Philadelphia Live 2026: People & HR

Alan Ranzer spent nearly 20 years co-founding and running Impact 4 Good, one of the country's leading corporate social impact team building companies, working with HR, People, and CSR leaders across industries to design employee experiences that moved the needle on engagement, connection, and culture.

What he kept seeing: companies running one-day or one-off giveback events that employees forgot by the following week. No strategy before. No story after. A missed opportunity to build something that sticks.

That gap is why he founded Community Service Concierge (CSC).

Through CSC's "Social Impact Journey" framework, Alan helps leaders turn corporate giveback from a transactional checkbox into a culture driver by building the strategy before the event, deepening the experience during it, and sustaining the momentum long after.

A recognized voice in the CSR and employee engagement space, Alan has spoken at industry conferences and been featured in publications on building purpose-driven workplace culture.

Alan and his family live in Bethesda, Maryland. When not working, he's running on the C&O Canal, experimenting with recipes on his Big Green Egg, and waiting impatiently for his Hoosiers to return to March Madness glory

Matt Geis serves as a head of Human Resources for Lincoln Financial Group, supporting LFD, Annuities, Life Insurance & Retail Shared Service In this role, he manages a team of HR business partners who provide strategic and tactical HR consulting for employees. He also partners with the HR Centers of Excellence to unlock the full suite of HR services for leaders across Lincoln.

Geis joined Lincoln Financial in 2005 from the Capital Search Group, whe he was a managing partner, executing senior level search Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, he worked in various HR leadership roles for Bar of America and USF&G. He has more than 25 years of progressive HR experience.

Geis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Towson University.

Catherine DaGrossa is a people and strategy leader who helps organizations navigate change, growth, and transformation by bringing together human insight and intentional action.

With strengths in ideation, strategic thinking, adaptability, and activation, Catherine is known for turning complexity into clarity and momentum. She helps leaders and organizations identify emerging patterns, align around what matters most, and move ideas into meaningful action.

Deeply curious and future-focused, Catherine believes the future of work is built at the intersection of human truth, connection, and strategic execution. Her approach combines optimism with realism, helping organizations elevate what already works while creating the conditions for innovation, resilience, and sustainable success.

Whether speaking on leadership, organizational culture, change, or the evolving workplace, Catherine brings thought-provoking insights, practical strategies, and a genuine passion for helping people and organizations thrive.

Allison Russell is a Total Rewards leader at Lincoln Financial, responsible for designing and delivering benefit strategies that drive employee well-being, financial security, and enterprise performance. She leads the company’s benefits center of expertise, overseeing health, welfare, wellness, retirement, and executive benefit programs.

In this role, Allison plays a key leadership role in shaping Lincoln’s long-term Total Rewards strategy, including leading a multi-year transformation of the company’s benefits ecosystem with major carrier and vendor transitions. She is responsible for financial stewardship and fiduciary oversight of benefit plans, and has led major cost management initiatives that have delivered significant financial value and strengthened vendor accountability.

Allison joined Lincoln in 2013 and has held multiple roles across Total Rewards, including benefits consulting and sales compensation. She has led complex enterprise initiatives, including large-scale M&A integrations and cross-functional HR transformations. She was recognized with Lincoln Financial’s CEO Excellence Award in 2026.

Allison earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University, graduating summa cum laude with a major in Risk Management & Insurance and a minor in Accounting. She holds the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation.

Cora Claus is the Vice President, Human Resources at Burlington Stores, Inc.

Larry Solomon is the SVP, Chief People Officer & Head of Operations at EPAM, where he is responsible for global company infrastructure and shared services, as well as all aspects of global talent management, talent acquisition, and workforce planning and management.

Prior to joining EPAM, Mr. Solomon held several leadership positions at Accenture. His most recent responsibilities as Senior Managing Director and North America Operating Officer included overseeing and managing the full employee lifecycle of all Accenture people in the US and Canada, resource planning, recruitment, staffing and deployment, and performance management.

