Mikaela Cohen is a Chicago-based reporter for HR Brew covering workplace strategy and trends. She previously covered workplace and business topics for CNBC.com, CNBC Make It, and AARP.org. She earned her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.

Jaclyn Trovato was recently appointed to Exelon’s newly created role of VP, Employee Experience and Analytics. In this role, she will continue to report to the SVP and Chief HR Officer.

In her new role, Trovato will be responsible for defining and executing Exelon's employee experience, workforce analytics and HR technology strategy, leveraging data, AI, automation and innovative workforce solutions to transform how employees experience our organization and, ultimately, how we realize a more technologically enabled high-performance culture. Previously, Jaclyn held the position of ComEd’s VP, HR Operations, since 2021, reporting to the CEO of ComEd as well as the Chief Human Resources Officer of Exelon. In that role she helped to plan the HR strategy for over 6,000 employees as a member of the senior leadership team. Prior to that, Jaclyn served as Director of HR Operations for ComEd for three years where she was responsible for staffing, employee and labor relations, occupational health and safety and day-to-day HR operations as well as strategic HR priorities such as the ongoing HR transformation initiatives.

She previously served as Chief of Staff to Joe Nigro, Exelon’s previous Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, she was responsible for leading the Finance culture plan, served on the Finance transformation team, worked to help consolidate information amongst Exelon’s operating companies and acted as a liaison with external banks and creditors. Prior to that role, Jaclyn served BSC HR as the HR Manager for Finance and the Corporate strategic functions. Jaclyn joined the company in 2015.

Jaclyn is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago. In addition, she also served on the HeForShe steering committee creating strategies both internally and externally for increasing the representation of women in corporate leadership roles and providing resources for elementary and high school girls to begin learning about careers in STEM.

Jaclyn graduated from the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts with a degree in History.

Krista Fischer is Managing Director of Human Resources at United Airlines⁠, where she leads HR strategy for corporate functions, partnering with executive leaders to drive talent, organizational effectiveness, and workforce transformation. With more than 20 years of HR leadership experience, Krista is passionate about developing leaders, building skills-based organizations, and helping businesses navigate change in a rapidly evolving workplace. More recently, she has developed a strong passion for exploring how AI is reshaping the future of work, leadership, and talent. Outside of work, Krista enjoys spending time with her family and celebrating life’s special moments together.

Maarten de Groodt is a senior transformation, integration, and people leader with extensive international experience across Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, Oracle, Cap Gemini, and entrepreneurial consulting roles. Currently Vice President Transformation & Integration for Nokia’s Network Infrastructure business, he supports large-scale organizational change, executive coaching, workforce transformation, and integration initiatives in a global business environment. With deep expertise in HR, leadership development, learning, sales enablement, and intercultural collaboration, Maarten is known for combining business focus with high energy, strong communication, and a people-centered approach to transformation.

Camryn supports the sales function at Leaderology by fostering relationships and delivering excellence to clients and strategic partners. Driven by a genuine curiosity for what motivates people, she values meaningful connection and enjoys supporting others as they uncover and develop their unique strengths. Before joining Leaderology, Camryn worked in Talent Acquisition at a staffing agency in San Francisco where she partnered with clients across industries to support their hiring needs. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and Management from California Polytechnic State University. While at Cal Poly, she served as Vice President of New Member Operations for the Human Resources Management Association, where she led the freshman mentorship program. She also interned with Leaderology during her college career and contributed to both the sales and operations functions. Outside of work, Camryn enjoys running by the coast, snowboarding, and discovering new restaurants and coffee shops. Feel free to reach out and say hello!

Michele joined family-owned IDEAL Industries, Inc. as CHRO in August 2022. IDEAL Industries, Inc. is a global, growing multi-national corporation that has made its mark for over a century by developing practical technology demanded by critical industries like data communications, aerospace, electrical, wire processing, construction and more. The IDEAL family of brands provide safe and reliable tools and value-added solutions for managing power, connectivity and electrical distribution.

Michele was the CHRO at Wells Enterprises Inc, a 100+ year privately held and family-owned manufacturer of ice cream and frozen treats. She formerly held HR leadership positions with ITW, Brunswick Corporation and IMC Global Inc.

