2023 Conference Speakers

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Ramona Agrela
Facilitator

Ramona Agrela serves as the chief human resources officer and vice chancellor for the University of California, Irvine. She is the senior university official responsible for all human resources administration and operations. Ramona is a dynamic human resource professional with extensive, award-winning experience across multiple HR disciplines. With a passion for helping organizational leaders achieve their strategic goals through progressive talent management strategies, Ramona truly believes that HR’s role is to empower people to drive a culture of innovation, learning and service.

Ramona is involved in her community both professionally and personally. She sits on the board of the Irvine Barclay Theatre, participates on the HR work group for Girls, Inc., and is a member of the University of California committees for the Status of Women and the HR Leaders Group. She is also active with the Society for Human Resources Professionals, the College and University Personnel Association, WorldatWork, and the Professional in Human Resources Association.

Ramona holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a master’s degree in public administration, both from California State University, Fullerton. She is a SHRM certified senior professional, a WorldatWork certified compensation professional, and a Human Capital Institute Strategic HR Business Partner.

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Ona Alston Dosunmu, J.D., CAE
Facilitator

Ona Alston Dosunmu is the president and CEO of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). Previously, she was the inaugural chief executive officer and executive director of the California Lawyers Association (CLA), one of the largest statewide voluntary bar associations in the nation. Prior to joining CLA, Ona had a 16-year career at the Brookings Institution. During her tenure with Brookings, Ona held a series of positions of increasing scope and responsibility, including vice president, general counsel, secretary, and chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Ona also served a stint as interim chief operating officer at Brookings. Prior to joining Brookings, Ona was a transactional attorney in private practice.

Ona attended Howard University for her undergraduate studies where she earned a B.A., cum laude, in journalism (1989) and an M.A. in sociology (1992). She graduated with her J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1996.

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Amanda Bailey
Facilitator/Panelist

Amanda Bailey is the vice president of human resources at Brown University. Prior to her appointment at Brown, Bailey was the associate vice president and acting chief of staff at Morehouse College. With 25 years of professional experience in human resources, Bailey has held senior human resources leadership positions over the past decade at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. Bailey is a national board member of CUPA-HR and an advisory council member to the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect headquartered in New York City. Bailey also serves on the boards of several local, non-profit organizations in Rhode Island and has been a panel committee reviewer of human resources operations with the Council of Great City Schools since 2013. Bailey has previously served as a SHRM chapter board member. Prior to serving in education, Bailey previously held HR positions at American Express and other private organizations.

Bailey earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree in human resources management and labor relations from the University of Rhode Island.

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Andy Brantley, Ed.D.
Panelist

Andy Brantley has served as CUPA-HR’s president and chief executive officer since July 2005. With the leadership and guidance of high functioning boards and great national office colleagues, Andy has led the transformation of CUPA-HR. The association has grown from 1,500 member institutions to almost 2,000, and from 6,600 institutional reps to more than 34,000. Before coming to CUPA-HR, Andy worked for 17 years in campus leadership roles including associate vice president and chief human resources officer at the University of Georgia and director of human resources at Davidson College. In December 2021, he completed his Doctorate in Higher Education Management at the McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. His dissertation focused on the reasons that chief academic officers choose to stay in or leave their positions. Andy serves as co-chair of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat steering committee and the Secretariat’s representative to the American Council on Education board.

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Manuel Cuevas-Trisán
Panelist

Manuel Cuevas-Trisán joined Harvard University in August 2021. As vice president for HR, he serves as a member of the university’s executive leadership team and sets the overall strategic vision for Harvard’s workforce. He has oversight of and responsibility for benefits and labor relations for the entire university, acts as the coordinating partner to the HR leaders at each of Harvard’s 12 individual schools, and is responsible for all aspects of HR for central administration. He joined Harvard after serving in a similar capacity at Northwestern University (2019-21).

