Future of DEI Panel
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited.
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A panel of CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion signatories discussing the cultivation, development and evolution of DEI strategies in their workplace and community.
If a speaker has provided session materials, please see below or visit https://presentations.shrm.org
All virtual sessions inherently run the risk of audio or visual issues due to factors out of our control. If any technical difficulties arise, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work diligently to resolve it. All virtual sessions, unless marked as "LIVE ONLY" or "VIRTUAL LIVE ONLY", are recorded and will be available to view on demand until December 1, 2023.
Mike Fenlon
Michael J. Fenlon Ph.D. (Mike) is an executive leader of organizational, workforce and cultural transformation for the digital economy. He is recognized for expertise in people and workforce strategy, building inclusive cultures, leadership and executive team development, and using HR technology to drive productivity and employee experience. He has served in US and global leadership positions, including C-suite, at PwC, one of the largest professional services firms in the world.
Currently, Mike is Chief Future of Work Officer. In this newly created role, he develops thought-leadership, shares PwC perspectives on disruption and megatrends, drives strategic leadership development and advises Fortune 500 C-suite clients on the future of work. He also leads PwC’s sponsorship and strategies for CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the largest CEO driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, comprised of 2,400+ CEOs and university presidents representing 21M employees. He served as a PwC co-sponsor for the UN HeForShe initiative on global gender equality.
Prior to that, Mike was PwC’s Chief People Officer with CHRO responsibility for PwC US and Mexico plus employee centers in India, China, Argentina, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Earlier, he was Global and US Talent Leader for the PwC network, where he drove performance management, talent acquisition, technology and brand initiatives across 157 countries.
Fast Company Magazine honored Mike as one of the 100 most creative business leaders in the world, and HR Digest named him to its “Most Influential HR Leaders Power List.” Prior to joining PwC, Mike was a faculty member on the Columbia Business School executive education team that was ranked by The Financial Times as #1 in the world. As Associate Dean, he led top-ranked executive MBA programs in New York, EMBA Global with the London Business School, and an EMBA partnership with Berkeley-Haas.
Mike earned a PH.D and masters degrees from Columbia University, and a BA at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Mike lives in New York with his wife, four children, and the Labrador retrievers they raise for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Michelle Burgess
Michelle Burgess is the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Director of Inclusion & Diversity. She promotes an inclusive environment of belonging in the CCSWB culture and delivers the DEI strategy not just as a business imperative, but to ensure the BEST outcomes throughout the entire employee cycle of the associates, which are as diverse as the products Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages produces for 31 million friends and neighbors.
Michelle is a story-teller and speaks candidly about her experiences, tough lessons and 'aha' moments that helped her understand the importance of "perception". Often described as the "people whisperer" she is driven by purpose and the intention of creating workplaces and communities that benefit everyone. Michelle's unique background and mix of workplace leadership experiences, (from retail, to non-profit, healthcare administration, education, early-childhood, technology and the bottling and beverage industry) equip her to provide insight, with engaging, practical and immediately applicable solutions to real-world situations.
She coaches leaders to become self-aware, creates vulnerable spaces for people to share their realities, while teaching others to lean in and move from being a believer of diversity to taking action and becoming a builder of inclusion. Michelle creates training programs and workshops on the power of focusing on the people, inclusive leadership, leadership development, un-conscious bias, self-awareness, micro-affirmations, inclusive communication, fostering engagement, team performance, allyship, HR workforce trends, inclusive hiring practices, management essentials, curiosity, supplier diversity and the DEI mindset.
As a true change agent, she's been a volunteer, advocate, board member and speaker on the issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, belonging, healthcare equity, exclusion in the classroom, food deserts, housing discrimination and workplace systems. Michelle is the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Diversity Sessions which was created to have candid conversations about culture in the workplace and the impact on communities.
Jim Link, SHRM-SCP
Jim Link is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management. With more than 315,000 members around the world, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace.
Jim’s career includes roles of increasing responsibility across a variety of industries and companies including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad. In his most recent role as CHRO for Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader.
Jim has served as a volunteer leader in several organizations including the SHRM Foundation Board, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Human Capital Advisory Board, and the Human Resources Leadership Forum.
Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University. Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA.
Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.