Concurrent Session

Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.  Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year.  He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.

Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as an Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Howard A. Wallack has been the Deputy Chief Human Resources & Administrative Officer since 2016 in the Global Human Resources (GHR) department at Jhpiego in Baltimore, MD, an international, non-profit health organization, affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Jhpiego is dedicated to improving the health of women, children, and families in lower-resourced countries, with approximately 4,200 employees worldwide in 38 countries. At Jhpiego, Howard spearheads the organization’s leadership development program and leads a team of 5 regional HR business partners who support country HR operations, himself currently backstopping Ghana, Guatemala, and Mozambique. During his 40-year career with experience in nearly 90 countries, Howard has had senior-level positions in HR, training and development, global business development, and program management in for-profit and non-profit businesses and the US Peace Corps. In April 2023 Howard was recognized with an OnCon Icon peer-voted award among the “Top 50 HR Professionals” for having made a considerable impact on their organization and/or previous organizations; made strong contributions to their community through thought leadership; innovated in their role/career; and exhibited exceptional leadership. He has advanced degrees in international affairs and international human resources and globalization and holds multiple professional certifications, including the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and the GPHR® & SPHRi™ qualification from the HR Certification Institute. As a volunteer he has served on the Board of Directors of Cultural Vistas since 2011.

Seth Matheson is director of recruitment process outsourcing at Talent Fusion by Monster. In his 12 years experience as a recruiter, and seven as a manager, Seth has specialized in the verticals of Technology, Engineering, Finance, Sales and Creative.

Kevin W. Grossman is the Talent Board Vice-President responsible for all aspects of the Candidate Experience Awards program and other Talent Board activities for North America. He also produces and hosts a new learning show called Reach West Radio where each week he talks with his guests about their effectual stretch and the impact it makes in the worlds of work and life. Kevin co-founded and co-hosted the highly popular weekly TalentCulture #TChat Show with Meghan M. Biro for over five years. A certified Talent Acquisition Strategist (TAS) and Human Capital Strategist (HCS) by HCI, Kevin has over 17 years of domain expertise and familiarity with the HR and recruiting technology marketplace and remains a top social influencer in leadership, human resources, talent management and recruiting. He’s been a prolific "HR business" blogger and writer since 2004 and his first business book titled Tech Job Hunt Handbook was released in December 2012 from Apress. 

Sharlyn Lauby is an author, writer, speaker and consultant. She has been named a Top HR Digital Influencer and is best-known for her work on HR Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues. HR Bartender has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Blogs read by HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and best business blog by the Stevie Awards.

Publications such as Reuters, The New York Times, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and Mashable have sought out her expertise on topics related to human resources and the workplace. Sharlyn is the author of “Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers,” and ”Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success,” which are available in the SHRM Store.

Her personal goal in life is to find the best cheeseburger on the planet.

Cynthia leads the firm’s High Tech practice in the heart of Silicon Valley.  As the Managing Partner of the firm’s Northern California practice, she directs the strategic representation of companies ranging from large Fortune 500 companies to small start-up companies in the firm’s “e-group.” She has worked with numerous companies to set up and manage worldwide immigration compliance programs. She also offers legal advice to individual investors (i.e., EB-5).  Cynthia is a longtime Adjunct Professor at Southwestern University School of Law where she has taught since 1988. She also frequently lectures on corporate immigration and, as a thought leader in the industry, she has written numerous articles on business immigration law matters.  Cynthia is also the Managing Partner in charge of the firm’s I-9 Service Center, which offers state of the art electronic I-9 tools and advisory services for proper I-9 and E-Verify completion. She is experienced in government investigations, audits and establishing compliance programs for companies.  Cynthia serves as a member of Fragomen's Executive Committee. Cynthia joined Fragomen over 30 years ago, after beginning her career at the U.S. Department of Justice as an INS trial attorney.

Cynthia leads the firm’s High Tech practice in the heart of Silicon Valley.  As the Managing Partner of the firm’s Northern California practice, she directs the strategic representation of companies ranging from large Fortune 500 companies to small start-up companies in the firm’s “e-group.” She has worked with numerous companies to set up and manage worldwide immigration compliance programs. She also offers legal advice to individual investors (i.e., EB-5).  Cynthia is a longtime Adjunct Professor at Southwestern University School of Law where she has taught since 1988. She also frequently lectures on corporate immigration and, as a thought leader in the industry, she has written numerous articles on business immigration law matters.  Cynthia is also the Managing Partner in charge of the firm’s I-9 Service Center, which offers state of the art electronic I-9 tools and advisory services for proper I-9 and E-Verify completion. She is experienced in government investigations, audits and establishing compliance programs for companies.  Cynthia serves as a member of Fragomen's Executive Committee. Cynthia joined Fragomen over 30 years ago, after beginning her career at the U.S. Department of Justice as an INS trial attorney.

Denise Roberts McKee is the Chief Operating Officer at AboutFace Media, which creates brand storytelling initiatives for the web, told through the lens of independent film's most acclaimed documentary filmmakers.

As COO, she develops and maintains the company’s structure and organization, overseeing day to day operations, working with the CEO to identify and implement the company’s strategic goals and objectives.

Also a speaker, Denise brings her years of experience, working with leading brands, to conferences and seminars worldwide, with a focus on content development and marketing.  The Online Marketing Institute named Denise as one of their Top 40 Digital Strategists in Marketing for 2014.  

Prior to joining AboutFace, Denise cofounded the companies LimeLife, Inc., a publisher of mobile media for women, and Stunt Puppy Entertainment, an independent developer of CD ROM games focused on the children’s market. As vice president of LimeLife, she  worked with leading brands such as Time-Warner, NBC Universal, Bravo TV New Media, and Rachael Ray, for launches across all major North American carriers.  With Stunt Puppy Entertainment, she served as COO as the company developed four Number 1 ranking titles, including “Barbie Nail Designer” and “Barbie Gotta Groove” for Mattel, as well as the inaugural “Dora the Explorer” CD ROM adventures, and oversaw all production, financials and acquisition of new business development, focusing on licensor driven content for such entities as Disney/Buena Vista Games, Atari/Infogrames and Leapfrog Toys.

Denise is the Executive Director of the Racine Arts Council and serves on the board for Real Racine Convention and Visitors Bureau.  She also serves on advisory boards for Milwaukee Area Technical College and The Wisconsin Arts Board.

Lars Schmidt is the Founder of Amplify Talent, an employer branding and recruiting consultancy based in Washington DC. Prior to launching Amplify Talent, Lars was the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition & Innovation at NPR where he was responsible for providing leadership and advocacy for talent acquisition strategies that aligned with NPR’s strategic mission and core values. Lars held various HR and recruiting leadership roles with companies including Ticketmaster, Magento, Pencom Systems and several startups in Los Angeles. Lars is a fierce advocate for progressive HR with a strong track record in leveraging innovative talent and recruiting strategies. He was named a “Top 100 Influencer” by HR Examiner and "Top 100 Most Social HR Leaders on Twitter" by The Huffington Post. You can follow him on: Twitter at @ThisIsLars, Facebook, and LinkedIn