Michele holds a degree in public relations from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and her master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Kristy Callahan is the Head of Learning & Development at GE Healthcare. She is passionate about eevating individuals and teams by leaning into strengths to excel beyond expectations in the healthcare industry.

Amy Thorne is an AI marketing innovator, go-to-market strategist, and creative problem solver with a passion for building, scaling, and transforming businesses. Throughout her career, she has led the development of high-performing teams, optimized complex business ecosystems, and brought innovative products to market by embracing emerging technologies and challenging conventional thinking.

Known for her fearless approach to experimentation, Amy believes that growth happens at the edge of what's possible. She views every challenge as an opportunity to reinvent, innovate, and create lasting impact. Whether she's helping organizations integrate AI into their marketing strategies or guiding teams through periods of rapid change, she combines strategic vision with practical execution.

As a speaker, Amy shares actionable insights on AI, marketing, leadership, innovation, and go-to-market strategy with honesty, humor, and a refreshingly human perspective. Her message is simple: embrace change, stay curious, and remember that even the best leaders are still wonderfully, imperfectly human.

Omar is a seasoned HR consultant with over 20 years of experience helping forward-thinking organizations redefine the future of work. Since joining Workhuman in 2019, he has served clients as an educator, advocate, and trusted advisor, driving impactful people strategies. Omar began his career in the U.S. Air Force as a combat pilot and training operations director, leading and developing high-performing teams. He later expanded his expertise through consulting roles at Deloitte, Appirio, and the NeuroLeadership Institute. Omar holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, an MBA from California Polytechnic State University, and a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law.

Jody Robie is Senior Vice President, North America, at Talent Works International, a global talent consulting and recruitment outsourcing firm. During her 12-year tenure, she has partnered with organizations to transform talent acquisition through employer branding, workforce strategy, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), executive search, and contingent workforce solutions. Prior to joining TW, Jody worked as the US Head of Employer Branding for Alexander Mann Solutions and a Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Buyer Advertising in Boston.

A former broadcast journalist and media executive, Jody brings more than 20 years of experience helping organizations rethink how they attract, engage, and retain talent. She serves as Vice Chair of The Women's Edge, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of women and is a frequent speaker on the future of work. In 2022, she was recognized nationally by the Stevie® Awards as a Bronze Winner for Maverick of the Year.

Jody is a long-term Bostonian who graduated from Boston University and Harvard University’s Certificate of Business Program. She lives in Natick, MA with her husband Michael and two daughters.

Michelle Relerford is the Weekday Morning Co-Anchor for NBC 5 News Today.

Pat Garland’s HR career spans 40 years, in roles that ranged from individual contributor to VP for a very large global division of a $16 billion corporation. Her expertise includes compensation and benefits design, organization development, labor relations and executive coaching. She is the author of “33 Ways Not to Screw Up HR” and is an adjunct instructor at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University of Chicago.

Katie Fairbank leads product marketing at CodeSignal, where she helps bring innovative hiring and learning solutions to life. With over a decade of experience in HR tech, including leadership roles at Cornerstone OnDemand, Katie has built positioning, go-to-market strategies, and messaging that truly connect with customers.

Kathi Moore is a seasoned Human Resources executive with extensive experience advising C-suite leaders on global HR strategy, talent management, and compensation and rewards. She has successfully led enterprise-wide HR initiatives and managed budgets exceeding $20 million across Fortune 500 companies in the technology, telecommunications, and fast-food industries. Kathi is recognized for aligning people strategies with business objectives to drive organizational growth and leadership excellence.

Katie Stangel is a Vice President of Learning & Development at The Aspen Group, where she helps organizations transform learning into a strategic driver of business performance.

With a career spanning healthcare and retail environments, Katie has built and led teams focused on leadership development, role-based capability strategies, and scalable learning ecosystems that improve retention, accelerate readiness, and strengthen frontline execution.

In her current role, Katie partners with senior leaders to align workforce capability with business priorities across more than 1,300 healthcare locations. She is passionate about helping organizations move beyond traditional training models and build integrated learning systems that connect leadership, culture, frontline performance, and data-driven insights.

Katie’s work sits at the intersection of scalable learning ecosystems, sales and clinical capability, and measurable performance impact—helping organizations create learning strategies that drive meaningful business results.