Lydia Dishman is Fast Company’s senior editor for growth and engagement. She has also written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

Sivona Blake is a proud native of Maplewood, NJ, and currently a resident of Harlem, NY. Sivona graduated from the Howard University School of Business where she studied Marketing. Sivona has spent years assisting and cultivating startups and smaller businesses through Technology, Diversity and Inclusion, and Client Relationship Management. She started her career in tech sales then decided to pivot into Human Resources. Sivona started at Citi as an Assistant Vice President of Campus Diversity
Recruitment and was promoted to Vice President of Campus Diversity Recruitment. In her current role, she focuses on leading Citi’s relationships with HBCUs, early insight programs, and increasing diversity within the firm. Sivona also holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in public administration and policy.

She is a current active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and was initiated into Alpha Chapter in 2014. Sivona holds numerous leadership roles within large nonprofit organizations and is currently a junior board member of the Harlem Boys and Girls Club, a project coordinator for New Jersey Cares, and a young patron for the Apollo Theater. In her spare time she loves spending time with family and friends. She loves to travel, brunch with friends and read a great book.

David Bator thinks and writes about how work could work. David leads Achievers Workforce Institute, a strategic practice whose focus on Research, Community and Advisory empowers global executives with tactical, practical approaches to changing how the world works.

David is passionate about people, and has spent the last 20 years working closely and consultatively with HR, IT and Communications leaders to build programs that position individuals, teams and companies to grow.

Ezinne (Kwubiri) Okoro is a sought-after executive leader, driving organizational and process change within multiple industries. She was named one of the Top 100 Transformers in Business by Business Insider, The Network Journal's 40 under Forty and ESSENCE Magazine's Women to Watch in Fashion, and Diversity Star Maven. She is a thought leader featured and cited in various outlets, including Forbes, CNBC, NBC, Campaigner, The Drum, LBBO, Black Enterprise, Women Wear Daily (WWD), Variety, and TheRoot.com. Joining Wunderman Thompson in 2020 as the agency's first Global Chief Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Officer, Ezinne has led in designing the agency's global strategy. Under her leadership, she designed awareness-building activities, created a space of exploration and inclusion, revised the creative elevation process, and deployed programs to stimulate culture in a hybrid workplace. Ezinne is no stranger to infusing her change management and inclusion expertise into global multi-dimensional companies. She previously impacted addressing inequality and lack of diverse representation in the fashion/retail industry as H&M's first Head of Inclusion & Diversity for North America. At H&M, she designed strategic frameworks to drive inclusion, equity, and diversity; facilitated thought-provoking conversations about corporate culture; and led innovative corporate change and community activism. She served as a principal advisor for various markets and the Global H&M Group leadership team based in Sweden. Before H&M, Ezinne spent nearly 12 years with Viacom Media Networks (now ViacomCBS) in various change management roles spearheading efforts that led to solutions for enterprise-wide implementations. During her tenure at Viacom, Ezinne audited productions and uncovered ways to improve efficiency and minimize risks. She was a coach, mentor, and collaborator with C-level executives and functional leadership to achieve long-term, consistent, innovative practices. Her work has led her to projects across Europe, Singapore, Tokyo, Australia, and Argentina. As an immigrant from Nigeria, Ezinne is a champion for social justice, corporate advocacy, community collaboration, and sustainability. She is a Board member of She's the First Inc. - serving young girls in developing countries. Ezinne uses her experiences and network to help further underrepresented groups drive sustainable inclusion in global organizations, dedicating countless hours of pro bono work
on behalf of these causes.

Andrew Gold is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Pitney Bowes Inc. Andrew has been involved in work across the business that has been recognized by various groups and has been a champion on HR transformation, talent development, diversity, and employee health.

Formerly VP, Global Talent Management and HR Technology, Andrew led a variety of areas across the talent, rewards and HR technology. Andrew spearheaded the launch of the global Workday HR system in 2021 while leading our Talent, HR analytics and technology teams. In prior roles, he oversaw the company’s executive compensation, long‐term incentive programs, compensation governance and benefit offerings, including medical, dental, prescription drug coverage, 401k, pension plan, and various voluntary benefits. He served as the HR business partner for various functions and groups over his tenure at PB.

