San Francisco HR Star Conference Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Speaker Information Paul Meshanko, MBA is an author, professional speaker and business leader with over 20 years of experience in corporate training and organizational culture change. After a 12-year career with AlliedSignal, he opened Legacy Business Cultures in 1997 in Cleveland, Ohio to serve the region's growing demand for change management and employee engagement training. Under his leadership, the business has grown to become one of the Midwest's most successful staff development and employee survey providers, employing a full-time staff of six associates and a network of over a dozen strategic partners. As a presenter and trainer, Paul has captivated tens of thousands of leaders and business professionals on five continents. His training materials have been translated into over 25 languages, and his newsletter is read by over 10,000 subscribers each month. His clients include The Cleveland Clinic, DuPont, Parker Hannifin, BASF, Progressive Insurance, MTD, Symantec, McGraw-Hill, The U.S. Coast Guard and Ernst & Young. Paul holds a BSBA from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. He is an active member of the Human Resources Planning Society and Society for Human Resource Management. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. His most recent book, The Respect Effect, is planned for release in early 2012. Allison West, Esq., SPHR is the Managing Principal of Employment Practices Specialists LLC and holds a simple approach to employment practices: be proactive. Using her employment law background, coupled with her sound knowledge of human resources practices, Allison provides proactive risk management services aimed at helping companies both prevent and resolve employment claims. She is a frequent speaker on employment law and human resources topics at national conferences related to human resources and diversity. Allison specializes in delivering customized in-house training programs to companies of all sizes, serving a wide variety of industries. Her clients include: Chiquita Brands, SanDisk, Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Sharp Hospital, and Portola Pharmaceuticals. Her expertise also includes delivering one-on-one sensitivity training to executives, managers and employees concerning harassment, discrimination, and disciplinary and/or behavioral issues as well as conducting workplace investigations, providing expert witness assistance and other HR consulting. Allison is a member of the State Bar of California and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification. Laura E. Innes, Esq. is a Shareholder of Simpson, Garrity, Innes & Jacuzzi, P.C. and has been engaged exclusively in private practice focusing on labor and employment law for almost 25 years. Her practice combines preventive counseling for management with civil and administrative litigation defense. Ms. Innes started her career as a federal Wage Hour Compliance Investigator. Recognized by Martindale Hubbell as an “AV” rated practitioner, Ms. Innes regularly publishes articles on a wide range of employment law topics and is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences. Ms. Innes also serves as an expert witness in labor and employment matters with a special emphasis on wage and hour disputes. Ms. Innes has been named a Northern California “Super Lawyer” – one of the top 5% of lawyers in Northern California – by San Francisco Magazine every year since 2004. Ms. Innes earned her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt School of Law. Charles L. Thompson IV, Esq. is a Shareholder in the San Francisco office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., a national employment law firm, and has been practicing employment and traditional labor relations law exclusively for more than 20 years. He represents union and nonunion employers in all aspects of employment relations counseling and litigation. In addition, he has extensive experience in counseling and defending employers regarding trade secrets and unfair competition, leaves of absence, wage and hour law and discrimination law. Mr. Thompson has been designated a Northern California “Super Lawyer” in employment law, and he is a past President of Mission Neighborhood Centers in San Francisco and a former officer of the NAMES Project Foundation. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Bonnie Cox is Founder and President of the Power Training Institute (PTI) based in Santa Barbara, California. As a professional trainer, corporate facilitator and motivational speaker, she offers custom-designed, high-energy workshops for corporations on a wide range of human resources, management and communications training topics. Bonnie lends over 20 years of experience in management coaching, employment law, training development and sales management. Over the years, Bonnie has enjoyed working with leading organizations such as Technicolor, Ricoh Electronics, National Pen, Nordstrom, Herman Miller, Zion's Bank and Meggitt Aerospace. Bonnie is also an adjunct professor for Santa Barbara City College's Professional Development Department, as well as UCSB Extension and Antioch University. In addition, Bonnie has been a guest speaker for associations like SHRM, PIHRA, ASTD, and VIA, and she has guest lectured at Santa Barbara City College, the University of Phoenix and University of California, Santa Barbara. Bonnie holds a B.S. in Business Management and Finance and an M.A. in Organizational Management. Lester S. Rosen, Esq. is the President of Employment Screening Resources, a national background screening company headquartered in Novato, California. He is an attorney at law, as well as a nationally recognized consultant, writer and speaker on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), pre-employment screening, and safe hiring issues. In addition, Mr. Rosen is the author of the first comprehensive book on employment screening, The Safe Hiring Manual Complete Guide to Keeping Criminals, Imposters and Terrorists Out of Your Workplace – a book that is considered a classic. Mr. Rosen was the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), the professional trade organization for the screening industry, and served as the first co-chairman in 2004. In addition, he has qualified and testified in the California and Arkansas Superior Court as an expert witness on issues surrounding safe hiring and due diligence. Mr. Rosen's speaking appearances have included numerous national and statewide conferences. Mark