Concurrent Session

Allan H. Weitzman is the head of the Labor and Employment Law Department in the Boca Raton office of Proskauer Rose LLP, and is Board Certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in Labor and Employment Law with over forty-one years’ experience – all at Proskauer. 

Based on a peer-review study, Allan has been named in the 2005 through 2015 editions of Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s definitive guide to legal excellence.  He is particularly proud that he was named by Best Lawyers as the 2013 Lawyer of the Year for Employment Law in South Florida.  From 2007 through 2015, Allan has earned a first tier Chambers ranking for his outstanding employment law work.  In 2009 and 2011 through 2015, Allan was named by Human Resource Executive magazine as one of the nation’s top 100 corporate employment attorneys. He is also a fellow in the prestigious College of Labor Employment Law Attorneys. 

Among his notable achievements, Allan submitted the amicus brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Society for Human Resources Management in the Faragher case.  The employer’s “affirmative defense” that was adopted by the Supreme Court in Faragher was based on an argument made by Allan and his firm. 

Allan is graduate of the Cornell Law School where he was an Editor of the Cornell Law Review, graduating with distinction and was a member of “The Order of the Coif.”

Patricia A. Wise is a labor and employment lawyer at Niehaus Wise & Kalas Ltd and is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in that area of practice.  Patty has received Martindale-Hubbell's AV-Preeminent rating for her  legal ability and high ethical standards.  She represents clients of all sizes in a variety of businesses, industries, and professions and focuses her practice on the areas of:

Employment and Labor Law
Business Litigation and Banking
Civil Rights

Patty is a former senior vice president and in-house counsel for a billion dollar bank holding company and continues to serve many financial institution clients.  She is a frequent speaker for state banking associations and serves on the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In addition to her legal practice, Patty has been a Visiting Professor or Adjunct Professor at The University of Toledo College of Law since 1999, teaching employment law as well as civil and political rights.  Patty trains and speaks extensively on employment law issues. She recently completed the third edition of her book, Understanding and Preventing Workplace Retaliation, published by the Thompson Publishing Group, Inc. and her article "Harassment in the Workplace:  Sexual, Racial and Religious Complaints," was published in the Thompson Publishing Group, Inc. in 2012.

Carl is the Director of Research and Solutions for Metrus Group, where his specialties include the creation and validation of assessments, measurement-focused strategic management, organizational transformation and development, leadership development and coaching. He is particularly interested in individual characteristics and how they impact the way people work with each other and contribute to the organization.

Prior to joining Metrus Group, he spent 7 years as an independent organizational consultant and professor/director of Industrial/ Organizational Psychology at Marywood University.

Among his contributions to the profession, Carl is active with the Society for Industrial/ Organizational Psychology, and has served as Past Chair of its Visibility Committee.

Jennifer Currence is a Senior Partner of HR Soul consultancy firm in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through strategic HR solutions, customized training, and coaching programs for organizational and HR leaders. She is the creator of The SOTO Approach to Leadership and the content architect for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) international People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer is regularly published and featured in industry magazines, webinars, and podcasts, and is the author of three HR books on behavioral business competencies.

Jennifer was named one of the top 100 Influential HR professionals in Leadership and Development in 2023 and Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year in 2017.  She is a faculty member for SHRM and a former management professor at the University of Tampa.

Jennifer Currence is a Senior Partner of HR Soul consultancy firm in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through strategic HR solutions, customized training, and coaching programs for organizational and HR leaders. She is the creator of The SOTO Approach to Leadership and the content architect for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) international People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer is regularly published and featured in industry magazines, webinars, and podcasts, and is the author of three HR books on behavioral business competencies.

Jennifer was named one of the top 100 Influential HR professionals in Leadership and Development in 2023 and Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year in 2017.  She is a faculty member for SHRM and a former management professor at the University of Tampa.

Ben Sommers is the Vice President, North America Business Development at Fitbit, a company that designs products and experiences to empower and inspire people to live healthier, more active lives.  Ben works primarily with employers and organizations of all sizes, including Fitbit’s wellness and health plan partners, to enable organizations to lead more engaging and effective wellness programs with world-class technologies and services.  Prior to Fitbit, Ben served as Regional Vice President, Western U.S., for Castlight Health, a healthcare IT company that built the first personalized platform to enable employers to understand and manage their healthcare investments while helping employees make the best possible healthcare decisions.  Before joining Castlight, Ben served as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Future Point Systems, a software company focused on business and government analytics.  Ben also managed a Western U.S. territory at IBM, working across all of IBM’s solution areas and focusing on healthcare IT and software clients.  Previous to IBM, Ben has held key finance and investment positions at Windspeed Ventures, a venture capital firm, and at Robertson Stephens, a technology-focused investment bank.  Ben earned his MBA from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and received his BA in Economics from Harvard University.  

Tim is a leadership development professional committed to helping individuals and organizations reach their greatest potential. He is a frequent leadership speaker and the author of two books: “Peak Leadership Fitness: Elevating Your Leadership Game” and “Your Leadership Story: Use Your Story to Energize, Inspire, and Motivate”. Tim is currently Vice President of Franchisee Onboarding and Learning for Choice Hotels International. Previously, he was Vice President of Global Learning and Leadership Development at Marriott International. His work was recognized with multiple industry awards including the 2018 Chief Learning Officer Trailblazer Award, the 2017 Global CCU award for Outstanding Services to the Learning Industry, and the 2014 Chief Learning Officer Global Learning Award among others.

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.