Concurrent Session

The Houston Chronicle calls Robin Ryan “America’s top career expert.” Robin has offered advice on “Oprah,” “Dr Phil,” "CNN,"  "NBC Nightly News" and more than 1,500 other TV & radio shows. This popular speaker and bestselling author motivates people to enhance their skills, land new jobs, improve their professional lives and succeed in today’s workplace.
 
Robin’s high-energy speaking style, coupled with her informative and engaging message, has had her in front of over 1,200 audiences. She’s been a keynote speaker at numerous national and regional conferences, and is often in front of employee groups, association members, or seen on college campuses talking to alumni and students.
 
Robin Ryan is the best-selling author of seven books including:
Over 40 & You’re Hired!
60 Seconds & You’re Hired!
Winning Resumes
Winning Cover Letters
What to Do with the Rest of Your Life
Soaring on Your Strengths
What to Do with the Rest of Your Life
 
A licensed vocational counselor, Robin Ryan holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Education from Suffolk University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Boston College. She is the former Director of Counseling Services at the University of Washington.

Over the past 18 years, Lionel Laroche has provided cross-cultural training, coaching and consulting services to over 75,000 people in 18 countries. Lionel specializes in helping organizations turn the challenges often experienced by organizations into a source of creativity and innovation. His client list includes many Fortune 500 organizations in North America and overseas.

Lionel is a thought-provoking, informative and entertaining speaker / facilitator who presented at over 250 conferences and venues, including many Human Resources conferences (SHRM, HRPA, HRIA, SAHRP, HRMAM, CSTD, etc.) He is the author of over 100 publications examining the impact of cultural differences on organizations in general and human resources in particular. He has written three books:

·         Danger and Opportunity: Turning Cultural Diversity into a Competitive Advantage (Dec. 2013)

·         Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Culturally Diverse Employees (Nov. 2007)

·         Managing Cultural Diversity in Technical Professions (Nov. 2002)

Born in France, Lionel obtained his “Diplôme d’Ingénieur Polytechnicien” from the Ecole Polytechnique de Paris, France and his Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, USA.

Jessica Miller-Merrell is the Founder of Workology, a workplace resource for HR, recruiting professionals and business leaders, and host of the Workology Podcast. The site has been listed twice as a top 75 career resource by Forbes. Jessica is the president and CEO of Xceptional HR, a human capital strategy and consulting agency. Because of her industry expertise and knowledge, Jessica’s expertise is sought after and sourced by publications and media including: The Economist, Forbes, CIO Magazine, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, and SHRM’s HR Magazine. Her new book, Digitizing Talent: Creative Strategies for the Digital Recruiting Age was published in 2023 by SHRM.

Johnny Campbell is a serial disrupter in the world of hiring. As founder and CEO of SocialTalent, the world’s leading hiring skills platform, he works with some of the largest enterprises in the world (such as Intel, IBM and Ikea) to drive hiring excellence in their organizations. Hiring, for Johnny isn't just about finding and hiring great talent, it must include on-boarding and fully engaging new hires for it to be considered truly successful. He has presented these concepts at some of the world’s biggest hiring conferences across the world. His dedication is matched only by his enthusiasm, making him one of the most sought after speakers on the topics of hiring and talent. 

Skip Weisman, The Workplace Communication Expert, works with small business owners and non-profit organization leaders, plus their employees, providing practical tools to transform workplace communication that create more positive, productive and profitable organizations.

Skip, a former professional baseball executive, served as CEO of 5 baseball franchises over a 20-year career beginning at age 26. Skip’s hard learned lessons form the foundation for the engaging, inspiring, and practical presentations leaders can apply to their work environments.

Since 2012 over 20,000 international business professionals have experienced Skip’s interactive, inspiring, and practical keynote addresses, breakout session seminars, and webinars on his signature topics of The 7 Deadliest Workplace Communication Sins, 5 Steps to Creating the I.D.E.A.L. Work Environment, The 3 Stories Leaders Must Consistently Communicate to Inspire & Motivate, and Mastering the 3 Levels of Communication Influence. 

For the last 10 years Kristen has consulted with hundreds of organizations in various industries helping them create more positive and productive workplaces. Her specialties have been talent management, leadership, employee development, organizational wellness, team effectiveness and performance management.

She recently launched her own company focused on Corporate & Life Coaching. In her consulting with companies she developed a personal passion for supporting individuals in becoming more aware of their strengths, blind spots, values and purpose as well as professional/personal goals. She thoroughly enjoys partnering with people in a coaching relationship and watching the powerful shifts that happen. Her personal mission is to help people do their best work, live a life that is more aligned with their purpose and reach their full potential.

Kristen is a graduate of McMaster University, having attained her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology. She is currently enrolled in the Co-Active Coach Training Program through CTI to become a Certified Coach.

On a personal note, Kristen is a big believer in kindness and intentional living. She’s passionate about humanizing the workplace and creating environments where people thrive.

Jamie Gilpin brings 15 years of sales, marketing and branding knowledge to Envoy. As chief marketing officer, she plays a key role in driving a powerful brand for Envoy that represents its dedication to providing education, support, unparalleled value and a better experience overall for both businesses and individuals navigating through the arduous immigration process. She oversees the B2B and B2C marketing strategies, including demand generation, brand management, online and offline marketing, website and content management, public relations, event marketing and partner/channel marketing.

Prior to joining Envoy, Gilpin was the vice president of marketing and branding at CareerBuilder LLC. In that role, she directed the development of strategic marketing and was responsible for B2B strategy, including marketing operations, product marketing, demand generation, advertising, promotions, events, customer intelligence, e-commerce and customer experience.

Gilpin received a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida State University. She is a frequent speaker and author on the topics of recruiting, workforce issues, the skills gap, employer brand, candidate behavior, marketing and big data. Gilpin also sits on the advisory board of Innovate+Educate, a nonprofit implementing research-based strategies to close the national skills gap and bridge the opportunity divide.

Deb Keller is President & Chief Compliance Officer of Victig Background Checks, a nationally accredited background screening firm. She’s a national authority on background screening, regulatory compliance, the FCRA, the use of criminal records in employment and the EEOC Guidance.

She’s spoken at six Annual SHRM Conferences, recently completing consecutive sessions at SHRM21, SHRM22 and now SHRM23 as well as 35+ State SHRM and Employment Law Conferences.  

Deb has been quoted in SHRM magazine and the 2020 Complete Guide to Human Resources & the Law. Deb holds the PBSA Advanced Certification, designating advanced expertise in the FCRA and background screening.