Live 2024: Atlanta

Kitty Chaney Reed is the Chief Leadership, Culture and Inclusion Officer for the IBM Corp. Most recently, she was the Chief Operations Officer for the IBM Marketing organization, leading the Business Alignment team which served as the backbone across Marketing to guide the organization, generating a linkage between business objectives, marketing plans, and a coordinated management system to help focus on measurements and milestones between Marketing and the IBM Business. Previously, Kitty led the Enterprise Operations responsible for Sales and Business Operations activities for all IBM Business Units, driving the transformation of Operations across the Enterprise by modernizing tools and processes. She also serves as IBM’s Senior State Executive for the State of Georgia (US), where she represents IBM in government and policy forums such as the Atlanta Metro Chamber where she sits on the Board. She was the IBM executive sponsor in support of the passage of Anti-Hate Crime Legislation that was made law in Georgia on June 8, 2020.

She joined IBM in 2017, as the Vice President of Quote to Cash for the Americas, supporting IBM’s largest geography with ~40B in annual revenue. As leader of Q2C, she led the transformation of tools/processes and operating model, best in class internal Net Promoter Scores and best in class employee engagement while creating a culture based on Agile principles. In her short time at IBM, she has established herself as a forward thinker who challenges herself and others to redefine what BEST looks like. In support of this quest, Kitty worked with her team to create an internal brand and recognition program called BEST which was externally awarded in the industry. She and her team have exceeded business expectations while also maintaining employee engagement and inclusion scores that are Best in Class.

Ms. Chaney Reed has a wide range of expertise in technology and business that was gained from more than 25 years of hands-on experience in solution design and implementation, service delivery and operations, client services, shared services, business transformation, mergers and acquisitions, Human Resource operations, and Retail operations. Kitty has a strong passion for diversity, equity and inclusion. She is the executive sponsor for the Atlanta Global Women in IBM initiative and serves on IBM’s Black Executive Council. In 2015, she was awarded the Most Powerful and Influential Woman Award from the Georgia Diversity Council. Kitty is also an alumnus of the distinguished Leadership Atlanta Program (Class of 2016), one of the oldest sustained community leadership programs in the nation. In 2014, Kitty was also recognized for her support of girls and women in STEM and her professional achievements in the technology industry by being named Woman of the Year for Enterprise Businesses by the Atlanta based organization, Women in Technology. She also mentors and coaches girls and women who aspire to lead in the areas of business and technology and served on the Women in Technology Board of Directors as the Treasurer for three years. In 2021, Kitty received Silver at the Stevie Awards as ‘Female Executive of the Year’ and Gold at The Globe Business Awards in the ‘Women of the Year category’ in recognition of her outstanding contributing in the Business Services area. Kitty is a wife and mother of three young men. When she is not working, she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending quality time with her husband and their boys.

Katharyne serves as Chief of HR for the North America Operating Unit of The Coca Cola Company.  Katharyne and team support people strategies for 6,200 Coca-Cola employees across plants, warehouse and office locations, as well as, collaborating with our Bottling partners.  Joining the organization in 2021, Katharyne had previously been part of leading global transformation organization design, operating model optimization and talent strategies for 2,700 corporate function colleagues around the world.

Katharyne started her career at The Home Depot growing across a number of teams in the organization including Mergers and Acquisitions, Employee Relations, Supply Chain, Operations, Home Services and as Chief of Staff to the CHRO.  Katharyne then joined YUM! Brands as Director HR United Kingdom and Ireland.  She supported the KFC brand comprising of over 800 restaurants and 25,000 team members.  After returning from London, Katharyne supported the Global Marketing and Americas hotel organizations at IHG Hotels and Resorts comprising of 500 global colleagues and 2,000 corporate colleagues, 4,000 franchise hotels and 250 company managed hotels across Canada, United States and Mexico/Latin America.

Depending on the football/basketball season, Katharyne is a proud Gator.  She holds a BA and MBA from the University of Florida.

Katharyne, her husband Matt, 10-year-old and 8-year-old can be found any given weekend adventuring with a particular love for National Parks, new global discoveries and of course time in the sunshine in her home state of Florida.