Prior to that, he was the Global COO of Human Resources for nearly three years, with overall responsibility for human resources operations.

Mr. Solomon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Albany with a finance/MIS major and a Spanish language minor. He graduated with the magna cum laude distinction in 1986.

at EPAM, where he is responsible for global company infrastructure and shared services, as well as all aspects of global talent management, talent acquisition, and workforce planning and management.

Prior to joining EPAM, Mr. Solomon held several leadership positions at Accenture. His most recent responsibilities as Senior Managing Director and North America Operating Officer included overseeing and managing the full employee lifecycle of all Accenture people in the US and Canada, resource planning, recruitment, staffing and deployment, and performance management.

Prior to that, he was the Global COO of Human Resources for nearly three years, with overall responsibility for human resources operations.

Mr. Solomon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Albany with a finance/MIS major and a Spanish language minor. He graduated with the magna cum laude distinction in 1986.

Dr. Monte Masten, MD, MBA, MPH, FACOG, serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Marsh McLennan Agency. In this role, Dr. Masten leads the MMA Planning & Analytics for Total Health (PATH) team, which provides data analysis and health risk mitigation strategies for MMA clients. Dr. Masten has over 25 years of leadership experience in patient care, consulting, managed care, population health management, and pharmacy management with diverse teams at national health plans, large employers, and health systems. Most recently, he was National Senior Medical Director, Clinical Transformation at Aetna based out of the Atlanta, GA office. Dr. Masten earned his medical degree at Loyola University of Chicago, his MBA from University of Tennessee and his MPH from University of North Carolina. In addition, he earned a graduate certificate in Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Sciences University.

Kendra Griffith is an Employee Health & Benefits Client Executive at MMA, where she consults with employers on their health and welfare strategies. She specializes in serving clients across the business services, financial services, technology and manufacturing industries, helping them design benefit programs that align with their culture, support employee well-being and balance cost and risk. With more than nine years of experience in the health and benefits industry, Kendra brings a well-rounded perspective shaped by roles in agency operations, carrier sales, account management, consulting and production. Her approach is grounded in a passion for population health and a commitment to developing client-centric solutions that deliver meaningful value for both organizations and their employees. Kendra is currently pursuing her MBA at Rosemont College and holds a Bachelor of Science from The College of New Jersey. She is licensed as an Accident, Health and Life Producer and has also contributed her time as a corporate volunteer with the Independence Blue Cross Blue Crew.

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.

Jonelle Coletta Parker is an enterprise transformation leader, organizational effectiveness executive, and human capital strategist with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations drive innovation, agility, and sustainable growth. She is passionate about activating change and building the organizational conditions that enable people and businesses to thrive.

Throughout her career, Jonelle has led large-scale transformation initiatives across workforce strategy, organizational design, operating model development, change management, M&A integration, and operational excellence. She believes that human capital is a true competitive advantage when talent, capabilities, leadership, rewards, and operating systems work together as an integrated ecosystem.

Combining systems thinking, business acumen, and enterprise influence, Jonelle partners with leaders to address complex organizational challenges and translate them into practical, scalable solutions that improve performance and create long-term value. Her expertise spans AI and workforce strategy, enterprise transformation, organizational effectiveness, strategy and operations, and HR leadership.

As a speaker, Jonelle shares actionable insights on the future of work, organizational transformation, workforce strategy, leadership, and maximizing the value of human capital in a rapidly changing business environment.

Christopher Rosett is an HR strategy, technology, analytics, and operations executive with extensive experience helping global organizations transform their workforce, optimize operations, and drive sustainable business growth. Throughout his career, he has partnered with executive leadership teams across the consumer goods, supply chain and logistics, telecommunications, and technology sectors, serving organizations ranging from emerging enterprises to Fortune 500 companies with revenues of up to $638 billion.

Christopher brings deep expertise in workforce strategy, organizational design, people analytics, digital transformation, and talent management. He has successfully scaled global teams of up to 140 professionals, managed budgets exceeding $35 million, and delivered enterprise-wide solutions that balance operational efficiency, innovation, and employee experience.