Prior to joining Northwestern, he had a successful 20-year career at Chicago-based Motorola Solutions, where he started as labor and employment counsel and assumed roles of global responsibility, culminating in his dual role as lead employment counsel and chief HR officer (2015-2019). Prior to Motorola, he worked at the San Juan, Puerto Rico, law firm of McConnell Valdés and served as judicial clerk at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals. He received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, and earned his juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He holds Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and a master’s degree in executive coaching and leadership from Universitat de Barcelona/OBS.

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Diana Dutton
Facilitator

Diana Dutton is interim vice-principal for administration and finance, and associate vice-principal for human resources at McGill University. Diana has over 25 years of experience in university administration and human resource management, having held senior administrative positions at the faculty level, in the Office of the Provost, and in human resources.

Diana holds a BFA in art history from Concordia University, and a graduate diploma in management and an MBA in human resource management, both from McGill University. McGill’s human resources department provides support and services for the university’s more than 12,000 faculty and staff.

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Marsha Fischer
Panelist

Marsha Fischer is the vice president for human resources, chief human resources officer, and chief equal opportunity officer for the University of Missouri. Marsha joined the university in May 2014.

Marsha leads the Office of Human Resources (OHR), which serves the University of Missouri-Columbia (also known as MU or Mizzou) and the University of Missouri System (UM System). Areas within OHR include retirement, benefits, compensation, service center/shared services, employee and labor relations, learning and organizational development, recruitment, HRIS and data analytics, academic HR, and HR partners. Prior to leading human resources, Marsha was in the general counsel’s office for the University of Missouri. She primarily represented the university in litigation and employment law matters. She was also the system-wide point of contact on Title IX related issues.

Before joining the University of Missouri, Marsha was in private practice for almost 16 years with Walther, Antel, Stamper & Fischer, P.C. in Columbia, Missouri. Her focus was employment law and litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Marsha served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Scott O. Wright, U.S. District Judge. While clerking for Judge Wright, she developed an interest in employment law matters.

Marsha is a cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law where she was honored as an initiate to the Order of the Coif, and Note and Comment Editor of the Missouri Law Review. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Southwest Missouri State University.

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James Gallaher
Panelist

James Gallaher currently serves as the vice chancellor of human resources at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to this role, Gallaher served as the executive director of strategic initiatives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His career spans numerous higher education institutions, as well as the corporate sector, including roles as vice president of human resources, diversity, and wellness at Butler University and chief human resources officer at Eastern Michigan University. Gallaher started his career in human resources at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, where he served in various capacities including, human resource consulting, labor relations, global organizational capability, leadership development, training and evaluation, and organizational development.

Gallaher received his Ph.D. in human resource development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also earned his MBA and Ed.M. degrees. Additionally, he holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in workforce education and development from Southern Illinois University. Gallaher is also a proud veteran and holds an Associate of Applied Sciences degree from the Community College of the Air Force.

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Lorraine Goffe
Facilitator

Lorraine Goffe, a human resources leader with more than 20 years of senior-level experience, is the vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer at Northwestern University. She has also served as vice president for human resources at Penn State, MIT and Washington University as well as in leadership positions in both healthcare and private industry. 

Goffe has broad HR experience, including organizational leadership; change management; workforce development; employee engagement; benefits and compensation; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; and HR analytics. Goffe has differentiated herself as an HR leader by her ability to successfully enact change while supporting the needs of the organization and focusing on the well-being of employees. Along with her HR expertise, Goffe understands the business and uses data to solve problems through innovative solutions.

Goffe earned a B.A. from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri and an MBA from National University in San Diego, California. She is also certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) by the Human Resources Certification Institute and a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) by the Society for Human Resources Management. 

Goffe has always been an active member of her civic and professional communities serving on many non-profit and professional boards. She is also a sought-after speaker, speaking at regional and national conferences. Goffe currently serves on the board of the American Research Universities-HR Institute.

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Ken Goldstein
Speaker

Ken Goldstein serves as the senior vice president for survey research and institutional policy. He oversees AAU’s public polling and institutional surveys as well as research studies in support of AAU’s advocacy messaging and campaigns. He also oversees institutional policy activities and leads projects on a variety of topics of importance to AAU members and staffs the chief academic officer (provosts) group.