Cheryl is MillerKnoll’s vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She leads strategy development and implementation, which align to targeted DEI commitments and priorities, in support of driving business results and maximizing the contributions of MillerKnoll’s associates. As part of MIllerKnoll’s corporate Better World strategy, Cheryl has leadership responsibility for Business Resource Group advancement, diversifying the field of design, fostering supplier diversity, elevating philanthropic engagement, and enabling inclusive learning and diverse talent success.
Kern has been recognized as a Top Diversity Executive in Corporate America by Black Enterprise, was a Champion of Diversity Award recipient, has been honored with the Diversity Salute Award, and was named one of the 10 Top Global Leaders in Diversity and Inclusion by Diversity Global Magazine. Recently, Cheryl was named as a 2021 Top DEI Influencer by the National Diversity Council as well as was selected as a 2021 Top 10 Women in Global Diversity and Inclusion. As a thought leader, she has artnered on designing in-country inclusion solutions with stakeholders in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
Cheryl joined MillerKnoll in 2021, having previously served in leadership roles with Lockheed Martin, Johnson Controls, and the Amway Corp.

Sherlonda Martin is the Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Takeda. 

Liz Pittinger is the Vice Prsident of Global Customer Success for Stork Club Family Building Benefits.  She has been working with HR leaders for the past 7 years specifically on how to include digital healthcare solutions to their benefits portfolios and over 9 years experience managing accounts both domestically and internationally.  She has experience working closely with HR teams with jumbo, enterprise, and mid-market employers across industries and geographic locations to help understand trends HR leaders face when choosing, implementing, communicating, and achieving value from their benefit solutions. She was an international project manager for the federal government, has Fortune 100 experience, holds two master’s degrees (Political/Economic Development; Exercise Physiology/Health Promotion), and enjoys working with start-up companies to create customer-centric account management teams.  Liz currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her family. 

Kim Rath joined PulteGroup in 2021 as VP, People and Culture. Kim has over 20 years of HR experience with organizations including Slalom, Apple and Starbucks. Her passion is creating inspiring cultures and enhancing the employee experience.

Carrie Teegardin is on the investigative team. She is a graduate of Duke University and has won numerous national journalism awards. She was a lead reporter on the AJC's award-winning Unprotected series, which prompted Georgia to reform its requirements for senior care homes in 2020. She was a lead reporter on the AJC's Doctors & Sex Abuse national investigation, which was a Pulitzer finalist. She was a lead reporter on the AJC's Borrower Beware series, which won a Gerald Loeb award in 2006. She has written extensively about health care, unfair business practices and the criminal justice system.

Kelly Yamanouchi is the  Business Reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ernie Suggs has been a reporter at the AJC since 1997, currently covering race and culture, as well as a variety of breaking national news and investigative stories. A veteran of nearly 30 years as a newspaper reporter, he previously reported for newspapers in New York City and Durham, covering stories ranging from politics to civil rights to higher education. Since 2016, he has managed the AJC’s award-winning Black History Month project through AJC Sepia, the paper’s Black news curation site. He is the author of the book, "The Many Lives of Andrew Young," and the writer and producer of the Emmy-nominated hip-hop documentary, "The South Got Something to Say." A 1990 graduate of North Carolina Central University, with a degree in English Literature, Suggs was also a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow. He is currently on the Nieman Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the former national vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Rocky Mount, N.C., his obsession for Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is unmatched.

Steven J. Lester, M.D., is a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 1999 and holds the academic rank of professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He has served as the associate medical director of both the Mayo Clinic Department of Business Development and Mayo Clinic Contracting and Payer Relations, and as the medical director for the Complex Care Program. He also is the founder and chief medical officer of the MedTech Accelerator, a part of the Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care. He speaks domestically and internationally about the future of consumer trends, the future of medicine, and artificial intelligence.

 Dr. Lester earned his B.S. at the University of Western Ontario and his M.D. at the University of Toronto School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and The Toronto Hospital. He continued his training at the University of British Columbia, completing a cardiology fellowship, serving as chief cardiology fellow and went on to complete a cardiovascular imaging fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

Mark Fordyce serves as the Regional Director of Workvivo in the US Southeast based in Atlanta, GA. An expert in employee communications and collaboration technology, Mark applies his background of IT and consulting to help companies solve challenges around engaging, connecting, and informing employees.

Leroy Chapman Jr. is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Editor-in-Chief. Previously, he was managing editor where he was in charge of reporting teams that cover state, local and federal government; politics; education; public safety; local, state and federal courts; transportation; immigration and breaking news. He has worked at the AJC since 2011.

DeRetta Rhodes, Ph.D., is in her fifth season with the Braves after arriving in January 2019. She joined the organization as Senior Vice President of Human Resources before getting promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief People Capital Officer, in January 2021. She was elevated to her current role, Executive Vice President, Chief Culture Officer, in January 2022.

Dr. Rhodes, who oversees communications, community affairs and people capital initiatives for the organizaton's Major League and The Battery Atlanta operations, has left a lasting impact in her short time with the Braves.

She has transformed the people capital department, expanded the culture of the organization with training programs and employee resource groups and created an internal diversity, equity and inclusion council. She also managed the organizational changes which became necessary due to the pandemic.

Prior to joining the Braves, Dr. Rhodes was the Executive Vice President/Chief Human Resources Officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Vice President of Human Resources at First Data, Vice President of Human Resources for Turner Broadcasting and held leadership positions at Ernst & Young, ADP, HomeGrocer.com and YUM Brand.

Dr. Rhodes received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, her Master’s in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University and her Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Georgia. She is a certified facilitator for the Benchmark 360 assessment by the Center for Creative Leadership, DISC coach and facilitator, qualified facilitator for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), HOGAN Assessment and HOGAN 360.

A Kansas City native, Dr. Rhodes has also served in the Metro Atlanta community, in various board member roles and activities, most recently: Woodruff Arts Center, 21st Century Leaders, Goodwill of North Georgia, 21st Century Leaders, Woodruff Arts Center and TedX UGA Speaker (March 2018).

She was also recognized as 100 Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League, and also as National Diversity & Leadership Top 100 HR Professionals.

Dr. Rhodes lives in Atlanta, Ga. with her husband, Leon, and her three sons, Cole, Austin and Jordan.

Jon Lowe is Chief People Officer at DailyPay, the leading on-demand pay company. Lowe joins DailyPay after serving as Head of U.S. Human Resources at eToro and Head of Human Resources at Revolut, two prominent global fintech companies. He also spent more than seven years as an HR leader at Amazon. Jon's work as a leader within the HR space was integral in supporting the organizations through periods of hypergrowth and navigating rapidly-evolving talent and business environments.

Lowe is a graduate of Queen's University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology. He holds a Ted Rogers MBA in Strategic Human Resource Management from the Toronto Metropolitan University. Lowe is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), as well as a former committee member with the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).

Abby Schneiderman is an entrepreneur, innovator and visionary leader with a passion for finding ways to use technology to make people’s lives better. Together with Adam Seifer, she is currently the co-founder and co-CEO of Everplans (Everplans.com), a life and legacy planning company dedicated to transforming the way people think ahead and get their families organized. Everplans is offered by hundreds of financial services companies, insurance providers, and employers across the country. As an industry expert in the areas of digital estate planning, technology and consumerism, Abby has been featured in numerous publications including the NYT, WSJ, Bloomberg, CNBC, and the Huffington Post. Abby was named to Fast Company’s list of the most creative people in business in 2016 (https://www.fastcompany.com/most-creative-people/2016). Abby lives with her husband and two little girls in Washington, D.C.. Abby is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Rhonda Sutton is a distinguished educator, certified transformational coach, and author. In her role as professional learning specialist and content developer, she leads initiatives at Harmony Academy, facilitating capacity-building programs for educators and leaders with a focus on SEL.

With a rich background in education, Dr. Sutton has served in various capacities, including as a Manager of Educational Partnerships at The Center for the Collaborative Classroom. Her expertise extends to academia, having been a professor of Reading Education at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sutton has also held key leadership roles as Supervisor of Reading and Elementary School Principal in the Pocono Mountain School District in Pennsylvania. Dr. Sutton’s journey in education began as an elementary teacher in New York City Public Schools. Her hands-on classroom experience laid the
foundation for her passion for creating impactful and inclusive learning environments. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, complemented by a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and English from Hunter College, New York City.

