San Francisco HR Star Conference Thursday, September 5, 2024 Featured Presenters Paul Meshanko, MBA, CSP is an acclaimed author, international speaker, CEO and business leader with over 20 years of experience in leadership development and organizational culture change. After founding Legacy Business Cultures in 1997 his business has grown to become one of the country's top training, development and employee survey providers. As a presenter and facilitator Paul has captivated over a quarter million leaders and business professionals on five continents. His training materials have been translated into over 25 languages, and his newsletter is read by thousands of subscribers each month. His clients include: the US Senate, US House of Representatives, US Treasury, US Department of Justice, The Cleveland Clinic, DuPont, Parker Hannifin, Progressive Insurance, Johnson Controls, P&G, Symantec, Toyota, Johnsonville Sausage, Ernst & Young, Wake Forest Medical Center, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Congressional Office of Compliance just to name a few. Always with any eye toward research and science Paul's speaking themes include organizational and personal adaptability, unconscious bias, employee engagement and respectful work cultures. His most recent book, The Respect Effect: Using the Science of Neuroleadership to Inspire a More Loyal and Productive Workplace was published by McGraw-Hill. Paul holds a BSBA from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. He resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH 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 an AWI-CH credential. Christopher Boucher, Esq., AWI-CH, CLRM, SHRM-SCP is a Founding Attorney at Boucher Law and a Keynote Speaker. Christopher’s practice focuses on labor and employment law. His expertise includes representing employers in a union environment, including labor negotiations, and the meaning and application of labor contract provisions. He also serves as trusted counsel to employers throughout California regarding workplace investigations, employee discipline, grievance issues, reasonable accommodation issues and other labor and employment law matters. In addition, his clients value his practical HR experience. Prior to entering private practice, Christopher spent over a decade as a seasoned human resources executive with a broad spectrum of experience, including municipalities, public utilities, aviation, maritime, special districts, K-12 as well as higher education. Most notably, Christopher served as the Director of Human Resources for the Port of Oakland from 2014 to 2018. As an experienced workplace investigator, Christopher holds the Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder credential, in addition to serving as part-time faculty for the Association’s Training Institute for Workplace Investigators. Christopher has been featured as a “Top Five Rising Stars” by Human Resource Executive magazine, and has received many prominent recognitions for his accomplishments as an attorney, including America’s Top 50 Lawyers, MyLegalWin's Top 10 Employment Attorneys and Top Lawyer by the American Institute of Legal Advocates. Christopher earned his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the Abraham Lincoln University School of Law. In addition, he received a professional certificate from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and attended the Harvard Negotiation Institute at Harvard Law School. Shari Dunn is Managing Director, Gallagher HR & Compensation Consulting and has a long and varied background in compensation management. She has worked both internally as a manager and as a consultant with such firms as McKinsey & Co., Deloitte, Boise Cascade and Bank of America. She later founded CompAnalysis, a San Francisco Bay Area consultancy dedicated to helping employers make successful compensation decisions. Prior to being acquired by Gallagher in 2010, CompAnalysis had grown to become a leading independent compensation management consulting firm, specializing in broad-based pay plans. Now she and her staff at Gallagher work with both non-profit and for-profit employers to develop and maintain executive and broad-based compensation plans, as well as incentive pay approaches, for employers across the U.S. Shari has a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and is the former President of what then was the 5,000 + member Northern California Human Resources Association (NCHRA). In 2022 she was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Consulting Excellence from Consulting Magazine. Clark Souers, MBA is the CEO & Founder of EXPERT EFFECT®., a company which not only provides human resources excellence for a minimal investment, but surrounds business executives, actors, athletes and entrepreneurs with a team of stress-resiliency experts. Previously, Clark was Director of Human Resources for Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), where he was responsible for all employee-related matters for entertainment venues such as Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and The 02 in London. While with the Hilton, Millennium and Westin hotel chains, he developed expertise in the areas of training and development, employee relations and policy development. In the non-profit sector Clark held executive level HR positions with Community Partners and Penny Lane. Clark has appeared on NBC, at high profile conferences like DisruptHR and at dozens of large companies to speak on the topics of stress-resiliency, effectiveness, human resources and leadership. In addition, he has provided coaching to high performers from all walks of life with a focus on improving their ability to accomplish great things while living a life