Volunteer Leaders' Business Meeting

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Keynote Speakers

  • James Meyers

    James
    Meyers

    James Meyers founded Imagination in 1994, an award-winning content marketing agency with over 100 employees in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He currently works with some of the largest, most forward-thinking companies and associations in America, helping them futureproof their marketing and messaging. Jim specializes in developing strategies for organizations seeking to offer enduring value and relevance by transforming their marketing programs into dynamic, always-on content built to anticipate and deliver on customer and member needs. In 2019, Jim authored the book Becoming Essential which explores the challenges that associations face in today’s digital world and how they can remain essential to their members.

     Prior to the start of Imagination, Jim served as group president of Macmillan Business Publishing, senior vice president of marketing for the Chicago Sun-Times, and senior vice president of marketing at Carson Pirie Scott stores. 

    Jim received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He has also completed management and leadership programs at Northwestern University and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

    Mike Aitken

    Mike
    Aitken

    Mike Aitken is Executive Vice President, HR Professional Solutions at SHRM, following 15 years of leading SHRM’s successful advocacy programs as Vice President of Government Affairs.  

    Mike is a leading authority on the issues important to the human resource profession and drives SHRM’s membership vision, ensuring excellent member experiences, and implementing the organization’s newly developed business strategy.

    He applies his proven model of engagement to shape the future of work, workers, and workplaces. He is an expert relationship-builder across diverse constituencies and stakeholders, always seeking out the “win-win” in every situation.

    As a member of SHRM’s executive team, Mike also plays a key role in setting the strategic direction of the organization, offering important counsel on SHRM’s educational programs and professional development opportunities.

    Before joining SHRM in 2003, he spent 14 years with the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), which represents more than 23,000 HR professionals at over 1,900 higher education institutions. 

    In 2015 and 2016, Mike served as an employer representative on the U.S. delegation to the International Labour Conference.

    Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego.

    David Windley, SHRM-SCP

    David
    Windley, SHRM-SCP

    David Windley is the CEO of IQTalent Partners, Inc. and oversees the firm’s strategic direction, business development, and day to day operations. Prior to joining IQTalent Partners, Windley was the Chief Human Resources Officer at Yahoo! and Fusion-io. Additionally, Windley held executive human resources positions at Microsoft, Intuit and Silicon Graphics, Inc. He is currently the Board Chair for the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and serves on the Tenant Company Board of Directors as the Compensation Committee Chair. Windley is a Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). He earned his MBA from San Francisco State University and is a graduate of San Diego State University.

    Wendi Safstrom

    Wendi
    Safstrom

    Wendi Safstrom is a senior non-profit leader committed to serving the public through philanthropic program management, cultivating strategic partnerships and managing and developing high performing teams. She has both association and nonprofit management experience including; national program development and administration, membership strategy, marketing and product development, grant management, development and donor stewardship, and leading cross functional teams. Safstrom currently serves as President for the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation (SHRM Foundation), where she leads the development and implementation of SHRM Foundation's programmatic, development, and marketing and communication strategies in support of SHRM Foundation's new mission and vision, creating growth plans and ensuring alignment with SHRM goals.  

    Prior to assuming the role at SHRM Foundation, Safstrom served as Vice President at the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, where she led the development and implementation of their Foundation's most recent five-year strategic plan, and was responsible for all Foundation programming, including workforce development initiatives, scholarship and event management, community relations and engagement initiatives. The NRAEF's philanthropic programming supported a number of audiences including high school youth, veterans transitioning from service to civilian work and life, opportunity youth and incumbent workers. Of particular note, she led the implementation of the restaurant industry's premier high school career and technical education program, growing the program to over 2,000 public high schools, engaging over 150,000 students annually, nationwide. In 2016, she served as lead project director for the development of a $10 million contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to develop the hospitality industry's first apprenticeship program, and was instrumental in the Foundation's reorganization and relocation of operations from Chicago, Illinois to Washington, D.C., transforming the staff and culture.  

    Safstrom has also held human resource management roles with the Leo Burnett Company and Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. She has a BS in Business Administration from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University and was recognized as a member of the 2014 "Power 20" by Restaurant Business Magazine as a leader in philanthropy within the restaurant industry.  

     

  • Karith Foster

    Karith
    Foster

    Karith Foster is a Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Expert and creator of the groundbreaking INVERSITY™ methodology and other signature programs. She is creating a seismic shift in diversity and culture change in academic institutions, organizations and corporations across America. These new conversations are revolutionizing the way we address issues of diversity, mental wellness and leadership.

    Karith brings the perfect blend of humor, knowledge and experience while conveying the ever-present need to address diversity, inclusion and effective communication. Karith leaves her audiences feeling engaged, connected, inspired and encouraged to commit to the journey of mutual respect, acceptance and a greater sense of belonging.

    As a speaker, humorist, TV & radio personality, author, entrepreneur, wife, and mother, Karith is a positive force of change with her sense of duty, service—along with her riotous sense of humor. “If you can laugh at it you can get through it,” is her motto and the invaluable lesson she seeks to instill in others. 

    In addition to being CEO of INVERSITY™ Solutions, Karith is also the Founder of F.R.A.M.E the Foster Russell Alliance for Meaningful Expression a 501(c)3 non-profit, whose mission is to inspire free speech, inclusion, social change and empowerment through education and mentorship on college and university campuses.

    Karith was featured in two hit documentary films “Can We Take a Joke?” and "No Safe Spaces" which have garnered accolades in The Washington Post and TIME Magazine, as has her TEDx Talk “The Art of Defying Stereotypes: Learning to be True to Your Voice.” Karith is a former co-host on Imus in the Morning, has also made regular appearances on Fox&Friends, MSNBC, Howard Stern, Comedy Central, and Oprah.

    Friday, November 15, 2019 - 10:15am to 11:30am
  • Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP

    Johnny C.
    Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP

    J

    Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

    As a global leader on the future of employment, culture and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine and one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

    Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

    He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

    Mr. Taylor is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

    The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity for his work to achieve equal position, pay and power for all women in business. In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

    He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

     

    Saturday, November 16, 2019 - 10:45am to 12:00pm
Conference Registration Codes: 
VLS19
VLS19_CP
VLS19_CMP
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VLS19_CMP_SC
VLS19_CPE
VLS19_INDATT
VLS19_SC-CD
VLS19_SC-DE
VLS19_SC-DIRECTOR
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