Concurrent Session

Dr. Amy Beacom is credited as the trailblazer who built the vertical broadly referred to as parental leave support. Amy conceived of and began developing the field of parental leave coaching and consulting in 2006. In 2014 she founded the Center for Parental Leave Leadership, the first full service consultancy in the US to focus exclusively on parental leave strategy, research, and training. Drawing on over 25 years in executive leadership development and coaching, Amy consults with organizations of all sizes to drive talent development, attraction, and retention while improving the employee experience.

Claire Stroh, MBA, SHRM-CP is currently the Manager, of Managed Talent Services at Lighthouse Technology Services and CEO of Claire is Coaching. She has used LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and networking to build her personal brand and uncover new opportunities for herself and the companies she’s worked for. She’s passionate about helping others do the same! Claire has more than 10 years of successively diverse human resources management experience with privately-owned and publicly-traded global leaders. She is an active member and blogger for SHRM and served on SHRM’s Emerging Professional Advisory Council (EPAC) for four years. Claire was named a 2022 HR Impact Award Winner by Buffalo Business First and 2022 Community Catalyst Award Winner by HRUnite!.

George J. Huntley – CEO, Diabetes Leadership Council

George is a founding member of the Diabetes Leadership Council (501c3) and currently serves as CEO of both the DLC and its affiliate, the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (501c4). He has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1983 and has 3 other family members also living with T1D. A passionate advocate for people with diabetes, George is a past National Chair of the Board of the American Diabetes Association and currently serves as Treasurer of Children With Diabetes.

A former CPA, George spent his business career as CFO of Theoris Group, Inc., United Pentek, Inc. and MicroProse Games, Inc.  In his corporate roles, he was the plan administrator of self-insured, employer-based health plans for more than 25 years. He learned firsthand the impact of chronic disease management on his company’s bottom line and the importance of strategic health plan design decisions to manage cost, reduce overall risk and improve health outcomes. George is also a highly rated and frequent speaker on the topic of health plan design and drug pricing.

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential. 

Jen Butler has worked for over 35 years helping individuals uncover their stress triggers and ways to reduce their stress to live a more peaceful and joyous life. She is now the CEO and founder of Rest from Stress, an educational training company dedicated to helping organizations create a culture of stress management and resilience so every employee works to their greatest potential. 

With over 15 years of senior HR leadership in Fortune 500 companies, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and certified coach, Shayla N. Atkins is now the Founder and CEO of The Atkins IMPACT Consulting Firm. As an award-winning business and leadership strategist, an authority in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Organizational Effectiveness, Shayla believes “Authenticity Is the New Leadership Currency”, as the key to unlocking human potential. Receiving the 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award presented by President Joseph R. Biden, and Shayla’s proven track record, has earned her invitations to speak on some of the largest stages across the country.

Nichol Bradford is a futurist, investor, and technology executive
dedicated to amplifying human potential through the thoughtful
integration of AI. As SHRM's AI + HI Executive-in-Residence, she
shapes global strategies impacting 362 million workers through
340,000 HR professionals across 180 countries. She is the Co-Founder
of Niremia Collective, a venture fund investing in the future of human
potential.

With over two decades of experience in technology and human
development, Bradford specializes in strengthening mental, emotional,
and social health (MESH) to drive innovation. She reaches over
100,000 people annually through thought leadership and speaking
engagements, including TEDx talks. Her unique approach combines
psychology, neuroscience, and organizational change to guide
companies through human-centered AI adoption.

Bradford's impressive track record includes operating World of Warcraft
in China, co-founding TransformativeTech.org, and building the largest
global network for human potential technology spanning 450+ cities.
Through her $22.5M venture fund, she targets the $8.5 trillion human
potential market. Her mission is clear: creating a future where AI
enhances human capabilities while strengthening social cohesion and
well-being.

After 12 years of building and growing his media company, Arturo Ferreira had a front row seat to what generative AI could do. A technological hobbyist throughout his life, Arturo watched the conversation around generative AI morph from humorous novelty to societal shift. In late 2022, he realized his media company had, at most, a 5 year shelf life, and turned his attention to understanding and mastering the budding field of gen AI and prompt engineering. Alongside Martin Crowley, he helped found AI Tool Report: the largest and fastest-growing AI news and education platform in the world. Using his platform and drawing on his life experience, Arturo's focus is teaching AI from the perspective of the average professional, making complex topics simple and ensuring everyone understands just how accessible, and important, this new technology is.

Rich Horwath is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best selling author on strategy. As the CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute, he leads executive teams through the strategy process and has helped more than 50,000 managers around the world develop their strategic thinking skills. As a former chief strategy officer and professor of strategy, he brings both real-world experience and practical expertise to help groups build their strategy skills. Rich's work has been profiled on CNBC, Investor's Business Daily, CBS, NBC and FOX TV.

Dr. Christopher D. Lee is a retired HR executive having served as the CHRO for William & Mary, the Virginia Community College System, and Bates College. He is now a managing director with Storbeck Search. Chris has authored four books, including the SHRM-published Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity, and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals). He has consulted with over 100 clients in the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa on HR related topics. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps Reserves.