Concurrent Session

Mr. Rittof is the President and CEO of Modern Management, Inc. and an employee relations consultant His proactive approach to employee relations has roots in a broad spectrum of activities including organizational re-design studies, employee opinion surveys, communication audits, and labor relations seminars. As President/CEO, he leads a team of dedicated professionals in helping executives, managers, and supervisors face the challenges of the future. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mr. Rittof holds a B.A. and M.A. in Organizational Communication. He has taught at the university level and is co-author of Quality Circles, a textbook utilized by several universities and businesses. Since joining the firm over 33 years ago, he has consulted in virtually all aspects of employee relations. His experience encompasses healthcare, manufacturing, gaming, hospitality, banking, services, insurance, and government. A few of Mr. Rittof’s many accomplishments include successfully assisting numerous organizations in maintaining non-union status; providing preventive management training programs regarding the union campaign process; developing identification and action planning processes for responding to employee morale issues; and implementing communication plans for organizations in transition. He has also provided coaching and guidance for executives wishing to improve their public speaking skills and frequently facilitated executive retreats for strategic planning and team building.

Kathryn is an Organizational Behaviour expert who specializes in Strategic Talent Management. She has years of HR experience ranging from Leadership Development at higher education institutions to Talent Acquisition and Talent Management at large, matrixed organizations. Kathryn is a passionate advocate for the necessity and value of diversity in organizations and works with clients across the continent to help them improve their ability to find, engage and respect high quality diverse candidates during the recruitment process. Kathryn holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Behaviour and is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP).

Alexandra Levit’s goal is to prepare organizations and their employees to be competitive and marketable in the future business world. A former nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and writer for the New York Times, Fast Company, and Forbes, Alexandra has authored several books, including the international bestseller They Don’t Teach Corporate in College and Humanity Works: Merging People and Technologies for the Workforce of the Future.

Alexandra recently became a partner with organizational development firm PeopleResults. She consults and writes on leadership development, human resources, technology adoption, entrepreneurship, innovation, career and workplace trends on behalf of numerous Fortune 500 companies including American Express, Canon, Deloitte, DeVry University, Intuit, SilkRoad, and Staples, and has spoken on these topics at hundreds of organizations around the world including Abbott, ADP, Bank of America, Cardinal Health, Campbell Soup, Exelon, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Human Capital Institute, McDonalds, Microsoft, PepsiCo, the Society of Human Resource Management, and Whirlpool.

In the last several years, Alexandra has conducted proprietary research on the future of work, technology adoption, the millennial generation, gender differences and bias, and the skills gap. She also served as a member of Business Roundtable’s Springboard Project, which advised the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Defense on current employment issues.

Alexandra is also a frequent national media spokesperson and is regularly featured in outlets including USA Today, National Public Radio, CNN, ABC News, CNBC, Forbes, the Associated Press, and Glamour. She was named an American Management Association Top Leader for two years in a row and has also been Money Magazine’s Online Career Expert of the Year and the author of one of Forbes’ best websites for women.

 A member of the Northwestern University Council of 100 and the Young Entrepreneur Council, Alexandra received the prestigious Emerging Leader Award from her alma mater. The award honors a Northwestern graduate under 35 who had made a significant impact in her field and in society. She was also just named to the Thinkers50's Class of 2019. This global organization identifies the individuals developing the most compelling business and management ideas of our age. She resides in Chicago, IL.

Jamie is a partner at WorkXO Solutions, a culture management firm that uses culture analytics and customized consulting to drive company growth, innovation, and engagement. He brings 25 years of experience in conflict resolution, generational differences, and culture change to his work with leaders around the world. Author of two books (When Millennials Take Over, and Humanize), Jamie has a Master’s in conflict resolution from George Mason and a certificate in OD from Georgetown, where he serves as adjunct faculty.

Jennifer McClure is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and high-performance coach who works with leaders to leverage their influence, increase their impact, and accelerate results.

Frequently recognized as a global influencer and expert on the future of work, strategic leadership and innovative people strategies, Jennifer has decades of in-the-trenches leadership and executive experience working in and with startups, privately held companies, and Fortune 500 organizations in a variety of industries.

As a top-rated keynote speaker, Jennifer has shared her insights with thousands of leaders at conferences and corporate events around the world. Clients include Procter & Gamble, General Electric, IBM, SAP, Bloomberg, Charles Schwab, Stryker, LinkedIn, Notre Dame University, Society for Human Resource Management, Association for Legal Administrators, and Association for Talent Development.

In her informative and entertaining keynote programs and workshops, she shares a blend of research, best practices, case studies and storytelling which leaves audience members inspired and motivated to take action when they return to work.

Jennifer is also the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, a global community designed to move the collective thinking forward when it comes to talent in the workplace, and she hosts a weekly podcast – Impact Makers with Jennifer McClure – sharing conversations with practitioners, entrepreneurs, authors and speakers who are changing the world while building careers that they love, and lives that matter.

Brad Boyson personifies a 21st century global HR practitioner. A Canadian national who has spent more time working outside of Canada than within. Currently he is the Executive Director for SHRM’s Dubai office. Prior to joining SHRM he spent 15 yrs holding senior HR positions in globally diverse organizations including Mitsubishi Corporation, Royal Caribbean International and Hamptons/Emaar. Over the past 10 years he has been involved with numerous international HR projects including: ANSI/ISO HR standards, SHRM’s BoCK Development, SME for SHRM Learning System, item writer for GPHR and SHRM Global Special Expertise Panel lead. In short, inclusion and diversity in a truly global sense is hardwired into his passion for the profession.  

 

David Ellis is a Partner with Baker McKenzie, where he has spent more than 25 years advising multinational companies on cross-border employment, tax and mobility issues.  He is a frequent author of technical articles highlighting changes in the law and recent cases that impact how companies manage their global workforce. He recently served as Chair of the Firm’s Global Employment & Compensation Practice Group, and he currently splits his time between the Chicago and Houston Offices of the Firm.

Lester S. Rosen is an attorney at law  and CEO of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a national background screening company.  He is a consultant, writer, expert witness  and frequent presenter nationwide on pre-employment screening. He is the author of “The Safe Hiring Manual,” (3d Edition 2017/826 pages), the first comprehensive book on background screening.  He served as the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the Professional Background Screeners Association (PBSA),  served as its first co-chair and received the PBSA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. 

Janet Hendrick is a partner in the Dallas office of Fisher Phillips and an experienced employment litigator who tackles her clients’ problems with a tailored, results-oriented approach. Whether training managers on employment law compliance to minimize legal risk or representing the employer in court or arbitration, she brings years of experience and in-depth legal knowledge to deliver results.  Janet regularly appears in state and federal court to defend employers of all sizes against discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and related claims. Janet is a sought-after speaker and author on topics including gender diversity, LGBT employee protections, and workplace accommodations and leave management.

 

Patti Perez is on a mission to transform workplace culture. She is the founder of PersuasionPoint Inc. and combines her experience as a licensed California attorney, a professionally-certified HR executive, a tech company leader, a specialist in the prevention and resolution of workplace drama, an expert witness in state and federal court, a state regulator and as an entrepreneur to create a revolutionary shift in the way we communicate and connect at work.

Patti is the author of The Drama-Free Workplace: How You Can Prevent Unconscious Bias, Sexual Harassment, Ethics Lapses, and Inspire a Healthy Culture (Wiley 2019), a one-of-a-kind, informative resource that explains what it takes to build and sustain an equitable, inclusive and healthy workplace culture.