Mike Crownover has headed Valero’s Human Resources department since 2002. He was promoted to his current title of Senior Vice President of Human Resources in July 2007 and was elected as an officer of the company in October 2005. Prior to coming to Valero, Mike spent 20 years with Halliburton in a variety of HR roles. During Mr. Crownover’s tenure, Valero has grown from 1,700 employees to more than 23,000 and has consistently been recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and ranked #1 Best Big Companies to Work For 2007 by Fortune 500.

Deborah began her career with General Motors Australia where she assumed a variety of roles over her 6 years. After generalist roles in the Engine Operations facility, she assumed the position of Organisational Effectiveness Consultant, charged with establishing General Motors University in the Pacific region, and setting up assessment and development centres for recruitment and hi potential development. Deborah joined Dow in 2000 as the HR Manager for Australia / New Zealand based in Altona, Melbourne. During her time in the Pacific, she led Compensation initiatives in the Pacific region and led a number of projects across Human Resources Development (HRD) and Workforce Planning. In 2003, Deborah relocated to Horgen, Switzerland to take on the role of HR Business Service Leader for a number of businesses in the Basic Plastics & Chemicals, Performance Plastics & Chemicals (PP&C), and Hydrocarbons & Energy portfolios. In October 2006, she relocated to Midland, Michigan to assume the role of Workforce Planning Leader for North and Latin America, managing the recruiting activity for these two regions. Deborah was appointed to her most recent role of Global HR Director, Marketing and Sales in January 2008.

Andrew Gold is the Executive Director, Global Benefit Planning, for Pitney Bowes. In this role, he oversees the design and administration of most of the company’s benefit offerings, including medical, dental and prescription drug plans for active employees and retirees, 401k and pension plans and various voluntary benefits such as life insurance, long term care and critical care. He also leads the company's work life programs and efforts to implement a global employee value proposition. Andy joined Pitney Bowes in April 1994, as the Director, Human Resources Counsel for Pitney Bowes Inc. In this role, he provided legal advice and oversaw litigation on all aspects of labor and employee relations in the United States and Canada. Between October 2001 and July 2002, Andy took on a developmental assignment as Director, HR, Northeast Region for Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) where he was responsible for managing the overall Human Resource Operations for the region. After returning to his legal role, in July 2004, Andy again joined HR, as the HR Director for PBMS, Andy was accountable for understanding the needs and strategies to support the 12,000 employees within the unit and translating those needs into the appropriate people strategies. Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Andy worked in the employment law departments of Whitman Breed Abbott and Proskauer Rose in New York City.

Lew Walker is the Vice President of Human Resources – AT&T Mobility. In this role, Lew is responsible for Corporate and Field Human Resources for various client groups. At Cingular Wireless, Lew was Vice President of Human Resources, Operations and Labor. Before joining Cingular in 2000, Lew was Vice President of Human Resources for SBC Wireless from 1995. From 1992 to 1995 he was Director of Human Resources for Associated Communications. Lew received his bachelors degree from State University of New York at Plattsburgh. In addition, he has the designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Society of Human Resources. In this session Lew will leverage his knowledge and experience to discuss how HR can help drive the Merger & Acquisition process and develop value between the two companies.

John Hollon is the editor of Workforce Management, a Crain Communications’ publication based in Irvine, California. John is an award-winning journalist who spent 20 years in newspapers as an editor for Hearst at the late Los Angeles Herald Examiner, for Freedom Communications at The Orange County Register, and as the top editor for Gannett at two statewide papers – the Great Falls Tribune in Montana, and The Honolulu Advertiser in Hawaii. Under John’s leadership, the staff of the Great Falls Tribune was honored as Gannett’s most improved newspaper, and John was named one of the company’s 10 best editors. While in Hawaii, John’s staff at The Honolulu Advertiser won the two top Best of Gannett Awards, including the Public Service award for an investigation into prisoner abuse at the Hawaii State Prison.

