Leadership & Development

Dr. David S Cohen, Ed. D. has a vision: organizations that thrive by living their values in good times and especially VUCA times. David's first career was in elementary and high school education, where he built a reputation for building school communities based on purpose and social responsibility. Thirty-three years ago, David transitioned to corporate consulting. As a consultant, David earned a reputation as a contrarian consultant because he does not always follow what is popular in his chosen field. David works with leaders helping them understand what is and what is not necessary to build an active and positive organization. He helps leaders' step into life's challenges, inspiring them to create a sustained approach through a values-based focus, resulting in better business results. David has had the privilege of partnering with firms across five continents and all business sectors. Additionally, he has worked with governments, from the local to the federal levels, and not-for-profits.

He has taught at Queens University School of Labour Relations and the executive education program at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Currently, he teaches organizational development at Durham College. David earned his doctorate from Boston University in Humanistic and Behavioural Studies. During that time, he also completed independent studies at the Harvard School of Education, where he was a teaching assistant.

David is a keynote speaker, educator, disruptor, facilitator, team builder, and executive coach. He has authored two books and numerous articles in professional journals.

• The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers (John Wiley and Sons, August 2001)
• Inside the Box: Leading With Corporate Values to Drive Sustained Business Success (Jossey-Bass September 2006)

When David is not travelling, he is hanging out with his five grandchildren, when possible, attending Toronto Raptor's games, or relaxing with family and friends.

David is honored to be recognized by the GlobalGurus30 as one of the top 30 GlobalGurus in Organizational Culture.

Jim Frawley is the Founder and Principal of Bellwether, a company dedicated to helping organizations and executives build resiliency, adapt to change and thrive in rapidly shifting contexts. He is the host of the Bellwether Hub podcast and best-selling author of Adapting in Motion: Finding Your Place in the New Economy, a practical guide to responding to multiple levels of macro change.

Jim works with leaders in a variety of capacities, including Executive Coach, Workshop Facilitator and Business Consultant, on three primary areas of expertise: Strategic Planning, Executive Communications and Change Management. He believes today’s economy requires a new form of executive development; one that teaches how to create a plan, communicate that plan to multiple audiences, and build effective decision-making abilities to be able to adapt while in motion.

He has worked internationally over his twenty-year career, coaching executives and teams, overhauling corporate training programs, creating and implementing complex organizational and cultural re-designs and building business strategy and administrative plans. To date, he has
worked with clients in eight countries and thirty-nine states.

Authentic, sincere and dedicated to building each client's capacity to excel, Jim is a big-time reader, a small-time triathlete and a full-time husband and father.

As a business, product, and technology leader, Delphine Carter uses transformational change and agile practices to solve complex business challenges. She is the founder and CEO of Boulo, an innovative recruitment platform that matches experienced female candidates, who also happen to be mothers or caregivers, with progressive companies. Delphine is on the Board of Storytellers Live, Vestavia Lacrosse Organization, and is a Women’s Foundation Fellow. She was recently named Top Birmingham Woman and nominated for CEO of the Year by the Birmingham Business Journal.

Miguel is the Chief Belonging Officer of MJA & CO, a Minority-owned consulting firm helping leaders leverage DEI as a catalyst to improve recruitment, engagement, and retention.  Recognized as a LinkedIn's Top Voice in Racial Equity, Top 15 Champion of Diversity by Diversity Global Magazine, a Top 100 Executive by Diversity MBA Magazine, and featured as an Inclusion Innovator by SHRM.

Miguel served as the first civilian Chief of D&I in the history of the US Coast Guard.  He started his career as diversity recruiter and for over a decade held several leadership positions in 3 major Federal Departments. Miguel is a TEDx speaker, featured at the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Telemundo.

 You can learn more about him by visiting www.migueljoeyaviles.com

Global CDO, consultant, speaker and author Janet M. Stovall helps business dismantle systemic inequity to leverage the power of diversity.  Global Head of DEI at NeuroLeadership Institute, and founder of DEI consultancy, Pragmatic Diversity, Janet specializes in shaping and implementing realistic DEI visions and strategies that drive change and build culture. Collectively, her three TED talks challenging business to get serious about inclusion have nearly 3 million views, and she is co-author of Amazon bestseller, The Conscious Communicator: The Fine Art of Not Saying Stupid Sh*t.

Wagner is a transformational Latino executive leader with expertise, breadth, and experience in all aspects of human capital management, leadership, and the future of work. He started his career as a licensed psychotherapist and transitioned to critical roles in Fortune 500 companies, leading successful transformations in leadership and human resources, including the development of future of work capabilities for a Fortune 50 Financial Services global enterprise. Wagner is an inspiring speaker and a champion of diversity and inclusion with superior coaching skills, and a proven ability build dynamic talent strategies for growth in the new workplace. Wagner is a frequent contributor to publications, research organizations and has presented in major conferences across the US on the topic of the Future of HR, Future of Work, Leadership & Management Development, as well as DEI&B. He was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Arielle Alonso is an executive coach and owner of Revel&Awe, a coaching company focused on helping companies develop, engage, and retain employees through coaching and professional development. She helps ambitious individuals build confidence, grow leadership and management skills, and hone their communication so they can be more effective and have more agency - and sustainability - in their career paths. With a background in consulting spanning financial services, telecom, tech, education, and more, Arielle leverages her multi-national experiences, as well as her extensive coaching credentials, to partner with leadership teams for organizational and employee development and success.

Bethany Adams has more than 15 years of experience in HR and education.  She began her career working in learning & development and human resources in the restaurant and retail industries. She has experience in both small, privately-owned businesses and large, Fortune 500 organizations. Bethany holds a BA in Psychology, MA in Organizational Management, the SHRM-SCP certification, and is a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She currently teaches at Villanova University in the Graduate Programs in HR Development.  Bethany has spoken at a variety of conferences throughout the country and leads corporate training on topics including emotional intelligence, DEI, and strategic HR.  Bethany hosts an HR podcast called HR Tea.

Sinikka Waugh, President of Your Clear Next Step, spends her days helping people have better workdays. Sinikka is known for consistently helping people improve their emotional intelligence and find innovative ways to solve problems and get things done at work. Putting her 20+ year background in languages, literature, and project management to good use, Sinikka has provided compassionate leadership in transformation initiatives and helped over 50,000 people have better workdays since 2008. Her clients value how her results-driven professionalism blends seamlessly with her down-to-earth, “try this now” approach and her relentless passion for helping others achieve even better.

Lana Williams is a Program Manager with the SHRM Foundation where she manages The Foundation’s initiatives to support students and emerging professionals, as well as their efforts to expand and diversify the HR sector. She brings a wide range of expertise in social impact and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) from her experience within the nonprofit, advocacy, and corporate sectors.

Prior to this role, she was serving as the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Project Manager for NetApp where she managed the employee business resource groups and evolution of diversity and inclusion programming, as well as increasing employee engagement and belonging initiatives. She also held roles at the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sodexo, and the Human Rights Campaign where she was responsible for the oversight and coordination of the daily activities for the annual Corporate Equality Index and Buying for Workplace Equality Guide.

Lana graduated from The New School in New York City with a MS in Nonprofit Management and a BA from Wake Forest University in North Carolina.