Virtual Pass

Anton Gunn
CEO
937 Strategy Group
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Anton Gunn is a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama and a leading expert on Socially Conscious Leadership. He was the first African American in history elected to the South Carolina Legislature from his district early in his career. Anton is a graduate of the University of South Carolina (USC) where he played SEC football for the Gamecocks. He also earned a master's degree in Social Work from USC and was a Resident Fellow at Harvard. He is the bestselling author of The Audacity of Leadership and The Presidential Principles, and has been featured in TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, INC Magazine, BBC, NPR, and on Good Morning America.

Anton was named one of the Ten Most Influential Minority Executives in Healthcare by Fierce Healthcare. An international keynote speaker, management consultant, and the CEO of 937 Strategy Group, Anton has worked with renowned organizations like Mercedes-Benz Vans, KPMG, Rock Ventures, Sodexo, WellPath, Verizon Wireless, Aetna, T-Mobile, American Organization of Nurse Leaders, Emory Healthcare, Blue Shield of California, and The Boeing Company. Anton is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a designation earned by the top echelon of professional speakers and held by fewer than 10% of the members belonging to the International Federation for Professional Speakers. He has spent his life helping leaders build diverse, high-performing teams, and world-class workplace culture.

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - 10:30am to 11:30am
Kevin M. Coleman
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/His
Empowerment Coach, Trainer, and Speaker
KMC Empowerment, LLC
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Kevin M. Coleman is the Founder of KMC Empowerment, LLC where he provides executive coaching, empowering speeches, and professional development training to make individuals and organizations successful.  This is done through inspiring leaders to define clear vision, mission, and value systems that leads to exponential personal, professional, and business growth.  Kevin has vast experience in leading training for Entrepreneurs, Executives, Division Chiefs, Branch Chiefs, Mid-Level Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leads for over 35 years.  Kevin has demonstrated experience speaking for all audiences from three (4) to three thousand (4,000).  In addition, Kevin is a United States Army disabled veteran.

SESSIONS:
Jed Lazar
Cozy Juicy Real
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Jed and Sophia are facilitators, coaches and the creators behind Cozy Juicy Real. More importantly, they’re two people who believe in the power of great conversations to bring us all a little closer. Favorite coffee treat? Frappuccinos with silky soy milk and a pump of something sweet.

SESSIONS:
Sophia Avgousti
Cozy Juicy Real
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Jed and Sophia are facilitators, coaches and the creators behind Cozy Juicy Real. More importantly, they’re two people who believe in the power of great conversations to bring us all a little closer. Favorite coffee treat? Frappuccinos with silky soy milk and a pump of something sweet.

SESSIONS:
Monday, June 13, 2022 - 4:45pm to 6:00pm
Gregory Tall
Personal Pronouns
He/Him/His
Director of Learning and Development
JB Training Solutions
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Gregory Tall is a high-energy trainer and facilitator with over fifteen years of experience helping high-growth organizations in all areas of human resources who also answers to the nickname “The Artist Formerly Known as HR.” He began his career at a scrappy tech start-up where he boosted the hiring of underrepresented professionals. In roles following, Gregory built an inclusive onboarding program, provided regular development coaching to leaders, mediated employee relations cases, implemented recruitment practices to increase hiring of women and people of color and executed a comprehensive DEI strategy addressing institutional equity.

Gregory is widely known for his enthusiasm and his ability to help participants navigate difficult conversations with confidence and candor. He consults and develops content for organizations including FOX Sports, American Dental Association, Soho House, Wilson Sporting Goods, and has a niche for facilitating DEI curriculum and conversations specific to the advertising industry. Gregory holds an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. When not developing or delivering training, Gregory is working hard to build his vinyl record collection and fuel his chocolate chip cookie addiction – he insists on having at least one cookie every single day.