Andrew joined Pitney Bowes in 1994 as the Director, Human Resources Counsel for Pitney Bowes and provided legal advice and oversaw litigation on all aspects of labor and employee relations in the United States and Canada. 

Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Andrew worked in the employment law departments of Whitman Breed Abbott and Proskauer Rose in New York City. He received a J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law and a B.S degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He is a board member at Metropool, Inc., Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County and an HR advisor for the Children's Learning Centers of Fairfield County (CLC). 

Sumita Banerjee has served as our Chief Human Resources Officer for Home Care, since 2021. Before joining the company, Ms. Banerjee was Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition for L’Oréal Americas, where she built and led this function for the US group since 2010 with a key focus on direct sourcing, actively seeking out top talents across a diversity of industries and backgrounds. 

Ms. Banerjee’s journey with L'Oréal began in 2000 and includes experiences in new product Launch Management, Package Development and Business Development. Her prior experiences also include working as a Packaging Engineer at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Worldwide BeautyCare, as in Manufacturing Engineering at the Estée Lauder Companies and as a co-op at Colgate Palmolive.

Ms. Banerjee is a Packaging Engineering graduate from Rutgers University and also completed the Leadership Programs at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and INSEAD France.

Jess Brown is the Vice President of Marketing at Cariloop, a comprehensive caregiving solution for employees. With a decade of experience in employer-sponsored caregiving benefits, Jess, has served on the front lines of advocating for working parents and senior caregivers during the most critical waves of change in this industry. Previously at LearnLux, and Care. Com, Jess has demonstrated experience in supporting employers and employees with solutions that both support working families and corporate strategies. 

Carrie Maltese is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for NBCUniversal’s Corporate Human Resources Functions. In this role, Carrie oversees all human resources responsibilities for NBCUniversal’s Corporate Functions including Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Communications, Corporate Events, and Corporate Social Responsibility. She also oversees the global centralized employee service center, HRConnection, leads corporate projects impacting HR process and employee policies, and partners closely with the Business Continuity & Crisis Management team on all crises impacting employees in and outside of the workplace.

Carrie reports directly to Vicki Williams, Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to her role expansion in 2014, Carrie was the Vice President, Human Resources leading the generalist team for the Corporate Functions. Over her tenure at NBCU, Carrie has served as Vice President, Human Resources for the Operations & Technology (O&T) organization overseeing the human resources responsibilities for 4 divisions within O&T’s expansive global operations, including Field Operations & Production Services, Business Services, Finance and Global Security. Carrie was also responsible for all organization development initiatives for the 4,000+ employee organization along with managing the technical talent pipeline programs, talent acquisition partnership, and NBCUniversal’s Page program. Earlier in her career with NBCU, Carrie held various human resources leadership roles supporting the Digital Media & iVillage businesses, leading the Campus Relations Internship Program, and Staffing function. She originally joined NBCUniversal in 2001 as Manager, Guest Relations & Page Program. Carrie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Quinnipiac College. She lives in Armonk, NY with her husband.

Singleton Beato is the Global EVP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at McCann Worldgroup,
where she is responsible for designing and leading strategic initiatives that increase organizational capacity,
innovation and growth. With over 25 years of experience as an accomplished executive, Singleton is recognized for her
success driving large scale people and organizational change initiatives across a wide range of industries, having held talent leadership roles at J. Walter Thompson, Crunch Fitness International, and Bloomberg L.P.

Previously, Singleton was EVP, Diversity Strategy and Talent Development at the 4A’s where she provided leadership
and advice to senior advertising and media agency executives working to create and activate a strategic approach to D&I. Singleton was the visionary and architect of high-profile initiatives including The Face Of Talent symposium and the Ad industry’s only Talent Leadership Conference, Talent@2030. She also led the transformation of the renowned Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) and the 4A’s Foundation. And, after assuming P&L responsibility for Talent Development and Diversity related revenue streams, Singleton consistently delivered on revenue and margin growth targets for the organization.

