The Professional Sports Panel- Elevating Talent - A Company’s Most Valuable Resource
The Professional Sports Panel Keynote session will provide a unique platform to have a conversation about how COVID-19 and social unrest impacted the NBA and NFL.
Get ready to be amazed by our General Session Keynote Speakers:
- Dasha Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, National Football League
- Oris Stuart, Chief People and Inclusion Officer, National Basketball Association
- Moderator: Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, President and Chief Executive Officer, SHRM
Virtual: This session is available live only and unavailable for viewing on-demand.
Dasha Smith
Dasha Smith is the Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer for the National Football League where she leads people operations and strategy, technology, diversity & inclusion, social responsibility, and league office administration. Prior to joining the NFL, Dasha served in senior leadership roles at Sony Music Entertainment, GCM Grosvenor and Time Inc. Early in her career Ms. Smith practiced as an M&A lawyer. Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law. Ms. Smith is an independent Director for Cohen & Steers, Inc., CAPTRUST, and Beautycounter. She also serves as a trustee for several non-profit education and arts organizations including RFK Human Rights and National Museum of African American Music.
Oris Stuart
As Chief People and Inclusion Officer at the National Basketball Association, Oris Stuart is responsible for leading the combined Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion groups. He oversees diversity and inclusion strategies for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League and its teams, supports the growth and development of the NBA’s global workforce, and strengthens commitments to attract, retain, develop and engage diverse talent.
With a focus on people, culture, inclusion and innovation, Stuart aims to establish policies and expand programs to increase the representation of people of color and women in leadership roles and positions across the league. He leads the NBA’s Global Inclusion Council and efforts to grow the league’s network of Black-, women- and diverse-owned suppliers. Stuart also works closely with senior leadership to enable, empower and develop employees in 13 U.S. and international offices.
Stuart joined the NBA in June 2015 and was named the league’s first Chief People and Inclusion Officer in 2020,
Stuart has 20 years of experience as a business executive in diversity and inclusion and talent management fields. Prior to the NBA, Stuart spent two years as a Senior Partner with Korn Ferry, an executive search and talent management firm, where he led its Inclusion and Diversity practice. Previously, Stuart served as the Chief Executive Officer for Global Novations, the world’s leading provider of diversity and inclusion consulting and training solutions. During his tenure with Global Novations, Stuart supported clients across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, guided the expansion of the firm’s technology and consulting platforms, and led its ultimate acquisition by Korn Ferry in 2012.
Stuart graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering and holds an MBA from Duke University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Black MBA Association and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a national organization that empowers African-American corporate leaders to make significant and impactful contributions in the global marketplace and their communities.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
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.