Guterman is Vice President, Career Development for Torchiana Mastrov and Sapiro. He is also Founder and Principal of Meaningfulcareers.com and a career coach, trainer and program designer for JVS. In addition, Mark is an adjunct career coach at U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and teaches at John F. Kennedy University in their Career Development MA program. Mark has trained and consulted for dozens of organizations in various aspects of career management, leadership development, building an effective multi-generational workforce and work/life balance. Over the course of his career, Mark has been Lead Coach and Trainer for Springboard Forward, Executive Coach for the Growth and Leadership Center and Director of Professional Services for Lee Hecht Harrison. Previously, he spent 10 years in human resources and store management for Mervyn’s stores. Mark is the author of Common Sense for Uncommon Times: The Power of Balance in Work, Family, and Personal Life and has created dozens of training and development programs. Mark holds a B.A. from UCLA and an M.A. in Counseling from Sonoma State University and recently completed a Certificate in Core Strengths Coaching from San Francisco State University. A frequent speaker at conferences throughout the U.S., he will keynote the upcoming 2011 National Career Development Association Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Mark was recently awarded a Purpose Prize Fellowship by Civic Ventures. Brooke Bovo and David Tighe are Co-Founders of Bovo-Tighe, LLC. Brooke Bovo's far-flung work has improved productivity in China, Scotland, England, France and the United States. Her practical, enlightening approach has received rave reviews from the world's largest firms including: Chevron, Blue Cross, Schlumberger, BP and Herff Jones. On the entrepreneurial side, Brooke has helped numerous smaller companies in a wide variety of industries with approaches and tools that have rapidly increased sales by 50% or more. David Tighe partners with innovative organizations ranging from startups to the Fortune 100 that want to rapidly add value to their customer offerings. David holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, a technical background which uniquely qualifies him to develop approaches that create lasting change within technically-based organizations. David specializes in designing culture-changing approaches that motivate and leverage the strengths of employees, often drawing together diverse teams of people to achieve powerful results. Dave's clients include numerous industry leaders such as Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Agilent and Genentech. David also works with many smaller entrepreneurial organizations and industry consortia. Along with their creative consulting team, Bovo-Tighe offers solutions for disenchanted employees, overstressed middle managers and concerned executives who are challenged to meet the increasing demands of shareholders and stakeholders. Jeffrey Bosley, Esq. is a Partner in the San Francisco office of Winston & Strawn LLP. He concentrates his practice on labor and employment litigation and counseling matters. Mr. Bosley has represented employers in a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, technology, entertainment, energy and health care. He has litigated employment disputes before arbitrators, and state and federal judges and juries. Mr. Bosley also represents clients before numerous state and federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board. He has counseled clients on strategies concerning union organizing, neutrality agreements, and operating during labor disputes and served as the chief spokesperson in negotiation of labor agreements. In addition, he counsels clients on the drafting, negotiation and enforcement of all types of employment agreements, including executive employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and independent contractor agreements, as well as employment law issues arising in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Bosley received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. Norman C. Plotkin, Esq. is a Partner with Jackson & Hertogs LLP. Norman joined the well-respected firm in 1987, achieving Partner in 2002. His experience includes liaison for the Northern California American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Chapter to both the INS California Service Center and the U.S. Department of Labor. His professional background also includes editor of the Gold Book, a resource for practicing immigration law in California and co-editor of the Western Region Directory for the Immigration Practitioner. Recently listed in the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Norman has also been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America. Fluent in Spanish, Norman obtained his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of Tulane Law School. Tom Ucko is Principal, Ucko Affiliates and a seasoned leadership coach and organizational consultant with a unique blend of tough-minded business sense and psychological savvy. Tom specializes in helping organizations build trust and teamwork. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with a wide range of clients, from biotech companies to credit unions to healthcare organizations. Tom makes extensive use of emotional intelligence (EQ) with his clients and is certified to use the BarOn EQ-i, the first scientifically validated assessment of EQ. His book, How to Select and Work with Consultants: A Guide for Clients, offers practical tips for getting the best from consultants. Tom has also authored numerous articles in business and professional publications. Tom holds an M.B.A. in Management from Fordham University, and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University, where he has completed substantial coursework towards a Ph.D. Braden L. Albert is the Founder and President of the HR Star Conference and its parent company, Abbington Court Media. A graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Braden began organizing job fairs and trade shows in the mid-1990's. Intrigued by the idea of bringing people together for a shared, learning experience - and impressed by the impact such an experience can provide - Braden organized his first HR Star Conference in 1999. Today, the scope of the HR Star Conference includes annual events in Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco, California; and Cleveland, Ohio. Over 3,000 HR professionals attended an HR Star Conference in 2011.