Jen Bailey is an accomplished human resources executive with experience in total rewards and shared services spanning nearly 20 years across large organizations and impactful community engagement.

Currently serving as Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Shared Services at Allina Health. Jen is passionate about women in business, focusing on those preparing for college or their first career step. She contributes to the community as a Board Member and Governance Chair at Mission Animal Hospital, she is also involved with TeamWomen. 

Academically, Jen holds a Master of Arts in HR-IR from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Gustavus Adolphus College.

She brings her full, unfiltered self to business—energetic, positive, and unapologetically real—proving you do not have to change who you are to get outstanding results. Jen Bailey is a dynamic business leader who proves success does not require fitting into a corporate mold.

She lives in White Bear Lake with her husband and two rescue pups, Gilly, and Mabel. Her favorite job is being Fun Auntie to her 7 nieces and nephew. 

Peter Grimm is the Assistant Vice President of Training Development & Design at Sedgwick. He leads the development and implementation of comprehensive training programs designed to successfully onboard new colleagues and continuously upskill existing ones. With over 30 years of experience in the field, Peter has a proven track record of creating innovative learning solutions that meet the needs of the learners he supports.

Peter holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota and an Education Specialist degree from Concordia University. He has served in various roles in K-12 education, including teacher, principal, and district teaching and learning director. Peter was also an elected member of the Rockford Area Schools’ School Board.

Outside of his work in K-12 education, Peter has considerable experience developing curriculum and training.  He was a project manager for John Wiley & Sons, managing the development of textbooks and online courses. He also served as a Master Teacher for Project Lead the Way, where he was part of the curriculum and assessment development team and prepared teachers from across the country to deliver pre-engineering courses.

In 2018, Peter joined Edmentum, a leader in educational technology, as Director of Instructional Program Design. There, he developed innovative career pathway training for learners in both the K-12 and adult learning spaces, as well as training programs for new Edmentum employees. In December 2019, Peter transitioned to Director of Academy Program Development, leading Edmentum’s operations and implementation teams through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. After six years with Edmentum, Peter joined Sedgwick in 2023.

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.

With over 15 years of executive strategy and sales experience in the health care industry and employee wellness, Bianca Carr is a recognized leader and speaker in member engagement and prepaid-card incentive solutions for preventive health outcomes and government programs and other business that are focused on employee health and wellness. Bianca is an industry expert, having worked at two large fintech payment companies and also representing MN in the employer SHRM space. Bianca’s core competencies include building business partnerships solving complex industry challenges and developing new product innovations within the health care and government sectors. She works with health plans, wellness companies, and government programs, especially Medicare and Medicaid, to improve HEDIS, CAHPS, and STAR ratings using prescriptive member  engagement and incentive strategies. She also consults on critical programs that affect states and federal programs within health
care, such as COVID relief, human aid, and accessibility to PPE. Bianca’s mission is to design and deliver easy-to-use, member-centric, and data-driven programs that create an increased awareness on healthy actions and social determinants of health.

Lukas is a People (HR), Inclusion and Culture executive leader at UnitedHealth Group. Lukas is responsible for leading inclusion and culture initiatives, aligning to enterprise strategies. He partners closely with key stakeholders across UnitedHealth Group to achieve the company’s goals.

Additionally, he is responsible for the employee resource groups (ERGs), leader advisory councils, and national partnerships with external organizations with aligned missions.

Lukas joined UnitedHealth Group in 2011 and has served in various leadership roles in the People Team and Sustainability Office. Through fostering meaningful relationships with leaders and colleagues, he has contributed materially to the evolution of the culture and employee experience at UHG. Lukas holds a master's degree in counseling psychology (marriage and family therapy) and bachelor's degrees in psychology, Spanish language, and women and gender studies.

Outside of work, Lukas spends his time with his husband, son, family, and friends.

Kelly Johnson works for U.S. Bank as a SVP, HR Advisory Services Leader, leading the team that supports all employee relations and investigation issues for U.S. Bank’s Branch and Small Business Banking, Consumer Lending, and Wealth Management employees (around 20,000 employees).  Prior to this role she spent the last 4 years as a Senior Talent Consultant supporting U.S. Bank’s CHRO and the HR organization. In that role, she was responsible for all talent related activities such as Organization Design, Talent Management and Succession Planning and was instrumental in their HR Transformation efforts. She has spent most of her career as a HR Business Partner in Fortune 500 companies such as U.S. Bank, Target, and Pepsi.  Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Arts in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.  She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two kids and is an active member on her children’s school board.

