Concurrent Session

Lisa M. Sanchez has been in HR management and leadership positions since 1995 in hotels, higher education, non-profit, public and private sectors and union and non-union environments. Since March 2015, she is the Vice President, Employee Experience and Engagement (HR), at ArtCenter College of Design. She leads a team dedicated to enriching the experiences and engagements for faculty and staff. Critical to this work is Sanchez's direct work in ABIDE: access, belonging, inclusion, diversity and equity. As a change agent, she leads organizational development and culture because they have a direct impact on how individuals perform, contribute and thrive personally and professionally.  She received her bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge and a master's degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She is SHRM and HRCI HR-certified as well as a certified professional life coach.

Dr. Sherrie A. Johnson is an expert in organizational leadership, communication, and how authentic leader behavior affects employee job performance. She is an authority on leading and communicating in a global environment and competency in leadership. As a teacher, consultant, and executive coach, Dr. Johnson shows individuals, universities, and companies how to communicate, develop talent, to provide organizational effectiveness. Her research focuses on authentic leadership and how it positively affects employees' job performance in an organization. Dr. Johnson has served in a leadership capacity as a director for local government, secondary and K-12 public education organizations, and corporate communications. She has also served as part of the executive management team in leadership roles. This involved overseeing the Communications and applying advanced management principles with a critical impact on citizens and the organization. Dr. Johnson supervised award-winning teams and managed all facets of communication. She is also an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist with 20 years of experience in the reporting/anchoring field with local and national news organizations. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and majored in Journalism and Mass Communication, received her master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in Communications, and obtained a Doctor of Education at Grand Canyon University in Organizational Leadership. In her spare time, Dr. Johnson enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family and her dog Shayla.

Nathan Low is a partner in the firm's San Francisco office. He represents employers in all areas oflabor and employment law. His practice focuses on defending employers in wage and hour classand collective actions, PAGA claims, single-plaintiff claims, and retaliation and wrongful terminationclaims. While in law school, Nathan was a judicial extern for the Honorable David O. Carter of the UnitedStates District Court, Central District of California and the Honorable Gregory Keosian of theCalifornia Superior Court. Nathan was an officer and member of UCLA’s Moot Court HonorsProgram and competed throughout the country. He was also an editor for the Los Angeles PublicInterest Law Journal.

The need to transform their recruiting tactics and elevate the candidate experience should be a pressing concern for any company. The fact is, we're all perpetual candidates as well as potential customers regardless of generation or gender, skill set or experience, and negative experiences could add up to millions of dollars of lost revenue. By using the platform of the CandE Awards and the research data, we can help more organizations uncover the process changes and tools that enable them to deliver on improving candidate experience and their business bottom line.

Sam Kabert is a successful serial entrepreneur turned spiritual seeker and keynote speaker. He is known for his ability to put together teams to execute the vision. He is the Author of the #1 Bestselling book SOUL/Life Balance, Founder of SwagWorx & Clone Yourself University, and hosts the Soul Seekr Podcast. Despite all of Sam’s ventures and business success and being recognized as one of Silicon Valley’s “40 Under 40” at just age 31 years old and “Rising Star” in the promotional products industry, he soon recognized that something was missing. Sam realized that despite his success, he was unhappy. This understanding catapulted him on his most recent exploration of his life’s purpose. 

He is on a mission to bridge the gap between the way we conduct ourselves in business, mindful practices, how we communicate with everyone, especially oneself, all through prioritizing psychological safety and mental health first.

Erika Frank is a well-respected employment attorney with a passion for advising and educating employers about California's complex workplace laws. Leveraging more than two decades of legal, regulatory and legislative experience, Erika offers a practical and insightful approach to helping clients deal with the effects of California's employment laws on employee relations and workplace policies. Prior to joining the Shaw Law Group, Erika served as the General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs at the California Chamber of Commerce, the largest broad-based trade association in California. With a focus on employment law compliance, Erika oversaw CalChamber's Labor Law Helpline and assisted countless members with their labor and employment law questions. She also played an integral role in the launch and success of CalChamber's The Workplace podcast.

Michelle Beauchamp, CEO of The Champ Group, has a passion help others grow and unleash their inner champ. As an Executive Director on the Maxwell Leadership team, she is a certified speaker, trainer, coach. Michelle's 25 years in Corporate America as a Sales Leader, combined with her 10 + years as an entrepreneur has equipped her to help others explore their strengths, improve areas of weakness and through a journey of inner discovery, transform their former ineffective habits into new behaviors that enrich relationships and increase productivity. As an Executive Director on the Maxwell Leadership team, she is a certified speaker, trainer, coach. Michelle's 25 years in Corporate America as a Sales Leader, combined with her 10 + years as an entrepreneur has equipped her to help others explore their strengths, improve areas of weakness and through a journey of inner discovery, transform their former ineffective habits into new behaviors that enrich relationships and increase productivity. Michelle combines Leadership skills with supporting clients to journey through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Her Leadership development teaching fosters an understanding of appreciating uniqueness to create inclusive and productive cultures. Whether leaders struggle with initiating difficult conversations, or teams struggle to work cohesively, Michelle is pleased to partner with individuals and companies to refresh and flourish. She's also a facilitator with the American Management Association. Michelle combines Leadership skills with supporting clients to journey through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Her Leadership development teaching fosters an understanding of appreciating uniqueness to create inclusive and productive cultures. Whether leaders struggle with initiating difficult conversations, or teams struggle to work cohesively, Michelle is pleased to partner with individuals and companies to refresh and flourish. She's also a facilitator with the American Management Association

Lauren is an activator and a creative thinker with a heart for public service. Disciplined, coachable, and goal-oriented, she is driven by challenges and has a passion for leadership development and collaboration. She has advanced coaching certifications from the Direct Sales World Alliance (DSWA) along with a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Development from UC Davis. While there, Lauren also earned the Charles Hess Community Service Award for her efforts in the community. Lauren has served as an Ambassador for the Brea Chamber for several years and enjoys supporting businesses with marketing, and confidence/leadership development. Serving as a trainer of trainers for the California Association of Student Councils for many years, Lauren thrives on mentoring via asking questions, actively listening and being a positive example of what she teaches.

Ellen Connelly Cohen earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where she graduated cum laude. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2006. Ms. Cohen's practice focuses on employment litigation and counseling.

Rachel Marcuse is the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of ReadySet, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm. She is also an independent consultant specializing in organizational development, management and facilitation. Rachel was the former Vice President of People Operations (HR) of Tom Steyer entities, including NextGen America, which runs the largest democratic SuperPac in the U.S. In that role, she scaled the organization from 20 to nearly 1000 employees. Prior to her work at NextGen America, Rachel worked at Outbrain, where she led organizational development and grew the company from 90 to 500 staff, and led their global learning and development program. Rachel has trained thousands of people and organizations in leadership and employee development skills on topics including effective interviewing, bias in management relationships, running HR investigations, inclusive communication, strategic planning and much more . She has facilitated management workshops for new leaders and served as an executive coach for CEO's and other seasoned leaders. Her experience spans a range of sectors, including start-ups, universities, non-profits and political organizations. Rachel's current and past clients include DonorsChoose, GetThru, Verizon, California State Assembly, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Appfolio, Durie Tangri LLP, Beto for Texas and Columbia University.