Jack Phillips is a world-renowned expert on accountability, measurement, and evaluation. Phillips provides consulting services for Fortune 500 companies and major global organizations. The author or editor of more than fifty books, SHRM has presented him an award for his books and honored a Phillips ROI study with its highest award for creativity. The American Society for Training and Development awarded Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Development for his work on ROI. His expertise in measurement and evaluation is based on more than 27 years of corporate experience in the aerospace, textile, metals, construction materials, and banking industries. Dr. Phillips has served as training and development manager at two Fortune 500 firms, as senior human resource officer at two firms, as president of a regional bank, and as management professor at a major state university. This background led Dr. Phillips to develop the ROI Methodology which will be presented here a revolutionary process that provides bottom-line figures and accountability for all types of learning, performance improvement, human resource, technology, and public policy programs.

Charlene Hugel is the Director, Human Resources Operations for Gap Inc. In this role, she leads a team focused on the execution of college recruitment strategies and various human resources processes which impact the Gap Inc. candidate experience, including internet advertising and employment branding. Charlene leverages her experience as an HR generalist and her passion for the retail industry to develop and deliver recruitment and talent pipeline solutions. Prior to joining Gap Inc. in 2004, Charlene held Human Resources leadership positions with Mervyn’s/Target Corporation and Discovery Channel Stores, contributing to company-wide succession planning, employee relations, and total compensation.

Elizabeth blends over a decade of practical experience in human resources and talent management in the corporate arena with substantial academic expertise in organizational development. As Director of Talent Planning and Strategy at Cisco Systems, Elizabeth is responsible for executive succession planning and executive nominations, serving as the Talent Officer in Cisco’s development organization focused on executive talent planning and executive assessment and development. Most recently, Elizabeth was VP, Human Resources at Fiserv where she directed the human resources function. Prior, Elizabeth was VP, Talent Management at First Data Corporation. In this role, she developed the “Talent Action Priority Assessment” and consulted to each member of the Executive Committee to determine the high priority talent actions required to support the execution of their business strategy. Elizabeth was VP, Leadership and Management Development at Goldman Sachs. In this capacity, she directed executive development in collaboration with world-class academics for Managing Directors focused on leadership, strategy, emerging technologies and globalization. She also designed a series of management and leadership programs to enhance effectiveness and address the challenges faced by multi-level leaders.

Joe is Vice President of Human Resources for Chevron Corporation. In this capacity he oversees Chevron's global human resources and medical services function and is the principal steward of the company's Invest in People strategy that seeks to build a high-performing global workforce. Laymon came to Chevron in 2008 from Ford Motor Company, where he served as group vice president of Corporate Human Resources and Labor Affairs. Prior to joining Ford in 2000, Laymon worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with assignments in Zaire and Washington, D.C. He joined Xerox Corporation in 1979, and went on to hold a number of senior human resources and labor positions, over the course of 17 years. Laymon then joined the Eastman Kodak Company where he held several senior human resources positions. Laymon is a member of the Human Resources Network in the Petroleum Industry, the HR Policy Association, and the board of directors for Molex, Inc.

Michael R. Kannisto currently leads the Staffing, University Relations, and Employment Branding initiatives at BASF Corporation. Michael received a B.S. in chemistry from Hope College, a Ph.D. in chemistry from Texas A&M University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Michigan. Mike is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Society for Human Resource Management, and has earned certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources from HRCI. He is also a certified Process Excellence Greenbelt, and is a member of the MBA Focus Advisory Board. Michael is a respected author, and his work can by found in publications ranging from Inorganic Chemistry and The Journal of the American Ceramic Society to The Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership. He contributes regularly to the ERE Daily electronic newsletter, and serves as an expert advisor for the Human Capital Institute’s Employer Branding learning track.