Goldstein earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He was a professor in the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2000 to 2013. While at the University of Wisconsin, he won the Kellet Award for his career research accomplishments and the Chancellor’s Award for excellence in teaching. Goldstein was also a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco where he was founding director of the USF in DC program and academic director of USF’s Masters in Public Leadership program focused on veterans who want to continue their service in elective office.

Goldstein is one of the country’s premier experts on political campaigns and the use and impact of advertising. He has authored or co-authored over 50 publications — books, refereed journal articles, or book chapters. Goldstein combines his academic training with an ear for real politics and has had extensive professional experience in a variety of media, corporate, and political settings. Goldstein is a consultant for the ABC News election night decision team. He has worked on network election night coverage in every U.S. federal election since 1988.

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Paulette Granberry Russell
Panelist

Paulette Granberry Russell, J.D., was elected president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education in March 2020. Granberry Russell is a leading national voice and sought-after presenter on issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in higher education and beyond.

Her research interests include gender equity in STEM, campus culture and its impact on marginalized communities, and strategies for dismantling structural racism to create more equitable experiences for faculty, students, and staff of color. Granberry Russell has given presentations and advised institutions and NGOs in countries across Africa and in the U.K. on gender equity, affirmative action, implicit bias and discrimination, strategic diversity initiatives, and inclusive leadership.

Granberry Russell retired in August 2020 from Michigan State University as senior advisor to the president for diversity, emerita. She first joined MSU in 1998 as its senior diversity officer and later worked as director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. As MSU’s senior diversity officer, Granberry Russell was responsible for leading and facilitating MSU’s efforts to advance a more equitable and inclusive campus community. She developed cutting-edge education and development programs, led campus climate surveys (quantitative and qualitative), monitored university efforts to increase diversity among students, faculty, and staff, coordinated community outreach efforts, and incentivized innovative DEI strategies through the office’s Creating Inclusive Excellence Grants.

Granberry Russell received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University (MSU) and her Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is a licensed attorney with the State of Michigan.

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Hayley Harris
Facilitator

Hayley Harris has served as the chief human resources officer at the University of Chicago since October 2022.

At the University of Chicago, Harris leads an innovative and collaborative division focused on best practices in contemporary human resources and comprised of the functional areas of talent management, compensation and workforce planning, employee and labor relations, benefits and work/life, and organizational development and training.

Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Harris served as the CHRO and vice president of human resources and planning at Ithaca College. In this role, Harris led the successful implementation of Oracle’s cloud-based HCM and Payroll system in 2019-20 which enables the college to utilize best-in-class technology to drive data-based business decisions. She also has led campus-wide efforts related to the implementation of the goals of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, including being an Employer of Choice, serving as a national model for colleges committed to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion, and aligning the size of the workforce with the student population to ensure long-term sustainability for the college.

Prior roles include progressively responsible HR leadership positions at Yale University and Cornell University. Among other accomplishments, Harris served as the campus lead for training, communications and change management to implement Workday as Cornell’s human resources information system in 2013; was the HR lead for establishing and developing global employment and operations policies and support at Cornell; and served as the HR lead for the 2014 Cornell presidential search, reporting directly to the Board of Trustees.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and M.Phil. from Yale University, and was certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources in 2006.

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Jeff Herring, J.D., MBA, SPHR
Facilitator

Jeff Herring is the chief human resource officer at the University of Utah. He has served in this position since 2013. Prior to the University of Utah, Jeff served on the governor’s cabinet as the executive director of the Utah Department of Human Resource Management for 12 years. In HR, Jeff has consistently focused on developing the organization’s strategic efforts using principles of increasing customer service, efficiency and effectiveness, and leadership capacity. Jeff is currently a national board member of CUPA-HR.

Prior to his public service, Jeff worked as an attorney focusing in the area of labor and employment law.

Jeff earned his B.A. in history from the University of Utah. He then went on to earn his MBA with an emphasis on HR and completed his law degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California.