Known for his strategic mindset and data-driven approach, Christopher has led initiatives in organizational restructuring, leadership development, business intelligence, predictive analytics, recruiting strategy, compensation, succession planning, employee engagement, and cultural transformation. He is also recognized for his work in data and digital strategy, process optimization, and the application of emerging technologies, including large language models, to enhance business performance and workforce outcomes.

Guided by the values of integrity, candor, and perseverance, Christopher is passionate about designing resilient organizations and healthy workplace cultures that enable people and businesses to thrive. As a speaker, he shares practical insights on the future of work, HR technology, workforce analytics, organizational transformation, and leadership strategies that drive measurable results in complex global environments.

Companies promote managers for how well they perform, then blame them for not knowing how to lead. Two different jobs. Nobody teaches the second one. And now a manager has to lead humans and machines at once, and nobody developed them for either. AK Helm spent 25 years watching that happen from the inside, developing thousands of leaders while she carried the people and the number, including a $55 million P&L at VMware. Four acquisitions, a different seat in each one. She went looking for the manual. There wasn’t one. So, she built it. She founded Boss at the Helm and created the Helm Method℠ for companies going through large transformation, M&A, scaling, restructuring, and AI adoption. She ran 100 middle managers through it at a post-acquisition technology company, where it rebuilt the cross-divisional collaboration acquisitions had broken. She cultivates what she calls UnMachined℠ leaders. She made the word up. These leaders master the Humanity Skills and Human Intelligence no algorithm can copy: judgment, discernment, presence, and the nerve to have a hard conversation. AK is mildly irreverent, makes up words, smiles too much, laughs too loud. Lead yourself. Then lead others. Be a Boss.

Earl Hopkins is an award-winning reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covering the region’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene. He’s also a freelance writer who has contributed music reviews, op-eds, and profile stories for Billboard, GRAMMY.com, Complex, MTV News, Stereogum, UPROXX, SPIN Magazine, and other outlets.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Earl graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in May 2019. After graduating from OU, he worked as an education and family issues reporter for the Evansville Courier & Press in Southwest Indiana before transitioning to arts and entertainment coverage.

Before landing at The Inquirer, Earl was an arts and culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and The Columbus Dispatch, covering music, fashion, food, and film in Central Ohio and Texas.

He has interviewed the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jason Kelce, Tracy Morgan, Chelsea Handler, Jill Scott, and other big-name celebrities throughout his career.

Earl is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, and NABJ Philadelphia. He’s also a noted public speaker who has addressed the state of the freelance economy and the future of entertainment journalism at higher-ed institutions across the country.

His upcoming book, [Working title]: “How J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar Saved Hip-Hop,” will chronicle the evolution of socially conscious rap and focus on the role Cole and Lamar have played in the subgenre’s salvation. The book is slated for a Fall 2026 release under Rowman & Littlefield, a Bloomsbury Publishing (US) imprint.

Ariella is the Deputy Managing Editor for News at The Inquirer, where she leads a team of editors and reporters covering politics and government, justice and injustice, and education. She joined The Inquirer in 2022 as deputy editor for the More Perfect Union project, which examined the roots of systemic racism through institutions founded in Philadelphia. Previously, she worked as a news editor at WHYY and began her career as a reporter at the Brooklyn Paper. Following Hurricane Katrina, she relocated to New Orleans, where she cofounded The Lens, a nonprofit news website, and covered local government for five years before returning to the East Coast. She graduated from Oberlin College and lives in Philadelphia with her family.

