Breakout Session

Dennis Davis, Ph.D.
National Director of Client Training
Ogletree Deakins
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Author, and international presenter…Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D. is the National Director of Client training for Ogletree Deakins.  Dr. Davis has a Ph.D. in psychology and uses his insight into human motivation to help employers manage workplace behaviors and minimize risks.  He has presented on Workplace Violence Prevention, Harassment Prevention, Diversity and Inclusion, Executive Coaching, as well as Out-Front Leadership.

SESSIONS:
Joseph L. Beachboard
Nationally Recognized Employment Lawyer
Beachboard Consulting Group
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Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer who also closely tracks the most important developments at the U.S. Supreme Court impacting the business community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing management in a wide variety of employment and labor matters in perhaps the most challenging state in the nation for employers – California.  Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics.  He is a member of SHRM and has been an annual presenter at both the SHRM Annual Conference and the Employment Law and Compliance Conference for two decades.  Mr. Beachboard is frequently quoted in such leading publications as HR Magazine, National Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, HR Executive and Workforce, and has been published in dozens of legal and business journals. Throughout his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Beachboard has represented dozens of studios and entertainment properties.  He cites his most interesting project as working with the cast and crew of the television show The Office, from its pilot through the final season.

 

 

SESSIONS:
Dennis Davis, Ph.D.
National Director of Client Training
Ogletree Deakins
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Author, and international presenter…Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D. is the National Director of Client training for Ogletree Deakins.  Dr. Davis has a Ph.D. in psychology and uses his insight into human motivation to help employers manage workplace behaviors and minimize risks.  He has presented on Workplace Violence Prevention, Harassment Prevention, Diversity and Inclusion, Executive Coaching, as well as Out-Front Leadership.

SESSIONS:
Joseph L. Beachboard
Nationally Recognized Employment Lawyer
Beachboard Consulting Group
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Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer who also closely tracks the most important developments at the U.S. Supreme Court impacting the business community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing management in a wide variety of employment and labor matters in perhaps the most challenging state in the nation for employers – California.  Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics.  He is a member of SHRM and has been an annual presenter at both the SHRM Annual Conference and the Employment Law and Compliance Conference for two decades.  Mr. Beachboard is frequently quoted in such leading publications as HR Magazine, National Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, HR Executive and Workforce, and has been published in dozens of legal and business journals. Throughout his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Beachboard has represented dozens of studios and entertainment properties.  He cites his most interesting project as working with the cast and crew of the television show The Office, from its pilot through the final season.

 

 

SESSIONS:
David Rittof
President
Modern Management
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Mr. Rittof is the President and CEO of Modern Management, Inc. and an employee relations consultant His proactive approach to employee relations has roots in a broad spectrum of activities including organizational re-design studies, employee opinion surveys, communication audits, and labor relations seminars. As President/CEO, he leads a team of dedicated professionals in helping executives, managers, and supervisors face the challenges of the future. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mr. Rittof holds a B.A. and M.A. in Organizational Communication. He has taught at the university level and is co-author of Quality Circles, a textbook utilized by several universities and businesses. Since joining the firm over 33 years ago, he has consulted in virtually all aspects of employee relations. His experience encompasses healthcare, manufacturing, gaming, hospitality, banking, services, insurance, and government. A few of Mr. Rittof’s many accomplishments include successfully assisting numerous organizations in maintaining non-union status; providing preventive management training programs regarding the union campaign process; developing identification and action planning processes for responding to employee morale issues; and implementing communication plans for organizations in transition. He has also provided coaching and guidance for executives wishing to improve their public speaking skills and frequently facilitated executive retreats for strategic planning and team building.
SESSIONS:
Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Paul Carney
Founder
Ishtot, Inc.
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Carney uses his over 30 years of experience across business, IT, and HR to be a trusted advisor as the CHRO for Carter Bank.

And Paul isn't just all talk; he’s penned his wisdom into his insightful book, Move Your Æ(ash): Know, Grow, and Show Your Career Value. The book launched in 2018 and quickly found its place on the desks of many ambitious professionals. Paul's expertise is not limited to HR alone; he
earned respected accreditation from the Blockchain Council as a Certified Prompt Engineer™ and earned the prestigious Level 2 Award in Wine from WSET.

SESSIONS:
Ragan Decker, Ph.D., SHRM-CP
Personal Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Manager, Executive Network and Enterprise Research
SHRM
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Ragan Decker, Ph.D., SHRM-CP, is an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist and Manager of Executive Network and Enterprise Research at SHRM. She designs and conducts strategic research to support SHRM’s mission as it relates to work, workers, and the workplace. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut and Graduate Certificates in Quantitative Research Methods and Occupational Health Psychology. Her work has been published in HR Quarterly, People + Strategy Journal as well as Occupational Health Science, Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, and Annals of Work Exposure and Health. 

SESSIONS:
Lydia Aulisi, Ph.D.
Director, Workplace Consulting Research & Insights
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
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Lydia Aulisi, PhD is a researcher within Fidelity Workplace Research, Insights, and Thought Leadership. She supports the strategy, planning, and execution of employee- and employer-focused strategic research projects, leveraging behavioral science perspectives and methodologies. Lydia received her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, where her research focused on employee well-being, work-nonwork decision making, and utilization of workplace leave benefits (e.g., vacation, parental leave). She is passionate about applying evidence-based approaches to promote employee well-being, engagement, and organizational health. 

SESSIONS:
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 10:30am to 11:30am
Andrew Fockler
Adjunct Faculty/Sessional Faculty/ Director
International Business University/ Vocational Quest Inc.
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SESSIONS:
Amad Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
Astute Talent Management
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SESSIONS:
Justin Ladner
Senior Labor Economist
SHRM
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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.

SESSIONS:
Monday, June 30, 2025 - 11:00am to 12:00pm
Mario R. Bordogna, Esquire
Partner
Bowles Rice, LLP
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Mario Bordogna is a Partner in the Labor and Employment Practice at the law firm of Bowles Rice, LLP working with employers nationwide on the front end to keep them in legal compliance with labor and employment laws and on the back end if they need a strong and experienced litigation advocate.  For 25 years, Mario has represented employers in sectors like health care, education, energy, hospitality, manufacturing, and others in the areas of HR/employment counseling, employment litigation, wage and hour, harassment, trade secret and non-competition matters, labor-management relations, accommodation, policy development and investigations, and much more.

SESSIONS:
Andrew Fockler
Adjunct Faculty/Sessional Faculty/ Director
International Business University/ Vocational Quest Inc.
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SESSIONS:
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 10:45am to 11:45am
Amad Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
Astute Talent Management
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SESSIONS: