Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton joined The Denver Post in January 2022 as a business reporter, focusing her coverage on social inequities in business. She writes for Smithsonian Magazine, Delish, Eater and other publications. She covers the Hawaiian diaspora for Ka Wai Ola, a Hawaiʻi-based newspaper. She also serves as a faculty adjunct at Arizona State University, teaching Media Issues in American Pop Culture. 

For two years, she chased after lawmakers on Capitol Hill as Bloomberg Government's agriculture and trade policy reporter. Megan has covered the Venezuelan refugee crisis in Peru, parliamentary affairs in England, White House press briefings in Washington, D.C., and the cannabis industry in Colorado.

Christopher Smith is the Vice President, Benefits at Universal Music Group.

Marni McDowell is the Senior Director of Global Health & Wellbeing at Micron Technology leading the wellbeing, experience, and team member advocacy teams. Marni is a Registered Dietitian with a Master of Science in Wellness Promotion, and a PhD in Industrial and Organizational psychology. She started her career working in a variety of health care settings and has spent the past 15 years in corporate health and wellbeing and resides in Boise, ID. Marni is passionate about creating a work environment that enables people to thrive in and out of work.

Responsibilities: Brian Copeland is Fannie Mae’s Vice President of Total Rewards, reporting to the Senior Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations. In this role, Copeland is responsible for the leadership of compensation, benefits, promotion, and recognition programs targeted at attracting, retaining, engaging, and rewarding talent in support of Fannie Mae’s Total Rewards strategy.

Experience: Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Copeland was in PwC’s Workforce Transformation practice where he served 100+ clients in global compensation, job architecture, benefits, sales compensation, payroll, talent management, and performance management design across many industries. He advised management and compensation committees on total rewards design, governance, and compliance. He successfully worked with over two-dozen M&A and pre-IPO companies in establishing HR-operating models and total rewards value propositions.

Education: Mr. Copeland has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University and has his Senior Professional in Human Resources certification.

Techy Madrid is the Director of Benefits & Payroll at Bureau Veritas.

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.

Lydia Dishman is Fast Company’s senior editor for growth and engagement. She has also written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

Marina is the VP, Rewards & Performance at Schneider Electric.