Singleton received a MS from Fairleigh Dickinson University and serves on several non-profit boards including the Brand Erwin Center for Brand Communications, AdWeek’s D&I Council, the AAF’s Mosaic Council, NYWICI, Own The Room and Figure Skating in Harlem as well as the Advisory Board of the Brand + Integrated Communications program. She has received numerous awards and accolades from the AAF, the 4A’s, the ADCOLOR Coalition, the National Diversity Council, the World Diversity Leadership Summit. Additionally, Singleton was named one of 2019’s Most Influential Women In Corporate America by Savoy Magazine, one of AdWeek’s 2020 Women Trailblazers and one of New York’s Most Outstanding Corporate Citizens.

Corinne is a writer, editor and lifelong New Yorker with one ear always trained to a good story. She started her career as a "runner" for the New York Daily News, where she chased crime, covered education and City Hall, and turned copy around for three deadlines on the rewrite desk. 

During this time she dueled with an Olympic fencer, nabbed her first fake ID at 26 and penned an eyewitness account of an NYPD stop-and-frisk. Her extensive reporting on juvenile justice in the Bronx and Harlem won her two fellowships from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Newswomen's Club of New York Award for Beat Reporting.

She went on to earn an MFA from Columbia University, where she was awarded a Creative Writing teaching fellowship (she has also taught at Borough of Manhattan Community College and The School of the New York Times). Her journalism, essays and fiction have been published in outlets as varied as Forbes, The London Reader and Lakeshore Review. She has written op-eds about jury duty and teaching in nontraditional settings, reported on the murky, unregulated world of life coaches and plumbed her own experience of reporting an incident to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. She believes stories can be found in unexpected corners, and she's interested in how even the simplest questions can help us challenge and reframe common perceptions.

Most recently, she worked with entrepreneurs, experts and thought leaders as a deputy editor to help shape their content on Forbes. During her two years there, she also developed and led seminars on journalism skills for staff and contributors.

In November 2024, she launched The Off-Site Writing Workshop, which offers customized writing services for entrepreneurs and companies looking to learn the craft of commentary. She has moderated panels at Future of Work conferences, including at From Day One, Running Remote and Worktech. 

Stephanie Kramer is the Chief Human Resources Officer at L'Oréal USA. She joined Human Resources as Chief Employee Experience Officer in 2022 and prior, held the position of Global General Manager of SkinCeuticals. Kramer led the premium dermatological beauty skincare brand through a high-growth phase, introducing new business models and increasing market share. Kramer has also served in leadership roles across the luxury beauty and salon professional products divisions at L’Oréal USA.
Kramer is the author of Carry Strong: An Empowered Approach to Navigating Pregnancy and Work, published by Penguin Life in May 2023. She currently sits on the Industry Advisory Board of the Master’s Program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. The program serves as a think tank for the beauty industry, offering young professionals the tools and leadership training to best prepare for positions of senior responsibility in the sector.
Kramer moves into the CHRO role which was previously held by Stephane Charbonnier who will retire from L’Oréal after a nearly decade-long tenure.
L'Oréal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oréal Group, the world’s leading beauty company. Through its management of over 35 iconic beauty brands, L’Oréal USA has generated more than $8 billion in sales annually. Products are available across all distribution channels including hair salons, department stores, mass market, pharmacies, medi-spas, e-commerce and more. L’Oréal USA’s commitment to growth is generated through sustainable innovation and driven by the company’s L’Oréal for the Future ambition which demonstrates sustainable development across the Group’s value chain. The company is headquartered in New York City, employs more than 11,000 people, and operates administrative, research, manufacturing and distribution facilities across 16 states.

Erica Keswin is a bestselling author, internationally sought after speaker, and workplace strategist. Her first two bestselling books Bring Your Human to Work: 10 Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace That’s Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World (McGraw Hill 2018), and Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines Into Workplace Magic (McGraw Hill 2021) were widely discussed in media outlets like Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Live with Kelly and Ryan, as well as in many print articles and reviews. Her forthcoming book is called The Retention Revolution: 7 Surprising (and Very Human!) Ways to Keep Employees Connected to Your Company (September, 2023 McGraw Hill) and will set leaders up for success in this new world of work. 