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - 11:30am to 12:00pm
Roy Abdo
CEO
Digital Revamp Communications
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Roy is a digital marketing consultant and CEO of Digital Revamp Communications. Digital Revamp Communications is a leading digital marketing and advertising agency that creates digital communication strategy, launches creative websites and social media content campaigns to grow brands or executives presence and connect them with their audience.

Roy advises C-level executives on digital storytelling, online strategy integration, executive personal brand and paid media.

Through monthly collaboration, content creation, and social media engagement with Digital Revamp’s team, SHRM has amplified its online presence to become the leading voice on the future of the workplace with a content reach over 5 Million views annually. 

The latest achievement of SHRM’s partnership with Digital Revamp is the recognition of its CEO among LinkedIn’s “Top Voices for Associations and Advocacy,” alongside figures like Justin Trudeau, Bill Gates, and others. Roy advised the Military Health System (MHS) for the Department of Defense on communication strategies and is also a speaker for the US State Department. Roy also serves as a certified Clifton Strengths and High Performing Team coach.

Prior to Digital Revamp, Roy worked for Gallup consulting. In his work with Gallup, Roy directed various social and digital communications, as well as provided guidance in advertising and brand messaging. Roy led project communication for Gallup clients such as the International Labor Organization and the World Bank Financial Inclusion index.

SESSIONS:
Antoni Porowski
New York Times Bestselling Author and Star of Netflix’s Queer Eye
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Antoni Porowski is a New York Times Bestselling Author and star of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series Queer Eye. As the show’s food and wine expert, the self-taught cook brings with him a lifelong passion for food. Antoni’s first cookbook Antoni in the Kitchen debuted at #2 on the New York Times’ Best Seller List in 2019. His follow up cookbook, Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner, was released in September 2021.

Antoni can currently be seen in Netflix’s award-winning series Queer Eye, which has won the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Structured Reality Program” for four consecutive years. In 2020 and 2021, Antoni and his fellow Fab Five received Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Hosts For A Reality Or Competition Program.” Antoni also is developing a feature film for Netflix with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris loosely based on Antoni’s real-life dating experiences as a sexually fluid man entitled Girls and Boys.

Born in Canada to Polish emigrants, Antoni is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights everywhere, especially in his family’s native Poland where he serves on the board of the Equaversity Foundation which was established to organize international fundraising to support the LGBTQ+ community in Poland.

SESSIONS:
Moderator: 
Jamie Bosley
VP, Event Strategy & Experience
SHRM
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Jamie Bosley serves as SHRM’s Vice President of Event Strategy & Experience where he is responsible for leading event strategy and enhancing our attendee experiences for SHRM’s Annual Conference and specialty conferences portfolio. Prior to SHRM, Jamie was a boomerang employee with two separate stints at National Geographic, where he most recently served as Director of Marketing and Engagement. He previously worked at RedPeg Marketing, building brand activations and experiences for clients such as Enterprise, GEICO, TD Bank, and the Virginia Lottery. He began his conference planning career at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of West Virginia University.

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 - 10:00am to 11:00am
LaQuenta Jacobs
Global Vice President
Kimberly Clark
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LaQuenta Jacobs, serves as the Global Vice President of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity at Kimberly Clark, providing cultural leadership that cultivate K-C’s equity strategy. Her focus includes the important work of diversity and inclusion and partnering with internal and external stakeholders to unleash the power of the company’s workforce.

     Prior to joining K-C, she served as XPO’s Chief Diversity Officer, providing cultural leadership and advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion.  She initially joined XPO as head of             human resources for the company’s last mile business unit.  In prior roles, LaQuenta led organizational development initiatives for global public companies, including Delta Airlines,         The Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting and Georgia-Pacific.

     LaQuenta is a passionate business leader with deep experience in cultural transformation. In addition to providing HR business partnership and strategic guidance for diversity,                 equity,  and inclusion, she has worked across a variety of HR disciplines, including talent acquisition, talent development, organizational design, compensation, change management         and employee relations, this experience has shaped her passion for helping organizations cultivate cultures of equitable access for all.

