Virtual Pass

Dave Barnett is the Chief Administrative Officer for DeVry University. Responsible for leading DeVryWorks partnership strategy, while also driving the direction of Human Resources, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Public Relations, Communications and Alumni Relations efforts for the university, Barnett is focused on creating impactful strategies to encourage outstanding outcomes for students, colleagues and partner organizations. He previously served as DeVry’s Chief Human Resources and University Relations Officer.

With more than 20 years of experience, he has worked with numerous universities and corporations, driving large-scale change during times of high growth and turnaround. 

Barnett earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds numerous certifications and has been recognized by the American Society for Training and Development, Training Magazine, and the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards.

Benjamin McCall is a Consultant, Speaker and practitioner in HR, DEI, Learning, Business and Organizational Performance serving organizations nationally. With FOCUS Consulting, he has partnered with Fortune 500’s from Financial Services, Education, Healthcare, Startup, Military Defense, Manufacturing across the nonprofit, private and public sectors.

Benjamin’s work focuses on 4 areas: People Development, Strategic Planning and Execution, HR Practices, and Coaching.  With his partners, he builds better processes and mindsets to address the changing landscape individuals, executives, and organizations face when delivering initiatives to their stakeholders. As a practitioner and coach his style balances guiding individuals to honestly clarify needs while being firm around the real work that needs to be addressed and to "Be BETTER" in their work and relationships.

Lorne Epstein, SHRM-SCP, MSOD, is a social scientist, keynote, and Vistage speaker who consults with senior leaders on improving decision-making outcomes by reducing biases. Over 50,000 professionals have taken his workshops worldwide. He has been quoted in Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Christian Science Monitor, and other publications. His research focuses on improving decision-making and reducing the impacts of unconscious bias in the workplace. Lorne has been leading experiential workshops since 1993. His book, You're Hired! Interview Skills to Get the Job has been downloaded over a half-million times worldwide. Lorne is currently studying cognitive neuroscience at the master’s level at George Mason University. He was admitted to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Psi Chi, The National Honor Society of Psychology.

I was a talent acquisition leader for 23 years supporting teams in the United States, Brazil and India. Many of my teams won awards for their performance. I wrote the National Talent Acquisition and Diversity Hiring plan for the United States Forest Service.

Justin Ladner is a Senior Labor Economist at SHRM. His work centers on examining labor market trends and emerging issues facing employers and employees. He also has extensive experience researching occupational mobility, personnel training, recruiting, and retention. In all of these areas, he is passionate about leveraging data and analytics to inform real-world policy improvements.

Justin holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s degree in economics and bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Boston University.

Justin Ladner is a Senior Labor Economist at SHRM. His work centers on examining labor market trends and emerging issues facing employers and employees. He also has extensive experience researching occupational mobility, personnel training, recruiting, and retention. In all of these areas, he is passionate about leveraging data and analytics to inform real-world policy improvements.

Justin holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s degree in economics and bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Boston University.

With over 20 years of legal expertise, Sejal Thakkar serves as a strategic business partner and cultural architect. She designs and implements systems and processes that not only align with organizational values but also drive business outcomes. Sejal combines storytelling, real-world insights, and actionable strategies to deliver leadership coaching and training programs to cultivate strong connections in virtual and global teams.
 

Jack Gottlieb is a results-driven senior executive with 20 years of experience in transforming and revitalizing organizations. As the CEO of Total Solutions Group, a strategic consulting and results-based training firm, he has a proven track record of aligning culture, strategy, and capability to achieve critical short-term and long-term goals. TSG has generated $3.25 billion in ROI for clients in growth, profitability, innovation, and efficiency, including leading fifteen M&As and ten turnarounds from inception to implementation. 

With extensive experience in the C-Suite and as an HR leader Jack has a deep expertise of how to drive organizational health and performance through an embedded employee experience. Jack has had global roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, & Chief Culture Officer in banking and currently is the Vice President of Global Capability & Transformation in a market leading test lab in the gaming industry. 
Jack has been one of the top rated speakers and thought leaders for SHRM both at annual and state council conferences. Jack also hosts the successful "L&D Transformation Podcast: How To Lead The Future Of Our Organizations Through Talent Development” which is in its third season with over 100 episodes.