Virtual Pass

Deniece Maston has 14+ years of HR experience.  Her areas of expertise in employee relations, performance management, talent acquisition, benefits and compensation is a great addition to the Knowledge Center team.  Prior to working at SHRM, Deniece spent a majority of her career in human resource positions in the government contracting industry.  Along with having her SHRM-CP, Deniece has a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. She also holds the SHRM California Law HR and the Workplace Investigations Credentials, and the People Manager Qualification.

Barbara Holland has over 10 years' experience as Global Director of HR for nonprofit organizations working in Africa, India, China, Mexico, Kosovo, and Myanmar.  Prior to working in international development, she worked for 15+ years in California in Medical and Health Insurance Industries.  In addition to her HR duties, she also was responsible for Global Travel Security and Facilities Management.  Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and Human Resources from California State Polytechnic University and is a certified practitioner in Myers-Briggs (MBTI®).  Barbara has served on various nonprofits board.  She is married, has two children and three grandchildren and enjoys anything that has to do with family and the outdoors.

Pattie Graves, SHRM-SCP, has been an HR Knowledge Advisor for 10 years. Prior to coming onboard with SHRM, Pattie worked as an HR manager and HR director in manufacturing, transportation and retail. She has 20 years of HR experience and is also a small business owner. 

Welby C. Broaddus, Jr. is the chief owner and operator of the business consulting firm, Broaddus Business Solutions. As a visually impaired businessman, he hopes to use his influence to help the disabled community and those without a voice. It's been often said that Welby is able to hold a conversation with anyone, and he likes to say that he “never meets a stranger.” He is also the author of Leading Blind Without Vision: The Benefits of Hiring The Blind and Visually Impaired.

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.

Connie Meyer is the Curriculum Development Consultant at Interfaith America, a non-profit organization that inspires, equips, and connects leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity.  Connie consults with colleagues across the organization to ensure best-in-class learning across all Interfaith America programs and also directly designs engaging, effective interfaith learning experiences across in-person, online, and hybrid spaces.  Connie’s work is grounded in deep experience across the fields of learning & development, dispute resolution, and intercultural relations.  She has applied her expertise across corporate, academic, and non-profit contexts, including a decade of work as a corporate educator at multiple Fortune 100 organizations. She holds an M.A. in Intercultural Conflict Management and teaches mediation skills at Northwestern University.

Lena Thompson is an award-winning entrepreneur and speaker, helping purpose-driven leaders to make decisions they trust and lead with authenticity and impact.

Coming from a strong corporate culture background, her passion is to create purpose-driven cultures where individuals can thrive personally and professionally.

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, a strategic organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500's to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought-leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker and blogger, author of three books, and she has 50+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning.

Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.com

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.