Virtual Pass

Sara Taylor, President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting, has 35 years of extensive experience, nationally recognized as in the practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion serving local, national and global clients. While her areas of specialty are in both Diversity and Leadership Development, Sara has become a thought leader particularly in the field of Cultural Competence. Her bestselling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, is used by numerous individuals and organizations to increase success and create greater effectiveness. Sara holds a Master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development and, prior to founding deepSEE, held positions such as Chief Diversity Officer and Leadership and Diversity Specialist.

Gennady Babankov, J.D. is a Manager of SHRM Exchange Visitor (J-1) Program. Babankov oversees two private sector exchange programs for foreign trainees and interns and helps develop, implement, and promote SHRM benefits portfolio for global mobility and immigration members.

Babankov has more than 20 years of experience building and managing global education and training programs for students and professionals. He has experience in teacher training, study abroad, cross-cultural training, and language acquisition, and has directed field operations in Russia, Central Asia, Middle East, and the Caucasus.

Prior to joining SHRM in 2019, Babankov managed several education and training programs sponsored by the federal government, including the Flagship Overseas Language Program (U.S. Department of Defense), Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program (U.S. Department of State), and the Open World Program (Library of Congress).

Babankov earned his J.D. degree from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia.

Babankov has lived in the United States since 1994 and currently resides in Fairfax, VA.

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.       

 

Patrick Pizzolorusso is an actor and filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles. He started his career in NYC on stage appearing in several off-broadway productions and several Shakespeare plays. One of the Off-Broadway productions, “The Last Cyclist,” has found new life as a film and is currently circulating the festivals. He's studied improv both in NY and LA but has never done stand-up, "It's just too scary," he says.

Dan Jolivet is the Workplace Possibilities Practice Consultant at The Standard, where he provides leadership, analysis, and consultative insights into the workplace possibilities service line. He provides specialized focus on behavioral health, stay at work, return to work, ADAAA services, health management integration, and other related employer solutions. He is a clinical psychologist licensed in Georgia and Oregon, and he has worked in behavioral health since 1980. He joined The Standard in 2016 as the Behavioral Health Director.

 

Prior to joining The Standard, Dan worked in managed behavioral health care organizations for 20 years in a variety of management roles and was in clinical practice as a child psychologist until 2003.

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.

Devin is an experienced executive in the consumer finance and workplace savings space. He is the CEO & co-founder of Secure, a startup that is reinventing the emergency savings account with their new app, SecureSave. He is a veteran startup executive with 2 prior VC backed exits as CEO and Head of Product, with over 15 years of experience in sales, business development, strategic partnerships, and digital product management. Devin is also a proven innovator with 5 filed and 2 issued patents in the field of software development, AI and automation.

Sean Behr is the CEO at Fountain, the high-volume hiring platform that empowers companies with an hourly workforce to streamline and scale their recruiting operations across the globe. Previously, Behr was the Co-Founder and CEO of STRATIM (acquired by KAR). Behr previously served in leadership roles at Adap.tv (acquired by AOL), most recently, as SVP, Global operations. Before Adap.tv, He held various management roles at Shopping.com (acquired by Ebay) including roles in HR, sales, product management and strategy development. In addition, Behr advises, mentors and invests in entrepreneurs and early-stage companies. He holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tony Suzda is an experienced leader in the areas of Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Talent Strategy and HRIS.  He has a passion for ensuring top notch candidate experience that attracts top talent into the organization. Tony has led many high profile projects for both private and public companies related to recruiting systems, process development, candidate engagement & experience and talent strategy. In his career, Tony has focused largely on creating and implementing systems and processes that increase efficiency and experience for candidates and hiring managers.  Through many of these initiatives, he has been able to show increases in quality of hire, candidate satisfaction, manager satisfaction and brand affinity.

Tony continues to implement new and out-of-the-box methods to drive corporate strategy and positive organizational change, resulting in significant gains for the organization.

