Sudha Solayappan is the head of people analytics and research at Intuitive Surgical. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., the company is the pioneer and a global technology leader in robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery. Sudha joined Intuitive in July 2014 and has held various leadership roles in HR Sudha has deep expertise in people research, employee engagement, strategic consulting, and modern talent practices. She is often defined as a people leader who is “mix of heart and head.” Combining deep research and practicality, Sudha can get to the heart of what is needed and is a master at crafting and motivating high-performing teams. Before Intuitive, she held progressive roles across BearingPoint, Amazon, and eBay in the people space. Sudha is an engineer by education (this is the heart and head mix!) and is a sought-after speaker.

Brian Little is the Vice President Human Resources - Corporate Functions at Intel Corporation.

Supriya is a highly driven Total Rewards Leader, recognized for leading Compensation and Benefit strategies that enable Business performance, deliver value and strengthen the employer brand. She has global leadership experience across Broad based Compensation, Sales Incentive Compensation, Executive Compensation, Total Rewards, Performance Management, Global Pay Equity, Benefits strategy, HR Business partnership, evidence based HR analytics and driving large scale change initiatives. Her experience spans across multiple countries and continents. In her current role as VP of Total Rewards @ Roblox, Supriya is leading all aspects of global compensation & benefits. Scope of responsibility spans all lines of business across the company. In a prior role at Meta, she led all aspects of Global Compensation Programs & Strategy. Scope of responsibility spanned all lines of businesses and countries globally. 

During her nearly two decades of professional experience Supriya has demonstrated subject matter expertise and leadership in the area of Global Compensation & Benefits, Executive & Equity Compensation Compensation.  Supriya is a change leader and served as a strategic advisor to C-suite executives and the Compensation Committee on executive/equity compensation strategies and programs. 

Kristin Wood is the Vice President of Talent at Blue Shield of California. 

Rebecca McCathern is the head of the people team at Samsung Semiconductor, one of the world’s largest maker of microchips, which has been manufacturing semiconductors in the U.S. for nearly three decades. Before her role at Samsung, McCathern served in management roles at VMware and Cisco Systems. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Regis University and studied diversity and inclusion at Cornell.

Emtrain founder and CEO Janine Yancey is a passionate advocate for healthy workplace cultures. Janine’s unique approach blends technology, behavioral science, data analytics, and social media-inspired interactions to help inform and improve workplace behavior. Janine presides over a team of experts and an extensive library of content including courses, video, resource guides, checklists and analytic reports that define the modern workplace.

Janine is a proponent of neutral, third-party guidance and problem-solving. By orchestrating a publicly-accessible community interface for employee questions and concerns, Janine stays at the forefront of real-world, real-time harassment, bias, discrimination, and ethics issues.

A tireless visionary, Janine writes extensively, has provided expert testimony and advice to state legislatures, and helps leading companies implement harassment prevention, diversity, ethics, and compliance programs. Janine is a sought-after speaker and has been published and interviewed in the mainstream media including The Washington Post, Fast Company, USA Today, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch, and Startup Grind. She’s presented at Society of Ethics and Compliance; Techstars FounderCon; Founders Network, and The Club.

Prior to founding Emtrain, Janine was a partner at Employment Law Partners where she specialized in solving labor and employment problems for high tech firms including Google, Intuit and a variety of start-ups. Janine also worked as counsel at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, served as Board Member of the Northern California Human Resources Association, and authored The HR Handbook, designed to help young tech companies navigate workplace laws.

Janine earned her JD at the University of California Hastings School of Law and a BA in English and Political Science at the University of California Berkeley.

Curran has honed her skills in leadership and talent development as well as diversity and inclusion over an impressive, nearly 20-year career. Curran earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and spent her early career working in behavioral science research at Hay/McBer in Cambridge Massachusetts, followed by consulting with organizations around culture, leadership and talent with the HayGroup. Most recently, Curran held the position of VP, Talent, Organization Development and Inclusion for the Pharma and Oncology divisions of Novartis. Prior to this, Curran held roles of increasing scope and responsibility at peer companies including Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca. She has extensive experience in building high performing executive teams, developing innovative talent strategies and practices and has served as a coach to numerous senior leaders in various functions. Originally from Pennsylvania, Curran has lived and worked across the U.S. & Europe, and was most recently based in Basel, Switzerland. Curran now resides in the Bay Area with her husband, Joseph, and her two children, Voss and Beatrice. While Curran loves to travel and experience new cultures with her family, she is currently exploring all that California has to offer.

Geoff Boraston is the VP Organizational Development at Granite Construction. 

Rachael Myrow is Senior Editor of KQED's Silicon Valley News Desk. You can hear her work on NPR, The World, WBUR's Here & Now, and the BBC. She also guest hosts for KQED's Forum. Over the years, she's talked with Kamau Bell, David Byrne, Kamala Harris, Tony Kushner, Armistead Maupin, Van Dyke Parks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tommie Smith, among others. Before all this, she hosted The California Report for 7+ years, reporting on topics like assisted living facilities, the robot takeover of Amazon, and chocolate persimmons. Awards? Sure: Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, Regional Edward R. Murrow, RTNDA, Northern California RTNDA, SPJ Northern California Chapter, LA Press Club, Golden Mic. Prior to joining KQED, Rachael worked in Los Angeles at KPCC and Marketplace. She holds degrees in English and journalism from UC Berkeley (where she got her start in public radio on KALX-FM...Go Bears!). Outside of the studio, you'll find Rachael hiking Bay Area trails and whipping up Instagram-ready meals in her kitchen.

As the Vice President of Human Resources at VMware, Jen Feri has led transformative people initiatives realized across the enterprise, showcasing her as a seasoned leader with an unparalleled ability to chart a course towards the North Star.

Jen is renowned for her dynamic leadership style, characterized by an energetic approach to problem-solving and a talent for cultivating solutions that yield substantial organizational impact. Her journey at VMware spans over a decade, during which she ascended from the role of Senior Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) to her current position as Vice President of Human Resources, leaving an enduring imprint on the organization.

Before joining VMware, Jen honed her skills as an HR Business Partner in various tech companies, focusing on crafting impactful, people-centered solutions that drove business outcomes.

Educationally, Jen holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from San Jose State University. She has earned certifications as a Coach from the Neuroleadership Institute, HBDI Certified by the Herrmann Institute, and 360 Certified by Korn Ferry.

Beyond her professional achievements, Jen embraces a vibrant personal life. In her free time, she cherishes moments with her husband, two sons, and their doodles. Known for her love of the outdoors, Jen seizes every opportunity for a nature hike or a spirited game of pickleball. A multifaceted individual, she is an avid woodturner and has recently taken up pottery, showcasing her creativity in both her professional and personal pursuits.

Julia Cohen Sebastien is the Co-founder and CEO of Grayce, the leading global family care navigation solution.  Prior to founding Grayce, Julia held executive roles in digital health companies, multiple roles at Aetna including SVP of Accountable Care Solutions, The Boston Consulting Group, and The Advisory Board Company / Optum.  She holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania as a Howard E. Mitchell fellow, and a BA from Dartmouth College.

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.

Carly Roszkowski is the Vice President of Financial Resilience Programming at AARP, where she leads strategy and outcome development within Financial Resilience and the Work and Jobs issue area. She helps individuals over the age of 50 obtain and maintain the level of employment they need or desire by increasing the competitiveness of 50-plus workers in the labor market, improves access to all forms of work opportunities for the 50-plus, and helps to eliminate age discrimination in the workforce.

Carly has over 20 years of experience developing and executing successful business and integrated marketing strategies, brand campaigns, and strategic partnerships for leading nonprofit organizations. She has been with AARP for five years and has spent time at AARP Foundation, and AARP Driver Safety. Prior to AARP, Carly directed marketing and communications at Teaching Strategies, an Education Technology company, and spent more than a decade in consumer and business-to-business offerings at Discovery Communications; she began her career in fundraising with the World Wildlife Fund.

Carly lives in Silver Spring, MD with her husband, three children, and two dogs.

Katherine is the Vice President and Global Head of People for One Planet Group and its subsidiaries.
Katherine has a strong background in recruiting, people development, and employee relations, having worked in the sector for over 20 years. Prior to One Planet Group, Katherine held HR positions at a boutique software company in San Ramon and at Accenture, a Fortune Global 500 company. Katherine holds an MBA from the Wharton School. Outside the office, Katherine is an active board member of her daughter's competitive synchronized swim team. She and her family live in the Bay Area.

Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist and Stanford professor (emeritus) who studies, writes, teaches, and speaks about the interplay between people and organizations. He has written more than 200 academic and practical articles and is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Good Boss, Bad Boss, The No Asshole Rule, The Knowing-Doing Gap (with Jeff Pfeffer) and Scaling Up Excellence (with Huggy Rao). His latest book (with Huggy Rao) is The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder. Bob is a co-founder of the Stanford d.school, Stanford Technology Ventures Program, and Center for Work, Technology and Organization. He works to hang out with wise, practical, and giving people—and strives to act like that too. His website is bobsutton.net.

Gyre Renwick is the Chief Operating Officer of Modern Health.

Jonathan Murray is the Head of Empowerly for Business, a pioneering organization that provides college & career counseling to high school, college, and post-graduate students - blending AI technology with personalized one-on-one guidance. As a recognized leader in the post-pandemic integration of EdTech into Employee Benefits, Jonathan has authored impactful research on the effects of college & career planning on mental health, family wellbeing, and employee productivity.

In 2023, EdTech magazine honored him as a Trendsetter for innovations in distribution and Time Magazine named his product a ‘Best Invention of 2022’. He brings experience as a CMO, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of multiple startups. Passionate views about community building, peer mentoring, and societal impacts of technology are a great way to spark a conversation.

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.

Heidi Haugen is a benefits specialist at Golden 1 Credit Union.

Sherry Rais, CEO and Co-Founder of Enthea, has helped dozens of startups, non-profit organizations, academic/research institutions, and small businesses raise funds, operate according to their mission and values, and implement processes that enhance their overall efficiency.

Sherry believes in living and working in alignment with purpose and is currently focused on expanding access to psychedelic-assisted therapy to alleviate human suffering. Enthea is a licensed, third-party administrator of health plan benefits with a mission to provide as many people as possible safe and affordable access to psychedelic therapy.  Before this, Sherry consulted for over 10 years with the United Nations and World Bank, implementing cash transfer programs at the national
level in over 35 countries.

Sherry holds a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and international development from McGill University. She also completed the Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from CIIS in 2021. In addition to being Enthea's CEO, she is the Executive Director of the Boston Psychedelic Research Group and the Grants Manager for CIIS.

Nicole Quinn Miles  is a Employee Health & Welfare Consultant at Marsh McLennan Agency.

Heather Ostrowski is the Director, Global Benefits at Keysight Technologies.

Christine Schmidt is a People Analytics expert who specializes in Data Infrastrastructure and Storytelling. She works to bring the best practices of analytics to support People Teams in supporting their Businesses. Christine joined Rippling with the goal of democratizing People Analytics - building a platform with organized data and intuitive interface such that any size organization can safely and securely analyze their People Data.

UC Berkeley Journalism professor David Thigpen is a former Time magazine reporter who covered Wall Street, popular music, and Chicago politics. His work has also been published in Rolling Stone and The New York Times.  At  Berkeley, David designed and directed the new undergraduate journalism curriculum. He has also done public policy research as a fellow at Institute for the Future in Palo Alto.

Michal Lev-Ram covers the technology and entertainment sectors for Fortune, writing profiles and in-depth features about the biggest personalities and trends within both industries. She also serves as the editorial director of Fortune Live Media, helping to steer the company’s growing portfolio of global conferences. In addition to her broader role as the editorial lead for Fortune Live Media, Michal co-chairs Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit and Brainstorm TECH, an annual technology gathering.

Outside of Fortune, Michal is the co-creator, writer, and host of Operation Firewall, an Audible Original podcast series about a groundbreaking cybercrime investigation that took place in the early 2000s. Previously, she was a staff writer at Business 2.0. and contributed to CNNMoney, Fast Company, and Popular Science. Michal has appeared on CNBC, CNN, NBC, and other TV and radio outlets. Born in Israel, she holds a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area with her husband, three kids, and miniature poodle.

Leesa Askew is an Enterprise Account Executive at Emtrain.