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Ken Horstman
Facilitator

Ken Horstman received his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science in business, and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In 2014 Ken joined the University of Minnesota, leading the human resource practice for compensation, employee health, welfare, and retirement benefits. In January of 2020, Ken accepted the role of interim vice president of human resources for the university and served in that role until June of 2021, when he was appointed vice president and chief human resource officer for the University of Minnesota. Prior to his time at the University of Minnesota, Ken served in a variety of operation and human resource roles for over 26 years with Emerson. Ken is active professionally through national and state employer organizations, and in his Minneapolis community, where he has lived for over 30 years. Ken and his wife, Shelley, live in Minneapolis, and have a son, Sam, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and a daughter, Margaret, who resides in Washington, D.C.

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John B. King Jr.
Speaker

John B. King Jr. is the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States.

Prior to his appointment as chancellor, King served as president of The Education Trust, a national civil rights nonprofit which seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college.

Chancellor King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. secretary of education. Upon tapping him to lead the Department of Education, President Obama called King “an exceptionally talented educator,” citing his commitment to “preparing every child for success” and his lifelong dedication to public education as a teacher, principal, and leader of schools and school systems.

Before his appointment as secretary of education, Chancellor King fulfilled the duties of deputy secretary of education, overseeing all policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation.

His service in Washington, D.C., followed King’s tenure as New York state’s first African American and first Puerto Rican education commissioner, a role in which he oversaw all elementary and secondary schools, as well as public, independent, and proprietarycolleges and universities, professional licensure, libraries, museums, and numerous other educational institutions.

Chancellor King holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, as well as both a Master of Arts in the teaching of social studies and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.

You can follow Chancellor King on Twitter at @JohnBKing.

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Mindy Kornberg
Facilitator

Mindy Kornberg, appointed vice president for UW Human Resources (UWHR) in 2006, provides human resources leadership and strategic guidance across the University of Washington system consisting of three campuses, three medical centers, and several smaller offsite locations locally and globally. From creating welcoming workplaces and productive relationships with our ten union partners to fostering leadership development and employee engagement programs that have achieved national recognition, Mindy emphasizes the importance every employee plays in advancing the mission of the University. 

A graduate of Tulane University and the University of North Carolina, Mindy is also a lawyer and has taught for the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and the UW School of Law.

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Christine D. Lovely
Panelist

Christine D. Lovely is a talented lawyer-turned higher-education leader with extensive experience in delivering HR services and leading organizations through change. Her appointment as vice president and chief human resources officer at Cornell University began on August 30, 2022. Lovely’s portfolio includes oversight of the human resources function, the Department of Inclusion and Belonging, and the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX.

Prior to joining Cornell, she was associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer at University of California, Davis since 2018. Responsible for the central HR teams on both the UC Davis and UC Davis Health campuses, her focus was on building a customer service-oriented people and culture unit that prioritizes the employee experience, transparency, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.

Before joining UC Davis, Lovely was vice president for human tesources at California State University, Sacramento from 2012-18 — a role that was added after serving as general counsel since 2010. While at Sacramento State, she built a talented team of professionals that introduced HR best practices and technology to a highly manual setting.

The San Jose, California, native received a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1991, and a Juris Doctor from the UC Davis School of Law in 1996.

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Daniel Marsili
Speaker

Daniel Marsili is president of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR) and the NAHR Foundation and a Fellow of the Academy since 2012. Founded in 1992, the NAHR recognizes individuals of distinction in human resources leadership and advances the profession through its support of CHRO preparation and university studies in human resources. Through a rigorous peer review process, NAHR recognizes individuals as Fellows who have distinguished themselves through their leadership in the broad field of human resources. NAHR also recognizes select organizations and institutions. Through its not-for-profit Foundation, NAHR sponsors a Chief Human Resources Officer Academy, Fellows in the Classroom program, and an array of scholarships that support students committed to human resources careers.

He is a former chief human resources officer at Colgate-Palmolive Company, a leading global consumer products company, with operations in over 200 countries and more than 35,000 employees worldwide. Daniel held the top HR position at Colgate for more than 15 years before retiring in 2020 after 30 years of service.