Abigail Seldin is Chief Growth Officer at Scholarship America, the leading administrator of private scholarships in the United States, where she leads revenue, partnerships, external affairs, and go-to-market execution. Scholarship America delivers $340M+ annually to students through 1,350+ unique programs for nearly half of today’s Fortune 500, in addition to federal agencies, local governments, small businesses, sports teams, community foundations, and individual philanthropists. Last year alone, the organization awarded nearly $20M in support to 10,000 students in trade school. A Rhodes Scholar and a Henry Luce Scholar, Seldin co-founded and led two organizations from inception through acquisition. In 2012, she co-founded College Abacus, an edtech company that integrated financial aid tools for more than 4,000 institutions, and served as CEO through its 2014 acquisition by ECMC Group, where she subsequently served as Vice President of Innovation and Product Development. In 2022, she co-founded the Civic Mapping Initiative, a nonprofit research center that identified 5,000+ last-mile transit opportunities to support workforce development. Moving from research to implementation, the Initiative piloted route expansions in select markets before its 2023 acquisition by the National League of Cities. Seldin’s policy work includes the Kids on Campus Initiative, which has successfully relocated Head Start programs onto community college campuses to expand access for student parents at scale, earning a Washington Post editorial endorsement in 2023. She serves on the board of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars and on the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, appointed by Governor Ayotte.

Ximena covers breaking news and general assignment stories for The Inquirer. Before joining The Inquirer, she worked for WHYY, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Rhode Island Public Radio. She graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management and grew up in Astoria, Queens.

Catherine Whitelaw is an enterprise software sales leader with international experience and a proven track record of building high-performing teams, breaking into new markets and growing revenue within established accounts.

She specializes in consultative selling and helping organizations solve complex business challenges through analytics, big data and emerging technologies. Catherine has worked with Fortune 500 organizations across financial services, government, healthcare, insurance and FinTech, building trusted relationships with customers and partners alike.

A strong people leader, Catherine is passionate about hiring, developing and retaining top sales talent while cultivating the next generation of sales leaders. She also excels at opening new markets, developing new accounts and building dependable, sustainable pipelines.

Joseph DiStefano is a longtime journalist who has written for The Philadelphia Inquirer since the 1990s and previously covered Wall Street for Bloomberg. He won a Gerald Loeb Award for his reporting on pensions and studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph writes extensively about business, finance, pensions, and Philadelphia-area institutions. He is the author of Comcasted and has written for publications and outlets including The Nation, Breitbart, local NPR, and Fox. He has also designed and taught a course at Saint Joseph’s University, bringing his deep reporting and economic expertise into the classroom.

Caitlin is an Organizational Psychologist and Principal Implementation Consultant who serves as a strategic advisor and a Betterworks product and platform expert for the largest, most complex enterprise customers. She has spent her career consulting for mid to global Fortune and FTSE 500 companies across various vertical markets developing people-centric strategies for recruitment, development, agile transition and change to help organizations become more nimble, more capable and more productive. With the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to be great at their jobs despite experience, Caitlin has successfully taken a different approach to talent management by unlocking and understanding potential.

Her personal mission is to help foster fulfilling work environments that will create a contagiously positive impact on lives outside of work. Caitlin holds a Bachelors of Science degree and Masters of Science degree, both in Organizational Psychology with a certification in Training and Development.

Samantha Davis is CIO Americas for Arkema, a global leader in specialty materials. She leads information technology, cybersecurity, and digital transformation across the Americas, with a focus on using technology to enable business growth, enhance employee experiences, and accelerate innovation. Samantha is passionate about helping people and technology work better together, championing the practical adoption of AI, Copilot, and other emerging technologies to solve business challenges and create value. A strong advocate for digital fluency and workforce readiness, Samantha helps people build the skills and confidence to embrace new ways of working, using technology and AI to foster collaboration, productivity, and innovation across the organization.

Siobhan is a New York-based Strategic Account Executive at CareBenefits, the enterprise division of Care.com. CareBenefits partners with leading employers, including many Fortune 100s, to deliver family care benefits that help employees navigate caregiving across every stage of life.

