Concurrent Session

With a calm, level-headed approach, keen listening, insightful questioning, and a passion for individual and organizational belonging and thriving, Deborah Biddle influences individuals and teams to successfully rethink and redo the ways they engage with people and make decisions.

Deborah is a Certified Diversity Professional, Certified Talent Management Consultant, and a sought after Trainer and Speaker. She leads the diversity, equity and inclusion consulting, assessment, training, coaching and practitioner certification firm, The People Company LLC. Deborah works with organizations that want to leverage the power of change to heighten development and performance for their people. She designs and delivers thought-provoking and challenging experiences that help people THINK better, DO better and BE better at what matters most.

Deborah serves as advisory board member of Dane County, Wisconsin Office for Equity & Inclusion, board member of Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, board member of Madison-Based Impact Christian Schools, advisory board member of Africasong Communications, Inc, United Way Of Dane County Personnel Committee member, UnityPoint Health-Meriter Community Health Impact Committee member, Madison Downtown Rotary Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee member and Music Committee member, and Chaplain’s Council and Golden Life Member of Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is also president of Reasonable Service Ministries, which serves people through bible teaching and Christian music.

A graduate of Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University, Deborah holds a master of business administration degree and a bachelor of arts degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Deborah is the devoted wife to Lloyd, Lead Pastor at River Valley Community Church, and mother of two sons, Jason, a human resource professional and Jared, a collegiate scholar.

Karen M.R. Townsend, Ph.D. is the president of KTownsend Consulting—an award-winning organizational development firm offering expertise in leadership development and 21st Century diversity. Dr. Karen works with leaders to create inclusive environments and build strong teams so that they can effectively and efficiently meet the needs of their diverse colleagues, co-workers and clients. Dr. Karen believes in a holistic approach to professional development, and as such, her programs highlight the importance of both technical expertise and interpersonal relationships. This approach ensures that professionals at every level have the tools required to live and lead…confidently. A recognized subject matter expert, Dr. Karen has written articles on diversity and inclusion which have been featured in local, regional and national publications and media outlets. Because of her commitment to excellence, in 2019 Dr. Karen was recognized by the Dayton Business Journal in the category of “Woman-owned Business of The Year.” She currently serves on the board of trustees and executive committee for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Diversity Advisory Council for the Dayton Business Journal.  

Nishant is the SVP and GM of Topia’s Business Travel solution responsible for strategy and growth. Nishant joined Topia as part of its acquisition of Monaeo, a technology company he co-founded and led. Nishant brings extensive experience in Business Travel Analytics and extensive change management experience working with Fourtune 500 companies during his tenure at McKinsey & Co. and General Atlantic.

Prior to founding Monaeo, Nishant was a Vice President at General Atlantic where he led the Financial Services sector in India and was subsequently a part of the U.S. technology team.

Before General Atlantic, he worked in McKinsey & Company’s New Jersey office advising Fortune 500 companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Nishant held a variety of engineering and technical roles including at Mayo Clinic, where he developed algorithms for early detection of heart disease, and Lucent Technologies, where he helped develop a new IP product.

Nishant is a published author with publications in machine learning and image processing in leading peer-reviewed journals. Nishant has a BS in Computer Engineering, an MS in Biomedical Engineering, and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Patrick Shen is a partner with Fragomen’s Government Strategies and Compliance Group. He previously was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in 2007 as Special Counsel for Immigration-related Unfair Employment Practices. He also served as ICE Policy and Planning Director, Chief Immigration Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and trial attorney with DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation. Patrick was an adjunct professor of law at American University, and became an emergency medical technician in 2002 in Maryland where he still volunteers with his fire department. Patrick was a sports reporter in Taiwan before law school.

Sophie is recognized as a Certified Specialist Attorney in Immigration and Nationality Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She is recognized by TechCrunch as a Verified Expert Lawyer and was recently named to the list of Top 10 Immigration Attorneys in California. Sophie authors a weekly TechCrunch immigration advice column, Dear Sophie. She is the host of the podcast, Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Alcorn Immigration Law is the fastest-growing immigration law firm in Silicon Valley and 2019 Global Law Experts Awards’ “Law Firm of the Year in California for Entrepreneur Immigration Services.

Ann Kowal Smith serves as Executive Director of Books@Work.  Books@Work facilitates story-based conversations that deepen the quality of relationships and foster inclusion and collaboration at every level of the workplace. 

Ann has also served as Principal with Heidrick & Struggles International and Expert (Strategy) with McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey, Ann practiced corporate and securities law in private and corporate settings.

Ann earned her AB from Bryn Mawr College, her MA from the University of Michigan, and both her JD and DBA from Case Western Reserve University. Her dissertation examined organizational learning and innovation.

Evan Green is one of the two Senior Partners at Green and Spiegel and is Certified as a Specialist in Immigration Law by The Law Society of Ontario. ​Evan is called to the bar in both Canada and the United States and is able to practice federal immigration law in both countries. Evan has been practicing immigration law for over 25 years and has extensive experience in all areas of Canadian immigration. Evan has been identified for many years as a leading practitioner in immigration law. Evan is considered a subject matter expert in the field, frequently asked to speak as a panelist, moderator and lecturer.

Within the firm, Evan manages the U.S. practice for the firm which includes U.S. immigration matters processed from the Toronto office as well as the 3 offices in the U.S. Evan is particularly skilled at navigating cross-border issues on either side of the Canadian and U.S. border. Evan’s strong understanding of the nuances of Canada/U.S. cross borders issues allows him to provide clear and quick counsel to many companies with business interests in both Canada and the U.S. Evan is a member of the American Immigration Association and, over the years, has held numerous executive positions in the Canadian Chapter including President. Evan also is a leading practitioner in the area of U.S. consular processing and is considered the “go to guy” for many U.S. attorneys who contact Evan on a regular basis regarding processing at the U.S. Consulates in Canada as well as a multitude of issues related to Canada/U.S. border issues.