In other leadership roles he is a Fellow of the Human Resources Policy Institute at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business where he is a past chairman of its steering committee and where he continues to be an active member. He also was a co-chair of the Gartner CHRO Global Leadership Board and actively participates in Gartner’s CHRO Emeritus Program. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Black Experience, a 501(c)(3) which produces and open-sources educational content highlighting positive and uplifting stories of successful Black Americans with the mission of being part of the change to end systemic racism. Since 2007, Daniel has been a member of the Board of Directors of Miracle Foundation, a globally-focused 501(c)(3) that brings life-changing care to orphaned children in India and vulnerable children in the U.S. Foster Care System.

Daniel’s undergraduate degree is in hospitality management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Isenberg School of Business, and he earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola University, New Orleans. A Massachusetts native, Daniel lives with his family in Sag Harbor, New York.

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Julia McCallin
Panelist

Julia McCallin is the associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at The California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She was appointed to the position in June 2007. In this role, she serves as the chief human resources officer, providing leadership and strategic direction for all the human resources functions. She oversees a variety of human resources services for the Caltech community, including executive compensation and benefits, employee relations, equity and inclusion, Title IX compliance, recruitment and staffing, benefits, compensation, employee recognition, staff training and development, international scholar and student services, postdoctoral scholar services, disability services, worker’s compensation, and customer service. Julia came to Caltech in 2004 as senior director of employee relations. Prior to coming to Caltech, Julia was assistant vice president for human resources at Claremont McKenna College, a position she held from 1995 to 2003. Julia started her career at Fairplex, as the manager of human resources from 1983 to 1995.

Julia received her MBA from The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont McKenna College.

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Jim Mullery
Speaker

Jim Mullery is executive vice president and head of the Institutional Client Management team of TIAA’s Retirement Business. Jim serves as primary leader of the integrated teams that serve our institutional clients in the academic, research, medical, and cultural fields. In this role, he has national oversight of leaders and associates accountable for ensuring growth, retention, and service of existing business for institutional relationships.

Prior to this role, Jim was the chief sales & distribution officer for retirement strategies and life insurance at Prudential. Jim led a team of 545+ financial professionals accountable for the distribution of life insurance sales and annuity products. He was also responsible for regulatory oversight of Prudential annuity distributors dealers operated by Prudential.

Jim also brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him previously leading teams at BlackRock, Security Benefit Distributors, and UBS where he was responsible for distribution and relationship management. He established strategic plans for product development distribution strategies, business development, and overall financial performance.

Jim is currently a member of TIAA’s Executive Operating Committee and has served previously on the Board of Trustees for the University of Scranton.

Jim holds a B.A. in history from the University of Scranton. As a FINRA registered principal, Jim holds Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses.

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Roxanne Murray
Moderator/Facilitator

Roxanne Murray, vice president of administration, AAU, was granted honorary membership by the board of directors at the February 11, 2022 meeting. We are pleased to recognize our ongoing positive relationship with the AAU through our liaison V-P Murray. Roxanne Murray has attended our annual conferences. She is the CHRO for the AAU among her other responsibilities. She said that she would be grateful to have access to our information and network!

Roxanne Murray has served at AAU since October 2002. As vice president for administration, she oversees AAU’s operations, finance, IT, meeting planning, and human resources. Roxanne participates in strategic planning, problem solving, policy formation, and budgetary decision. In addition to business and administrative oversight, Roxanne has worked on issues such as membership, institutional data, and undergraduate and graduate education.

Roxanne serves as AAU’s chief diversity officer and staffs the Chief Diversity Officers constituent group. She also staffs the AAU Membership Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee.

Roxanne’s expertise in the human resources field extends to her personal volunteer work. She has volunteered as a mentor and has served as an expert on multiple committees for professional societies. She also leads employee readiness seminars to prepare adults and youth for careers in the public and private sector.

Roxanne has a B.A. in human resources management from the University of Maryland, University College. She has memberships in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), American Society for Association Executives (ASAE), and the Human Resource Association of the National Capital Area (HRA-NCA).

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Romy Riddick
Panelist 

Romy Riddick is vice president for human resources at Princeton University, a vibrant team of nearly 100 staff which oversees the development and implementation of the university’s employee-focused functions, including benefits and compensation, employee and labor relations, employee and organizational learning and development, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), talent acquisition and HR information systems. The office pursues its work in the interest of maximizing each staff member’s potential and contributions so that all staff of the University have the best opportunity to thrive.