I am currently with Xcel Energy, serving as the Vice President of Total Rewards. The teams I lead are accountable for assessing, designing, implementing and administering programs for the following areas: benefits (health, welfare, retirement, leave of absence), compensation (base pay, annual incentive, and long-term incentive), employee recognition, payroll, HR operations, HR technology and workforce analytics. We focus on supporting the company’s growth and its ability to compete for talent within and outside of the Utility industry. Our aspiration is to deliver competitive and holistic total rewards offerings that meet the needs of our diverse workforce.

Prior to joining Xcel Energy Services, I worked in various industries and served in different total rewards leadership capacities for domestic and global companies. The following are several organizations I previously worked for: Patterson Companies, Donaldson, Medtronic, Graco and CHS.

Steve Davis is currently working as the National Sales Manager, Business Partnerships at Netspend, a Global Payments Company at Global Payments Inc. He is based in Little Rock, AR, and brings with him over 25 years of experience in corporate and commercial payments. Steve has previously held roles at FIS and American Express.

Steve is passionate about business innovation and is always eager to learn. He has a certificate in leadership excellence from Harvard Business School Executive Education and a BBA in General Business from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With his extensive skill set that includes market research, sales, marketing strategy, and building strategic partnerships, Steve provides valuable insights to the industry.

Jason Midtdahl is the Senior Experience Solution Engineer at Workvivo by Zoom.

Corey is a leadership development expert with more than 25 years of experience in the field of adult development, honed by consulting with Fortune 500 companies around the globe. Prior to joining Adeption, she was a senior faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership and the Director of Executive Development at Target. 

A biologist by training, Corey uses an evidence-based approach to create scalable, high-quality, and customized solutions for leaders at all levels. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her husband, grown sons and their mini goldendoodle, Archie.

Natalie Canadeo is the Vice President of Human Resources Business Partners, Communications, & Operations at Epicor Software.

With over 15 years of experience in various roles within the field of human resources, Natalie has a proven track record of driving transformational change and amplifying the employee experience.

Natalie has held several leadership positions at Epicor, including Senior Director of Global HR Technology & Operations, Senior Director of Global Talent & Culture, and Director of Human Resources Business Partner. She has led global teams responsible for learning and development, internal communications, employee engagement, performance management, and HR for HR.

Natalie holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) with a focus on Strategy and Organizational Management from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management, and a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management and Spanish from the University of St. Thomas - Opus College of Business. She is also a Certified Strengths Coach from Gallup and a trained executive coach.

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.

Dr. Roz Tsai is Vice President, HR Strategic Initiatives at Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services firm based in Minneapolis. Since joining Thrivent as Vice President, Talent, Learning & Org Effectiveness five years ago, Roz has led the company’s talent strategy, talent acquisition, talent management, leadership development and organization effectiveness efforts in support of Thrivent’s bold transformation and growth objectives. Previously, Roz served as vice president of HR and chief learning officer at Ecolab, leading performance management, career frameworks, leadership development and enterprise learning initiatives for its 49,000 global workforce. Roz has also held transformative leadership roles in Honeywell, Lawson Software (now Infor) and Northern States Power Company (now Xcel Energy). With her extensive cross-functional experiences across multiple industry sectors, Roz has developed a unique and strategic approach to creating high-performing teams that drive enduring business impact. A native of Tianjin, China, Roz holds a doctorate degree from University of Minnesota, where she currently serves as adjunct faculty for its Carlson School of Management, teaching Global Talent Management for global business executives.

Becca is responsible for leading the human resources team and function, delivering Securian Financial’s talent, culture and operational HR needs.

Experience
Becca joined Securian in January 2023 as vice president, Talent Management and assumed responsibility for the HR function in April 2025. She has over 25 years of experience in human resources, including roles leading culture, DEI, employee experience, HR strategy, organizational change management, HR technology and operations, employment brand, and mergers and acquisitions. Becca has experience across multiple industries including retail, technology and financial services, and a range of organizations including start-up, non-profit and Fortune 50.

Education
• Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration and French, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota

Registrations/Licenses
• Professional Human Resources Certification (PHR)
• Change Leadership, Destra Consulting Group, LLC

Community
Becca serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for Regions Hospital and the Regions Hospital Foundation Corporate Council. She is on the leadership council of Make It. MSP, a strategic talent initiative of the Greater MSP Partnership to position the region as a destination for talent. Becca volunteers regularly with the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in events and educational programs.

Experience
Becca joined Securian in January 2023 as vice president, Talent Management and assumed responsibility for the HR function in April 2025. She has over 25 years of experience in human resources, including roles leading culture, DEI, employee experience, HR strategy, organizational change management, HR technology and operations, employment brand, and mergers and acquisitions. Becca has experience across multiple industries including retail, technology and financial services, and a range of organizations including start-up, non- profit and Fortune 50.

