Concurrent Session

George Rivera III serves as the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at the Society for Human Resource Management.  He is responsible for broadening the awareness of SHRM's mission to enhance workforce development by building and strengthening partnerships with some of the largest enterprise organizations across the globe.  In addition to helping bring to market the top ideas and innovations through outreach, representing all things workplace, workers, and work.     

George is a proven business development thought leader who places a deep emphasis on people, with more than 15 years of experience building and scaling highly productive, results-driven sales organizations.  Prior to joining SHRM George spent over a decade honing his expertise in HCM cloud technology, retirement, insurance, and other employee benefits, as well as HR services and PEO offerings as he led sales efforts of Paychex Inc., a top HR consulting organization.  In addition to business-growth responsibilities, George also led critical cross-functional company initiatives throughout much of the organization including Learning and Development, Marketing and Lead Generation, Finance, and Talent Acquisition, but the most rewarding experience, by far, was his service on the board for the annual United Way Campaign.  

George Rivera III recognizes that strong leaders build strong businesses and strong businesses build strong communities. George is firm believer in focusing on strategic growth for all partners.

When not at work, Rivera serves as Vice President for SHARE International a Non-Profit that aims to support the indigenous peoples of the Amazon in Peru. 

Shannon Bayer, JD, is a Principal Consultant with over a decade of consulting and facilitation experience. Shannon brings in-depth expertise and a passion for designing and implementing programs focused on advancing women in leadership—and empowering each leader with the knowledge they need to transform how they show up in their role and drive change in their organization. Shannon has led strategic engagements across a variety of industries, ranging from government to financial services, healthcare, insurance, and consumer products and goods. 

As a keynote speaker, Shannon brings stories from her personal leadership journey to the forefront, connecting her real-life experiences and work with leaders globally to key leadership concepts designed to help participants reflect on their own journey and take control of their path forward. 

Shannon holds a BS in animal science from the University of Vermont and a JD in international law from Suffolk University. 

Shannon was a rower in college and still loves to get on the water when she can. She enjoys spending time outdoors and will travel for a good hike or beach day with her dog and son, Max. Currently, Shannon resides in the greater Indianapolis, IN, area of the US after living in New England for over 25 years. 

Brian Gutman is Learning Care Group’s senior expert on federal and state early care and education policies. He leads LCG’s advocacy with federal and state policymakers, and early childhood education organizations to close the gaps in access and opportunity for all children. Brian joined Learning Care Group from the Midwest office of The Education Trust, where he was the Director of External Relations and Public Engagement. Previously, he worked on policy with a state agency and was legislative and budget director for an elected official. Brian is admitted to practice law in Michigan, Massachusetts, and New York.

Michelle Froah is the Global Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer at ETS, the largest private educational assessment, measurement and workforce organization in the world serving nearly 50 million people each year across 200 countries and territories. She is responsible for building the ETS brand, marketing and innovation globally across enterprise functions, product innovation, business marketing and community engagement. Michelle leverages her extensive global experience in building brands and driving growth across industries as prior to joining ETS in 2023, she served as Senior Vice President of Global Brand & Marketing at MetLife and previous to that has had senior roles leading marketing, sales and operations functions across the globe for Samsung Electronics America, Kimberly-Clark, and Procter & Gamble. Michelle contributes to the industry by serving on The Marketing Society board as Co-Chair and Fellow, Brand Innovators Advisory Board, ANA CMO Growth Council and Rye Art Center board.

Justin Fronberg, a strategic talent leader with over 14 years of experience in highly matrixed, growth-orientated environments. Justin is a dedicated and results-driven leader known for his commitment to servant leadership principles. With a passion for empowering others and fostering collaboration, Justin excels in creating inclusive and high-performing teams.

Justin is the Executive Director of Talent Acquisition for MGM Resorts International and is responsible for developing and leading the strategy and operation of the recruiting function for all Las Vegas Properties, Corporate, Technology, Executive Recruiting, and Sourcing. He leads a team of recruiters to support the overall organizational goals and objectives for attracting talent while ensuring the candidate and hiring manager experience are delivered seamlessly.

During his time with MGM Resorts International he has supported the organization through its growth and development to become the leading entertainment company globally. More recently he has led the Talent Acquisition team through a transformation to become an agile and flexible recruiting model to align with the organizations growth and changing environment post pandemic.

At EAB, Pavani serves as principal of the company’s partnerships to promote economic mobility.  Previously, Pavani led product management and user experience design for EAB’s data & analytics portfolio and for Navigate360, higher ed’s first and leading student success management system.  Prior to EAB, Pavani directed products and platforms at LexisNexis. When she’s not at work, Pavani spends time with her daughter and husband and volunteers with nonprofits focused on improving academic and socio-emotional outcomes of preK-12 students.  Pavani is the author of Ethical Product Development (2020), which provides practical guidance to help innovators maximize positive social impact while minimizing harm. Also, a licensed attorney, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to what could be our collective agenda of economic justice and inclusivity.

Eric Cutler is one of the original founders of TOOTRiS, the first and only Child Care technology platform built for business, that is revolutionizing the Child Care space. Eric helped launch the company so that all parents – especially women – have the same opportunities for career advancement and so that every child, regardless of family income or zip code, has access to quality Child Care. A Columbia Business School graduate and frequent speaker to national organizations, Eric passionately believes that solving the Child Care crisis is the key to enabling every human to live more meaningful, abundant, and equitable lives.

Since joining North Highland in 2014, Bombeck has led the firm in a variety of areas including digital and experience design, data and analytics, agile transformation, and North Highland’s revenue and growth strategy. He has also served as a member of North Highland’s board since 2018, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s board of directors since 2022.

Over the course of 15 years with Havas Worldwide, Bombeck served in several leadership roles including Chief Strategy Officer – Marketing Services, President – Havas Digital, President – CRM & Analytics, and Chief Digital Officer.

In a client management capacity, Bombeck was previously Worldwide Account Director at IBM for 15 years, North American Digital Account Director at Intel for five years, and North American Digital Brand Director at multiple Diageo brands for seven years. He also oversaw the digital and direct marketing strategies of global brands such as BMW, Volvo, Charles Schwab, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Novartis, and Schering-Plough.

Bombeck holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Vermont. He also completed the Executive Education Programs in Leadership Excellence and Accounting & Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bombeck is a certified scrum master and product owner, co-author of Getting from Zero to Digital, a multiple Effie Award Finalist, and in 2017
he was named a top 25 global consultants by Consulting Magazine.

Since joining North Highland in 2014, Bombeck has led the firm in a variety of areas including digital and experience design, data and analytics, agile transformation, and North Highland’s revenue and growth strategy. He has also served as a member of North Highland’s board since 2018, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s board of directors since 2022.

Over the course of 15 years with Havas Worldwide, Bombeck served in several leadership roles including Chief Strategy Officer – Marketing Services, President – Havas Digital, President – CRM & Analytics, and Chief Digital Officer.

In a client management capacity, Bombeck was previously Worldwide Account Director at IBM for 15 years, North American Digital Account Director at Intel for five years, and North American Digital Brand Director at multiple Diageo brands for seven years. He also oversaw the digital and direct marketing strategies of global brands such as BMW, Volvo, Charles Schwab, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Novartis, and Schering-Plough.

Bombeck holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Vermont. He also completed the Executive Education Programs in Leadership Excellence and Accounting & Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Bombeck is a certified scrum master and product owner, co-author of Getting from Zero to Digital, a multiple Effie Award Finalist, and in 2017
he was named a top 25 global consultants by Consulting Magazine.