As a certified transformational coach, Dr. Sutton brings a unique perspective to her work, inspiring positive change and personal growth among educators and students alike.

Marshall Bergmann is the Vice President, Advisory Services at i4cp.

Tanie is the Vice President of Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) for UPS, one of the world’s largest integrated logistics solutions companies that generated more than US$100 billion in consolidated revenue in 2022. Tanie is responsible for the strategic Human Capital Strategy for Global Business Services and Global Finance that comprise of more than 17,000 employees across more than 100 countries and territories.  She recently relocated from Singapore to Atlanta, USA.  Prior to the current assignment, Tanie was the Vice President of HRBP for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Region.

Tanie’s career with UPS began in 2001 as a HR Manager for Learning and Development in APAC. In this role, she led the successful alignment of two UPS business entities with a consolidated workforce growth from 2,000 to 4,500. Tanie also led strong HR imperatives and business growth across South Asia, resulting in UPS being named the 2007 Employer of Choice by Hewitt Associates in Singapore. 

Her role quickly expanded to more HR disciplines including Health & Safety, Compliance, Community Relations and Employee Services. In 2012, Tanie was appointed as HR Director for UPS’s North Asia District where she relocated to Hong Kong and subsequently as Director for Asia Pacific Region based in Singapore. In 2016, Tanie relocated to Belgium as HR Director for UPS Europe, overseeing HR operations for close to 47,000 employees in 24 countries. While based in Europe, she also actively participated in the UPS European Women Leadership Develop (WLD) groups, including launching a new Mentorship Program, as well as the inaugural Asian Business Resource Group in Europe.

When she returned to APAC Region in 2018, Tanie led the development and implementation of UPS Asia Pacific Region’s cultural change, shaping the company’s culture to tackle the evolving economic climate and equipping current and future employees with the tools to drive the company’s business vision.  The result of her leadership led to UPS winning the bronze award in “Excellence in Workplace Culture” by the HR Excellence Award 2021.  

Tanie was named the Asia’s “Best HR Leader” title at the 2022 HR Tech Festival organized by HRM Asia. Within the same year, she was honored as the "HR Leader of the Year" by the prestigious #HRExcellenceAwards by Human Resources Online.  Both awards honors outstanding achievements of the region’s top HR leaders from across both private and public sectors. Tanie was recognized under the individual award category for her efforts in leading APAC’s culture change and for successfully executing the human capital strategy whilst championing for talent management and leadership development.

Tanie holds a Bachelor in Arts & Social Sciences Degree from the National University of Singapore as well as a Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Singapore Institute of Management.  She has completed the Advanced HR Executive Program at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Tanie is also certified as a Senior Professional by the Singapore Institute of Human Resources Professionals (IHRP), and holds a Certified Human Resource Manager (CHRM)® title by the International Academy of Business and Financial Management.

Tanie is an active advocate for Asian and women’s leadership development, diversity and inclusion. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with non-profit organization (Tanie served as a Board Member and Chairperson of HR Committee in the Samaritans of Singapore) and travelling. 

Jeff Cates serves as CEO and President of Achievers, an industry-leading employee voice and recognition solution that accelerates a culture of performance. After being named CEO in April 2019, Jeff quickly led Achievers to new product and global growth. Jeff’s passion for creating environments where employees can do the best work of their lives has helped Achievers receive multiple employer awards: Top 50 Best Workplaces™ in Canada, Best Workplaces™ for Women, and Best Workplaces™ for Inclusion.

He was formerly the CEO and President of Intuit Canada, leading the growth of Intuit’s TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint brands since 2011. During his tenure, the company was named a top "Great Place to Work" in Canada year after year, and was also recognized as a top employer for women and millennials leading in diversity initiatives.

Jeff’s background includes innovative marketing, product leadership and entrepreneurship. Prior to Intuit, Jeff worked at Apple Canada leading their enterprise business, and Hewlett Packard as vice president of their consumer division. He earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University.

Testament to his passion for the start-up industry and advocacy efforts for entrepreneurialism, he currently holds a role on the board of Start-Up Canada. Jeff also sits on the board of CUSO, a not-for-profit organization focused on midwifery and economic development in third world countries.

Kumari L. Williams is the Vice President of Belonging and Diversity at Workday, a cloud-based software company specializing in applications for financial management, enterprise resource planning, and human capital management. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, she started her current position in 2021.