Julia Kirby is the editor at Harvard Business Review who directs development of the magazine’s twice-yearly special issues, which focus on single, important management themes. Most recently, she led work on the January 2009 issue on the topic of Leadership Transitions. The issue brings together new research findings and expert insights to guide leaders taking on newly challenging roles. As part of that issue, she also directed HBR’s own research into the fast-growing field of executive coaching. A senior editor of the magazine since 2000, Julia has acquired and developed over 120 articles for its pages. Pieces she has acquired and developed recently include Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership by Alice Eagly and Linda Carli, The Institutional Yes: An Interview with Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, and Should You Invest in the Long Tail?, by Anita Elberse. From 2000-2008, she managed HBR’s popular case study department. Prior to joining HBR, Julia worked in the management consulting industry, producing and distributing research-based insights from the Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation and, later, Accenture’s Institute for Strategic Change.

James is Vice President, Corporate Human Resources for Aker Solutions. In this role he is responsible for enterprise-wide people strategy development and methods, and global program implementation. He is a director and board member of AK Advantage Ltd, a global technical resources company based in the UK. Prior to being appointed to corporate human resources, James has a 20 year successful track record as a global people management strategist to business operations; thought leader and developer of human capital and talent management; people process management, expatriate programs, executive to line rewards strategies and plans, labor and union relations/negotiations, leadership development, succession management strategies, and the creation of learning academies. James is currently based in Houston with professional experience in oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, onshore and offshore operations, with various strategic & operational positions in HR. Over his career he has lived and worked in Asia, Middle East, Europe, Russia, and Nordic regions. In 2007 Aker was rated #1 in working environment and employment attractiveness by Forbes Magzine through Global RepTrak Pulse survey. Aker Solutions has over 30,000 employees in 30 countries and $10 billion dollars annual revenue. Aker Solutions is a global provider of engineering and construction, technology products, execution, service and integrated solutions for the oil and gas and process industries.

Jo Ellen Helmer is a client-serving partner at Ernst & Young and a leader in the firm’s efforts to foster and maintain an inclusive work environment. In her role on the Americas Inclusiveness team, Jo Ellen works with firm leadership to build and execute programs that help all EY people achieve their potential, regardless of differences such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Jo Ellen has been a long-time advocate for inclusiveness within Ernst & Young. She served as a member of the Midwest Area Professional Women’s Network and Ernst & Young’s National Gender Equity Steering Committee. While Jo Ellen spends a significant amount of time on Inclusiveness, she continues to provide assurance and advisory services to health sciences clients. She has more than 20 years of experience serving major health science clients in an external audit and business/risk advisory capacity. Her clients include Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, nationally-renown hospitals and large academic medical centers. Jo Ellen currently serves on the board of the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization (iBIO), acts as a public speaker on various accounting matters and participates in community events.

Erica Tickle, PHR developed and leads the Organizational Effectiveness function for Wegmans Food Markets, a high-end grocery retailer based out of Rochester, NY. Wegmans has been on the 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the past 10 years. Erica’s 13 years of experience with the company includes assignments in Store Operations, Human Resources, and Training and Development. Erica is a graduate of Cornell University and has her MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is passionate about helping groups improve performance through practical innovations in organizational design, change management and team effectiveness.

Leslie Carlson, Sr. Consultant, facilitates change management and project teams for Wegmans Food Markets. Leslie’s experience with Wegmans for the past three years includes organizational design projects, people systems work and change management. Prior to joining Wegmans Food Markets Leslie worked in Human Resources in the software and telecommunications industries. Her focus was on domestic and international program design, performance management, change management, survey design & analysis and employee communications.

