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.

Sejal has over 20 years of experience as a human resource and corporate innovation executive in the technology, sustainable energy/clean tech, and healthcare sectors. Sejal’s expertise in human capital and strategy consulting enables companies to drive strong business results. Sejal brings extensive insights on building high-performance teams and employee experience across Talent Acquisition, People Operations, HR Compliance, Total Rewards, HR Technology, and Talent Management. 

Parise Hunter is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 17 years of experience driving people strategies that align with business goals. At Medable, she plays a strategic leadership role in global HR transformation, workforce planning, and organizational development. Her work is instrumental in aligning talent initiatives with Medable’s growth and innovation objectives, including the integration of AI-driven systems and the consolidation of operations across core global hubs.
Throughout her career, Parise has held progressive HR roles across various industries including healthcare, technology, retail, and professional services. Her expertise spans the full spectrum of HR—from talent acquisition and employee relations to performance management and global compliance. She is especially skilled in leading high-impact projects related to restructuring,
talent retention, and leadership development.
Beyond the workplace, Parise is a passionate advocate for job training and community development. She actively partners with local and national organizations to teach job readiness skills and support underserved populations. Her volunteer work includes partnerships with various non-profits, Dress for Success, and workforce development programs.

Ryan’s an accomplished human capital leader, self-proclaimed data geek, DEI evangelist, and side-hustle career coach. He graduated from the University at Buffalo with an MBA and BS in Business with concentrations in HR and Financial Analysis. He’s held roles in multiple industries and across all facets of HR, including Director of HR at West Herr Auto Group, Global HRBP at Delphi, and HRBP and Senior Compensation Manager at M&T.

His current role is centered on bringing together two critical capabilities for HR – data and technology. In a world where technology is changing faster than ever and we’re surrounded by mountains of data, determining how an organization unlocks talent insights and organization efficiency will separate the good from the great. When he’s not geeking out about human capital data and technology, you’ll find him pretending to be a foodie or enjoying the outdoors.

Joanna is the Senior Director, People Services at Core & Main.

Marian Finkbeiner is Chief of Staff and Head of Presales. In his role he supports companies with large frontline workforces with their communication and workforce transformation. He focuses on empowering frontline teams through digital solutions, strategic communication and cultural change. He previously worked in strategy consulting at PwC, where he gained experience in M&A and corporate strategy.

Milena is the Co-Founder and CEO of PowerToFly, a global platform that helps organizations attract top talent and build engaged, high-performing teams. Through exceptional events and expert guidance, PowerToFly streamlines recruitment, enhances employee satisfaction, and drives long-term business success. Under Milena’s leadership, the platform has grown to serve a network of over 200 million professionals worldwide while working with both Fortune 500 companies and fast-rising startups. Companies partnering with PowerToFly see a 55% increase in likelihood to apply, a 94% boost in belonging, and an average of 3–5 hires per event.

Originally from Bulgaria, Milena moved to New York City just one week before 9/11 to pursue a Master’s at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). Before launching PowerToFly, she played key roles in several startups and served as the CTO of Avaaz.org, where she helped scale the platform to over 30 million members.

A sought-after thought leader, Milena frequently speaks on the future of work, AI in recruitment, upskilling, and the evolving landscape of workplace inclusion. Her work with PowerToFly has been featured in Business Insider, and she was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2015. However, she is proudest of her wife Andrea Breanna and their 4 her proudest achievement remains raising her four children, who continually challenge her to redefine work-life balance.

Dave Nixon is the co-founder and CEO of Enablo, a digital employee experience company that helps large, often dispersed organisations connect their teams, simplify daily work, and better support their frontline workforce.

A hands-on, customer-obsessed leader, Dave has led Enablo’s growth across Australia, New Zealand and North America. Since 2017, his team has partnered with people-first leaders and iconic brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Virgin, and McDonalds — empowering 750,000+ team members across 200+ companies and driving an 85% boost in engagement.

With a background in enterprise tech and a strong belief in the power of clear communication and better tools, Dave focuses on helping organizations unite people, streamline workflows, and build cultures where everyone can thrive. He’s on a mission to redefine how frontline and distributed work happens—by making complex change feel simple and human.

Shipra is the Head of HRIS at Alta Performance Materials. 

Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. She is a contributing columnist for Harvard Business Review and her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

Rebecca frequently appears on national television and radio and as a moderator at conferences. Originally from Maine, she's a graduate of Wesleyan University. She lives in Boston’s South End with her family.

Matt Poepsel is the author of Expand the Circle: Enlightened Leadership for Our New World of Work and host of the Lead the People podcast. He serves as VP, Enterprise Solutions at The Predictive Index. He holds a PhD in Psychology, an MBA, and a Harvard Business School Certificate of Management Excellence. Matt has more than 20 years of leadership experience as a software executive and consultant. He’s also a US Marine, an Ironman triathlon finisher, and a student of Buddhist philosophy.

Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, MA, served as Senior Advisor to the Kingdom of Bahrain for Employment Policy from 2003-2005, was a Distinguished Scholar of the Ministry of Manpower for Singapore, and was Co-Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce from 1990-1998. He was recently named by HR Magazine as one of the top 5 most influential management thinkers, by NPR as one of the 50 influencers in the field of aging, and was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He received the 2009 PRO award from the International Association of Corporate and Professional Recruiters for contributions to human resources and an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Liege in Belgium. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and writes a monthly column for HR Executive magazine. His recent work on performance management, agile systems, and hiring practices, and other workplace topics appears in the Harvard Business Review.

Rose Fass is the founder and Chair of fassforward Consulting Group, a leading-edge business transformation firm. Rose works with executive teams from Fortune 500 companies. She is the trusted advisor to Mastercard, Verizon, Chick-fil-A, and more. Her work delivers thought leadership, methodologies, and tools to tackle challenging issues, solve complex business problems, execute strategies, and achieve tangible results. A dynamic speaker, Rose is frequently invited to speak at private and public sector events. She has been a guest on CNBC, and quoted in several bestselling business books. She is the author of The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, and The Leadership Conversation: Make Bold Change, One Conversation At A Time. Rose has been awarded the Great Companies & International Entrepreneurship Award 2024, featured in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women of 2022 and Entrepreneur 100 Women of Influence in Westchester. She is also listed in Forbes; 2012, Top 10 Women Business Leaders of New York.

Justin is a leadership trainer and professional certified coach (PCC) with over a decade of experience helping teams work better together. He’s impacted leaders across a wide range of companies from innovative startups to Fortune 500 companies in over 25 countries. He has a passion for creating engaging, safe learning environments where people can reflect and be challenged to grow 10% beyond their comfort zone. Justin is committed to helping create high-quality, inclusive organizational cultures and believes the leaders of today shape the future of tomorrow.

Gavin McMahon builds things. Once, it was submarines, sports cars, and steel plants—big, complex systems built on logic and precise plans. But plans have a funny way of falling apart when people get involved. As Gavin tried to figure out why, one truth became clear: People don’t move without a story. Business is more than just strategy and execution—it is persuasion and inspiration too. So he switched gears, traded engineering for business, and earned an MBA in Innovation, Strategy & Information Technology from the Institute Theseus in France. Today, as CEO and co-founder of fassforward, he helps companies shape strategy, leadership, and culture through storytelling. Over the years, he’s worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and learned that even the best ideas will go nowhere if they aren’t told well. Now, he’s written a book about it called Story Business: Why Stories Rule the World and How They Can Reinvent Your Business

Heather is the Senior Director, Human Resources Operations at Quest Diagnostics.

Alessandro is the Managing Director, Human Resources - Global Operations & Technology and HR Americas at Analog Devices.

Rebecca has been with Eightfold nearly five years (December marks the big milestone!) — first helping to build the Customer Success team, then making the jump to Marketing in 2024, where she now serves as Director of Talent-centered Transformation. Before that, she spent 20+ years in TA leadership across retail, CPG, agri-business, and restaurants, which means she understands leaders, practitioners, candidates, and vendors. She’s a connector, strategist, and storyteller who can find patterns in the chaos and cut through noise with clarity — often with a story that makes people nod along and think, “Yes, that’s exactly it.” She partners with leaders and teams to sketch out the art of the possible, spark new ideas, and turn future-focused visions into practical next steps. Outside of work, Rebecca is just as energized. You might find her off-roading in her FJ, cycling, hiking, watching hockey, or plotting elaborate murder mysteries (the fun kind — written and facilitated, not committed). She’s also a food enthusiast, traveler, bookworm, youth mentor, and proud mom of three adult kids. She grew up outside of Chicago, did
her undergrad in Seattle, spent many years in the Minneapolis area, and currently lives south of Phoenix. Her CliftonStrengths are Activator, Strategic, Futuristic, Connectedness, and Includer — a mix that explains why she’s equally at home inspiring vision, building community, and getting things moving.

Kathi is a Senior Vice President and Global Industry Analyst at The Josh Bersin Company, supporting clients and the market with evidence-based insights on all areas of HR, Learning, Talent, and HR Technology. Kathi has more than 20 years global experience from management consulting with IBM, PwC, and EY, and as a talent leader at McKesson and Kaiser Permanente. Most recently, Kathi led talent and workforce research at Deloitte. She is a frequent keynote speaker, author, and thought leader. Originally from Austria, Kathi has worked in Vienna, London, San Francisco, and Spain and now lives in Palo Alto, California. Her passion is to make work better and more meaningful. Kathi holds a doctoral degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Vienna, Austria.

Deepa is the Senior Director, Talent Acquisition at Valtech.

Sarah Rose Hattem is a Senior Solutions Consultant at Rippling.