Live 2024: Los Angeles

Dr. Peter H. Kim is a professor of management and organization at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. His research on trust has been published in numerous scholarly journals, received ten national/international awards, and has been featured by the New York Times, Washington Post, and National Public Radio.

As Chief Human Resources Officer, Ross Pollack oversees all aspects of human resources and administration for Lionsgate’s global operations including its joint ventures. He joined the Company in 2014 and is part of its corporate senior management team and Executive Committee reporting to Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer.

Pollack was a key member of the team responsible for the successful acquisition and integration of global entertainment platform eOne in December 2023 and Starz in December 2016. He and his Human Resources team have developed and expanded the Company’s employee diversity initiatives, revamped its total reward programs, fostered the growth of nine Employee Resource Groups and launched a series of successful health and wellness offerings to enhance employee well-being and productivity. He and his team also played a leadership role in guiding the Lionsgate workforce safely through the COVID pandemic.

Pollack has been a leading human resources, licensing and operations executive in the entertainment industry in the U.S. and internationally for more than 20 years. Between 2009 and 2012, he helped turn around Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures Limited as its CEO, restructuring the company’s operations, expanding its content distribution networks and achieving profitability. He was instrumental in orchestrating Celestial’s channels merger with Lionsgate, Saban Capital and Tigergate that formed the Celestial Tiger Entertainment platform in 2011. 

Pollack previously spent 13 years with Sony Pictures Entertainment as a human resources and licensing executive, including six years in Hong Kong. As Senior Vice President, Distribution—Asia from 2003 to 2009, Pollack successfully repositioned Sony Pictures Television International as the “Asian Hollywood Studio” which included launching & staffing three international TV licensing offices (i.e., in Mumbai, Singapore & Seoul) leading to five consecutive years of record revenue and three straight years of record studio market share. Pollack joined Sony Pictures as Vice President, Total Rewards, in 1996 and was named Vice President of International HR and Operations in 1998.

Nick Wolny is a personal finance journalist and the finance columnist for Out Magazine. He has previously contributed to Fast Company, Business Insider, and Fortune magazine, writing about work life, portfolio careers, digital well-being and LGBTQ policy. Nick is currently working on his first book, “Money Proud”, a book for queer people focused on career fulfillment and financial well-being, scheduled to publish with HarperCollins in 2026. An Illinois boy at heart, he’s now based in Los Angeles.

Samantha Khoury is the Vice President, Human Resources at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bernie is currently Senior Vice President, Global Benefits & Well-being, with AECOM, who have 53,000 employees worldwide located in 50 countries.

He is the Corporate COE leader responsible for health care, retirement, group, voluntary, lifestyle, perks, well-being and wellness benefits programs and benefits communications, benefits compliance, benefits delivery and M&A benefits activities globally.

He has previously worked at many large global employers including Yahoo!, Hilton, Gap, Accenture and Bank of America to name a few.

He is a Moderator, Speaker and Panelist at various professional benefits related events managed by Institutional Investors, both in the U.S. and Europe

He has been the Chair of The Corporate Board of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and has attained his Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation and spoken at numerous conferences offered by them.

He was a faculty member for World at Work and has attained his Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation and spoken at numerous conferences offered by them.

He also served on the Board of the Council on Employee Benefits (CEB).

Bernie has been featured in numerous industry publications, articles, webinars and recently earned both The EBN Advisors of the Year and the BenefitsPRO Luminary awards, both in 2023.

Kim Beauvais serves as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Business Operations, FOX Sports, a role she assumed in March 2019.

As the network’s lead human resources executive, Beauvais oversees all employee initiatives and operations related to the infrastructure of the business, as well as facilities, policies, and organizational agility. She plays a vital role in adding value and propelling employee growth within FOX Sports while also guiding the process behind new business initiatives.

Beauvais joined FOX in 2007 as a Director of Human Resources for Big 10 Network, where she was part of the original management team that launched the network. In 2013, she was promoted to Vice President, Human Resources & Business Operations and again promoted in 2018 to Senior Vice President.

Beauvais’ passion around supporting employee wellbeing and mental health has forged cultural changes requiring both a top-down and bottom-up approach within FOX Sports. She drives leaders to treat mental health as an organizational priority fostering an environment of transparency and openness across the business.

