Heidi Schisel is Vice President, People & Culture, for Genentech’s Commercial, Medical, and Government Affairs organization. She assumed that position in 2021 after six years with the organization, during which time she successfully took on roles of increasing responsibility across Research & Development, Business Development, and Manufacturing & Quality. Prior to Genentech, Heidi was a Director at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), where she spent 11 years in Human Resources. Heidi earned a Master of Science in Human Resources Development from Villanova University after completing her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at California Polytechnic State University. Heidi is passionate about employee wellness and building a workplace culture that is inclusive and inspiring, where people are empowered to be their full selves, do their best work, continuously learn, and be recognized and rewarded for creating impact. She loves to travel to new places and enjoys playing tennis, running, gardening, and swimming.

Alexandra Bautista is an accomplished human resource executive known for driving organizational success through innovative Talent Management strategies. As Senior Vice President of Employee Experience at Harvard Shared Services in Miami, FL, she leads a newly established department focused on enhancing the employee journey and fostering organizational growth. With more than 10 years of HR leadership experience and over 25 years in the field, Alexandra brings proven expertise in Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, Compensation, Employee Relations, and Employee Engagement. She is highly regarded for her strategic insight, collaborative leadership style, and skill in addressing complex HR challenges to achieve meaningful outcomes. Alexandra holds a degree in Applied Psychology & Human Relations from Pace University, a Lean Six Sigma certification from Villanova University, and is certified in DISC behavioral assessment by Thomas International. She is also advancing her professional development through Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations Top Seat/CHRO Program. Passionate about mentoring emerging HR professionals and contributing to her community, Alexandra resides in South Florida, where she enjoys quality time with her husband of 25 years, three children and two dogs.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

Ginger is the senior director of Learning & Development at Scripps.

Shannon leads the talent function inclusive of talent acquisition, learning and development, and talent management for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), one of the nation’s largest health care organizations with over 25 million members and 30,000 employees. With over 25 years of experience in HR, Shannon has held several senior HR roles at large global organizations including PepsiCo, Yum Brands Inc, Best Buy, and DHL Global Logistics. Shannon holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Administration and is also a certified executive coach.

Known for his energy, enthusiasm, and forward-thinking strategies, Shannon’s HR career has advanced him into roles at large, global brands across various industries. He has worked for major Fortune 50 and Fortune 250 companies and directed large-scale HR initiatives spanning succession planning, leadership training, organizational design, and workforce planning.

Sukhmani Grewal is a Solutions Architect at SHL, a global leader in objective talent intelligence. With over 13 years of experience in the talent space, she partners with internal teams and C-suite executives/HR leaders to deliver impactful, assessment-led solutions that help organizations select, develop, mobilize, and retain talent. Her work focuses on unlocking business value through data-driven people strategies.

With 20 years of experience in talent acquisition and workforce development, I’m passionate about helping professionals lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. I’ve supported individuals at all levels, from early-career to executives.

I’m the co-founder of tagLeaders, where we transform managers into leaders people want to follow. Through leadership accelerators, human-centric skill-building workshops, and 1:1 coaching, we help organizations build strong leadership pipelines and thriving team cultures.

Before tagLeaders, I spent nearly nine years at Charles Schwab, leading technology recruiting, onboarding, and coaching for Schwab Technology Services. I developed 600+ new technology hires and facilitated large-scale trainings as part of an award-winning development program called “NERD”. My career also includes a decade at TEKsystems in both recruiting and sales roles, where I partnered closely with companies across different industries to help shape their talent strategies and hire the right people. 

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona (Bear Down!), and I’m a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation. I’m also certified in Emotional Agility at Work, and bring a grounded, practical approach to every coaching conversation.

Outside of work, I’m a proud mom to two boys and enjoy taking road trips. I believe it is important to take time to pause and be intentional in life. My favorite quote is “Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something” from Winnie the Pooh.

