Virtual Pass

Margaret Shaw Lilani is a staffing industry professional with over a decade of experience in leadership roles with global organizations. At Upwork, Margaret leads a globally distributed team of over 1500 in 98 countries, overseeing talent supply and delivery for Managed Services, Enterprise, and large Marketplace clients. Prior to joining Upwork, Margaret built and ran the legal staffing division at Epiq Systems, growing the group from concept to $100M+ in under three years, as Senior Director of Operations. Margaret has also served as Managing Director for the Northwest region at Kelly Services, and as SVP, Global Solutions at Fronteo/UBIC Co. Prior to her entry into the staffing industry, Margaret was an attorney in Boston, MA.

Margaret holds a J.D. from Suffolk University and a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Vermont. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, son, and dog.

G. Riley Mills is an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer, and the co-founder of Pinnacle Performance Company. He is the co-author of the book The Bullseye Principle and was included in the list of "Top Leadership Speakers" by Inc. Magazine. He presented his TEDx session "Are We Killing Communication" at the Shanghai American School and has guest-lectured at such institutions as the Columbia University, London Business School, Manchester United, and The Royal Household at Buckingham Palace. Mills has written about leadership and communication for Forbes, Fast Company, and Inc. Magazine. 

 Joe is a leading thinker in managing and motivating people. He’s passionate about helping organizations achieve their vision through effective performance management.

 He’s a top-rated SHRM speaker and serves as Chief Value Officer for Delphia Consulting, a national HR and Payroll software consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Joe is the co-creator of miviva, a continuous performance management application.

 Joe has over 30 years of experience and serves as VP of Professional Development on the Human Resources Association of Central Ohio (HRACO) Board of Directors. Joe is a cited contributor to the SHRM Learning System.

Kevin Cope is the #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author of Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company. A renowned trainer and speaker, Kevin has spent the last 25 years working with top organizations including 30 Fortune 50 companies. His 5 Business Drivers model and ideas, shared with millions through his book, articles, and courses, have been praised for being relevant and actionable; they help you come to the table prepared.

Alexander Alonso, PhD, SHRM-SCP is the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Chief Data & Insights Officer leading operations for SHRM's Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional certifications, research functions, and the SHRM Knowledge Advisor service. He is responsible for all research activities, including the development of the SHRM Competency Model and SHRM credentials.

During his career, he has worked with numerous subject matter experts worldwide with the aim of identifying performance standards, developing competency models, designing organizational assessments, and conducting job analyses. He was also responsible for working on contract task orders involving the development of measurement tools for content areas such as job knowledge (like teacher knowledge of instructional processes) and organizational climates (like organizational climate forecasting in military health care).

Dr. Alonso received his doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Florida International University in 2003. His works have been recognized for their contribution to real-world issues. They include being recognized by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the APA; SIOP) with the 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for the development of the federal standard for medical team training, TeamSTEPPS; being awarded a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for supporting the development of competency model for team triage in emergency medicine; and receiving the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award.

Throughout his career, he has published works in peer-reviewed journals such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, People and Strategy, Personality and Individual Differences, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and Human Resources Management Review. He has also authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, as well as co-authoring Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice.

Dr. Alonso also served as a columnist analyzing major trends in the workforce for The Industrial Psychologist and HR Magazine. In addition, he has served on several professional society boards including the SIOP and the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.

Wendi Safstrom is a senior non-profit leader committed to serving the public through philanthropic program management, cultivating strategic partnerships and managing and developing high performing teams. She has both association and nonprofit management experience including; national program development and administration, membership strategy, marketing and product development, grant management, development and donor stewardship, and leading cross functional teams. Safstrom currently serves as President for the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation (SHRM Foundation), where she leads the development and implementation of SHRM Foundation's programmatic, development, and marketing and communication strategies in support of SHRM Foundation's new mission and vision, creating growth plans and ensuring alignment with SHRM goals.  

Prior to assuming the role at SHRM Foundation, Safstrom served as Vice President at the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, where she led the development and implementation of their Foundation's most recent five-year strategic plan, and was responsible for all Foundation programming, including workforce development initiatives, scholarship and event management, community relations and engagement initiatives. The NRAEF's philanthropic programming supported a number of audiences including high school youth, veterans transitioning from service to civilian work and life, opportunity youth and incumbent workers. Of particular note, she led the implementation of the restaurant industry's premier high school career and technical education program, growing the program to over 2,000 public high schools, engaging over 150,000 students annually, nationwide. In 2016, she served as lead project director for the development of a $10 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to develop the hospitality industry's first apprenticeship program, and was instrumental in the Foundation's reorganization and relocation of operations from Chicago, Illinois to Washington, D.C., transforming the staff and culture.  