Education
• Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration and French, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota Registrations/Licenses
• Professional Human Resources Certification (PHR)
• Change Leadership, Destra Consulting Group, LLC

Community
Becca serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for Regions Hospital and the Regions Hospital Foundation Corporate Council. She is on the leadership council of Make It. MSP, a strategic talent initiative of the Greater MSP Partnership to position the region as a destination for talent. Becca volunteers regularly with the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in events and educational programs.

Dustin is the Vice President, HR Strategy & Solutions at 3M

Megan Thompson is an award-winning television producer and special correspondent for PBS News Weekend. She spent thirteen years at WNET, New York City's PBS station, where she served as a substitute anchor, on-air reporter, editor and videographer for a variety of national news and documentary programs. She has reported on a wide range of issues - from health care and climate change to poverty and criminal justice - across the U.S. and from 20 countries around the world. Her work has earned her three Emmy nominations, four Headliner Awards, three Gracies and a Student Academy Award. Megan holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MA in Journalism from New York University. She lives in Minneapolis with her family.

Guy is the owner and founder of Westcomm, a full- service communications firm with expertise in employee and benefits communications, marketing and video storytelling. Over the past 25+ years, Guy has developed a passion for helping HR teams bridge the gap with employees. He champions communications that help employees really understand their benefits and, more importantly, how to use them effectively. Through segmented and personalized communications that leverage content and design in meaningful ways, the Westcomm team helps companies move the needle—from increased enrollment, greater education or improved engagement. Guy, a true marketer at heart, also partners with marketing departments to provide storytelling and marketing campaigns. He has helped shape communications initiatives for small business start- ups and established multi-national corporations. Prior to starting Westcomm in 2001, he ran internal communications for a global division of Visteon Corporation.

Dee is a reporter covering business at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Originally from the East Coast, Dee earned her undergraduate degree at Vassar College and a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Maryland. She has been a journalism fellow at several institutions, including the Wharton School of Business, East West Center, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, and the Sidney Hillman Foundation. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, reading, fitness, and gardening.

Fran Benjamin (they/he/she) is the Managing Partner and Principal Consultant at Good Works Consulting, an organizational development, human capital consulting, and executive coaching firm. With 20 years of experience guiding organizational transformation and inclusive cultures, Fran has led global teams through 50+ successful engagements with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. A former VP and Head of People at GRAIL, Inc., Fran helped scale the company through rapid growth, major financing, and an $8B acquisition. Their prior leadership roles at Airbnb and Deloitte Consulting, along with a coaching practice that includes executives from Salesforce and Genentech, reflect their expertise in building inclusive leadership ecosystems. An MBA graduate from UCLA Anderson, Fran is also a certified Integral Coach, yoga instructor, and a somatics practitioner, blending professional rigor with creative and holistic approaches to leadership.

Paul Fried is a lifelong entrepreneur, trained end-of-life doula, and the founder of I Made the Arrangements, a groundbreaking digital platform that empowers individuals to plan for the end of life with clarity, dignity, and compassion. Over the past three decades, Paul has launched and led businesses in construction, real estate development, restaurants, novelty gifts, food trucks, and the residential cleaning industry, where he built one of the most respected cleaning companies in New Jersey. His career is rooted in service, resilience, and creating meaningful solutions for everyday people.

Inspired by his experience as the son of a Holocaust survivor and moved by a life-changing visit to Auschwitz, Paul created I Made the Arrangements to transform how we talk about, and prepare for, death. Combining his entrepreneurial mindset with his training as an end-of-life doula, Paul built a platform that’s more than legal checkboxes, it’s a tool for legacy, love, and emotional clarity.

Through I Made the Arrangements, employees can create wills, advance directives, funeral preferences, legacy messages, and posthumous communications, all in one secure, user-friendly space. As a workplace benefit, it offers employers a way to show employees they are more than a number, they’re a life worth honoring.

Paul speaks nationally on legacy, emotional wellness, and how to humanize employee benefits with offerings that actually matter, especially when it matters most.

Colleen Flaherty Manchester, PhD, is a Professor in the Work and Organizations department and Faculty Director of the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies at the Carlson School of Management. She completed her PhD in economics from Stanford University, with a specialization in labor economics and public finance. She also received her B.A. in both public policy and economics from Stanford University. Her research investigates workplace practices, including benefits and policies, implemented by employers and their effects on the careers of workers, including differences by gender and caregiving role. Research areas of interest include incentives, flexible work policies, human capital investment, and retirement policies. She seeks to advance a multidisciplinary, multi-method research agenda for studying the effects of workplace practices on the careers of workers.