that is ultra-enjoyable. Clark is certified as a Korn Ferry and DDI trainer, and after attending the Co-Active Training Institute became an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation. He was valedictorian of his class at Pepperdine University and earned his MBA from Arizona State University. Nicole Ramirez is a Shareholder and Vice President of Employee Benefits at IMA Financial Group. With a decade of benefits consulting experience, Nicole works with companies made up of 50 to 1,500 employees where she creates long term cost savings strategies centered around employee education, benchmarking and demographic analysis. Nicole works closely with HR professionals to analyze their current plans and to identify their organizational coverage needs. She then leverages her relationships with underwriters to design terms and coverage for total rewards packages. Nicole bridges her knowledge, experience and creativity to help organizations maximize their employee value proposition to increase employee satisfaction and retention. Her clientele represents several different industry sectors, including education, nonprofit, manufacturing and social services. Nicole sits on the Board for the National Human Resources Association as the Membership Chairperson. In addition she holds a leadership role with the Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) as the Programs Chair. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach and served 5 years in the United States Air Force. Christopher Good is the Founder of the Culture Consultancy +One as well as the Chief Creative Officer for the workplace solutions firm One Workplace. Chris deeply believes in our ability to make positive change together - by design. His work is devoted to changing the way we think about and shape the human experience. A frequent speaker and presenter at national events, he also leads workshops that teach the power, influence and interconnectedness of workplace culture and design. An award-winning interior designer and artist, Chris has worked with IDEO as a build partner for the Teachers Guild, Michelle Obama’s Better Make Room Campaign as well as with the Unreasonable Group’s Project literacy lab - a business accelerator geared towards high-growth global entrepreneurs seeking to ensure universal literacy. Chris holds a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and was a recent featured presenter at TEDx. Kristen Brun Sharkey is the Founder and CEO of Emboldify in San Francisco where she is an executive coach, speaker and corporate facilitator. Previously, Kristen spent 15 years leading teams in advertising, tech and marketing at companies ranging from early-stage startup to Fortune 100. Today she helps leaders advance their careers, make better decisions, execute change effectively, develop innovative solutions and successfully engage their teams. Kristen's unique approach combines evidence-based business and leadership frameworks with principles and skills from improv and theater in order to help her clients and audiences accelerate their impact. She holds a Master's degree in Management, Strategy & Leadership from Michigan State University and has spoken at innovative conferences such as the California Conference for Women, DeveloperWeek Management and the Chief in Tech Summit. Dave Collins is the Founder & CEO of Oak and Reeds - a corporate training firm dedicated to using the tools of improvisation to train clients on everyday soft skills. Dave is an award-winning improvisor, speaker and corporate strategist with over a decade of experience performing and coaching improv. Along with his teammates, Dave won the National Collegiate Improv Tournament. He has headlined shows across the United States and individually has coached hundreds of students and professionals in the art and practice of applied improvisation. Prior to founding Oak and Reeds, he worked as a change management expert at AECOM. As part of AECOM's workplace strategy team, Dave helped clients to examine the relationship between workspace and productivity, enabling people to break old habits and embrace change. Dave holds a B.A. in Communication and Economics from Northwestern University with a specialization in Team Leadership. Heather Ramsey serves as the Director of Client Learning and Development at OneDigital Company / Christine Mathews Consulting. In this role she oversees OneDigital’s Leadership Coaching Services, Client Learning Development and Strategic Offsite Facilitators. Heather firmly believes that empowered and engaged leaders, along with motivated employees, drive organizational success. Her team collaborates with client leaders to foster a learning and development culture that supports business growth, enhances retention and boosts employee engagement. With over two decades of experience in learning and development and executive coaching, Heather employs innovative techniques to enhance training programs and facilitate impactful leadership and learning experiences. She captivates audiences with her high-energy facilitation style, ensuring participants stay engaged and on target. As an executive-level coach, she helps clients uncover new ways of leading and working for optimal success. Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics from U.C. Davis and a master’s degree in Executive Human Resource Management from Cornell University. In addition she is a certified Predictive Index Partner and an avid reader of business and leadership literature. Brett L. Ward, CFI® is the Divisional Vice President of Client Relations for Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc. (WZ) as well as a consultant and an instructor. Over the span of his career, Brett has led over 850 seminars on interview and interrogation techniques, and he has conducted hundreds of investigations throughout the United States for private, law enforcement and government entities. In addition is a frequently requested speaker for the National Retail Federation, American Society of Industrial Security, Eye for Retail – Europe as well as multiple labor and employment conferences. Brett's government sector clients include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Brett began his career in corporate investigations in 1988 with the former May Company. He was promoted to Regional Investigations Director over multiple states in 1996 before accepting a position with WZ in April 1998. Brett currently runs the Private Division for WZ, a responsibility that includes 240 clients and 150 contractual and open registration programs annually. Brett graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma and received his degree in Finance, Business Administration. Lorie Reichel-Howe is the Founder & Lead Trainer of Conversations in the Workplace as well as a professional mediator and a leadership communication coach. She equips managers, teams and business professionals to have “Safe Conversations” – transformative dialogue that uncovers hidden workplace issues. Whether addressing challenging team dynamics, mismanaged expectations, cultural insensitivity or good old-fashioned bad behavior, “Safe Conversations” foster greater innovation, inclusion and collaboration within organizations. With over 20 years of experience in communications, management and training and development, Lorie is passionate about supporting organizations in creating a culture where people love where they work and love the people they work with. Organizations Lorie has supported include Pinterest, SHRM, PIHRA, HR.com, Women in Technology International, Los Angeles Women’s Leadership Conference, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, Santa Clara Superior Court, San Jose State University, Santa Clara County Office of Education among many others. Lorie received her B.A. from Seattle Pacific University and her mediation and conflict coaching certificate from Community Boards in San Francisco. In addition, Lorie has served as adjunct staff with Antioch University. Rita Sever, M.A. is the President of Supervision Matters and has worked as an HR Director, an HR consultant and a trainer. Her company provides HR consulting, coaching and training to make organizations more effective. Rita also works as an consultant with RoadMap Consulting - a national group of consultants committed to strengthening organizations and advancing social justice. Her clients include Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation, The San Francisco Ballet, Urban Habit, San Francisco Foundation, SIREN, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Legal Services for Children and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation just to name a few. Previously, Rita served as the Human Resources Director for Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County as well as the Sonoma County AIDS Network. Rita is also an educator and has taught graduate-level HR courses to students at the University of San Francisco as well as at Sonoma State University. She is the author of two books: Supervision Matters: 100 Bite-Sized Ideas to Transform You and Your Team and Leading for Justice. The former is a collection of practical essays offering a comprehensive approach to effective supervision. Rita holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology and is a certified professional coach. James Palen is a Consultant at TIAA and a ScholarShare 529 representative. A firm believer that education is one of the most valuable treasures we can give to our future generations, James helps organizations to provide education and support for employees looking to save for education through the Scholarshare Workplace Savings Program. Increasingly employers have become interested in the growing need for their employees to support financial issues beyond the paycheck, including benefits, retirement savings and college savings. Doing so connects the company to the employee’s family, reduces employee financial stress and helps foster loyalty and retention. James works diligently with organizations of all sizes and industries to help their employees develop a grounding in financial wellness as well as tax efficient savings strategies and proper education planning. James has a strong background in comprehensive financial planning, but he is now wholly focused on education savings. James holds a degree in Financial Economics from the University of Maine. Fernando Duran is the Human Resources Manager for Child Development, Inc. based in San Jose, California. There he supports 55 employees, consisting primarily of Child Care Counselors, who help low-income families in Santa Clara County gain access to subsidized childcare through the State of California. Fernando has over 10 years of HR experience that began in the amusement park industry with Cedar Fair. With a passion for training and development as well as a desire to share knowledge, he has spoken at several companies in different industries on the topics of leadership training and retention strategies. Fernando has also build HR departments from scratch for companies that previously lacked HR expertise. Fernando is currently pursuing his Master's of Science Degree in Human Resources. He aspires to become an HR Executive while continuing to inspire others to join the human resources career field. Fernando is an active member of the Bay Area Human Resource Executives Council. 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 3,200 HR professionals attended an HR Star Conference in 2019.