Carole Young is General Manager, Global Offices of Diversity and Ombuds for Chevron Corp. In this capacity, she is responsible for defining the company’s strategic direction, vision, philosophy, objectives and metrics around global diversity and Ombuds issues. Previously, Young served as corporate ombuds director for Texaco Inc., a position she assumed in 1998. She was responsible for developing and managing Texaco’s ombuds program, a resource within the company to provide confidential assistance in resolving work-related concerns by serving as a counselor and facilitator. In this assignment, Young reported directly to the office of the chairman and chief executive officer. A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., Young earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City. She also earned a master’s degree from the State University of New York Maritime College in New York City. Young joined Texaco at the company’s executive offices in White Plains, N.Y. She has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility. In 1997, Young relocated to Houston after she was appointed assistant to the president of Texaco North America Production, where she was responsible for supporting Texaco’s exploration and production activities in North America, as well as coordinating community outreach and diversity initiatives for these operations. Young serves as trustee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a corporate board advisor for the National Council of La Raza, member of the advisory council for Diversity Best Practices, member or the council on work force diversity at The Conference Board, and a board member of Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Steven works with Genentech’s leaders and key talent across the company to build leadership and organizational effectiveness. This includes the development and delivery of customized, executive-sponsored development solutions, high-potential development, business driven innovation solutions, and retention of top talent. Formerly, as the Director of Learning and Development for Genentech, Steven led a team of 8 professionals dedicated to providing corporate learnings solutions to Genentech’s 10,000+ employees, including new hire orientation, professional development, management development, and leadership development. In addition, Steven is the founder and president of Creative License. Since 1995, he has provided organizational development consulting, training, and entrepreneurial coaching to clients in the U.S. and Europe. Steven has a Ph.D. in adult learning and organizational creativity, and is the author of over 100 workplace learning programs. He has received international acclaim for his custom-designed training and learning materials, some of which have been translated into eight languages for up to 20,000 learners.

Deborah began her career with General Motors Australia where she assumed a variety of roles over her 6 years. After generalist roles in the Engine Operations facility, she assumed the position of Organisational Effectiveness Consultant, charged with establishing General Motors University in the Pacific region, and setting up assessment and development centres for recruitment and hi potential development. Deborah joined Dow in 2000 as the HR Manager for Australia / New Zealand based in Altona, Melbourne. During her time in the Pacific, she led Compensation initiatives in the Pacific region and led a number of projects across Human Resources Development (HRD) and Workforce Planning. In 2003, Deborah relocated to Horgen, Switzerland to take on the role of HR Business Service Leader for a number of businesses in the Basic Plastics & Chemicals, Performance Plastics & Chemicals (PP&C), and Hydrocarbons & Energy portfolios. In October 2006, she relocated to Midland, Michigan to assume the role of Workforce Planning Leader for North and Latin America, managing the recruiting activity for these two regions. Deborah was appointed to her most recent role of Global HR Director, Marketing and Sales in January 2008.

James is Vice President, Corporate Human Resources for Aker Solutions. In this role he is responsible for enterprise-wide people strategy development and methods, and global program implementation. He is a director and board member of AK Advantage Ltd, a global technical resources company based in the UK. Prior to being appointed to corporate human resources, James has a 20 year successful track record as a global people management strategist to business operations; thought leader and developer of human capital and talent management; people process management, expatriate programs, executive to line rewards strategies and plans, labor and union relations/negotiations, leadership development, succession management strategies, and the creation of learning academies. James is currently based in Houston with professional experience in oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, onshore and offshore operations, with various strategic & operational positions in HR. Over his career he has lived and worked in Asia, Middle East, Europe, Russia, and Nordic regions. In 2007 Aker was rated #1 in working environment and employment attractiveness by Forbes Magzine through Global RepTrak Pulse survey. Aker Solutions has over 30,000 employees in 30 countries and $10 billion dollars annual revenue. Aker Solutions is a global provider of engineering and construction, technology products, execution, service and integrated solutions for the oil and gas and process industries.

Julia Kirby is the editor at Harvard Business Review who directs development of the magazine’s twice-yearly special issues, which focus on single, important management themes. Most recently, she led work on the January 2009 issue on the topic of Leadership Transitions. The issue brings together new research findings and expert insights to guide leaders taking on newly challenging roles. As part of that issue, she also directed HBR’s own research into the fast-growing field of executive coaching. A senior editor of the magazine since 2000, Julia has acquired and developed over 120 articles for its pages. Pieces she has acquired and developed recently include Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership by Alice Eagly and Linda Carli, The Institutional Yes: An Interview with Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, and Should You Invest in the Long Tail?, by Anita Elberse. From 2000-2008, she managed HBR’s popular case study department. Prior to joining HBR, Julia worked in the management consulting industry, producing and distributing research-based insights from the Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation and, later, Accenture’s Institute for Strategic Change.

