Concurrent Session

Grace A. Odums, an independent strategy consultant, has a growing consultancy spanning over fifteen years.  Her impressive client list boasts Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 companies including: Disney ABC Media NetWorks, Waste Management (PA/WVA Area), Fairmount Southampton Resorts, Chevron-Phillips, Siemens Medical Solutions, Wells Fargo Bank.  

A much sought after international speaker, Grace welcomes the opportunity to partner with organizations and professionals in the areas of management coaching, revenue recapture, change leadership, optimum customer care, talent performance enhancement, productivity improvement, increased efficiencies, balanced scorecard architecture, and diversity strategy creation with diversity scorecard and strategy map development and system-wide implementation.

Mark J. Schmit, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is the Executive Director for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation. In this capacity he leads the Foundation’s efforts to advance the strategic direction and impact of the HR profession. Dr. Schmit was previously the Vice President of Research for SHRM. Dr. Schmit has more than 25 years of experience in the field of human resources including work as an HR generalist, academic, applied researcher, and internal and external consultant to both public and private organizations. Dr. Schmit earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Bowling Green State University in 1994. Dr. Schmit is a Fellow in both the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association. He is also certified as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Barbara Bissonnette is a certified coach and the Principal of Forward Motion Coaching (www.ForwardMotion.info). She specializes in career development coaching for individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome (autism spectrum disorder) and Nonverbal Learning Disorder. She is the author of the award-winning Complete Guide to Getting a Job for People with Asperger’s Syndrome; the Asperger’s Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide; and Helping Adults with Asperger’s Syndrome Get & Stay Hired: Career Coaching Strategies for Professionals and Parents of Adults on the Autism Spectrum.

Barbara also offers consultation and training. Finding Employment that Works for Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome is a full day seminar for career counselors, vocational rehabilitation and transition specialists. Services for employers include training on how to utilize the talent of individuals on the autism spectrum, and coaching for employees.

Prior to coaching Barbara spent more than 20 years in business, most recently as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for an information services firm. In addition to first-hand experience hiring and managing people at all levels, she understands the challenges of Asperger’s and NLD and focuses on practical strategies for employment success.

Barbara earned a graduate certificate in Executive Coaching from the Massachusetts School Professional Psychology and is certified by Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC).

She has spoken about Asperger’s and employment at Antioch University, Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), Bentley College, Boston University, Bryant University, Career Counselor’s Consortium Northeast, Career Resource Manager’s Association, Central Massachusetts Employer’s Association, College Internship Program, Colleges of the Worcester Consortium (keynote), Community Resources for People with Autism, Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers Conference, Emerson Hospital, Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference, Job Developer’s Network, Katherine Greer Associates, Keene State College Transition to Employment Symposium (keynote), Maple Leaf Center, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, Massachusetts Vocational Rehabilitation Commission, Middle Atlantic Career Counseling Association (keynote), National Association of Career Development Professionals, New England Human Resources Association, New Hampshire Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, New York Society of Human Resource Management, Rhode Island Psychological Association, Shriver Job Corp, Wayside Youth and Family Support Services, The Wellness Corporation, Work Without Limits (keynote).

Her articles have been published in AANE Journal, Autism-Asperger’s Digest Magazine, Autism Spectrum News, Career Developments magazine, Insights, Job Training & Placement Report, and the Journal of Employee Assistance.

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.

Dr. Edward E. Hubbard, President and CEO of Hubbard & Hubbard, Inc., an International Business Performance Consulting Corp. specializing in Business Improvement, Diversity Return on Investment (DROI®) Measurement/Analytics, and organizational development.  Author of more than 59 DEI ROI and Business-related books, Dr. Hubbard is an expert in Organizational Analysis, ROI Measurement, Strategic Planning, and more. Dr. Hubbard was an honoree at the Inaugural International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals Living Legends of Diversity Award Ceremony in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico where he received the “Living Legends of Diversity Award” for creating the “Diversity ROI Analytics” and “Diversity Measurement Fields and their associated Disciplines” and is recognized globally as the creator of these unique sciences and fields of study. 

Dr. Hubbard received the “Excellence in Global Leadership Award” from the World HRD Congress (the highest individual professional award given), the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, the Sentry Award from the U.S. Pentagon, and many others.