With more than 12 years of experience supporting HR and benefits leaders, Siobhan helps organizations evaluate and implement workforce solutions that strengthen employee well-being, productivity, and retention. Her work is deeply purposeful: as the proud mother of a 3-year-old daughter and a caregiver for her aging parents, she understands firsthand the challenges many working families face. This perspective fuels her passion for helping employers build more resilient, supported workforces.

Leslie Wilkins’ expertise comes from 18 years of experience in the Dependent Eligibility Audit field, and she is currently a Marketing Executive at Part D Advisors in Livonia, Michigan. She has been involved with client onboarding and implementation, document processing operations, Call Center supervision, and customized metrics reporting for various Taft Hartley funds, municipalities, and corporations, as well as developing marketing materials related to Dependent Eligibility Verification services. Leslie has presented a number of educational workshops about dependent auditing to industry professionals, including the 69th and 70th Annual International Federation of Employee Benefit Plans 2023 and 2024 Conferences.

Ms. Wilkins holds bachelors’ degrees from the University of Michigan in psychology and music technology, and earned her MBA from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, City University of New York.

Tricia Erickson is the National Sales Director, Financial Wellness, at Norton LifeLock Benefit Solutions. She works with employers, consultants, and benefits leaders to improve workforce financial health through innovative wellness strategies, education, and employee engagement initiatives. A frequent speaker and advocate for financial well-being, Tricia specializes in helping organizations understand the connection between financial health, productivity, retention, and overall employee wellness

Cordero “Cord” Rotondo is a trusted partner to benefit brokers, consultants, technology platforms, and enterprise employers nationwide. As Vice President of Sales at Norton LifeLock Benefit Solutions, he helps organizations build meaningful Cyber Safety programs that protect employees, their families, identities, devices, privacy, and financial well-being.

With experience on both the broker and carrier sides of the industry, Cord brings a practical understanding of how to educate employees, drive engagement, and deliver value at scale. He is passionate about helping employers navigate an evolving threat landscape, from identity theft and online scams to financial fraud and privacy risks, and making protection simple, accessible, and relevant for every employee. During his career, Cord has built strong partnerships with organizations seeking innovative ways to support and protect their people both at work and at home.

Greg Zlevor is the President of Westwood International and Founder of HopeMakers, bringing over two decades of transformational leadership expertise to global organizations. As a 9-time #1 Amazon bestselling author and Wall Street Journal and international bestselling author, Greg has established himself as a premier voice in leadership development and organizational transformation.

With more than 20 years in the leadership and team development field, Greg has trained and coached over 20,000 global leaders across diverse industries and continents. His leadership programs consistently rank in the top 10%, reflecting his exceptional ability to drive meaningful change at both individual and organizational levels. As a Certified High-Performance Coach and GROW Model Coach, he brings proven methodologies that deliver measurable results.

Greg's client portfolio spans Fortune 500 companies and prestigious institutions, including Pfizer, McKesson, Intel, GE, Harvard University, Volvo, Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the US Federal Government, United Airlines, and the Singapore Police Force. His global reach extends across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the UK, with an experienced network of trainers and coaches ready for deployment worldwide.

Recognized with the Best-In-Class Global Coaching Leadership Award, Greg has maintained his position as a top facilitator at the Global Institute for Leadership Development for 15 consecutive years. His unique approach combines scientific insights with practical application, enabling leaders to navigate complex challenges while achieving sustainable growth.

Testimonials from senior executives consistently highlight Greg's "unparalleled communication of deeply simple principles" and his rare ability to get to the essence of leadership challenges. His transformational impact extends beyond the boardroom, with participants noting profound changes in both their professional effectiveness and personal fulfillment.

Greg's philosophy centers on the fundamental question: "Are you committed to working harder on yourself than you do on your job?" This principle guides his approach to developing authentic, high-performing leaders who create lasting positive change in their organizations and communities.  He is a board member of the Hope Foundation.

Ben Robins is Vice President of Client Success at Corporate Traditions, where he helps HR Leaders build meaningful employee gifting and recognition programs. He has partnered with thousands of HR leaders, focusing on practical, scalable employee recognition solutions.