Alexander Alonso, PhD, SHRM-SCP is the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Chief Knowledge Officer leading operations for SHRM's Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional certifications, research functions, and the SHRM Knowledge Advisor service.   He is responsible for all research activities, including the development of the SHRM Competency Model and SHRM credentials. During his career, he has worked with numerous subject matter experts worldwide with the aim of identifying performance standards, developing competency models, designing organizational assessments, and conducting job analyses.   He was also responsible for working on contract task orders involving the development of measurement tools for content areas such as job knowledge (like teacher knowledge of instructional processes) and organizational climates (like organizational climate forecasting in military health care). Dr. Alonso received his doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Florida International University in 2003. His works have been recognized for their contribution to real-world issues.  They include being recognized by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the APA; SIOP) with the 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for the development of the federal standard for medical team training, TeamSTEPPS; being awarded a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for supporting the development of competency model for team triage in emergency medicine; and receiving the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award. Throughout his career, he has published works in peer-reviewed journals such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, People and Strategy, Personality and Individual Differences, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and Human Resources Management Review.  He has also authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, as well as co-authoring Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice. Dr. Alonso also served as a columnist analyzing major trends in the workforce for The Industrial Psychologist and HR Magazine. In addition, he has served on several professional society boards including the SIOP and the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington. 

Chad Sorenson is the President and Founder of Adaptive HR Solutions and has over 25 years of diverse business, communications and human resource experience. He works with companies across the state that range from 5 to 1,200 employees and focuses on leadership development, manager training, employee performance management and employer compliance in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, construction trades, and professional services organizations. Prior to founding Adaptive HR Solutions in 2008, Chad has been Vice President, Director and Manager of Human Resources for several companies in the Jacksonville area. He is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional and a Senior Professional in Human Resources. Chad serves as the 2019-2020 President Elect for the HR Florida State Council. He was also the President of SHRM Jacksonville in 2015 and 2016. Chad regularly speaks to other SHRM Chapters, business associations, and companies across the state on topics such as leadership development and employee engagement. In addition to giving back to the HR field, Chad is actively involved in his church and has been a volunteer leader with Boy Scouts for over 10 years. He is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. The keys to his success are Devotion to God, Dedication to Family, Continuous Service, Lifetime Learning, and Always Remembering to Laugh.

Heather “HD” Deyrieux, MSM, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Manager - Workforce Planning with Sarasota County Government. As part of the Human Resources Team, she supports over 2,200 employees and 1,100 volunteers. She previously served in the private sector as Director of Talent at Dental Care Alliance, Director of Strategic Development at the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), and Director of Strategic Planning & Development with the Great Job Spot Network. HD has previously served as the President-Elect, Conference Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Emcee and other roles for the conference. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science in General Business and a Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Human Resources at the University of Central Florida. Go Knights!

 

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management. With over 300,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world, impacting the lives of 115 million workers every day.  As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. He is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors a weekly column, "Ask HR," in USA Today. Mr. Taylor's career spans over 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit space. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/Interactive Corp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures and Blockbuster Entertainment Group, McGuireWoods LLC, and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. He is a member of the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and was appointed by President Donald Trump as Chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He serves on the boards of the University of Miami, Jobs for America's Graduates and the American Red Cross. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

 

Lynn White serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). Prior to joining NCLH, she was the Senior Vice President, Tax, Insurance and Human Resources for Prestige Cruise Holdings which was acquired by NCLH in November, 2014. The combined company operates three leading cruise brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. In her role, she leads the human resource function for approximately 36,000 team members, including those serving on the company’s 28 ships and in offices in Australia, Brazil, the UK, Germany, and several US locations. Areas of focus include strategic business partnerships, benefits, compensation and talent management/succession planning. Prior to joining NCLH, Lynn served as the senior tax and risk management executive at Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for 18 years after beginning her career at Price Waterhouse. Lynn is a CPA with degrees in Accounting and Tax from Penn State University and the University of Miami. She resides in Pinecrest, Florida with her husband and two teenaged children.

 

Mike Estrada is a seasoned HR executive with comprehensive business experience in Retail and Manufacturing environments with extensive background in high volume, highly automated, capital intensive technical environments. He has broad experience designing and executing strategic business initiatives to drive performance results while emphasizing and developing leadership skills and behaviors. Over his career, he has worked for some amazing companies including Procter & Gamble, Office Depot, Ingram Micro, Costa Farms, and Currently for Alorica. He has an impassioned focus on leadership development through vision creation, communication excellence, organizational design, team metrics, and effective coaching.Mike has had the opportunity to manage cross-cultural business challenges to include, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Works Council communication and negotiations, Business Change Management, Talent Development across multiple cultures (Europe, LATAM, Asia, U.S.), Due Diligence for Business Acquisition Targets, and Facility Closures and Transition Strategy.
Mike enjoys living in South Florida and enjoys flying, playing the piano and physical fitness.