Riddick was previously assistant vice president of the office’s Client Services Team, managing employee relations, talent management, labor relations and contract negotiation, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion. Prior to that she served as HR’s director of diversity and inclusion.

In her 30-year career in human resources and public service, Riddick has also worked as head of talent management and diversity at TD Bank, manager of national diversity recruitment and retention for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and trainer and executive coach for Merrill Lynch.

She began her career as a legislative aide in state government, where she was responsible for research to support legislative testimony to benefit women and children for the Maryland State Women’s Caucus. Riddick has received numerous industry awards for her efforts in building diverse workforces for achieving excellence in the private sector. She has also served on the Women’s Refugee Commission, a nonprofit advocating for laws, policies and programs to improve the lives and protect the rights of refugee women and children.

Riddick earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Maryland-College Park. She joined Princeton in 2012. She and her husband have three children and two golden retrievers, all of whom she adores.

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Helena A. Rodrigues
Facilitator

Helena A. Rodrigues, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is senior vice president and chief human resources officer at the University of Arizona, serving its over 18,000 staff and faculty. With a reputation for navigating complex institutional systems, Helena commits herself to building long-lasting relationships, strengthening core organizational values, and spreading best practices, particularly in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

Helena has held leadership roles in higher education and the private sector, and currently serves on the national board of directors for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) and for the American Research Universities Human Resource Institute (ARU-HRI). Committed to her local community, Helena is a member of the Pima Community College Human Resources Advisory Committee and is a board member for the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.

In addition to her administrative role at the University of Arizona, Helena has an appointment as a professor of practice in the School of Government and Public Policy in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College and master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Iowa.

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Cleo Rucker
Facilitator

Cleo Rucker is currently the associate vice chancellor and chief human resources officer at Vanderbilt University. Cleo started his career over 20 years ago as a labor relations intern at Milwaukee Public Schools. Since then, he has gained extensive human resources knowledge working in positions such as director of HR consulting, employee and labor relations, senior employee relations advisor, HR consultant and labor relations specialist/labor relations attorney. Cleo’s experience at Vanderbilt University, Milwaukee Public Schools and service on municipal boards and committees has provided him with experience in both the public and the private sector.

Cleo has obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School, a master’s in religion from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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Mark Schmelz
Panelist

Mark is vice president and chief human resources officer for the University of Oregon. Mark joined the University of Oregon in 2019 and has 25 years of experience in human resources, including 11 years leading employee and labor relations efforts in higher education. Prior to working at the UO, he was the chief human resources officer for the University of Maine system. At the University of Oregon Mark’s office leads university wide management of: Employee and Labor Relations; HR Programs, Services, and Operations; and, Talent Acquisition, Classification and Compensation. He also leads a retirement plan administration office which provides retirement plan management for all public universities in Oregon.

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Laurita Thomas
President, ARU-HRI

Laurita Thomas is the president of the American Research Universities Human Resources Institute. She is responsible for executive development and leadership programming for the CHROs of sixty-five major research universities in the United States and Canada. She is a certified master coach and provides organizational effectiveness consulting. Laurita Thomas served as the associate vice president for human resources at the University of Michigan for 15 years. There she was responsible for human resource policy for all UM campuses and a full range of comprehensive integrated human resource services, products and operations. She was responsible for 330 staff, a budget of $36M, and a benefit plan of approximately $1B. Prior to that position, she served as the CHRO for the University of Michigan Heath System for fifteen years. She is known for her work to create environments where people thrive, partnerships prevail and performance excels.

Her professional human resources career spans roles in the financial industry, higher education and healthcare. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan in political science and economics. Her graduate work is in guidance and counseling, and business administration. She has published many articles and book chapters. Laurita has received many leadership and service awards, most recently HR Executive of the Year for the State of Michigan from the American Society of Employers and the CUPA-HR Distinguished Service Award.