Safstrom has also held human resource management roles with the Leo Burnett Company and Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. She has a BS in Business Administration from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University and was recognized as a member of the 2014 "Power 20" by Restaurant Business Magazine as a leader in philanthropy within the restaurant industry.  

Want a sustainable advantage in a competitive marketplace? Master the art of innovation. Leo Chan is one of those masters.
 

Sought after by major companies in both the US and Canada, and with over 20 years of experience in the world of innovation and creativity, Leo has inspired and coached innovators from around the globe with his magical ability to unleash innovative ideas and practices that guide leaders to stay ahead of the pace both systematically and strategically.

As the Founder of Abound Innovation, former Senior Innovation Lead at Chick-fil-A, and former innovator at State Farm Insurance, Leo has harnessed his unique skill sets as an expert in innovation and creativity to both identify, and raise up, future innovators.

Leo understands that a culture that empowers and trains its innovators can create a thriving atmosphere for dynamic work with exponential impact.

Along with an insatiable curiosity as a lifelong learner, his creativity and innovation skills have him named as an inventor on 41 US patents.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable advantage in a competitive marketplace, you’ll not only need a master at their craft, but someone who brings the right expertise, with the generous approach of a teacher - this is Leo Chan.

Dr. Sandra Sessoms-Penny is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research. She is also a University Research Methodologist and Faculty at the University of Phoenix. She is an alum of the George Washington University, Old Dominion University, Troy State University (Montgomery) and Saint Leo University. Sandra formerly served as a school administrator for elementary, middle and high schools in the state of Virginia. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. 

Nomi Bachar is a human potential expert, keynote speaker, author and mentor. She is a trained psychotherapist and has been guiding individuals and organizations for 30 years.

Nomi is the Founder and Director of White Cedar Institute for Expanded Living LLC, and the creator of the highly acclaimed method and program titled, Gates of Power®.

She helps individuals and organizations achieve high levels of performance and fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. Her expertise guides and empowers individuals to become leaders of their lives and their communities.

Nomi Bachar is the author of the Acclaimed International Best Selling book, “Gates of Power®: Actualize Your True Self”, a practical guide to creating the optimal self.

Her second book, “Let the Heart Speak” was published in May 2018. Nomi has been globally interviewed on dozens of radio talk shows such as iTunes, CBS radio & Voice of America.

She was a successful actress, producer and director of the Inner Landscapes stage productions in NYC.

Dawn Kelley is a certified HR Professional with 25+ years of experience, she is highly skilled in human resources management, employee relations, leadership development, coaching/ supervision, and agency operations.  Dawn has a reputation for being a strong, empathetic leader.  She has volunteered for the Society for Human Resources Management including creating test questions for the SHRM-CP exam, serving as a judge in the college games and spent several years serving on the Executive Board for Central Valley Human Resources Management Association, the local SHRM affiliate chapter.  She is the Human Resources Manager for City of Modesto.  

In 2021, Dawn spoke at SHRM 2021 in Las Vegas bringing forward a thoughtful intro to transgender in the workplace, “Coming of Gender”. Reviews of this session included, “Dawn was an engaging speaker! Very passionate about the subject. Dawn was funny too! Loved that she was transparent enough to share her story with the group! Great presentation!”

Most recently she provided sidebar insights on transgenderism in Chapter 11 Diversity and Inclusion for the SHRM Complete Study Guide authored by Sandra M. Reed and was a speaker on PCTY Talks podcast- https://pctytalks.podbean.com/e/championing-gender-equity-with-dawn-kelley/ with Shari Simpson.

In September 2018, Dawn was a featured TEDx speaker in the Central Valley presenting on Parental Resiliency. She was a guest on two (2) episodes the Therapists Uncut Podcast in 2020 and most recently took part in the My HR Journey Podcast (2021) with Steve Watson.

With a determination to meet people where they are, to help people be heard and to celebrate their accomplishments, she uses her power of persuasion to teach leaders that every voice matters.  Seeing that light bulb go off, that realization in their eyes…means the world.

“We are the voice of those unable to speak, the confidant to lighten the load and the professional to hold people accountable when their bias and judgement get in the way of respect in our workplaces.”