Gretchen Carlson is a fierce, fearless and internationally recognized advocate for women’s rights, whose bold actions against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped pave the way for the global #MeToo movement. A journalist, author, TED talk alum, and champion for workplace equality, Carlson was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and is a member of the TIME’S UP Global Leadership Board. She’s a PEOPLE TV special contributor and host of the new daily news podcast “Get The News With Gretchen Carlson” on Quake Media. Carlson is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Be Fierce” and “Getting Real,” and recently co-founded the non-profit Lift Our Voices to end the silencing of harassment victims through forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements.

One of America’s most successful journalists, Carlson has been on the front lines of the biggest stories shaping our nation for over two decades. Starting her career as a political reporter in Richmond, Virginia, Carlson worked her way up through local newsrooms in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dallas before moving to national news in 2000 as co-host and correspondent for CBS’ “The Saturday Early Show.” At CBS she led coverage of historic events including the World Trade Center bombing and 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 2005, Carlson joined Fox News, where she co-hosted the #1 cable morning news show “Fox and Friends” for more than seven years and “The Real Story” for three years. Over the past two decades, Carlson’s catalog of interviews includes every U.S. President, Vice President and Presidential candidate as well as hundreds of leaders in business, entertainment and politics.

Carlson’s advocacy for women is a cornerstone of her career, beginning in 1999 with a 30-part, award-winning series on domestic violence she produced and reported in Dallas. Her groundbreaking 2016 complaint against Ailes made her the face of workplace harassment and inaugurated her more recent work to support survivors and hold predators accountable.  

Since 2017, Carlson has worked with a bi-partisan coalition of legislators in Congress to introduce and advocate for the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act,” which voids forced arbitration agreements that prevent sexual harassment survivors from getting their day in court. The bill was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in February 2019 and Carlson testified before the House Judiciary Committee in May 2019.

Carlson created the Gift of Courage Fund in 2017, partnering with the nonprofit All In Together to launch the Gretchen Carlson Leadership Initiative, which hosts advocacy trainings for underserved women nationwide. In 2018, she founded the Carlson March of Dimes Advocacy Fellows program, which brings together women from across America to promote legislation and policies benefiting women and children.

Carlson returned to television in 2018 as host and producer of A&E and Lifetime Network documentary series “Breaking the Silence” on workplace harassment and led investigative reporting into the NXIVM cult and college admissions scandals. Earlier this year, Carlson announced a TV deal with Blumhouse Productions to produce and host a new interview series.

.Carlson’s story of harassment and retaliation at Fox News has garnered international attention, including the Showtime mini-series “The Loudest Voice” and movie “Bombshell.” Yet because of non-disclosure agreements, Carlson was prohibited from giving any input into these projects or providing feedback to actors Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, who portrayed her.

Carlson’s advocacy has been honored by numerous organizations, including the New York Women in Communications’ Matrix Award; the Radio Television Digital News Association’s First Amendment Leadership Award; the National Organization for Women’s 2018 Women of Power and Influence Award; the YWCA Greater Los Angeles’ 2018 Phenomenal Champion of Change; and the Arizona Foundation for Women’s Sandra Day O’Connor Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carlson serves as a trustee for the March of Dimes National Board; on the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation Gala Committee; on the Greenwich Academy Board; and on the Advisory Committee of The Press Forward, which focuses on issues surrounding harassment and workplace rights in America’s newsrooms. She is also a member of the philanthropic organization Women Moving Millions, a global collective of women making unprecedented gifts of $1 million or more for the advancement of women and girls.

Carlson is an honors graduate of Stanford University and studied at Oxford University. A violin prodigy, she performed as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra at age 13 and was one of her high school's valedictorians. In 1989 became the first classical violinist to win the Miss America crown.

Carlson is married to sports agent Casey Close. The couple and their two children live in Connecticut.

