Concurrent Session

Shannon Taylor, a Global Talent Acquisition leader with over 16 years of experience in the Human Resources. Shannon's current role as the Director of Talent Acquisition at JCPenney puts him at the helm of the company's talent acquisition strategy, operations, and processes, making him a crucial contributor to the company's success.

Shannon’s extensive talent acquisition experience includes working for industry leaders such as Hard Rock International, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and Republic Services. Shannon has a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and has a SHRM -CP Certification.

Justin Fronberg, a strategic talent leader with over 14 years of experience in highly matrixed, growth-orientated environments. Justin is a dedicated and results-driven leader known for his commitment to servant leadership principles. With a passion for empowering others and fostering collaboration, Justin excels in creating inclusive and high-performing teams.

Justin is the Executive Director of Talent Acquisition for MGM Resorts International and is responsible for developing and leading the strategy and operation of the recruiting function for all Las Vegas Properties, Corporate, Technology, Executive Recruiting, and Sourcing. He leads a team of recruiters to support the overall organizational goals and objectives for attracting talent while ensuring the candidate and hiring manager experience are delivered seamlessly.

During his time with MGM Resorts International he has supported the organization through its growth and development to become the leading entertainment company globally. More recently he has led the Talent Acquisition team through a transformation to become an agile and flexible recruiting model to align with the organizations growth and changing environment post pandemic.

Jack Gottlieb is a results-driven senior executive with 20 years of experience in transforming and revitalizing organizations. As the CEO of Total Solutions Group, a strategic consulting and results-based training firm, he has a proven track record of aligning culture, strategy, and capability to achieve critical short-term and long-term goals. TSG has generated $3.25 billion in ROI for clients in growth, profitability, innovation, and efficiency, including leading fifteen M&As and ten turnarounds from inception to implementation. 

With extensive experience in the C-Suite and as an HR leader Jack has a deep expertise of how to drive organizational health and performance through an embedded employee experience. Jack has had global roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, & Chief Culture Officer in banking and currently is the Vice President of Global Capability & Transformation in a market leading test lab in the gaming industry. 
Jack has been one of the top rated speakers and thought leaders for SHRM both at annual and state council conferences. Jack also hosts the successful "L&D Transformation Podcast: How To Lead The Future Of Our Organizations Through Talent Development” which is in its third season with over 100 episodes.

Christopher “CJ” Gross is the author of the best-selling book What's Your Zip Code Story? Understanding and Overcoming Class Bias in the Workplace and the highly acclaimed Harvard Business Review article, A Better Approach to Mentorship. He is a TEDx Speaker and founder of Ascension Worldwide, a firm dedicated to DEI and cultural transformation consulting based in the Washington, D.C. area. CJ has 20-years of experience as an international organizational development consultant specializing in leadership development, and DEI transformation. CJ is a certified Social + Emotional Intelligence coach, trainer, Keirsey Temperament professional, and Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Administrator.

Michael Bach is a nationally and internationally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert in the fields of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA). He has worked globally in the IDEA field, including as the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for KPMG International. He is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), CCDI Consulting and Pride at Work Canada.

He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning books Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right and Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work.

Kevin M. Coleman is the Founder of KMC Empowerment, LLC where he provides executive coaching, empowering speeches, and professional development training to make individuals and organizations successful.  This is done through inspiring leaders to define clear vision, mission, and value systems that leads to exponential personal, professional, and business growth.  Kevin has vast experience in leading training for Entrepreneurs, Executives, Division Chiefs, Branch Chiefs, Mid-Level Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leads for over 35 years.  Kevin has demonstrated experience speaking for all audiences from three (4) to three thousand (4,000).  In addition, Kevin is a United States Army disabled veteran.

Erica started her career designing and facilitating training for social impact organizations. She quickly realized her calling: arming organizations with the capability needed to evolve. Since joining SHRM four years ago, Erica has held three roles. She began her career at SHRM in Research, then moved onto the founding SHRMLabs team. SHRMLabs explores the intersection of work and technology. Now, Erica oversees the enterprise client experience as the Manager of Solution Architecture.