Kumari's job responsibilities involve identifying enterprise opportunities for improvement in diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging by utilizing qualitative and quantitative data insights. She works closely with various teams across the organization to gain an understanding of the root causes of issues that arise and identifies effective solutions and interventions.

In addition to this, Kumari also leads the Employee Belonging Council (EBC) program, which plays a crucial role in promoting inclusion, equity, and belonging at Workday.

Caitlin started her career in journalism and is still passionate about bringing the right information to the
right people at the right time. As content manager and data analyst, Caitlin oversees Achievers
Workforce Institute’s primary research program, investigating the latest workforce trends to bring
actionable best practices to HR and business leaders. Caitlin has a BA in Psychology and a post-graduate diploma in journalism and has spent the last decade of her career specializing in HR content and data. She grew up in New Zealand but has lived in Toronto since 2011.

Alex is a highly experienced employee engagement consultant, trainer and speaker. For over 15 years she has helped HR and business leaders implement strategies that drive true culture change.  Her wealth of knowledge comes from coaching and training thousands of managers from a wide range of industries across the globe. Alex focuses on providing organizations with proven practices that drive results for varied leadership styles and the multiple generations in the modern workforce. Her presentation will leave you motivated and better equipped to lead your organization on a path to a more engaged workforce, making the world a better place to work.

Kristin Taylor is Executive Vice President, Workforce Solutions at Avenica & President of the Arch Advisory (Perm & Exec Search) Division.

A former actress-slash-makeup artist, Kristin’s journey led her to discover her true passion in talent acquisition. She is a Certified Diversity & Inclusion Recruiter (CDR), and has also been recognized in Crain’s New York Business as a Notable HR Leader for her work in Corporate DE&I. 

With a "Maverick" spirit and a relentless "get it done" attitude, she has earned a reputation as an expert sourcer, strategic adviser, and candidate advocate. Kristindiscovered her passion for headhunting unexpectedly at global, publicly traded commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. Initially hired for data entry and HR work, she craved more challenge and stepped into talent acquisition, specializing in skilled trades. She oversaw headhunting for various departments, staffing for major blue-chip clients like Citibank, Google, and Verizon.

Recruited to Colliers, another real estate firm, Kristin initiated their Brokerage Sourcing & Engagement team, managing executive searches and strategic sourcing plans for specialty practice groups. She also led a successful diversity and inclusion initiative which entailed designing, launching and managing the Employee Resource Group function, scaling it internationally.

After a stint in FinTech, Kristin joined Avenica by way of Arch Advisory in November 2022, transitioning to the "other side" of the business.

Andrew helps organizations develop sustainable, human-centered processes to thrive in today’s always-on, always-connected work world.

After years as a high-performing sales leader in a fast-paced, demanding role, Andrew saw how his exhaustion and inability to separate life from work was impacting his relationships, energy and sense of purpose. He found a new way to manage my time and energy and now teaches other corporate leaders and their teams to do the same.

Through his leadership of Regenerate, Andrew has helped thousands of leaders develop energy-inspired practices to transform their workplaces — including Apple, Booz Allen Hamilton, Intel, Coca Cola, Accenture, Edelman, Genentech, GE, Lego Systems, DPR Construction, and American Express, and the US Air Force.

Angela Ogle-Ysaguirre is a Channel Sales Representative at ZayZoon.

As co-principal at Clearwater Consulting Group, Conni has a passion for partnering with clients to uncover what’s possible, supporting transformational change that appropriately challenges the status quo for greater outcomes. Conni’s courageous authenticity supports a client’s capacity for uncovering options for desired change while exploring individual and organizational accountability measures that drive success. A trusted advisor to her clients, Conni has a passion for working with leaders who believe they have the power to positively influence the cultures in which they lead; together they figure out the how. With over 30 years of experience anchored in business development and sales leadership with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, Conni recognizes the importance of relationships, understanding your audience and the power of influence. Her most effective support as a coach and leadership consultant is at the intersection of self-awareness and humanity, meeting leaders wherever they are in the crossroads with an eye on purpose driven inclusive leadership.

