General Session

Cassie Kozyrkov is CEO at Data Scientific, an elite agency that helps world leaders and chief executives optimize their biggest decisions. She is known for founding the field of Decision Intelligence at Google where she served as Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, advising leadership on decision process, AI strategy, and building data-driven organizations.

In almost 10 years at Google, Cassie personally trained over 20,000 Googlers in data-driven decision-making and AI and has helped over 500 projects implement decision intelligence best practices. Before that, she served in Google's Office of the CTO as Chief Data Scientist. The rest of her 20 years of experience was split between consulting, data science, lecturing, and academia.

She hails from South Africa, where she began her undergraduate studies in statistics at age 15 at Nelson Mandela University before moving to the United States to complete a degree in economics at the University of Chicago. She then earned graduate degrees in mathematical statistics, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience from Duke University and NCSU.

Cassie is also a top keynote speaker and a beloved personality in the data leadership community, followed by over half a million tech professionals. If you've had a good chuckle while learning about AI, statistics, or decision-making, chances are you've encountered her writing, which has reached millions of readers. She has been honored as a LinkedIn Top Voice for 3 years and as a #1 Artificial Intelligence writer on Medium for 5 years.

These days, she calls Miami home. When she’s not working, you’re most likely to find Cassie at the theater, in an art museum, exploring the world, or curled up with a good novel. 

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

George Rivera III serves as the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at the Society for Human Resource Management.  He is responsible for broadening the awareness of SHRM's mission to enhance workforce development by building and strengthening partnerships with some of the largest enterprise organizations across the globe.  In addition to helping bring to market the top ideas and innovations through outreach, representing all things workplace, workers, and work.     

George is a proven business development thought leader who places a deep emphasis on people, with more than 15 years of experience building and scaling highly productive, results-driven sales organizations.  Prior to joining SHRM George spent over a decade honing his expertise in HCM cloud technology, retirement, insurance, and other employee benefits, as well as HR services and PEO offerings as he led sales efforts of Paychex Inc., a top HR consulting organization.  In addition to business-growth responsibilities, George also led critical cross-functional company initiatives throughout much of the organization including Learning and Development, Marketing and Lead Generation, Finance, and Talent Acquisition, but the most rewarding experience, by far, was his service on the board for the annual United Way Campaign.  

George Rivera III recognizes that strong leaders build strong businesses and strong businesses build strong communities. George is firm believer in focusing on strategic growth for all partners.

When not at work, Rivera serves as Vice President for SHARE International a Non-Profit that aims to support the indigenous peoples of the Amazon in Peru. 

Tim Sackett, SCP, is the CEO of HRUTech.com, a leading technical recruiting firm. Tim has over 20 years of combined executive HR and talent acquisition experience working for Fortune 500 companies. Tim is a highly sought-after international speaker on leadership, HR &TA Tech, talent acquisition, and HR execution. Tim is currently a Senior Faculty member with the Josh Bersin Academy. He is also an Angel investor and advisor and sits on multiple HR Technology corporate boards.

Tim is the author of the newly released book The Talent Fix, Vol. 2. He also writes daily on his blog, the Tim Sackett Project. Tim is married to a hall-of-fame wife, has three sons, and his dog Tucker. In 2023, he was named a Top Global HR & Recruitment Influencer by HR Executive. He has more Twitter (X) followers than his 3 Gen Z sons and is sponsored on stage by diet Mt. Dew.

Introducing the entertainment enthusiast, DJ Jeff, the visionary force behind Soulful Sounds, Inc. Jeff Taylor began engaging family at gatherings with his DJ skills. Today, Soulful Sounds, Inc. stands as a DJ production powerhouse, captivating audiences internationally. The company operates from two main offices located in Long Island, NY and Charlotte, NC. 

With over two decades of industry experience, DJ Jeff is extremely passionate about entertainment. He fills every event with a unique essence, creating unforgettable experiences for guests. Soulful Sounds, Inc. has built strong partnerships with a prestigious clientele and is dedicated to delivering excellence and ensuring client satisfaction. 