 

Greg has built a career with best-in-class organizations in retail (TJX Companies, Pilot Travel Centers, H.E.B., and Thriftway), consumer products (Pepsico and Daymon Worldwide) and media information services (Reed Elsevier and Reed Business Information). In each of these great organizations he held key executive positions and has had global HR oversight for a combined 35+ years. His leadership approach is to lead and drive international excellence in HR, Succession Planning, Diversity & Inclusion, Executive Compensation, Organizational Development and Operational Practices; senior leadership support and alignment with the business values; and competencies and profitability strategies. He has international senior leadership experience in the UK, China, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Canada.  He has accomplished this by leading with integrity, passion and creating high performing teams with direct connections to the business and culture. In addition to HR leadership responsibilities, he has also led and managed business P&Ls, operations, sales teams on-and-offshore in a number of these organizations.

He is currently founder and owner of Sculpted Leaders, LLC. This top-to-top by referral only consulting practice drives change and increases organizational presence and profitability by one-on-one coaching of C-suite executives, and ensuring all Human Capital Talent, Organizational Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Executive Compensation, Executive Recruitment and HRIS Systems are aligned to the core business mission and strategy. He also consults closely with Private Equity organizations as they assess purchases and sale of portfolio assets. He is fluent in Spanish, a leading voice in diversity & inclusion and has significant board experience with for and not-for-profit organizations like EnsembleIQ, National Domestic Violence Hotline, Our Lady of the Lake University, Conexion and AVANCE as lead in succession planning, executive compensation and CEO recruitment.

Greg has been married for over 35 years to Cindy and they have 2 great kids; Rebecca, who lives in Los Angeles, CA and Greg Jr, who lives in the San Antonio area. Greg is also a scuba diver instructor, enjoys reading fiction/non-fiction, yoga and is into metal sculpting. Greg and Cindy currently live in Canyon Lake, Tx.

Byna Elliott is devoted to caring for communities. Her decades long career in banking centers around reinvesting to improve the economic plight of the vulnerable. As the Head of Advancing Black Pathways for JPMorgan Chase, Elliott’s mission is to strengthen the economic foundation of the Black community and bring shrinkage to the racial wealth divide.

By focusing on targeted investments and programs under the firm’s diversity and inclusion framework, Elliott leads the Advancing Black Pathways global efforts surrounding Careers & Skills, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Business Growth & Entrepreneurship and Community Development.

Prior to JPMC, Elliott was the chief architect behind the success of Fifth Third Bank’s landmark five-year $32 billion investment in underserved communities nationwide from 2015 – 2020. As Chief Enterprise Responsibility Officer at Fifth Third, Elliott oversaw the firm’s corporate social responsibility functions which included environmental sustainability, philanthropic giving, ethical business practices and economic responsibility.

A native Detroiter, Elliott openly shares of growing up poor while being raised by her single mother and grandmother. Despite their lack of resources, her grandmother instilled in a strong sense of community and concern for others. This foundational lesson and example stuck. Today Elliott intentionally continues her grandmother’s legacy both professionally and personally. Her hard work is heart-work. She has brought hope and real impact to hurting communities in measurable ways for more than two decades.

Elliott and husband Tony reside in Michigan with their two children.

Kal Penn is an actor, writer, producer, and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He is known for starring roles including the Harold and Kumar franchise, House, Designated Survivor, and most recently the patriotic immigration comedy Sunnyside, which he co-created with SNL alumnus Matt Murray for NBC and Hulu. Penn’s other credits include roles on Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, 24, and Law & Order: SVU. He has appeared in a number of independent films, most notably Mira Nair’s adaptation of Pulitzer-winner Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake, about which The New York Times called his lead role a "crackling, star-making performance."

From 2009 to 2011, Penn took a sabbatical from acting when he was appointed by President Obama to serve as an Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, where he focused primarily on outreach to young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the arts community. He worked on issues as diverse as the Affordable Care Act, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, college affordability, countering violent extremism, and veterans benefits for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan among others. Penn served as a national co-chair for President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, and later served on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on arts education in underperforming schools, and cultural diplomacy in Cuba and India.

Penn has taught courses on film and media at the University of Pennsylvania, and on politics and sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Originally from New Jersey, he received his BA in Sociology with a specialization in Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a graduate certificate in International Security from Stanford University.

He has maintained careers in both entertainment and public service, has been an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and most recently completed several global documentary series for Amazon, VICE, and National Geographic.