When Erica isn’t writing books and offering keynotes, she coaches top-of-the-class businesses, organizations, and individuals to help them improve their performance by honoring relationships in today’s hybrid workplace. Erica is honored to be one of Marshall Goldsmith’s Top 100 Coaches, as well as one of Business Insider’s most innovative coaches. She’s also the founder of the Spaghetti Project, a roving ritual devoted to sharing the science and stories of relationships at work. Erica lives in New York City with her husband Jeff, three children, and her labradoodle Cruiser.

Gemma Toner is a media and telecommunications leader known for driving innovation at the
intersection of big data and digital media. As a senior executive in the cable industry for more
than 20 years, Gemma experienced firsthand the transformative power of executive coaching and
mentoring. With an eye toward helping other women achieve their potential, Gemma created
TONE Networks, an online micro-learning and coaching tool designed for working women,
founded in 2017.

Prior to founding TONE Networks, Toner was SVP, Business Insights and Strategy at Cablevision
Systems Corporation. During her tenure, she held roles in Marketing, Business Development, and Product Management. Most notably, she created an award-winning suite of products and first-to-market industry initiatives including Optimum Online, Optimum Wifi, Optimum Rewards, OptimumVoice, and Optimum Select (interactive advertising).

Before Cablevision, Toner rose through the ranks at AMC Networks to become SVP, New Media Development. There, she led the development of new media and interactive opportunities for AMC
Networks, positioning the company to capitalize on emerging entertainment platforms. Toner has been a past Chairperson for the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing and a past board member at WICT (Women in Cable Television), as well as a Wonder Woman and Tami recipient. She was recently awarded a patent for The System and Method for Set Top Box Viewing Data, which enables the use of set top box data to measure audience viewing
patterns.

She served on the Board of Directors for several companies including Sandvine, (TSX:SVC) a leading provider of intelligent broadband network solutions for fixed and mobile operators, which was recently acquired by Francisco Partners, and Engagement Labs Inc. (TSXV: EL), which provides full-service next-generation social technology solutions for marketers. A graduate of Villanova University, Gemma currently is on the Board of Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization partnering with local communities to transform the lives of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.

Mike is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Torc, and sits on its board of directors. A gig economy software development advocate, he’s known globally as a technology pioneer who set the standard for what a freelance marketplace should look like (long before the world was ready for it).

As a visionary powering Torc, Mike draws on three decades of strategic technology and management experience. Since 2001, Mike held leadership roles at Topcoder and was an integral part of its successful acquisition by Wipro in his last four years as CEO. Prior to that, Mike was the General Manager & SVP of Appirio’s crowd-for-cloud venture Cloudspokes, and brokered the acquisition of Topcoder in 2013. Early in his career he excelled through the ranks of technology companies like CMGi, Tallan, and Invensys.

Mike is one of the most innovative, accessible and charismatic leaders of the gig economy. A published media source, VC/software industry advisor, and frequent keynote speaker, he’s always available to discuss how technology communities and companies can work better together via an ecosystem where freelance talent thrives and organizations understand how to leverage phenomenal human capital. Mike enables others to benefit from the catalyst driving the future of work — digital platforms that orchestrate technology services using AI, blockchain, and marketplace dynamics.

A humble and proud Boston College double Eagle, guest lecturer (Harvard, MIT, NYU, UC Berkeley), and engineer at heart, Mike also makes time to volunteer. Most notably, as a board member for the Academy of Applied Sciences sponsored by the University of New Hampshire, he’s a vocal proponent for STEAM education and bringing to fruition the creative ideas of young inventors everywhere.

Mike does his best to unplug when he can. He resides in “Live Free or Die” country with his Princess Leia look-alike wife, their four padawans, and a wookie.

Robert is an accomplished HR executive with more than 30 years of experience helping leading public and private companies strategically leverage their human capital. He has worked across a variety of industries, including financial services, sports and entertainment, and management consulting. He is the Chief Talent and Capability Officer for Prudential and has been in this role since April 2022. Prior to this, Robert was the Head of Human Resources for Prudential’s US Businesses. 