Dr. Hubbard serves on the Harvard Business Review, Diversity Executive Magazine and Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management (SDIM) magazine Editorial Advisory Boards and serves on the Board of Directors for The Ohio State University African American Alumni Society. He also holds a Practitioner Certification and Master Practitioner Certification in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a Neuroscience discipline. Dr. Hubbard earned Bachelors, Masters Degrees from The Ohio State University and earned a Ph.D. with Honors in Business Administration.

Shavonne Singleton is the Public Relations Specialist and has been with Peckham since 2008. Singleton assists with the coordination and management of internal and external communications, and works closely with the Human Resources team to devise strategies and plans on how to engage Peckham's diverse workforce. Singleton has a Master's Degree in Public Relations from Boston University. 

James Wright of JamesWantsToKnowYou.com is a dynamic and compelling leader with a track record of delivering practical roadmaps for increasing Inclusion and Diversity in global corporations such as Apple Inc., LinkedIn, NBCUniversal, and Time Warner (now WarnerMedia). A featured guest on NBC and FOX, Wright’s articles and commentary appear frequently on LinkedIn and his expertise has been included in The Washington Post as well as several SHRM articles. 

In his practice, James offers transformative training solutions on Gender Equality, Unconscious Bias, Improving Race Relations, and Generational Diversity. In addition, James introduced The Language of Inclusion - a free download of over 135 key terms and definitions to help organizations find a common language to Inclusion. With increased focus on gender and LGBTQIA+ equality, James believes it is important to update these terms to signal where we are today in our journey to ensure diverse communities are truly seen, heard, and valued.

James attended Erskine College in SC & The Catholic University of America in Washington DC.

Howard Ross is lifelong social justice advocate, and is considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders on identifying and addressing unconscious bias.  Howard has delivered programs in 47 states and over 40 other countries to audiences including Fortune 500 companies, colleges and universities, and major institutions within healthcare, government, and non-profit sectors. He authored the Washington Post best seller, Everyday Bias:  Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives, ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose and Performance. His latest  book, Our Search for Belonging: How the Need for Connection Is Tearing Our Culture Apart, published by Berrett-Koehler in 2018, received the Nautilus Gold Medal for Social Change and Social Justice. His next book, Building Belonging: 9 Pathways to Creating Inclusive and Joyful Organizational Communities, will be published in 2020.

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler is a bestselling author and one of the leading speakers on introverts in the workplace. Her pioneering books, The Introverted Leader, Quiet Influence, The Genius of Opposites, and Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces have been translated into 18 languages. The Introverted Leader was named one of the top 5 business books by The Shanghai Daily.

Jennifer has partnered with leading organizations like Amazon, Merck, Kimberly Clark, NASA, Bosch, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. She has delivered her signature presentations from Singapore to Spain. She holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation, awarded to a small percentage of speakers, and serves as a mentor to many professional women.

A native New Yorker, Jennifer calls Atlanta, GA home.

Renowned international speaker, corporate consultant, thought leader with a focus on engaging, retaining and promoting diverse employees, particularly women and Latinos. Ever present on CNN, Univision, Telemundo, Yahoo, Cala Presenta and many other outlets, speaking on success, education, women empowerment and career advancement.

Through the Red Shoe Movement (RSM) Mariela helps companies interested in increasing their ROI by developing, retaining and promoting multicultural and Hispanic women up the ladder. With a proprietary methodology, the RSM helps women own their career development by eliciting a level of engagement with their organizations seldom seen before. As a result, they experience accelerated career growth. 

Mariela is a sought after speaker, well known for her communication style, a combination of high energy, motivation, down to earth actionable advice & an ability to connect with a wide diversity of audiences. From CEOs to immigrant parents with little education, Mariela has developed programs and keynote presentations for P&G, McDonald's, Kroger, GE, Verizon, Citigroup, ExxonMobil, Avon, ColgatePalmolive, McGraw Hill Financial, American Express, Goldman Sachs, UBS, HBO and many others. She also presents at universities such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia, NYU and University of Michigan and at professional organizations such as The College Board, the Conference Board, Junior Achievement, Working Mother Media, Hispanic Retail 360, NSHMBA, ALPFA, and othes.

She has a Master's degree in Philosophy and Literature.