Mirande Valbrune is an Employee Relations professional and an Employment Lawyer with extensive experience making proactive, preventive in-house contributions including training, policy, compliance and investigations work. Mirande earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School -- institutions that are renowned for their Employment Law programs, and has worked for prominent management side Labor and Employment law firms and Fortune 500 companies. Mirande is earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation. In March 2018, Mirande released an objective business book, #MeToo: A Practical Guide to Navigating Today's Cultural Workplace Revolution, which highlights the events that catalyzed the #MeToo movement and provides practical guidance and tools to handle a variety of workplace scenarios inspired by real #MeToo stories and case studies. Following her book’s release, Mirande has been featured in many publications and news outlets, including NPR, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, CBS and NBC News to share her employment law expertise on a range of topics and news items. Additionally, she is a frequent speaker and panelist. In the Fall of 2019, Mirande co-authored Business Law Essentials, an introductory textbook that includes an extensive employment law section and which is distributed widely by universities. Mirande is a Senior Workplace Investigator for a top Fortune 10 company and founder of Employee Relate LLC.

Pedro Jaime Torres-Díaz is a Principal in the San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in the Miami, Florida, offices of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is also a Past President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. His practice concentrates in employment discrimination and wage and hour counseling and litigation exclusively on behalf of employers, both in Florida and Puerto Rico. Mr. Torres-Díaz has extensive trial experience before both federal and local courts and administrative forums in Puerto Rico and Florida. He has also successfully defended employers in all types of administrative hearings before local and federal agencies. Before joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. Torres-Díaz was a Partner in the Labor and Employment Law Department of a leading law firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he resided and practiced law for eight years. Throughout his practice in Puerto Rico, Mr. Torres-Díaz was a frequent and featured speaker on many subjects in the labor and employment law field, in seminars for clients and for organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. Since arriving in Miami, Mr. Torres-Díaz has continued to participate as speaker on many topics related to workplace law, both for clients and other organizations in Florida and elsewhere. Mr. Torres-Díaz has also written articles on legal developments in Puerto Rico, one of which was published in the American Bar Association's The International Employment Lawyer. During his undergraduate studies, he completed an Internship in European Business in the Ecòle Europèenne des Affaires in Paris, France. After completion of his undergraduate studies, Mr. Torres-Díaz worked as a fiscal analyst in the corporate headquarters of McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri. After his graduation from law school, he clerked for Honorable Aida M. Delgado-Colón, United States Magistrate-Judge (now Chief United States District Judge), at the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Mr. Torres-Díaz is fluent in Spanish and English, and conversant in French.

Robert Garcia is regional vice president at Randstad RiseSmart, the fastest-growing career transition and talent mobility company and is responsible for assisting companies in strengthen employer brand, improve retention, and re-engage talent.  Robert was formerly vice president - global development and executive director at ADEN University and established partnerships throughout the world and lead the U.S. operations. He was also, vice president - global operations for the Society for Human Resource Management, where he established a global network of certification providers. Previously, he held executive positions at Baptist Health South Florida, Florida International University, Lee Hecht Harrison/Adecco, ADP, and United Healthcare. He is currently a professor in the Master of Science in Human Resource Management and in Executive Education at Florida International University. He was previously been professor of business and human resource management at University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University (NSU).  Robert obtained a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management from Nova Southeastern University. In addition he holds 5 global certifications in human resource management. He has been interviewed for his perspective on business by CNN, CBS, Proyección Humana, and others. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he is a frequent keynote speaker throughout the world in more than 86 countries, most recently presenting at conferences in Dubai, Philippines and throughout Latin America.

 

Ravi Gajendran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Leadership and Management at Florida International University. Prior to joining FIU, Dr. Gajendran worked as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Dr. Gajendran’s research interests include virtual work arrangements such as telecommuting, virtual teams, distributed teams and computer-mediated communication. He has a broad interest in studying teams, with a focus on how teams can leverage communication technologies to capitalize on diversity. His work has been published in Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and Personnel Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Pennsylvania State University and holds an M.B.A. from IIM Calcutta and an undergraduate engineering degree from Osmania University. Prior to receiving his Ph.D., Dr. Gajendran worked in the business industry for more than six years in sales, marketing, and market research. He held positions at Procter and Gamble and Cadburys India Limited.

Jeffrey Shub, MD Director Healthcare & Wellness. Jeff is our director for healthcare consulting at Gapingvoid. His team improves productivity, creativity, innovation, and satisfaction through Culture Change in healthcare settings. Jeff’s passion is to empower physicians, staff, and most importantly, patients, sparking conversations that lead to outstanding patient experiences and workplace relationships. Jeff obtained his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Miami. While attending medical school, he worked on multiple research projects resulting in presentations at national conferences such as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Orthopaedic Research Society, and the Academy of Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He is a published author in Foot and Ankle International, the leading journal for foot and ankle specialists. When Jeff isn’t working or traveling you can find him moving, meditating or learning about the human experience. His personal mantra is, “to lead with giving and be open to receiving, and become one with everything and everyone on his journey”. 