Robert was hired as the NFL’s first Chief Human Resources Officer, where he had responsibility for the development and delivery of Human Resources strategies across the entire HR platform, including Compensation and Benefits, Talent Management, HR Analytics, Leadership Development, Diversity & Inclusion, and Employee Relations. 

Robert also has extensive financial services experience, having joined the NFL from Wells Fargo where he was the Executive Vice President and Head of HR for the Wealth, Brokerage and Retirement business unit. In this role, he was responsible for all aspects of human resources for a  business unit that generated over $11 billion in revenue and had over 40,000 employees. 

Prior to Wells Fargo, Robert held a variety of human resources leadership positions in the financial services and management consulting industries, including roles at Citigroup Global Investment Management, GE Capital and PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

Robert is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations. He also holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he was a Citibank Fellow, and has completed executive education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. 

He sits on the MBA Advisory Board for the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and has served on the boards for several non-profit organizations. 

Robert resides in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife and daughters. 

Corey Smith is the Head of Diversity & Inclusion at LVMH.

Brian McGrath counsels companies on a wide range of complex commercial legal issues. The co-chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, he has helped clients navigate litigation involving financial services, intellectual property, antitrust, and white collar criminal investigations throughout his career. An outside-of-the-box thinker, Brian partners with his clients to provide them with simple, tailored solutions for their legal problems.

In recent years, Brian has leveraged his broad experience to focus on serving clients in the financial services industry. He works with a number of financial institutions—including mortgage loan servicers—regarding lender liability and consumer protection statues. He also handles complaints concerning the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), as well as regulatory issues involving Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforcement actions.

Brian began his career with a prominent international law firm, representing clients in high-stakes commercial litigation matters in a variety of business sectors. In addition to handling landmark biotechnology patent litigation, Brian defended the interests of professional athletes in sports labor law matters involving the NFL and NBA Player's Associations. He also previously served as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office.

Before joining Hinshaw, Brian bolstered his financial services industry knowledge and litigation experience in the New York office of a New Orleans-based firm. In addition to championing the diversity and inclusion efforts at his former firm, Brian was the Managing Partner for the New York office.

Kumud is Chief People Officer at Betterment. She is a strategic HR professional with a strong understanding of global business and the ability to help organizations strengthen and grow at a fast pace. She has over 25 years of human resources experience designing and executing world-class HR initiatives to align with and support business objectives. She has a reputation as a great collaborator, listener, and champion for diversity. Prior to Betterment, she held senior HR positions at high growth companies in tech, healthcare, and education. Kumud is an SHRM-Senior Certified Professional with a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management.

Amritpal Singh is the President of Field Operations at Multiplier, a global employment platform that allows businesses to employ compliantly in markets where a legal entity has not been established. 

At Multiplier, Amritpal oversees all commercial and business development activities, including the development and implementation of new strategies, managing sales and marketing teams, identifying new business opportunities and partnerships and ultimately increasing revenue and profitability. 

Prior to his time at Multiplier, Amritpal was Search Consultant at Korn Ferry, where he acted as a trusted business partner to APAC’s most renowned business leaders, and led multiple business functions from account management to business development, a segue from his stint at Robert Walters. At Robert Walters, he was Manager of Senior Commerce Finance & Accounting, where he played a key role in key clients’ corporate development and talent acquisition roadmaps. He was also exceptional in the sales department, having achieved more than S$1M of annual billing and was awarded the top revenue generator in his division. In his early career, he was a part of KPMG London and the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Inspired by the challenges he experienced in his time at Korn Ferry and Robert Walters, Amritpal saw how an innovation like Multiplier could improve and enhance the lives of thousands of people and businesses. He recognised the severity of an oncoming global talent crunch and how it can impact businesses and economies if left unactioned, and he has never looked back since. His enterprising spirit is what drives Multiplier and the success it sees today. 

Amritpal is Singapore-born and he graduated with a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

During the weekends, if Amritpal is not spending time with his family, he can be seen playing badminton, a hobby he truly enjoys.