As Director of Client Solutions for O.C. Tanner, Ryan Sudweeks focuses on helping companies grow their people, grow their brands, and grow their bottom lines. A trusted advisor and trainer on the best in employee engagement and recognition strategy, Sudweeks’ brings unique expertise and insight to creating and evaluating custom recognition solutions for some of the world’s most admired companies. His team is responsible for winning, developing, and maintaining some of the world’s largest and most effective recognition and reward solutions. His hands on approach to program design, implementation, analysis and management results in impactful and meaningful solutions that work to positively affect corporate goals such as engagement and retention. A sought after speaker, Sudweeks regularly trains groups of managers and employees all over the country on best practices and how to use recognition to drive business results in their organizations.

Steven works with Genentech’s leaders and key talent across the company to build leadership and organizational effectiveness. This includes the development and delivery of customized, executive-sponsored development solutions, high-potential development, business driven innovation solutions, and retention of top talent. Formerly, as the Director of Learning and Development for Genentech, Steven led a team of 8 professionals dedicated to providing corporate learnings solutions to Genentech’s 10,000+ employees, including new hire orientation, professional development, management development, and leadership development. In addition, Steven is the founder and president of Creative License. Since 1995, he has provided organizational development consulting, training, and entrepreneurial coaching to clients in the U.S. and Europe. Steven has a Ph.D. in adult learning and organizational creativity, and is the author of over 100 workplace learning programs. He has received international acclaim for his custom-designed training and learning materials, some of which have been translated into eight languages for up to 20,000 learners.

Terry began his career in 1984 as an executive recruiter. Following his entrepreneurial sprit in 1990, he founded Selective Staffing, Inc., an innovator in recruitment process outsourcing. By 1998, Selective Staffing grew to 250 employees and was acquired by Aon Consulting to bolster is own outsourcing group. From 1998 – 2003, Terry served as senior vice president in Aon’s Employment Outsourcing Group. In 2003, Terry founded The RightThing, to solely focus on recruitment process outsourcing. Since its inception, The RightThing has experienced exponential year-on-year growth in both revenue and employees and was named #1 Enterprise RPO Provider on HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen list for 2008. Terry personifies his mantra and company namesake, “Do the right thing and good things will happen.” Setting the tone for the company’s ethics and culture, he built the foundation of The RightThing on the core values of flexibility, adaptability, commitment to each other, accountability, empowerment and trust. These standards are evident in both client and employee interaction. Recently named an “HRO Superstar” by HRO Today magazine for a second consecutive year, Terry and the company are regularly featured in industry publications and conferences.

Kasper Ulf Nielsen is Managing Partner of Reputation Institute responsible for client engagements in North America. Prior to taking on the responsibility of the North American region, Kasper was responsible for the international development of Reputation Institute through the RI office in Copenhagen. Kasper has been engaged in international reputation projects since 2000 helping companies in a range of industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, Food and Beverage, Public Transportation, and Financial Services. Kasper has made numerous presentations at international conferences on reputation management, as well as published a number of articles in Corporate Reputation Review. Kasper is also the co-author of the book “Introduction to Organizational Theory” published in 1999.

Re is a Principal Consultant at Reputation Institute in the U.S., with a specific focus on helping companies be more effective in how they communicate and engage with their current and future employees. With over 14 years of professional experience, Re consults Fortune 500 companies in the areas of employment brand strategy, employer value proposition, internal communications and internal culture alignment. Prior to joining Reputation Institute in 2008, he held senior positions at Interbrand, BrandLink and various recruitment/staffing firms. Throughout his career, he has played an integral role in the development of methodology and formalized processes to integrate research, strategy, creative and organizational change management.