Leadership & Personal Growth

Charles is the Manager of Exam Development and Accreditation at SHRM. He is an experienced exam development professional with over eight years in the testing industry developing moderate to high-stakes certification and licensure exams across a number of diverse industries. Inspired to develop valid, reliable, and fair exams, Charles enjoys working with his team of SHRM-certified HR professionals and SHRM’s global network of volunteer participants to create SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exam test questions. Charles obtained his Master of Science degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Baltimore in 2014 and currently resides in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Katrina “KT” Thornton is Taco Bell’s Sr. Executive - HR and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Since joining Taco Bell in October 2021, KT has been energetically leading Taco Bell’s efforts in advancing Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (EI&B). She leads with the belief that EI&B needs to be woven into the business strategy and rooted in action. She is leading Taco Bell’s equity evolution with over 15 years of experience. Before her time at Taco Bell, KT spent her career with Kellogg’s, Sears Holdings Corporation, and Target Corporation in multiple HR leadership assignments.

Tracy Layney is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. Tracy is responsible for LS&Co.’s people strategy on a global scale, including diversity, equity & inclusion, recruiting, employee engagement, talent management, compensation, and benefits, HR technology and HR communications.

Tracy brings more than 20 years of experience in human resources and organization strategy to her role. Prior to joining LS&Co., she served as senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Shutterfly, Inc., the leading retailer of personalized photo-based products. Before Shutterfly, Tracy spent 10 years at Gap Inc., where she held numerous senior leadership roles in HR, most recently serving as the senior vice president of Global Human Resources and Communications for Old Navy. Prior to Gap Inc., Tracy held positions at LS&Co. and PricewaterhouseCoopers/IBM Business Consulting Services where she worked with Fortune 500 clients in the high tech, financial services, retail, and healthcare industries on projects ranging from organization design and development to strategic change management.

Tracy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated magna cum laude. She is active in the HR thought leader community and serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Foundation. In her free time, Tracy loves to cook and share great food and wine with family and friends. She has a life-long love of dance, theater, and art, and is passionate about travel, visiting destinations near and far with her husband and son.

Karl Ahlrichs specializes in helping organizations solve their talent shortage. 

He is a national speaker, author, and consultant, presenting on the people issues in all industries with a focus on solving the talent shortage, and is often quoted in the local and national media. 

He has held senior level positions in multiple Professional Services firms, and was a founding partner of ExactHire, bringing his HR, operations, diversity & belonging, and learning & development skills with him.

He loves intentionally improving with all manner of hobbies including writing haiku, mastering photography and learning Spanish. He wishes he had stuck with his guitar lessons in high school.

He was named the SHRM Human Resource Professional of the Year for the State of Indiana. He is on the Boards of several organizations, including the Maryland CPA Society.  He has lived in Scotland and Spain and is passionate about exploring new experiences with his family and friends.

Valerie helps companies improve their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders.

She served in senior leadership roles at RollsRoyce Aircraft before helping to found InterActiveCorp, parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster. She then went to work for Oprah Winfrey, helping to found the Oxygen channel which was later sold to NBC Universal.

Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality, helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.

Lisa set out to build a market where one didn’t exist. She founded Nonprofit HR, the leading talent management firm in the U.S. that works exclusively with the nonprofit sector. Lisa’s goal is to ensure that every Nonprofit HR engagement inspires social sector leaders to strengthen their most important asset: their people. Over the course of her career, Lisa has presented to hundreds of organizations, staff and leadership teams. Today, fueled by the passion of their 100-plus employees and consultants nationwide, Nonprofit HR is helping many of the nation’s most impactful nonprofit organizations get ahead through smart people management strategies.

Joy Chen, CEO of the Multicultural Leadership Institute, is a trailblazer in global leadership development. A former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles and executive recruiter with Heidrick & Struggles, she brings unique cultural insights to modern leaders.

Joy’s pivot to leadership development was serendipitous, fueled by her blog's viral success in China, establishing her as founder of global training organizations that have served millions. Joy's contributions to global cross-cultural leadership have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, CNN and Vogue China.

