Concurrent Session

For over 20 years, Allison West has used her employment law background in delivering customized workplace training, conducting investigations, coaching executives/managers, serving as an expert witness, and specializing in conflict resolution and facilitated discussions to create more collaborative work environments. 

Allison is a top-rated speaker at the SHRM Annual Conference as well as other HR/diversity conferences, and is a national expert on harassment, discrimination and investigations. She has appeared on PBS, CBS This Morning and in O Magazine discussing workplace harassment issues. 

She is a member of the State Bar of California and holds her SHRM-SCP certification and AWI-CH (investigation) certificate.

John Carrozza is a Principal Consultant with Riviera Advisors, Inc., a global Human Resources management consulting firm that helps organizations improve and enhance their internal talent acquisition and staffing capabilities.

Before joining Riviera Advisors in 2014, John spent 15 years leading talent acquisition and staffing teams in many business areas of The Walt Disney Company, CHIMES and On-Demand Software Consultants.  He has also managed independent consulting engagements, including projects at Universal Studios Hollywood and DirecTV.

Based in Southern California, John has also spent time producing film, video and web content and still dabbles in his spare time.

Business, biology, brain science:

Dr. Rebecca Heiss brings the best of all three worlds together. With her expertise in human behavior and evolutionary psychology, Rebecca’s style brings her audiences along for an enlightening journey into their own minds.

After earning a PhD with research designated as “transformative” by the National Science Foundation, Rebecca went on to hold multiple appointments in academia, applying her

research to solve practical problems in overcoming what she refers to as “biological ghosts”—subconscious behaviors that haunt modern life. As the CEO and founder of Biologic Balance (a stress monitoring and reduction company) she stays busy helping others “become their best biological selves.” Described as a creative thought leader, Rebecca was honored to deliver a TEDx on a portion of her work and has built her career on helping others break through their “BS” (Blind Spots); ancestral brain pathways mismatched with a modern environment. Having conquered the business of biology, Dr. Heiss has turned her focus to revolutionizing the biology of business.

Rebecca’s engaging personality energizes individuals and organizations to view their behaviors and choices through an insightful new lens. Her accessible and humorous keynotes and workshops empower clients to “connect the dots” to transform conceptual frameworks into actionable items that deliver results.

Jeanne is CFP® and a CPFA with Strategic Retirement Partners. She serves as a retirement plan consultant and financial wellness educator for companies across the country. Jeanne’s goal is to simplify advice in an over-complicated, jargon-filled industry. She has been interviewed by national publications including Forbes Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, CNBC News, etc. She brings an energy and simplicity to complicated topics and is known for the original content she posts on social media. Topics range from personal finance to employer-sponsored plans. You can find her using the hashtag #401klady. Jeanne’s accessible way of providing virtual advice and engagement is creating a more collaborative platform for financial professionals to support each other and their clients in the digital age. She and her team live in Bowling Green Kentucky, but serve clients across the country.

Ben Eubanks is a bestselling author, speaker, and researcher living in Huntsville, AL. He spends his days as the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, developing groundbreaking research on workforce trends and examining the talent technologies and People practices that set great organizations apart from the rest. 

His latest book Talent Scarcity explores why companies are having difficulties finding quality talent and how they can solve it. His first book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, is the world’s most-cited resource for leveraging technology to create a more human experience at work. His new book The Payroll Promise (March 2025) examines how HR and payroll teams can create workplace trust and do more meaningful work at the same time. He also hosts HR Summer School, a virtual event focusing on improving human resources, one HR pro at a time. When he's not speaking or writing, he spends time with his five kids and runs in a variety of outlandish races for fun.

Steve Garguilo is an instigator with a track record of large-scale, grassroots change inside big companies. As the Founder of Cultivate, he leads a team that empowers changemakers inside many different types of organizations. His team at Cultivate also pioneered an enterprise software platform that supports workplace communities.

He is the author of a #1 bestseller, Surge: Your Guide to Put Any Idea into Action.

Garguilo has also worked on social ventures globally. In 2014, he completed The Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile adventure from London to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, fundraising for the African Prisons Project. He has visited each of the 48 contiguous United States and is a member of the “century club” having visited over 100 countries.

Dr. David Rock coined the term 'Neuroleadership’ and is the CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, a global initiative bringing neuroscientists and leadership experts together to build a new science for leadership development. With operations in 24 countries, the Institute also helps large organizations operationalize brain research in order to develop better leaders and managers. David co-edits the NeuroLeadership Journal and heads up an annual global summit. He has written many of the central academic and discussion papers that have defined the Neuroleadership field.

Max Dubroff, SHRM-SCP, has HR experience that includes teaching, consulting, as a strategic business partner and as a director.  He retired from the U.S. Air Force, having specialized in security, law enforcement, and anti-terrorism.  He is also the former Chairman of a non-profit board, a former Oklahoma Employment Security Commissioner and is a mentor on Veterati.  His education includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master's in Human Resources.

Dr. David Rock coined the term 'Neuroleadership’ and is the CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, a global initiative bringing neuroscientists and leadership experts together to build a new science for leadership development. With operations in 24 countries, the Institute also helps large organizations operationalize brain research in order to develop better leaders and managers. David co-edits the NeuroLeadership Journal and heads up an annual global summit. He has written many of the central academic and discussion papers that have defined the Neuroleadership field.

James is a rare mix of management consultant, change specialist, adventurer and motivational speaker. James helps turn busy and over-worked managers into inspirational leaders.