Although born in New Zealand and raised in nearby Australia, Keith Urban made his biggest splash in Nashville, where he helped rewrite the rules of contemporary country music. By embracing drum loops and elements of Top 40 pop, Urban wrote songs that appealed to a wide audience, effectively satisfying his Nashville fans without alienating those more accustomed to pop music. He also became a genuine celebrity, known for his good looks, marriage to actress Nicole Kidman, and outspoken battle with alcoholism. Even so, it was the music that maintained Urban's career, from his work with the Ranch during the late '90s to the acclaimed solo albums that followed.

Released in 1999, the self-titled "Keith Urban" spawned four hit singles and paved the way for his successful career in America. A tour in support of that album saw Urban opening for major acts like Dwight Yoakam, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw, as well as headlining his own shows. Urban found more success with 2002's "Golden Road", which sent three singles to the top of the country charts and went triple platinum in the U.S., as well as 2004's "Be Here", which bested the feats of its predecessor by selling over four million copies. Keith Urban was now a contemporary country superstar, replete with Grammy nominations and paparazzi attention, and his label capitalized on that attention by reissuing the Ranch's debut album later that year. An anthology of Urban's work, "Days Go By", followed in 2005.

The album "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing" was released in November 2006, though it failed to produce a number one hit (the first of Urban's solo albums to do so), but "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing" still went double platinum in the U.S., aided in part by a successful tour with Carrie Underwood. Urban returned to the top of the charts in 2008 with a re-recorded version of "You Look Good in My Shirt," which had originally appeared on 2002's Golden Road. The new version appeared on his latest compilation record, "Greatest Hits", and its success helped pave the way for Urban's next solo album. Released in 2009, "Defying Gravity" found him singing about life with Nicole Kidman on songs like "Sweet Thing" and "Only You Can Love Me This Way," both of which peaked at No. 1. Meanwhile, "Kiss a Girl" became his highest-charting single to date on the pop charts, and two additional tunes -- "'Til Summer Comes Around" and "I'm In" -- both charted well in the country market, making "Defying Gravity" a crossover success.

Urban released "Get Closer" during the final months of 2010 and returned to the charts with its lead single, "Put You in a Song."

One ticket to the Keith Urban Tuesday night show is included in your conference registration.

Jennifer Robin is a Research Fellow and an Adjunct Consultant at Great Place to Work®. A former Senior Consultant with the company, she led the Advisory Practice, helping senior leaders integrate their organization’s culture with its strategy and aligning efforts to be a great workplace. She has coauthored two books, one entitled The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep It, and Why It Matters released in January 2011, and a second entitled A Life in Balance: Finding Meaning in a Chaotic World. Jennifer has experience in diverse industries such as manufacturing, biotechnology, information technology, professional services, and healthcare.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter @jenrobinindeas.

Mark Allen is a consultant and author who specializes in talent management and human resources. He is a professor at Pepperdine University where he serves as Academic Director of the Master of Science in Human Resources program. He is the author of Aha Moments in Talent Management, The Next Generation of Corporate Universities, and The Corporate University Handbook. In 2017, he was honored with the Global Training and Development Leadership Award by the World Human Resource Development Congress in Mumbai, India, and he was recently named one of the Top 100 Human Resources Influencers by Engagedly.

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.

Martha T. Ramirez, PHR is the Director, Western Region & Field Services Director for the North Central Region for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).where she has worked since 2006. Previously, she held the position of Regional Manager at SHRM. Prior to SHRM, Martha had 11 years of HR experience from the finance and manufacturing industries.

Martha's primary responsibility is to help SHRM members, volunteer leaders, HR professionals and their organizations find rewarding ways to get engaged in our chapter structure, the profession and with SHRM. She is also responsible for assisting state councils and local chapters with their strategic planning and operations. Martha also leads the Staffing Management Panel at SHRM.

Martha holds a Bachelor of Science degree from DePaul University in Chicago. She is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area and resides in the western suburbs with her family. She enjoys traveling, reading and meeting new people, all things she incorporates in her position with SHRM.

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.

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).

Shari Simberkoff is the Director of Human Resources for EILEEN FISHER, a women’s clothing company headquartered in New York, whose mission is to “inspire simplicity, creativity and delight through connection and great design”. Shari began her career at EILEEN FISHER in 1998, having previously held HR positions at Bloomingdale’s Department Store and Nine West Group. She leads a team of HR professionals who support the company’s 850 employees across the country in the full suite of HR services. One of the team’s primary goals is to foster a joyful and fulfilling employment experience in the company. EILEEN FISHER has been awarded the honor of being one of the 25 Best Medium Companies to Work for in America each year since 2004. Shari graduated with a B.S. in marketing from the School of Management at Boston University.

Ginger Guyton is a Human Resources Manager, bringing over 20 years of employee relations, training and recruiting experience. Ginger attended Jackson State University and joined the US Air Force shortly there afterwards. Ginger’s organizational management skills and her ability to build teams and develop training programs has positively impacted several organizations and companies that she has worked for. She has volunteered for several nonprofit activities/organizations such as Special Olympics, Career Day, Third Ward Community Outreach and Junior Achievement.