Conni has an engaging coaching approach and believes that self-awareness is empowerment and the foundation for leadership growth. Her adaptive style and holistic approach to coaching supports a leader’s ability to uncover self-limiting beliefs and reframe key leadership challenges in ways that are constructive to the individual and the business. Conni coaches C-level executives and senior leaders worldwide and across a variety of roles, lines of business and industries resulting in noticeable improved leadership capability.As a facilitator, her delivery creates energy and engagement, and the opportunity for safely investigating tough conversations by fostering a balanced environment for brave exploration of tough topics. For individuals and for teams, she creates the essential bridge from awareness to insight and on to meaningful action. A Registered Corporate Coach through the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC), Conni’s developmental training/certifications include Workplace Diversity, Bold & Inclusive Conversations, Performance Problem Solving, Conflict Management, Skilled Negotiator, 400 Years of Inequality and Trauma Resource Institute. Conni is certified in a host of leadership assessments including Leadership Circle Profile 360, the Birkman Method, DiSC® (Wiley), Patrick Lencioni’s 5 Behaviors, Intercultural Intelligence (KnowledgeWorkx), Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), Diversity Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace.

A graduate of Florida State University, Conni takes pride in community service and has held leadership roles for ArtsNow and the American Red Cross. She currently serves as a Social Justice Race & Equity Commissioner for the city of Brookhaven, GA and is on the board of the Sub-Saharan Education Project (SSEP), a US-based organization working to improve the quality of life in sub-Saharan Africa through education. Conni is a triathlete and supports the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

Jaime Ninataype has spent thousands of hours educating individuals, ranging from CEOs to general managers, about the hourly labor market and the strategies and tools required to attract applicants and bring hiring success. There are new challenges in the hiring process in 2024, and Jaime intends to provide you with the strategies and resources you need to tackle them.

Malissa Clark is an associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Georgia, where she leads the Healthy Work Lab. She is one of the world's leading scholars on workaholism, overwork, burnout, and employee well-being. In addition to serving as an expert consultant to many organizations on these issues, Clark and her work have been featured in outlets including the New York Times, the BBC, Time, Glamour, The Atlantic, HuffPost, and others. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Never Not Working (HBR Press), available February 6.

Scott is the Founder and President/CEO of The Warrior Alliance with over 30 years of experience as a corporate software and business/IT consulting services executive. He began his non-profit career by establishing two organizations in support of people with disabilities and transitioning military veterans. Scott’s business career spans numerous leadership roles in executive management to include business strategy and transformation, merger and acquisitions, organizational change management, sales and organization leadership, market development, global outsourcing and operational profit and loss. His business experience spans private and public sector as well as enterprise business development across the Americas, Europe, Far East and Asia. Mr. Johnson graduated with high honors from Michigan State University where he received a number of academic awards and is a founding associate of the University of Alabama’s Executive MBA MIS program.

Joshua Crafford is the VP, Technology Learning and Development at Synchrony.

With 30 years of experience, Robin maximizes her credentials as a clinical psychologist, certified
governance consultant, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Solutions (DEIS)
practitioner. Through her approach to understand the root causes of organizational performance, Robin
creates leadership performance and systems level solutions that result in measurable improvements.
Her work with philanthropic, nonprofit, corporate, and academic institutions consistently advance the
mission, purpose, and sustainability of these valued institutions. With her unique lens of intersectional
work, she understands the organizational alignment across structures, operations, practices, and culture
is critical to achieving improvements that are valued, respected, and internalized. Robin’s philosophy is
that the board of directors, President/CEO and C-Suite level must promote the ethos of personal
responsibility, understanding that to achieve transformation leaders must commit to intentional work at
the personal, board and leadership team levels.

Dr. Stacia has been trusted to partner with executives and boards including Occidental College, the
ALCU of Missouri, FSG Consulting, Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Morehouse College School of
Medicine, Path Foundation, Horizons National, National Eating Disorders Association, Philanthropy
Southeast, and the Foundation for CA Community Colleges. She is currently serving as the Inclusion
Resident Consultant for the Virginia Risk Sharing Association and was previously the Inclusion Resident
for the Association of Government Insurance Risk Pools. Robin is a frequent presenter at conferences
such as Habitat for Humanity International, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Karlene Gordon is the SVP, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Ameris Bank.