As the GM Global L&D, Abhijit Bhaduri managed the upskilling strategy for Microsoft across 190 countries. Forbes described him as "the most interesting generalist from India." The San Francisco Examiner decribes him as the "world’s foremost expert on talent and development."

He is a LinkedIn Top Voice with more than a million followers on LinkedIn. Society for Human Resource Management has rated him as the No 1 HR influencer on social media. He is rated among the top ten experts on learning across the world. He is ranked among the top five "most sought after brand evangelists.

Prior to leading learning and development globally for Microsoft, he led an advisory practice to help organizations develop their leadership and talent strategy. His client include Disney, VMWare, Adobe, GE, Wipro. He has been an talent brand strategist and executive coach to CXOs.

He has led HR teams for Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo, Tata Steel and was the first Chief Learning Officer for Wipro. He was conferred Distinguished Alumni from XLRI where he did his post-graduation in Human  Resources. Abhijit taught Learning and Development to the post graduate students at XLRI. He teaches at the Doctoral Program for Chief Learning Officers at the University of Pennsylvania.

Abhijit Bhaduri has been a bestselling author with his book on hiring called Don't Hire the Best (Harper Collins) which explains why hiring for "match quality" is a better predictor of hiring success for executives. Career 3.0 (Penguin 2023) suggests six skills that everyone will need in a world getting shaped by AI. He hosted a podcast called Dreamers and Unicorns that made the list of top business podcasts by Apple. His writings have appeared in Forbes and Business Line. He wrote a fortnightly column for The Economic Times about work, workers and workplaces that ran for several years. His article on skilling strategy for businesses was one of the most read articles in Harvard Business Review in 2023.

As a corporate entertainer and trainer with a background in stand-up comedy, Lauren Ansley works with organizations to infuse energy and connection into their business meetings, conferences and special events. She provides interactive entertainment and delivers thought-provoking messages with the perfect amount of humor and storytelling sprinkled in. 

Lauren's public speaking training programs are all designed to help professionals craft and deliver their presentations with clarity, confidence and charisma. She is the Founder and CEO of Ansley Corporate Entertainment and Instructor of the Women’s Stand-Up Comedy Class in Charlotte, NC. 

Elliott Masie is a provocative, engaging, and entertaining researcher, educator, analyst, and speaker - focused on the changing world of the workplace, learning, and technology. Elliott is acknowledged as the first analyst to use the term eLearning and has been an active explorer of combining AI with Human Intelligence for Talent & Learning.

​He heads the MASIE Learning Foundation based in Saratoga Springs, NY focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He leads the Learning COLLABORATIVE, a coalition of 75 global organizations cooperating on the evolution of learning strategies. Members include Amazon, Zoom, Bank of America, Fidelity, The Hartford, and others.

He is the editor of eNOTES by Elliott Masie (and a regular columnist in professional publications, including CLO Magazine. He is the author of 12 books, including the ASTD/MASIE Center’s Big Learning Data and recent eBooks on “Learning Pivots” and “Empathy”.

Elliott's professional focus has been in the fields of corporate learning, organizational performance, and emerging technology. He has developed models for accelerating the spread of knowledge, learning, and collaboration throughout organizations.

​Elliott serves as an advisor to a wide range of government, education, and non-profit groups. He has served on the Board of Trustees of Skidmore College, as a member of FIRST Robotics Board of Directors, and as a board member for the Williamstown Theater Festival. He has also served as a pro-bono advisor to the Department of Defense and on the White House Advisory Council on Expanding Learning Opportunities, and as a member of the CIA University Board of Visitors.
 
Elliott has presented programs, courses, and speeches to over 3,100,000 professionals around the world. He lives in Saratoga Springs, owns thoroughbred horses, and is a Tony Nominated Broadway Producer of shows, which include: Kinky Boots, Here Lies Love, Just Another Day, An American in Paris, The Prom, The CHER Show, Anastasia, The Play that Goes Wrong, SpongeBob, Seared, Between the Lines, Funny Girl. and more.