SESSIONS:
Alicia Petross
Chief Diversity Officer
The Hershey Company
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Alicia, a member of the Human Resources Leadership Team since 2015, leads the development and execution of Hershey’s Pathways Framework delivering diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. She partners with key internal and external leaders to develop more innovation and robustness in Hershey’s global climate and inclusion programming. Externally, Alicia expands Hershey’s partnership framework and represents the company in key industry commitments, including Paradigm for Parity, CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the National Organization on Disability Look Closer Campaign, and Financial Literacy For All.

 

Alicia has more than 15 years of progressive human resources experience. She joined Hershey from the Target Corporation, where she played a key role in advancing and executing inclusion and engagement strategy and led the company’s ascension to the Top 20 in Diversity Inc.’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity rankings. Prior to joining Target, Alicia held various jobs including Store Team Leader at the Dayton Hudson Corporation – where she was the first African American woman to hold this position. In 2022, The Hershey Company was named #6 on Diversity Inc.’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. Hershey recently earned the #1 ranking on Forbes World’s Most Female Friendly Companies.  Alicia was named on Diversity Woman Media’s inaugural Elite100 Black Women leaders list in 2021.

SESSIONS:
Pedro Jaime Torres-Díaz
Office Managing Principal
Jackson Lewis P.C.
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Pedro Jaime Torres-Díaz is the office managing principal of the Miami, Florida, office and a principal in the San Juan, Puerto Rico, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is also a past president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. His practice concentrates on employment discrimination and wage and hour counseling and litigation exclusively on behalf of employers, both in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Pedro has extensive trial experience before both federal and local courts and administrative forums in Puerto Rico and Florida. He has also successfully defended employers in all types of administrative hearings before local and federal agencies. Before joining Jackson Lewis, he was a partner in the Labor and Employment Law Department of a leading law firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he resided and practiced law for eight years.

Throughout his practice in Puerto Rico, Pedro was a frequent and featured speaker on many subjects in the labor and employment law field, in seminars for clients and for organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. Since arriving in Miami, he has continued to participate as speaker on many topics related to workplace law, both for clients and other organizations in Florida and elsewhere. Pedro has also written articles on legal developments in Puerto Rico, one of which was published in the American Bar Association's The International Employment Lawyer.

During his undergraduate studies, he completed an internship in European Business in the Ecòle Europèenne des Affaires in Paris, France. After completion of his undergraduate studies, Pedro worked as a fiscal analyst in the corporate headquarters of McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri. After his graduation from law school, he clerked for Honorable Aida M. Delgado-Colón, United States Magistrate-Judge (now Chief United States District Judge), at the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Pedro is fluent in Spanish and English, and conversant in French.

SESSIONS:
Moderator: 
Jim Link, SHRM-SCP
CHRO
SHRM
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Jim Link is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management.  With more than 315,000 members around the world, 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 a variety of 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.

 

 

SESSIONS:
Tuesday, October 25, 2022 - 8:30am to 9:30am
Cynt Marshall
CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and President & CEO, Marshalling Resources Consulting
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Cynt Marshall has been a dynamic force for inclusion and diversity within the Mavericks organization and over a 36-year career at AT&T.  When Cynt was hired as the CEO of the Mavs in March 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation.  Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion and diversity. Cynt brought transparency, trust and her values-based leadership style that evolved the company culture in her first 100 days.

Prior to her joining the Mavs, Cynt founded Marshalling Resources, a consulting firm specializing in Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion, Culture Transformation and overall optimization of people resources. Upon the company naming its first Chief Inclusion Officer in June 2017, Cynt worked with The Dow Chemical Company to develop and implement a strategy for institutionalizing an inclusive culture. Dow was named to DiversityInc’s Top 50 list in 2018 and has since been identified on Fortune’s Great Place to Work lists.