 

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Felicia Washington
Facilitator

Felicia A. Washington is the University of Southern California’s first senior vice president for human resources, responsible for designing and implementing a coordinated and professionalized world-class HR function; she joined USC in June 2019 and is a member of the president’s senior leadership team. In December 2019, her responsibilities expanded to include additional people-focused central offices: Culture, Ethics, and Compliance; Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX; and Professionalism and Ethics. Thus, USC’s HR, Equity & Compliance Division was formed, and Felicia’s mission of Making More Impact than Ever Before was adopted. Previously, Felicia was chief people officer and vice chancellor for workforce strategy, equity, and engagement at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for five years. Prior to that, she was in private practice for over two decades at the Charlotte office of K&L Gates, a multinational law firm where she was a partner and focused on employment law and business immigration. She is currently serving a three-year leadership role (immediate past chair this year) of the American Research Universities – HR Institute and previously served numerous boards and organizations, including as a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees and a member of the North Carolina Medical Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC-Chapel Hill and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. A resident of Los Angeles, California, Felicia enjoys walks in the sun with her husband, Ron, and traveling with their five children and families, especially grandchildren Averie and Miles.

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John Whelan
Facilitator

John Whelan recently joined Yale University as vice president for human resources. Prior to this, he was Indiana University’s chief HR officer. His top priorities at IU were to build a stronger and more strategically focused HR function, to improve HR’s process efficiency and customer service, and to increase the engagement of IU’s 23,000 employees across the school’s seven campuses. Prior to IU, he served as vice president for HR at Baylor University. He has also held HR leadership positions at the University of Notre Dame, Bristol- Myers Squibb, The Gillette Company and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He is a past member of the national board of directors for CUPA-HR and served as the board’s chair. He is also a member of the Massachusetts bar association.

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Eugene Whitlock
Facilitator

As UC Berkeley’s chief people & culture officer (associate vice chancellor), Eugene leads a one hundred person human resources department including talent acquisition, people and organization development, employee and labor relations, total rewards, diversity equity, inclusion and belonging, business intelligence and human resources information systems. Eugene also serves on the governing boards of CUPA-HR (the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) and the American Research Universities-Human Resources Institute, and is the chair of the Human Resources Leadership Council for the University of California. During his time at UC Berkeley, Eugene has emphasized the creation of a workplace where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong and helped elevate Berkeley to be among the best institutions to work for in the University of California system.

Prior to UC Berkeley, Eugene served as the vice chancellor, human resources and general counsel for the San Mateo County Community College District. Eugene is most proud of his work to infuse equity into the hiring process by rewriting job announcements and interview questions, as well as training each person who is part of the decision-making process on the benefits of diversity and reducing the impact of unconscious bias. In 2017, the Association of California Community College Administrators selected Eugene for its “Progress in Diversity” Award given for “Outstanding Achievement in Support of Diversity in the Higher Education Community.” 

Eugene also served as a deputy county counsel for the County of San Mateo for eight years where he primarily served as outside counsel for K-12 school districts. Eugene has also worked as a corporate attorney for DavisPolk in New York, Tokyo and Menlo Park, as an investment banker for Deutsche Bank in San Francisco and as a project manager for Stiftung, Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin. 

Eugene obtained his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan. He is also a fluent speaker of Spanish and German.

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Amy Wrzesniewski
Speaker

Amy Wrzesniewski is the William and Jacalyn Egan Professor at The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD and MA degrees in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan.

She has won the IBM Faculty Award for her research, as well as awards for her undergraduate, graduate, and executive teaching. Her research on the meaning of work has been published in a wide range of top academic journals and highlighted in several best-selling books and popular press outlets, including Time, BusinessWeek, Harvard Business Review, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, and The Economist, as well as bestselling books such as Give and Take by Adam Grant, Drive by Daniel Pink, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman, and The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler.

Amy has engaged in research projects with several organizations, including IBM, Google, The United States Military Academy at West Point, the University of Michigan Hospital System, Ness Technologies, and Burt’s Bees. Her current research involves studying how employees change the designs of their jobs to shape the meaning of their work as well as the implications of seeing work as a job, career, or calling for individuals and organizations.

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