Andrea Cooper is a human resources executive who has invested more than 20 years to the
practice of improving employee experiences. She currently leads the People function for
Talkspace, an online and mobile therapy company whose mission is “therapy for all”. As a long
time Walmart employee she developed a broad range of human resources skills, including global HR, learning and development, labor relations, diversity & inclusion, and strong business partnership. Andrea has further developed her strategic leadership and innovative HR skills through her roles at Amazon, CUNA Mutual, and while running her own consulting practice (Flourish).

Andrea has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from John Brown University and a Senior Human Resources Management certification from HRCI. She teaches HR study sessions through the UW SBDC to support developing human resources professionals and is a member of the Wisconsin Innovation Awards board of directors.

As Executive Director, Helen leads the strategic plan and vision for NPower NY and NJ, including overseeing key partnerships, development, and high-level program administration. She has been with NPower since 2014 and an Executive Director since 2017.

Helen believes that NPower serves as an invaluable connection between talent that needs direction and opportunity to thrive and industry that is looking for a diverse, tech talent pipeline. As a first-generation American and daughter of immigrants, helping others achieve their American dream is a passion project for her. Prior to NPower, Helen honed her workforce development skills as Director of Career Services at three colleges in New York City. At these schools, her passion for helping students navigate their early careers blossomed into a lifelong ambition.

Helen holds a BFA in Drama from New York University.

Rob Catalano is WorkTango’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. Rob has spent the last 20 years building HR Technology companies. He was on the founding team at Achievers, where he spent the majority of his 10+ year tenure leading their Marketing function as well as the final few years leading their global expansion out of the UK. Rob’s passion for improving the employee experience led to him co-founding WorkTango in 2015 to help companies collect and act on authentic employee feedback. He has been named as a top 101 Global Employee Engagement Influencer every year since 2017, and has had the privilege of speaking to HR leaders at conferences in over 45 cities. Rob is an avid hockey fan, traveler, once played guitar in a metal band, and is a self-proclaimed ‘pointaholic’ – collecting loyalty points for anything and everything. Get in touch with Rob at rob@worktango.com.

Natoya Brown is an accomplished HR leader with 20+ years of experience in developing, launching, and managing people and culture strategies in various industries. Natoya began her career in financial services as an expense analyst at AXA Equitable where she very quickly discovered her passion for Human Resources. She decided to make a career transition and took on a project management role in HR reporting to the newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer. This was her introduction to the DEI space and because of her commitment to this work, she has since accepted roles that have a DEI responsibility. Natoya joined Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2020, where she currently serves as Senior Vice President of People Experience reporting to the Chief People and Inclusion Officer. In this role, she leads a team focused on creating noteworthy experiences for employees and making a positive difference in the music industry, both internally and externally. She is responsible for employee engagement, workplace culture & wellbeing,early career development, and employee communications.

As a member of the PIC Leadership Team, she partners with the CPIO and the other COE leaders to drive the overall people and culture strategy for UMG. She also supports the Company’s cross functional Diversity efforts in partnership with Corporate Social Responsibility and the Taskforce for Meaningful Change. Prior to UMG, Natoya held a number of leadership positions such as Chief of Staff for
the Managing Director and Chief HR Officer for the U.S. and Canada Division of Marsh and Chief of Staff, Head of Employee Programs for the CHRO at the National Basketball Association. At the NBA, she was responsible for employee experience, rewards & recognition, employee communication and led the project management office in support of key HR initiatives. Natoya also supported the league's Social Justice initiatives and served as an advisor for the Black employee network, Dream in Color. Outside of the office, Natoya is a parent advocate and mentor. She is also on the board of the Young People’s Chorus, NYC. Natoya graduated from Lehman College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Anthony is passionate about helping individuals change their lives and fulfill their true career potential. He is CEO and co-founder of Tech Elevator, a demand-driven, in-person and online educational platform helping individuals and companies reskill to meet the massive and growing need for software developers. Tech Elevator was acquired by Stride in November 2020.Anthony previously served as President of the Software Guild, an Ohio-based coding bootcamp. The Guild was acquired by Learning House (Wiley) in April 2015.Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Anthony worked for JumpStart a nationally recognized economic development organization focused on startups. At JumpStart, in partnership with MIT, Anthony founded the Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, which matched serially successful entrepreneurs and executives with budding technology entrepreneurs in mentoring relationships.Anthony's experience also spans traditional and digital media, working in sports sponsorship, broadcast television, and at marketing agencies primarily in the area of sales and business development. Anthony has traveled to over 40 countries; and lived, worked and studied in Australia, Japan, the UK and the USA.

