Kevin Sweeney is a combat veteran having flown missions in both Viet Nam and Desert Storm. He spent 23 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. Kevin is the only pilot to have landed a plane successfully with the 2 engines ripped off the left wing during a night combat mission in Desert Storm. Recognized for providing, “the finest piece of airmanship to have occurred during the entire Gulf War,” by General Charles Horner, top commander of Allied Air Forces during the Gulf War, Kevin is also the recipient of the United States Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal awarded to fewer than 1% of pilots. Featured in Reader's Digest and on the A&E channel, Kevin is also the author of 2 books, has held executive positions in sales and operations for a Fortune 50 corporation and serves as a university adjunct professor.

Rubens Pessanha, GPHR, PMP, MBA, is global market researcher at the HR Certification Institute and a doctoral candidate in Human Resources Development at The George Washington University. Since 1998, he has been involved with internationalization of organizations; more specifically he has conducted the start-up of French organizations in Brazil. He has also participated in the start up of several internet companies in Brazil and of a new management journal for the South Asia Region. Rubens has almost 15 years of experience working with strategic planning, marketing research, business development, organizational development and change. He has been a speaker at the 2011 SHRM Annual Conference, 2010 ASTD International Conference, the 2009 Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference and the 2009 Academy of Management Annual Meeting. His areas of interest include internationalization of organizations, marketing research, cross-cultural communication, global mindsets, strategic thinking, self-directed-learning and action learning. Rubens has written several research articles on HR trends for SHRM and co-authored a paper on experiences that develop strategic thinking skills. An active volunteer, Rubens has held leadership positions at GWU student association, COPPEAD former Master students association and the Rio de Janeiro Chapter of the Brazilian HR Association. Rubens is currently a member of the Project Management Institute, SHRM, American Marketing Association and Marketing Research Association.

Executive Vice President Lisa Buckingham is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Lincoln Financial Group, responsible for all Human Resources practices and policies for the organization. She is also responsible for overseeing the corporation’s Brand & Enterprise Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility activities. She reports to the President and Chief Executive Officer, Dennis R. Glass.

She has more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of human resources management. Her professional areas of focus include organizational development, total rewards strategies, change management and talent management. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Human Resources Policy Association and Human Resources 50, and was named to Profiles in Diversity Journal's "Women Worth Watching" in October 2011. She serves on the boards of the Eagles Youth Partnership and the Lincoln Foundation.

Buckingham resides in Pennsylvania with her husband and her son.

An Orlando, Florida native, Elizabeth Dixon graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Exercise Science.  After completing an undergraduate internship at Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas, she was hired in 2004 to create a wellness program for the Chick-fil-A Corporate Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.  Since 2004 Chick-fil-A has been recognized annually as the Most Fit Company in Atlanta. 

In 2008 she created the Atlanta Challenge with nine major Atlanta companies engaged in a wellness competition.  Successful results provided the impetus to launch the U.S. City Challenge, providing the opportunity for major corporations across the U.S. to compete within their own cities.

Based in Trafford, Pa.

Based in San Ramon, Calif.

Stacey Carroll is the President of HR Experts On-Call. HR Experts On-call provide strategic HR consulting services to business owners and HR professionals. Prior to establishing HR Experts On-Call, Ms. Carroll served as the Director of Professional Services & Education for PayScale. As Director of Professional Services, Stacey created and managed the compensation consulting business for PayScale, a venture-backed SaaS provider of compensation resources to HR and business leaders.  Prior to her  work at PayScale, Stacey spent over 12 years in various positions within Human Resources for Trendwest Resorts, Nordstrom, and Western Washington University. Stacey’s specialty areas in HR include: compensation, benefits, training & development, and strategic human capital management.  She earned her BA and MBA from Western Washington University. Stacey has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). In addition to her regular full time responsibilities, Stacey has taught HRM classes for Western Washington University, Seattle Research Partners, and Tacoma Community College. She also speaks at many local, regional and national conferences.

Follow Stacey on Twitter @HRStacey.