Jose Tomas has spent a career helping brands harness their most valuable assets: their employees, present and future. Jose is the Principal and Managing Partner of BrandSparc, a group of Brand Culturists helping companies thrive by making the most out of their teams. Most recently, Jose was the senior vice president of global human resources for General Motors, reporting directly to the CEO, and was a member of the company’s senior leadership team.  In this role, he was responsible for the company’s human capital strategy impacting nearly two hundred thousand employees throughout the world. Previously, he was the executive vice president and chief human resources officer of Anthem, Inc., one of the largest health benefits providers in the United States. As a member of Anthem’s executive leadership team, Jose was responsible for succession planning, talent management, compensation and benefits, workforce development, diversity management, associate engagement, corporate communications, and corporate security. During his time at Anthem, Jose led the implementation of highly progressive health, wellness and benefits programs and was a regular speaker on topics related to national trends on compensation and benefits. Jose held other senior global human resources and operations positions, including previously serving as global chief people officer and president for the Latin America and Caribbean region for Burger King Corporation.  As a key member of the executive team, he was responsible for the company’s global human resources and communications functions. He led operations, marketing, business development, purchasing, and supply and distribution functions for the region. Jose has also served in both field and corporate human resources positions with Ryder System Inc., a global logistics company.  Jose began his career at Publix Super Markets, an industry-leading grocery chain in the southeastern United States, where he held numerous operations and HR positions. Jose holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in management from Florida International University. He served as a board member for the Society for Human Resource Management.

Will Dukes helps grow businesses. A farmer by birth, scientist by training, and teacher by

trade, for the last 10 years, Will has been helping small business owners strategically generate more revenue, acquire new clients, and expand their companies with his firm, SalesPartners Florida. He does that by making sure they’re generating quality leads and opportunities, and that they have the right sales process in place to convert them into clients.  Will’s clients have been able to save thousands of dollars on ineffective marketing costs, while increasing their conversions, revenue, and profitability. A 7th-generation Floridian from the rural community where his family settled in 1853 (and appropriately named: Dukes),  Will graduated Suma cum laude from the University of Florida, where he later finished his first Masters degree in Agricultural Education and Communication.  He first came to Miami to start a high-tech career education program within thenMiami-Dade County Public School System, which saw 2000% percent growth under his leadership, and went on to become a Regional Teacher of the year. After leaving the school system and starting SalesPartners, will built his business through networking in local business organizations.  He has served as the small business committee chairman for the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the Director of Training for BNI Miami-Dade, and the Chairman of Leadership Miami through the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, among other roles. Will has trained on the topics of sales, leadership, communication, and networking on numerous local, state, and national levels, and holds a Global MBA degree program form ADEN International Business School. Will is also active in the community as a board member and past Chairman of Touching Miami with Love, a volunteer with the Jobs Partnership of Florida, and as an active member of his church.  He now splits time between his offices in Coral Gables and Orlando, where he lives with his lovely wife, Shannon, and their two beautiful children, Eli and Lily. Will fundamentally believes you can serve others and make the world a better place through solid, ethical business principles, and his role is to help you do just that. These are Will Dukes’ core business principles.

Wendy Whelan is the Vice President, Consulting Services and Executive Coach with Right

Management’s Florida/Caribbean Region. Wendy is an experienced Human Resource Executive with broad expertise in HR operations including learning and development, employee engagement, organizational design and change management. Her consulting engagements have focused on maximizing leadership effectiveness, developing high performing teams, and leading organizational transformation. An engaging, high-energy facilitator, with a hallmark talent of developing people. Wendy’s workshop participants describe their experiences as remarkable and impactful. Prior to joining Right Management, Wendy held numerous executive leadership positions in Healthcare, with Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and in the Hospitality sector with both Hyatt and Marriott. Wendy currently holds designation as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and a Registered Corporate Coach (RCC).

Jason Korman is the co-founder and CEO of Gapingvoid Culture Design Group, based in Miami Beach, Florida. A serial entrepreneur, most of his business life was spent in the wine business. At age of 24, he created La Crema Winery, from the assets of a bankrupt Sonoma County wine producer, eventually farming nearly 200 acres of vineyard in Northern California. Later, Jason went on to create Stormhoek, a South African winery, that became an early case study on utilizing social media to create a global brand. For this work, Stormhoek was awarded an AdAge 50, amongst a number of other marketing and winemaking awards. After teaming up with Hugh MacLeod on Stormhoek marketing, they co-founded Gapingvoid Culture Design Group. The business was very much based upon work done with Stormhoek that demonstrated how it was possible to shift behavior and mindset using unique human centered change techniques. Gapingvoid has focused on creating specific tools that shift and align organizations at scale. It is all based upon its proprietary Culture Science™ method. The company has assembled a cross functional team of creatives, consultants, writers, marketers, and psychologists all focused on developing new ways to execute and scale human centered change. Jason believes that work must provide, purpose, connection and meaning, and link individuals to being part of something larger.  Moreover, organizational success or failure hinges on how well they meet those needs. Gapingvoid serves a variety of enterprise, mid-market, higher education and government clients including, AT&T, Microsoft, Genentech, Zappos, University of Southern California, US Air Force and MIT Sloan School.