Jamie Heller is business editor of The Wall Street Journal. She previously held a number of other editing roles at the Journal, including leading deals, investing and law coverage and, most recently, helping to oversee finance coverage broadly. She attended Dartmouth College and Yale Law School.

Emtrain founder and CEO Janine Yancey is a passionate advocate for healthy workplace cultures. Janine’s unique approach blends technology, behavioral science, data analytics, and social media-inspired interactions to help inform and improve workplace behavior. Janine presides over a team of experts and an extensive library of content including courses, video, resource guides, checklists and analytic reports that define the modern workplace.

Janine is a proponent of neutral, third-party guidance and problem-solving. By orchestrating a publicly-accessible community interface for employee questions and concerns, Janine stays at the forefront of real-world, real-time harassment, bias, discrimination, and ethics issues.

A tireless visionary, Janine writes extensively, has provided expert testimony and advice to state legislatures, and helps leading companies implement harassment prevention, diversity, ethics, and compliance programs. Janine is a sought-after speaker and has been published and interviewed in the mainstream media including The Washington Post, Fast Company, USA Today, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch, and Startup Grind. She’s presented at Society of Ethics and Compliance; Techstars FounderCon; Founders Network, and The Club.

Prior to founding Emtrain, Janine was a partner at Employment Law Partners where she specialized in solving labor and employment problems for high tech firms including Google, Intuit and a variety of start-ups. Janine also worked as counsel at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, served as Board Member of the Northern California Human Resources Association, and authored The HR Handbook, designed to help young tech companies navigate workplace laws.

Janine earned her JD at the University of California Hastings School of Law and a BA in English and Political Science at the University of California Berkeley.

Leesa Askew is an Enterprise Account Executive at Emtrain.

Ramcess Jean-Louis is an attorney and HR/Labor Relations professional with over 20 years of
experience as a change agent delivering human capital solutions. As the Chief DEI Officer at Pfizer, he develops and leads the execution of Pfizer’s enterprise-wide strategies to transform the company’s DEI agenda. He oversees the teams responsible for executing Pfizer’s global DEI initiatives. His priorities include but are not limited to creating the strategy, infrastructure, and programs to make sure Pfizer’s internal talent pool resembles the society and patients that Pfizer serves.

Prior to Pfizer, he was the Global Chief DEI Officer at Verizon Media and the Director of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion at Comcast. His earlier career includes serving as an ADA in the NYC District Attorney’s Office.

Kadia Tubman is the global newsroom's Managing Editor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  Before Insider, Kadia was a national politics reporter at Yahoo News and a Reuters journalist fellow at the University of Oxford. Additionally, Kadia is an adjunct professor at Columbia Journalism School and Hunter College in New York City, where she teaches critical issues and news literacy.

Nicky leads new partnership development for SEO Career, helping to match college students from underserved communities with job opportunities on Wall Street and in Corporate America. Nicky started her professional career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching first grade in Phoenix, Arizona's Roosevelt School District. After working in elementary education for four years, Nicky transitioned to a career in partnership management and sales with mission-driven technology start-up companies. She was drawn to SEO Career for its mission, leadership, and established track record of success. Nicky holds a B.A. in Psychology from Washington University in Saint Louis and an M.A. in Education from Arizona State University. She lives in Manhattan's Upper West Side with her wife and their rescue dog, Cam. When she's not working, Nicky enjoys training for marathons, cooking, and learning to play chess.