Shveta Miglani is the author or the new book, “Navigate Your Career: Strategies for Success in New Roles and Promotions,” and until recently the head of People Development Experience for Micron Technology. In that role she fulfilled the growth and development needs of all 40,000 Micron employees across 18 countries, leading a global team dedicated to creating a culture of continuous learning through digital transformation of the learning space. Shveta held leadership roles at GlobalFoundries, SanDisk, Palo Alto Networks and LiveRamp. She is passionate about Future of Work and is currently working on upskilling and reskilling efforts.

Shveta is also an official Member of Forbes HR Council, an Executive Board Member of CityYear and a member of World Economic Forum. Shveta holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and Sociology, Master’s of Science in Instructional Technology and a Master’s in Organizational Development. She recently completed her Ph.D. in Leadership Development and Organizational Development.

Mai is an experienced consultant, facilitator, and curriculum designer at Leaderology. She leads leadership development initiatives and partners closely with the VP of Product and Delivery to create innovative, transformational programs that deepen self-awareness and drive growth. With a master's in leadership development and psychology, Mai brings a passion for learning, psychological safety, and organizational change to every engagement. She thrives on activating new ideas and cultivating authentic, trust-based relationships that empower leaders and teams to perform at their best.

Gisele is the Chief Learning Officer at GE HealthCare.

Amelia Rosenman is Director of Programs at Experience Institute, where she uses her 15 years of coaching and facilitation expertise to spark innovation and improve leadership at workplaces across the US. With a specialization in human centered design and change management, Amelia understands that AI integration is more of a human behavior challenge than a technical one. That’s why she and the Ei team designed AI Leaps - a professional learning journey designed to help teams go from hesitation to habit with AI. 

Kim Quillen is a business editor at the Chicago Tribune. Earlier in her career, Kim held editing positions at The Arizona Republic and at The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, where she was involved in that newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Kim is past president of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, a national business journalism organization.

Jen Paterno is an influential global talent and learning leader, an ICF PCC & DEIJB certified coach, a human experience enthusiast and an authenticity champion. Throughout her career, she has specialized in developing talent and learning programs that unlock the human potential and leadership capability within individuals and teams. Jen feels passionately about the evidence-based impact coaching can provide in creating sustainable behavior change toward positive outcomes for both employees and organizations. From building private and organizational coaching practices and programs, to supporting and growing talent
and coaching initiatives, Jen pairs her research with real world experience to develop and activate programs that align to personal and organizational goals.

Jen has worked with organizations from 500-71,000 employees worldwide and managed teams on a global scale. She boasts extensive experience in performance development, talent management, leadership development, executive coaching and employee engagement. Jen’s additional credentials include: Gallup CliftonStrengths coach, FIERCE Conversations facilitator, CCL Better Conversations Everyday facilitator, Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner and Core Energy Diversity
Coach.

As a native North Carolinian, Courtney was raised in an equitable ecosystem of urban and rural life; embracing a legacy of what it means to be Tarheel born and Tarheel bred.

As a global business leader, executive coach, consultant, speaker, and community advocate, finding his purpose in life was an incredible alarm clock; leading to his life quote “If your presence doesn’t make an impact, then your absence won’t make a difference.” Currently, he serves as the head of North America human resources and global diversity, equity, and inclusion for BASF Agricultural
Solutions.

Having worked with top-tier organizations, across multiple industries, for more than two decades, Courtney’s career has been focused on helping people and organizations unleash greater potential, innovation, and performance to deliver sustainable social and economic impact.

Tania Rahman is the Social Media Director at Fast Company, where she oversees social strategy while supporting cross-functional team needs. She has a decade of social marketing experience spanning B2B, advertising, and editorial industries, and previously led social at Yext and IBM Watson. In addition, she serves as the Director of Communications on the executive board at the South Asian Journalists Association, helping create a platform and community for current and aspiring journalists in the South Asian diaspora.