Introducing the entertainment enthusiast, DJ Jeff, the visionary force behind Soulful Sounds, Inc. Jeff Taylor began engaging family at gatherings with his DJ skills. Today, Soulful Sounds, Inc. stands as a DJ production powerhouse, captivating audiences internationally. The company operates from two main offices located in Long Island, NY and Charlotte, NC. 

With over two decades of industry experience, DJ Jeff is extremely passionate about entertainment. He fills every event with a unique essence, creating unforgettable experiences for guests. Soulful Sounds, Inc. has built strong partnerships with a prestigious clientele and is dedicated to delivering excellence and ensuring client satisfaction. 

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Rachel Sheerin, CPBA is an award-winning keynote speaker, emcee and employee engagement consultant on a mission to help people feel better, think better and do better - together!

A Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, audiences are transformed and recharged with energy and leave equipped with strategies and tangible tools. What makes Rachel connect is the fact that she has been on all sides of business - sales, operations and executive leadership.. She's built multi-million dollar sales teams for organizations that want to grow profits and boost happiness and delivered organization-wide training for different vocations from machinists to executive director, SVP and beyond.

She's also burned out, failed and ruined her career a couple of times - which makes her messages of burnout prevention, happiness and success sincere, impactful and hilarious. With a strong dash of vulnerability, Rachel meets audiences where they are and with her background in meetings and events, gives planners and executives the 5-star surveys they want most.

With Fortune 500 clients such as The Ritz Carlton, WAL-MART, National Associations in Healthcare and Banking, Hilton, Berkshire Hathaway and many more, Rachel is also Co-Founder of MAGNET METHOD, an employee engagement and retention consulting firm for growing cultures.

Rachel's continued research and motivational content around burnout, happiness and success can be seen regularly on her LinkedIn profile and read in her upcoming book, BETTER: How to Feel Good as You Live, Lead and Succeed (8/8/23, Hawthorn Road Press).

Currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Association for Women in Events (AWE), Rachel is a proud member of Meeting Planners International (MPI), supporter of the Appalachian Bear Foundation and can often be found playing ping pong badly with her husband, Jeff.

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.

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.

Tucker Bryant is a nationally renowned poet and keynote speaker. After nurturing his craft at Stanford University, Tucker worked as a Product Marketing Manager at Google where he discovered that the tools used by poets to innovate through language and introspection can be leveraged to drive creative thinking and innovative leadership in a professional context. After spending nearly a decade in Silicon Valley, Tucker left Google to challenge leaders to unlock innovation using The Poet's Keys™. His performances, which have garnered millions of views online, have been featured by TEDx, The New York Times, and dozens of other organizations across the globe. He has had the privilege of sharing on stages alongside Mark Cuban, Bill Belichick, Gary Vaynerchuk, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Mel Robbins as well as founders and executives from scores of Fortune 500 companies.

An authority on brave leadership and founder of The Brave Initiative, Carol has been educating, empowering, and entertaining audiences internationally for almost a decade. She is committed to helping building braver workplace cultures - where every person is brave enough to bring all of who they are to all of what they do. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance, an MA in Communication, two postgraduate certificates in coaching and mentoring, and has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, International Associations, and thousands of leaders and individuals to get their brave on. Whether it be asking for a raise or promotion, nailing a presentation, or climbing Africa’s highest peak, her clients attribute her insights and inspiration to achieving what they never thought possible. She is also a dedicated mental health advocate, and founder of Brave Beyond Diagnosis, a community dedicated to empowering women living with mental health challenges. In speaking openly about her own experience with mental illness, she makes it okay to not be okay. Her work on creating safer spaces in the workplace, and inviting braver conversations around mental health, is changing the landscape on this important topic. Carol is a published author, been featured in numerous magazines and podcasts, and is a returning guest expert on Rogers TV in Canada. Having lived and worked in 16 countries including Ashrams in India and vans in New Zealand, rocked dreadlocks in Thailand and shaved her head for breast cancer, she certainly walks her talk and brings a global perspective to all she does. When she’s not traveling or speaking on stage, you can find her volunteering as a bereavement facilitator, training for her next triathlon, or practicing her serious carpool karaoke game!