Rebecca brings her years of experience in the HR and People space to SkillCycle as the first official employee and Co-Founder. Throughout her 10 years in HR, she developed programs that optimized talent acquisition, employee retention, upskilling/reskilling, employee engagement, employee experience, succession planning, and more. She used this expertise to build People strategies that made her companies successful and protected their most valuable asset – the people. At SkillCycle, she works cross-functionally to deliver solutions and experiences that push learners beyond their perceived limitations to unlock their potential. She aligns with key stakeholders to ensure they see ROI and continue making learning more accessible within their organizations. Her goal is to empower people to invest in themselves and their teams, to increase employee engagement, retention, and performance.

Siobhan Gagliano is a Senior Enterprise Account Executive at Northstar, the financial wellness platform for employers. Siobhan is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience providing valuable assistance to HR and Benefits leaders. She has a proven track record of successfully identifying and implementing effective solutions that cater to the specific needs of her clients. She is driven by a strong passion and unwavering dedication to helping others navigate the ever-changing landscape of HR and benefits management.

Sayar Lonial is the Associate Dean for Communications and Public Affairs at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, in Brooklyn. In that capacity he leads a team tasked with internal & external communications, press relations, and community outreach while maintaining a wide variety of public-private partnerships to further the school’s multifaceted mission.

In addition to his communications role at Tandon, he also serves as the Interim Executive Director of the NYC Media Lab, whose mission is to amplify media innovation and build a pipeline between companies and academia, while at the same time ensuring that all of these technologies are available to as diverse a community as possible.  Lonial’s other current titles include Chair of the DUMBO BID Board of Directors, Secretary of the MetroTech BID, Executive Board member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and Board Representative to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. He is the former Chair of  Brooklyn's Community Board 6. Previously, Lonial served as the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.’s Director of Planning & Development, ensuring community input into the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 attacks, overseeing such initiatives as the rehabilitation and creation of more than 30 new parks and open spaces and the creation and preservation of some 3,000 affordable housing units in Lower Manhattan. In addition to State and Federal government experience, Sayar also served as Deputy Chief of Staff in Council District 1, Manhattan. Prior to his work at the Council, he served on the Master Planning team for Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Lonial hails from Louisville, Ky., and currently resides in Brooklyn.

Laurie Baron, Vice President of Consulting Partnerships joined First Stop Health in 2022. She has expertise in physician practice management with HCA and Tenet, provider pricing transparency, advocacy and employee benefit programs that result in better access, and savings strategies for the corporate employer market and their members.

At First Stop Health, Laurie works with consultants and employers to provide virtual care programs – Primary, Urgent and Mental Health Care – that help remove barriers, provide equitable access, augment face-to-face care, and reduce stigma for employees and family members. Laurie received her degree in Health Administration from Oklahoma City University. In her spare time,
Laurie is an all-star mom to her fur baby and friendly sidekick, Pugsley and does her best to support or console her husband Ron, a long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan. She is in the process of completing her Grief Therapy certification to honor her late son Christopher and to support other parents experiencing loss.

Tara Fosbre is Vice President, Head of Technology Innovation, Capabilities and Programs at Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. She is currently responsible for Innovation and shaping the Technology workforce of the future. Early Career and Women in Technology are her passion projects and in this role she is able to marry her leadership experience with her passion. Prior to this she drove many of the early Digital initiatives in support of new business objectives, most recently Direct To Consumer.

Ms. Fosbre has significant experience with innovative solutions across insurance and media industries.Her experience has helped drive change and thinking at Guardian enabling us to innovate and evolve our products to have more customer focus.

Prior to joining Guardian, Ms. Fosbre was Director of Mobile Development at Dow Jones, where she hadresponsibility for creating and supporting their suite of mobile applications; WSJ, Barron’s, NY Post,Market Watch, FXTrader and Factiva. Prior to that, she was Sr. Manager at MTV, where she led theimplementation and network roll out of a new deal and ad sales planning system. Prior to that she started her career at Chubb Insurance Company, where she held many roles in technology learning from the ground up. She credits her current success to the strong foundation she learned while at Chubb.Ms. Fosbre earned her Masters from Stevens Institute of Technology. In her spare time, she is an avidboater and enjoys fishing.

Michael Adames is a Consultant at Accenture and NPower alumnus.

Amanda Goodman is a Managing Director at Accenture.

Wayne Charles is the Director of Network and Plant Maintenance at Andrena.