Solid Business Strategies. Brilliant Comedic Humor.” It’s not just her tag line, it is her promise in every presentation!

Kristen has dedicated her career to helping people prepare for the most significant milestone in life – retirement. She helps corporate plan sponsors and their retirement, investment and finance committees meet their fiduciary responsibilities; and strives to help their employees and beneficiaries make meaningful progress toward their financial goals. Kristen is co-head of the investment committee and leads the portfolio research team for her team’s institutional clients.

She also leads her team’s Women & Investing initiative. She understands that female investors often face a complicated financial situation, balancing the roles of mother, daughter, wife, grandmother, colleague and friend – while putting their own needs last. As part of this initiative, she plans and hosts educational events for female investors.

As a Chartered Financial Analyst®, Kristen holds one of the world’s most respected and recognized investment designations, giving her the skills needed for high-level, specialized asset-management responsibilities, including security analysis, portfolio management and business reporting. In 2020, Kristen obtained her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, demonstrating her commitment to her profession.

Prior to joining Raymond James in 2015, she worked at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor for over twelve years and has prior experience as an investment banking analyst. Kristen maintains Series 7, 63, 66 and Life, Accident, & Health Insurance licenses.  She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and currently resides in Congers, NY.

Kate Southall is the co-founder of Maxi Club DC, a dynamic fitness collective bringing high-energy, dance-inspired group workouts to the DMV.

A lifelong dancer and two-time marathon finisher, Kate blends endurance, rhythm, and community into every class. She previously served as the head coach of the George Washington University Dance Team and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University.

Kate Southall is the co-founder of Maxi Club DC, a dynamic fitness collective bringing high-energy, dance-inspired group workouts to the DMV.

A lifelong dancer and two-time marathon finisher, Kate blends endurance, rhythm, and community into every class. She previously served as the head coach of the George Washington University Dance Team and has choreographed and consulted for the dance teams of the University of Virginia, American University, and George Mason University.

Jeremy York, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Lead Consultant and President of InvigorateHR and coauthor of the “JoyPowered Organization.” He has over 20 years' experience in human resource strategy and business operations where he has worked with and advised all levels of management on critical business and people-related issues. Jeremy's expertise in defining and understanding the "big picture" enables him to translate business needs into tangible solutions. With his guidance, organizations have improved employee relations, increased performance, and developed cultures based on mutual trust and respect. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Purdue University. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for Purdue University Indianapolis for over 15 years teaching various leadership and human resources curriculums. Jeremy is a national speaker and currently serves as an advisor on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Diversity Taskforce.

Jennifer is the Vice President of Walmart Academy, the learning arm of the world's largest retailer, where she leads the design and delivery of learning experiences that enable over 2 million associates to build skills for now and the future. She has experience in various learning and development roles at Department of Defense, American Express, Walmart and Sam's Club, where she has launched award-winning programs that have enhanced the learning culture, career development, and performance of the frontline and supply chain workforce.

Jennifer holds an Executive Program for Leadership Acceleration certificate from Harvard Business School Executive Education, a Master's degree in Education from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor's degree from Florida State University. She has published multiple articles on learning and development topics and has been recognized as a Top 50 Learning and Development Professional and a CLO LearningElite Finalist. She is passionate about creating learning opportunities that empower associates to achieve their career dreams and contribute to the success of the organization.