Beauvais and her business operations team spearhead many new initiatives at FOX Sports, most recently with the launch of the United States Football League (USFL) which included the formation of eight teams, the recruitment of players, athletic training staff and coaches, and the creation of an operational hub in Birmingham, Alabama.

A leader in the human resources space, Beauvais mentors many young professionals in and beyond the workplace. She is actively involved in Women in Sports & Events (WISE) in both Los Angeles and Chicago as well as the Chief Women’s Group in Los Angeles. She has been honored by multiple organizations for her achievements, including the prestigious Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 List in 2016, Cynopsis Top Women in Media in 2019 and Cablefax’s Most Powerful Women List in 2021 and 2022.

Prior to joining FOX, Beauvais served as Human Resources Business Partner for Anschutz Entertainment Group’s (AEG) sports division where she led day-to-day responsibilities for the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer team and Toyota Park. Her sports experience extends to being part of the team that opened The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, as well as working in the front office for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Beauvais was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration as well as a master’s degree in sports marketing. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband, Mike, and two children.

David Bator thinks and writes about how work could work. David leads Achievers Workforce Institute, a strategic practice whose focus on Research, Community and Advisory empowers global executives with tactical, practical approaches to changing how the world works.

David is passionate about people, and has spent the last 20 years working closely and consultatively with HR, IT and Communications leaders to build programs that position individuals, teams and companies to grow.

Brie Harvey is a talent management leader and digital strategist who writes and speaks about trends within Human Capital Management and the future of work.

Having served in a variety of leadership roles for HR Technology companies over the last decade, she brings expert level knowledge of Total Rewards, L&D, talent acquisition, and how to cultivate workplace cultures that transform employee engagement and the Employee Value Proposition.

Passionate about the intersection between behavioral science, managerial effectiveness and technology, Brie has partnered with some of the world’s largest, most complex organizations to build high performance cultures centered around authentic appreciation, trust and inclusion.

In her role as an Employee Engagement Evangelist, Brie works with the research arm of Achievers, the Workforce Institute, to share data-based insights about how to enhance employee engagement and recognition strategies for a pandemic-era workplace.

Zach Smith is the Chief Activation Officer + Co-Founder of Activate 180. He has been a trusted voice in mindset, career optimization, and leadership coaching for over 10 years. Zach has coached thousands of employees across mid-market and enterprise-level organizations, aligning their careers with true calling and passion to create total life fulfillment.

Before becoming an award-winning coach, Zach spent more than 10 years in senior marketing and client relationship management roles for well-known, international consumer beverage brands. Zach trained with the Erikson International Coaching, graduating from their highest-level course. He is a sought-after keynote speaker who regularly appears before audiences at industry conferences and events.

Zach currently resides in San Diego, California with his partner Rachel. He has a passion for an active lifestyle, photography, art, travel, and sports like rock climbing, snowboarding, and yoga. Zach received a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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.

As Founder and CEO of ThinkHuman, Meredith helps transform businesses via services including culture building, CEO coaching and leadership development. Meredith and her team work with fast-growth, entrepreneurial-spirited organizations that are making things that are good for the world. Companies Meredith works with include SoulCycle, Betterment, Spotify and Flatiron Health to create thriving people-centric cultures.

Katie Oertli Mooney is a Managing Director at Seramount. She is an accomplished DEI leader and thought partner with expertise in driving strategy and growth of diversity and inclusion change management, planning and programs. Prior to joining Seramount, she was responsible for overseeing the client delivery, staffing, operations and growth as Vice President of Jennifer Brown Consulting. She was accountable for the firm’s successful consulting project delivery to clients from the Fortune 1000, government agencies, startups, to nonprofits.

Prior to that, she managed the DEI enterprise learning and development strategy at Capital One specializing in differential investment programming to support historically underrepresented talent and communities of color. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the GSBA; the largest LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce in North America and is supporting the organization in 2020, by advancing diversity, equity and inclusion for the Board of Directors, for the benefit of GSBA staff, members, partners and the LGBTQ+ and allied community of Washington State. Katie has a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management with a concentration on Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University. She is based in Seattle, WA.

Sarah Jingco is the Vice President, Human Resources at Securitas.

Nate Regier, PhD, is the CEO and founding owner of Next Element Consulting, a global leadership consulting and training firm helping transform cultures with Compassionate Accountability. Dr. Regier is a former practicing clinical psychologist, an expert in social-emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, conflict skills, leadership and culture. Recognized as a Top 100 keynote speaker, Nate is the author of four books: Beyond Drama; Conflict without Casualties; Seeing People Through; and  Compassionate Accountability. He hosts The Compassionate Accountability Podcast, writes a weekly blog, contributes to multiple industry publications, and is a regular guest on podcasts.

Carrie Bergen, LCSW, is a Senior Strategist at Lyra Health, where she brings over two decades of expertise in behavioral health to drive Lyra’s mission to transform access to life-changing mental health care. As a key member of Lyra's Workforce Mental Health Team, Carrie plays a pivotal role in developing tailored strategies to cultivate a culture of well-being within organizations and deliver life-changing mental health care to employees and their families.

Prior to joining Lyra, Carrie was a Principal Sr. Behavioral Health Consultant at Mercer, and led the west market's behavioral health practice, focusing on strategy, performance metrics, and vendor evaluation. 

Her tenure at ComPsych Corporation saw her in pivotal roles in clinical operations and account management, where she nurtured strategic partnerships with prominent multinational companies. 

Carrie's earlier career was dedicated to providing direct therapy and nonprofit leadership, providing vital services to children and families affected by mental illness.

Carrie's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from DePaul University and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University. She holds an active clinical license (CA LCSW 80407) and is certified in Nutrition for Mental Health, underscoring her commitment to holistic well-being. 

Carrie's contributions to the field are also marked by her authorship of six publications and various conference and webinar presentations, showcasing her commitment to advancing mental health knowledge and practice.

Jeff Williams, Aptia US President and CEO, is responsible for Aptia’s benefits administration services book of business based in the Boston headquarters. Prior to  joining Aptia, Williams served as a Corporate Officer as Vice President, Enterprise and HR Solutions for Paychex where he drove record revenues. Williams is a graduate of the General Management Program at Harvard Business School, earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University, and a BA in Business Administration and Political Science from Brock University. In his spare time, Williams actively contributes to his community by serving on a number of charitable boards including Habitat for Humanity.

Kelli Kindtworth is the Lead Workforce Planning Consultant at Visier.

With two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, Shadi Catterina has devoted her career to spearheading innovation in digital mental health solutions and enhancing HR benefits to elevate employee well-being.

Shadi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from California Polytechnic State University-and a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.

Currently serving as the Vice President of Business Development at Talkspace, a leading provider of online therapy, she spearheads strategic initiatives to expand the reach and impact in the digital mental health space. In this role, she is passionate about leveraging technology to make mental health support more accessible and effective for individuals and organizations alike.

Before Shadi's transition to digital mental health and HR benefits, she gained extensive experience in pharmaceutical sales and management roles at companies like Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, and GlaxoSmithKline. These experiences equipped her with a deep understanding of the healthcare landscape and laid the foundation for her passion for improving healthcare access and delivery.

Shadi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from California Polytechnic State University-and a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.

Dr. Martin Payne is the chief commercial officer for Empowerly, the leading solution for helping students and families navigate the complicated college admissions process. Prior to Empowerly, Martin spent over two decades working with innovative early-stage venture capital-backed organizations and large publicly traded companies in the HR, Education, and Wellness spaces. His approach focuses on collaboration, influence, and innovation, which has led to a proven track record of operational excellence and revenue growth.
Martin holds a BA in Psychology from New College of Florida, an MBA from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

Michael Watson is a talent acquisition expert and artificial intelligence enthusiast who is dedicated to using cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize the world of work. Michael's passion for work began in his early life, as he grew up with military parents who instilled in him the values of hard work, dedication, and service to others. His father dropped out of high school at 16 to join the Navy, and his mother served in both the Air Force and Marines, so Michael knows firsthand the importance of having a strong work ethic and a sense of purpose.  After years of experience in corporate HR and talent acquisition for companies such as Aerotek, Robert Half, Polycom, Western Digital, Workday, Rambus, and Gigamon, Michael joined the artificial intelligence startup Eightfold.ai. As a former customer of Eightfold.ai, he has unique first-hand knowledge of how AI is being used to hire and retain talent.

