Warner Bros. is a leader in the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD, digital distribution, animation, comic books, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting. At Warner Bros., Andy Ortiz is Senior Vice President, Organization Effectiveness, a position he has held since March, 2008.

In his role, Ortiz is responsible for ensuring the development of Warner Bros. most important asset, its people. He is responsible for aligning its people with the Company’s business strategy through employee learning and development, leadership development, succession management, diversity initiatives, employee communications, employee relations, and change management. Andy also oversees all global organization development initiatives.

Prior to joining Warner Bros., Andy was Vice-President, Talent Management, Diversity, and Leadership Development for HealthNet, Inc. While at HealthNet, he was responsible for the leadership of the company’s talent pipeline including workforce planning, recruitment, diversity, associate development, leadership development, and succession management. Prior to HealthNet, Andy held numerous leadership roles in a variety of industries including financial services, cable, and automotive.

Ortiz earned his Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication. Andy is a certified executive coach from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara and a member of the International Coaching Federation.

Mathur joined NV Energy, Inc. in April 2009 after 13 years in the gaming industry, most recently serving as senior vice president, corporate diversity and community affairs, for MGM MIRAGE.

During her tenure, MGM MIRAGE received numerous awards in her areas of responsibility, including being ranked among the "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" by DiversityInc magazine and one of the "Top Corporations in the U.S." for multicultural businesses by DiversityBusiness.com. Prior to joining Mirage Resorts in 1996, she had been with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce for six years, holding a variety of management positions, the last of which was Senior Vice President of Government Affairs.

Education
Mathur attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, studying elementary education, from 1979-1982.

Organizations
Mathur currently serves as chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Three Square, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating hunger in southern Nevada. She also is a member of the Leadership Las Vegas Council and a member of the Advisory Board of Habitat for Humanity- Las Vegas. An avid supporter of education, she is a member of the president's advisory task force on diversity at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a member of the Nevada State Blue Ribbon Education Reform Task Force, co-chair of the Nevada Partnership for Inclusive Education, and is on the board of advisors for Nevada State College and the Clark County School District Superintendent's Education Network. The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada named Mathur Woman of the Year for 2009.

Personal
Mathur resides in Las Vegas with her two sons and one daughter.

Debra Cohen, PhD, SPHR, is the chief knowledge development and integration officer for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is responsible for the Society’s Knowledge Development and Integration Division, which includes the SHRM Knowledge Center (including the Society Library), the Research Department, Academic Initiatives, and HR Standards. Dr. Cohen joined SHRM in May of 2000 as the director of Research. Prior to joining SHRM, Dr. Cohen spent 15 years as an academician teaching HRM at George Washington University (10 years) and George Mason University (5 years). Dr. Cohen has published over 40 articles and book chapters and has been published in several journals. Dr. Cohen received her PhD in management and human resources in 1987 and her master’s degree in labor and human resources (MLHR) in 1982, both from The Ohio State University. She received her bachelor of science (in communications) from Ohio University. She is a frequent presenter at national, international, and regional conferences and has spoken to a wide variety of audiences. Prior to her academic career, she was a practicing human resources manager (in Training and Development).

Mary K. W. Jones is Vice President, Global Human Resources for Deere & Company. Jones is responsible for leading the Global Human Resources organization.

After working in private practice, Jones joined Deere & Company in 1997 as an attorney. She served in Global Law Services for over ten years in roles as senior attorney, senior counsel, assistant general counsel and associate general counsel. In March 2008 she was appointed Corporate Secretary and Associate General Counsel, Deere & Company. In October 2008, Jones joined the company's Corporate Human Resources organization as Director, Regional Human Resources and Shared Services. Prior to her current position, she was named Director, Human Resources Global and Regional Deployment in May 2009.

A native of Cordova, Illinois, Jones received her bachelor's degree from Truman State University. She received her juris doctor degree, with high distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she was a member of the editorial board of the Iowa Law Review.

Jones is a member of the Illinois and Iowa Bar Associations. She is a member and previously has served as Chair of the Corporate Law Departments Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association. She also is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel. Jones serves on the Board of Directors of the Deere Employees Credit Union and on the regional Board of Directors of the March of Dimes. She has previously been a member of the Board of Directors of the Learning Campus Foundation, Edgerton Women's Health Center, and the Family Museum, where she served as Chairman of the Board.

Mary Spees is the Senior Director of Human Resources for Cirque du Soleil’s Resident Shows Division. Mary leads a staff of human resources professionals ranging from generalists to subject matter experts in all areas of human resources, including immigration, health and safety, talent attraction, compensation and benefits, workers’ compensation, and employee/artist relations. Cirque currently presents nineteen different shows around the world, and the Resident Shows Division Human Resources team is responsible for employees located in the United States, Tokyo, Macau, and other countries. Mary joined Cirque in 1998, and has held several different positions in the Human Resources Department.

As Field Services Director for the Society for Human Resource Management, Susan Post has accountability for the membership and relationship management strategies for SHRM affiliates in a nine-state territory (CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI and VT.)  She serves SHRM members, prospective members and volunteer leaders from her home office in upstate NY. 

Prior to joining SHRM in 1999, Susan had 15 years of progressively responsible HR experience with several organizations, including Eastman Kodak and Cornell University.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Le Moyne College, is certified as a SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Susan's affiliation with the Society began in the early 1980's, when she served two terms as President of the Le Moyne College student chapter in Syracuse, NY.  Throughout her professional career, Susan held numerous SHRM volunteer leadership roles, including two terms as President of her local professional chapter and District Director on the New York State Council.

Outside of SHRM, Susan has served in a variety of volunteer leader capacities for many organizations. She is currently a member of the Elmira Little Theater board of directors, a non-profit community theater group in Elmira, NY.

Steve is the Chief Global HR and Content Integration Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In this role, Steve is responsible for both the development of best-in-class HR programs for the world’s largest professional HR organization as well as globalization and planning strategies focused on serving both existing and future members.

Steve is a former HR Vice President at Lucent Technologies where his work took him around the world, including a 3 ½ year assignment as head of Lucent’s HR operations for the Asia Pacific region. He also held positions where he was responsible for supporting a wide variety of business units across Lucent. His specific responsibilities included the creation of global talent development initiatives, assessment methodologies, leadership development programs, and organizational design / effectiveness strategies.

Steve currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) and is a past United States representative to the North American Human Resources Management Association (NAHRMA), North America’s representative body to the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations (WFPMA).

Steve received his Master’s Degree in Computer Science and his Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Detroit, both Summa Cum Laude.

Tom Carroll is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer for RR Donnelley, a 10 billion dollar international Fortune 250 Company with more than 60,000 employees worldwide.

Tom’s career with RR Donnelley began in 1995 as the Human Resource Manager in the Pontiac, Illinois, manufacturing facility. Since then, he has served as a manager in Leadership Development and has had increasing responsibility in the role of Vice President of Human Resources. As the EVP and Chief Human Resource Officer, Carroll has responsibilities for all aspects of human resources for domestic and global operations in the Asia Pacific, Mexico, South America, Canada, Europe and the United States.

Additionally, Carroll is a skilled business strategist, executive coach, team developer, facilitator, and motivational speaker. In September 2009 his featured cover story in Human Resource Executive, was focused on “Rethinking HR.”

Prior to joining RR Donnelley, he was a manager of Employee Relations and Organization Development in a large hospital where he practiced clinically before transitioning to human resources. Carroll began his career in 1984 as Director of Family Services for a social service agency. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology.

Tom lives in Naperville, Illinois with his wife and three children and enjoys photography, yoga, and stained glass.