Erica holds a master’s degree in industrial/Organizational Psychology, with a focus in instructional systems design. She earned her SHRM-SCP and consistently speaks on behalf of SHRM on workplace tech, the future of work, DEIB, and upskilling. Outside of work, you can find Erica tending to her indoor and outdoor garden, and giving her cat, Suki, more attention than she wants.    

Mary Cheddie, SHRM-SCP is Divisional Director, Membership Community. 

Cheddie has more than 35 years of domestic and international experience in all aspects of human resources and training. She has extensive experience with strategic planning, M&As, and in starting and turning around businesses.

Prior to joining SHRM, she served as senior vice president of human resources for Interval Leisure Group, Inc. and its affiliated companies. The company was publicly traded on NASDAQ and the leading provider of vacation services with a global consumer membership base of nearly 2 million member families, more than 2,500 member resorts in over 75 countries worldwide, and has oversight for about 14,000 employees. 

Cheddie also served as senior vice president, people with PRC, as well as vice president, human resources, strategic planning, office services, and facilities for The Orvis Company, Inc. in Manchester, VT.

She earned her MBA from Upper Iowa University, a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional.

Cheddie received the HR Award of Excellence, Hospitality in 2016 from South Florida Business & Wealth. Business Leader Magazine named Cheddie one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire and in 2012 the National Diversity Council awarded her the Glass Ceiling Award.

She serves on the Board of Trustees for Upper Iowa University, Chairs the Human Capital Committee and is a member of the Governance and Advancement Committees, Chaired the Keiser Career College’s Advisory Board, was a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) from 2003-2008 and chaired SHRM’s governance and compensation committees. Cheddie has more than 35 years of SHRM volunteer leadership experience at the national, regional, state, and local levels.  She also served on the Waldorf College Alumni Board from 2004 through 2008 and was the President of the Dallas HR Association in 2000 (one of the largest affiliated SHRM chapters). She resides in South FL.

James Abeyta Stevens, a native New Mexican, is originally from Las Vegas, NM and now resides in Albuquerque, NM. He holds a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling, Professional Counseling, from New Mexico Highlands University, which led him to his professional therapeutic career in 2012. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology from the College of Santa Fe. On top of that, he is also a licensed mental health therapist in the state of New Mexico.

In 2021, James retired from his position as Director of Human Resources after a career in the Native American tribal gaming industry that extended over two decades. During this period, his leadership led the organization to earn more than a dozen top honors from the Albuquerque Journal and other companies in categories such as Top Workplaces and Best Places to Work in New Mexico for a large company.

As a therapist, he currently assists those with gambling addictions, bereavement, substance abuse, domestic violence, and career counseling. James recently took over the role of Chief Human Resources Officer for his agency, handling all HR functions for the organization in addition to his role as a therapist.  You can take the person out of Human Resources, but you can never take the Human Resources out of the person. In fact, “Fun” is James’ middle name as he is a corporate culture champion.

James is an instructor in the Substance Abuse Certificate and the Human Services Degree program at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in Albuquerque, the largest community college in the state of New Mexico.

James currently serves as the State Council Director for the SHRM New Mexico State Council, the first male in this position in SHRM NM’s history. He also serves on the Membership Advisory Council (MAC), representing ten (10) states in the Southwest Central Region for SHRM, a position he was elected to by his fellow State Council Directors. He will serve a two-year term in a position considered to be the highest level of Volunteer Leadership that SHRM National offers.  James is a driving force to bettering Human Resources support in and around the state of New Mexico, tribal nations, the Southwest Central Region of SHRM, and the country.

Heather "HD" Deyrieux, MSM, SHRM-SCP, obtained her Masters in Management, with a Concentration in Human Resources, and her Bachelor's Degree in General Business from the University of Central Florida. As the Manager, Workforce Planning for Sarasota County Government, Heather supports over 2,200 employees and 1,100 volunteers. She previously served in the private sector as Director of Talent at Dental Care Alliance, Director of Strategic Development at the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), and Director of Strategic Planning & Development with the Great Job Spot Network. HD currently serves as the Southeast Membership Advisory Council for SHRM and previously  served as the Immediate Past President, President, President-Elect, Conference Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Emcee and other volunteer roles since 2008 for the HR Florida State Council.