Join Joy to hone your ability to excel in a world rich with possibilities.

A NYC native and business leader, Gerald brings a wealth of consumer and B2B marketing experience from major fortune 500 Companies including Unilever, Nabisco, Dr. Pepper/7-UP, Cadbury Schweppes, ConAgra Foods and Magic Johnson Enterprises. During his career, Gerald has held various leadership positions in Marketing, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer for Magic Johnson Enterprises and the Magic Johnson Foundation with accountability for leading marketing across all businesses, as well as driving revenue and sales growth for all Strategic Alliances and Licensing ventures.

As a volunteer, Gerald remains committed to making a difference in communities nationally by serving on committees and boards over the years at The American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.), Catholic Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Meals on Wheels. Gerald currently sits on the National Board of Directors for the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), which represents the global consumer products industry of leading companies, 20,000 brands and a collective spend of $400 Billion Annually.

As an industry leader and sought out speaker, Gerald is currently the Executive Vice President, Health Equity and Chief Diversity Officer for The American Heart Association and is responsible for leading strategy, growing investment and driving impact for Equitable Health and Wellbeing globally.

Subha Barry is a C-suite leader and an Advisor who brings a unique perspective on the alignment of corporate culture to talent strategy and business results. As a transformational change agent, she has a proven record of identifying and accelerating new business creation, driving sales, and increasing profitability.

She is president of Seramount, now part of EAB. Seramount is a strategic professional services firm dedicated to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Here, she drives the firm’s vision, strategy, and business development.

Prior to Seramount, Subha was SVP and Chief Diversity Officer at Freddie Mac, where she served on the firm’s management committee and led their Foundation. During her 20+ years at Merrill Lynch, Subha was a Managing Director and the company’s first Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, driving strategy, infrastructure and execution with a lens on both global and local community. 

She has taught Gender Policy at Columbia University and speaks passionately about the ability to drive innovation by embracing diversity and creating a culture of inclusion. She serves on a number of boards aligned with her passions—education, cancer research, and women’s advancement.

 A native of India, Subha holds a BA from Bombay University and an MBA and MS in Accounting from Rice University. She enjoys golfing, reading poetry and rallying for social change. She has two grown children and lives in Naples, Florida and New Hope, PA with her husband.

Karl Ahlrichs specializes in helping organizations solve their talent shortage. 

He is a national speaker, author, and consultant, presenting on the people issues in all industries with a focus on solving the talent shortage, and is often quoted in the local and national media. 

He has held senior level positions in multiple Professional Services firms, and was a founding partner of ExactHire, bringing his HR, operations, diversity & belonging, and learning & development skills with him.

He loves intentionally improving with all manner of hobbies including writing haiku, mastering photography and learning Spanish. He wishes he had stuck with his guitar lessons in high school.

He was named the SHRM Human Resource Professional of the Year for the State of Indiana. He is on the Boards of several organizations, including the Maryland CPA Society.  He has lived in Scotland and Spain and is passionate about exploring new experiences with his family and friends.

Janice Litvin is an award-winning workplace wellness speaker and author of Banish Burnout Toolkit. She is on a mission to help leaders and teams banish burnout in their organizations so they can retain top talent. She does this through keynotes, workshops and coaching groups.

What makes Janice unique is her 10 years in corporate IT, 20 years in tech recruiting, and a lifetime of working on her own work-life balance.

Janice is past president of National Speakers Association of Northern California, and is a member of SHRM, for whom she is a Recertification Provider.

For fun she leads Zumba Fitness classes.

Meet Dr. Drew Fockler, the charismatic captain of the classroom and champion of change! As a University Professor specializing in HR and Leadership studies, Drew doesn't just teach; he ignites a revolution! With a magnetic personality and a knack for making complex concepts come alive, Drew empowers students to become tomorrow's trailblazers. But beyond the textbooks, Drew is a Change Champion extraordinaire, leading the charge for innovation and progress. Whether spearheading diversity initiatives or challenging traditional paradigms, Drew is at the forefront of reshaping the future of work. With passion as their compass and knowledge as their weapon, Dr. Drew Fockler is paving the way to a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow!