Laura Magnuson is the VP of Clinical Engagement and a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. She is responsible for supporting employer and payer clients realize the inherent clinical value of Talkspace's comprehensive mental health system for their various populations and bring mental wellbeing and treatment to life. She also provides industry thought leadership to HR professionals on how to create a mentally well workplace. As a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, she is passionate about mental health education and how that parlays into an effective and healthy workspace. She has held a variety of roles in the mental health space including with a payor, psychiatric hospital, crisis system, the courts, and the seriously mentally ill system. She has a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology as well as Marriage and Family Therapy. 

Sony is the VP, Learning & Organizational Development at Lionsgate.

Matthew Pepe has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources and Talent Management specializing in the Biotech industry. Matt has served as the VP of People for Ferrer US/Alexza Pharmaceuticals since May of 2024. Prior to joining Ferrer US/Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Matt was the VP of Human Resources at Talis Biomedical, a public point of care diagnostic company. There Matt engineered a major culture turnaround best shown by the reduction of turnover from over 30% to under 4% in one year. Before joining Talis, Matt served as the Lead for North American Talent Acquisition at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. While at Jazz Pharmaceuticals Mr. Pepe was part of the TA leadership team that drove the people engine enabling the company to almost double in size through organic growth. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pepe held various positions of increasing responsibility in the TA & Talent consulting and agency space. In these roles he helped hundreds of Pharma, Biotech, Medical Device and Diagnostics companies solve people problems and build high performing teams. Mr. Pepe earned a B.S. in Biology from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania.

Lawrence Price has built an impressive career spanning over two decades in business operations and human resources. He has held various roles with increasing levels of responsibility, starting as a U.S. Army officer. Over the last 20 years, he has held management and executive positions in manufacturing, construction services, energy, transportation, and technology. Areas of expertise include organizational development, change management, lean six sigma, statistical analysis, and large-scale organizational transformation. Lawrence’s vast experience and practical approach have made him highly sought by organizations that leverage continuous improvement to transform their culture. He is recognized as a champion of creating positive work cultures.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

JD is the VP, Organizational Development & Learning at Huge