At Eightfold, Michael is part of a team that is using AI for good, mapping skills to opportunities and enabling the right career for everyone in the world. As the Head of Global Customer Evangelism for Eightfold's products and solutions, Michael frequently interacts with business leaders, customer executives and government officials to amplify the power of Eightfold’s artificial intelligence (AI) and their vision to use artificial intelligence for good and enable the right career for everyone in the world. Michael believes that AI has the potential to help individuals find fulfilling and meaningful work, and he is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has access to the right career opportunities. He is passionate about helping individuals find work that aligns with their unique skills and interests, and he believes that AI can be a powerful tool to help people achieve their career goals.

Michael is a thought leader in the field of talent acquisition and artificial intelligence, and he is committed to using his expertise to help organizations and individuals navigate the rapidly changing world of work. He is the author of 2 books; Career AI: Navigating the Job Market in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and The AI-Powered HR Professional. He is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to AI, talent acquisition, and career development, and he is always looking for new and innovative ways to use technology to improve people's lives. Michael attended Fresno State University where he studied Criminology.

When he is not working, Michael is busy working on his family's farm and dedicates a lot of time to coaching youth baseball and softball in his community. He is married and has two children.

Antonio Hairston is Vice President, WME Recruitment, Diversity Outreach and Early Careers –
Talent Acquisition at William Morris Endeavor. Currently, he oversees strategic university
partnerships, employer branding as well as developing sustainable relationships with diverse,
local/regional/national organizations and community outreach programs. Antonio curates event
activations that build community and generate proactive talent pipelines reflective of audiences
from underrepresented populations.

Hairston is a graduate of Michigan State University and began his career as a University Relations
Lead for early talent college recruitment. In 2006, Hairston ventured to Los Angeles to pursue
opportunities within the entertainment industry. He worked as Production Associate on live event
productions including BET Awards, Daytime/Primetime Emmy Awards, HBO Comedy Festivals,
Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Grammys and The Oscars. Prior to joining WME in 2023, Antonio
spent 8 years with Warner Bros. Discovery as Executive Director, Talent Acquisition. He also
worked as a Talent Manager- Diversity & Inclusion for Eaton Aerospace Corporation.
Antonio is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, advisory board member
of EICOP! HBCU in LA Program, and DreamChasers, Inc. In his personal time, he enjoys traveling,
brunching, casting freelance projects and curating musical showcases.

Jack Schutzbach is the Vice President, Human Resources SEB Professional, Americas at Groupe SEB. 

Chandler Bondan is the Chief People Officer at BuzzFeed.

Dr. Eryn Mack is the Chief People Officer at TruAmerica Multifamily and Founder and CEO of Mack Point Consulting, LLC. With over 20 years of experience, she is a recognized leader and expert in Human Resources, People Operations, Organizational Development, Change Management, and Organizational Culture. As an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Bovard College, Dr. Mack contributes to the development of future leaders by teaching courses in Change Management, Organizational Development, and Organizational Culture. Her work continues to impact the HR field, guiding businesses in strategic growth, cultural transformation, and shaping the next generation of professionals.

A dynamic and action-oriented human resources leader with a passion for and specialty in Talent Acquisition, Christine brings over 20 years of expertise in driving transformative recruitment strategies across diverse, global environments. Adept at building scalable and sustainable talent acquisition frameworks, Christine has consistently delivered top-tier results by aligning organizational objectives with cutting-edge recruitment methodologies.

Currently serving as the Talent Acquisition Manager for North America at Alstom since 2023, Christine leads a high-performing team that supports six business units and delivers 1,200 hires annually. Christine is part of an innovative team building a progressive Center of Excellence which is transforming how Alstom delivers on time, cost effective talents who possess the skills needed to support organizational transformation and growth.

Prior to Alstom, Christine was at Siemens Corporation for over twelve years and held several key roles including Head Of Talent Sourcing ,TA Operations Manager and Senior Recruiter, Christine contributions and expertise in the talent attraction and management domain led to Siemens growth and capture of market share in the highly competitive global transportation ecosystem.

Earlier in her career, Christine held senior human resources roles at L3 Communications including employee and labor relations, training & development and human resources management. Christine's strengths in human development, transversal management as well as an intuitive understanding of the intersection of organizational needs and human potential led to the creation of myriad programs and initiatives designed to retain the talents the organization needed to prepare for the future. 

Christine was asked to come to Washington DC in 2001 to join the massive national initiative to create the workforce of the Transportation Security Organization after the terrorist attacks. Her team hired over 7,000 agents over a twelve month period. Her ability to execute and deliver the hires was recognized by the Bush Administration. 

Christine holds an Executive MBA and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Her Master Thesis conducted at California Institute of Technology on Workplace Violence Prevention in Academic Settings created an integrated model for proactive prevention with key organizational functions including human resources, legal, risk management, Facilities, EHS, EAP, Benefits and Training. Christine holds Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Psychology from UC Santa Barbara where she completed an internship under Guest Lecturer the late Dr Steven Hawkings.

With a proven track record of leading large-scale talent initiatives, Christine is committed to transforming the future of talent acquisition while driving organizational growth and diversity in hiring. Her passion is ensuring organizations function to foster and uplift the innate potential of all their employees.

Laura Bartus is the Chief Learning Officer for the Human Health Project and the head of learning and development for CenterWell Pharmacy, a division of Humana. At the Human Health Project, Laura helps the organization set near-term and future strategy, scale up its patient education programs, and increase its reach to new groups of patients and caregivers. At Humana, Laura’s teams create, deliver, and track learning and development programs for the pharmacy organization’s 12,000 associates. This includes dispensing sites, call centers, professional tracks, and Pharmacists and Pharmacy Techs. Laura’s organization effectiveness team tracks operational results and develops learning metrics strategy to improve their business impact. Laura leads development sessions for leaders and associates across the enterprise, and also externally at many industry events. Laura is passionate about coaching, providing employees with equitable advancement opportunities, building up a robust talent pipeline, and helping her team to be a valued partner to the business.

Laura started out as a high school English teacher, teaching and learning a ton from some amazing teens. In the corporate world, Laura has done nearly every job in learning, moving through design, facilitation, and many leadership roles. She has been involved with several volunteer organizations. She has four crazy children – two of which are twins and three of which are boys. So she also has a crippling coffee addiction, and she really loves work trips. She finds sanity through taking hikes and reading new books. Don’t get her started on dad jokes, because it will delay your meeting for at least five minutes.

Faith E. Pinho is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and the creator and host of a narrative podcast the Times is set to launch in Spring 2023. Faith has covered a dynamic range of stories, from California wildfires to weird-looking fish. Her reporting on the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election and the Jan. 6 insurrection earned national attention and awards. Faith is also an active member of her union and a mentor to student journalists. Aside from journalism, Faith is co-founder of the Crimson Community Mentorship Program, an organization to connect high school students with mentors in her hometown of Everett, Massachusetts.

Christian Durso is a professional development facilitator, accomplished playwright, screenwriter, and MFA graduate. He brings a dynamic blend of creativity and professionalism to his work with corporate leaders and their teams, helping them unlock potential, foster creativity, and build cultures of clear, empathetic communication. With extensive experience as an executive producer and writer for Netflix shows, Sony films, and plays staged nationwide, Christian knows how to engage audiences and craft impactful narratives. In his facilitation, Christian focuses on creating environments where participants feel empowered to access their potential, reflect deeply, and cultivate authentic connections. He combines his background as a crisis counselor with a dedication to empathetic communication, guiding learners to navigate complex challenges and build powerful relationships in both personal and professional spheres. Additionally, he runs a non-profit arts organization in Los Angeles, where he continues to bring creativity into the lives of others and encourage professionalism within the creative community

Joe Tischbern is the VP of Talent Development and Engagement at Chedraui USA. He leads the company's talent strategy through leadership development, skills training, online learning, leadership coaching, and development programs. His passion is to impact the lives of employees by creating a culture of engagement, feedback, and continuous improvement, with the ultimate goal of helping them become the best that they can be, both in the workplace and at home.