Cynt’s notoriety began many years ago as a young Officer at AT&T and grew exponentially when she served as Senior Vice President – Human Resources & Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T.  There she was responsible for identifying and developing leaders, aligning employees with the company’s vision and priorities, overseeing major business unit HR support, performance development, employee engagement, skills transformation initiatives, EEO and Affirmative Action. Cynt also led the team that created a world class Diversity and Inclusion culture, landing AT&T in the top 3 on Diversity Inc’s 2017 Top 50 list of companies.  She also spearheaded the work that for the first time placed AT&T on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2017, one of only two Fortune 50 companies.

Before her SVP-Human Resources and Chief Diversity Office roles, Cynt served as President-AT&T North Carolina where she became the first African-American chair of the North Carolina State Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her North Carolina appointment, Cynt held a variety of executive line and staff, technical and non-technical positions at AT&T and its predecessor companies.

Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and ability to get things done Cynt is the recipient of several honors and awards. In 2021, Forbes named Cynt one of 15 of the world’s most inspiring female leaders, Dallas WISE (Women In Sports and Events) honored her with the inaugural Women of Inspiration award, The Women’s Forum of New York bestowed the Elly award, and Texas Women’s University recognized Cynt with the Virginia Chandler Dyke Leadership award. Cynt received the 2020 Girl Scouts of America Lifetime Achievement award and was touted as one of Adweek’s 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports. In 2019, Cynt was honored with the Women of Power Legacy Award by Black Enterprise and was the recipient of the National ATHENA® Leadership Program Award. This annual award is presented by chambers of commerce, women’s organizations and universities worldwide. In 2017, Cynt was honored by The Network Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business and was honored with the ATHENA® Leadership Program Award by the Dallas Regional Chamber, which recognizes exceptional women who excel in their careers, contribute to their communities and develop women leaders. In March 2020 and several times prior, Cynt was selected as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine and named to Ebony magazine’s 2016 “Power 100” list.  In 2014, industry analysts and members of the press conferred on Cynt the HR Executive of the Year - Best in Biz Award. For her efforts on behalf of the people of North Carolina, in 2013 Cynt received the prestigious Leadership North Carolina Governor’s Award, which honors just one citizen each year for lifetime achievements.

Cynt graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management and holds four honorary Doctorate degrees. She also earned a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Cynt has chaired a variety of non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of Dallas CASA (chair), Dallas Regional Chamber, Texas Women’s Foundation, Texas 2036, T.D. Jakes Foundation, Pro Sports Assembly, Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and is a member of the International Women’s Forum. She is also on the Board of Directors of BGSF Staffing, JELD-WEN, Chime Financial, Inc. and Blinkcns, Inc.

The fourth of six children, Cynt grew up in Richmond, California, and lives in the Dallas area. She and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have four adult children. 

SESSIONS:
Moderator: 
Emily M. Dickens, J.D.
Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary
SHRM
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Emily M. Dickens, J.D., serves as SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary. She is the executive responsible for coordinating staff to implement the CEO's vision, serving as corporate secretary for the SHRM Board and subsidiary boards, as well as managing external partnerships and providing oversight for the Government Affairs division.

Dickens is an attorney with significant and progressive experience in government, higher education and the non-profit sector. She has served as a member of the leadership team at the University of North Carolina system, the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  Her prior roles include general counsel, chief relationship officer, senior vice president, vice president for public policy and assistant vice president for federal relations.  Dickens has also worked at Duke University and Fayetteville State University in administrative and external affairs roles. 

Emily is actively engaged in board service. She formerly served on the  Fayetteville/Cumberland (NC)  Chamber  of  Commerce  (Secretary  of  the  Board),  the Cumberland County Workforce Development Board, the  North  Carolina  Partnership  for  Defense  Innovation Board, and the Educational Advancement Foundation. She is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina Central University, and chairs the International HBCU Task Force for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Central University School of Law. 

 

SESSIONS:
 
Monday, December 5, 2022 - 7:55am to 8:00am
 
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 - 9:30am to 10:00am