Elizabeth Richards applies her mastery of the HR knowledge base as a dedicated SPHR and GPHR to her position as HR Business Partner for the Institute. Elizabeth holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations and brings a hands-on, results-driven philosophy to her role at the Institute where she leads the HR function and is responsible for all initiatives that affect the 45+ employees at the growing organization. Elizabeth was previously with Thales USA Defense & Security, where she assisted with the development and implementation of HR programs, policies and procedure. She also managed the company’s recruitment process and worked with other functional areas to modernize the HR function and its programs and systems. Prior to Thales, Elizabeth began her HR career at GMAC ResCap in Minnesota. She earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University. 

Bob Kelleher is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and consultant on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends. Bob is the author of the bestselling book, LOUDER THAN WORDS: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results, CREATIVESHIP, A Novel for Evolving Leaders, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT for Dummies, and I-Engage, Your Personal Engagement Roadmap.   

Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS, NBC News, Business Week, Forbes, and Fortune, and has presented to many of the world’s top companies

Bob is also the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global survey, products, assessment, consulting firm.  

Michael C. Herndon joined AARP as a Manager, Financial Security in August 2005 leading the Workforce and Consumer Issues team. Prior to joining AARP, Michael was Director, Public Affairs for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Michael also served as Manager, Government Relations for the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP). Michael earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University where he received the Dan Sweat Scholarship for Academic Excellence.

Susan L. Harmansky, SPHR, is a management consultant and author focusing on workforce planning and strategy.  She has had a diverse career in human resource management most recently as Global Vice President Human Resources for SGS International, a design-to-print graphic services and marketing firm headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.  Her previous experience includes HR leadership roles with LG&E and KU Energy, Farm Credit Bank, Papa John’s International and the Presbyterian Church USA national headquarters.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Bellarmine University.  She has served as president of the Louisville Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter and as state director for Kentucky SHRM.  She also led the SHRM-sponsored task force that developed the first American National Standard for performance management and served on the first international committee developing ISO standards for HR.   

She served seven years on the board of the premier international certifying agency for human resources, the HR Certification Institute, including a year as Board Chair during which HRCI expanded its reach internationally to the European Union and China. 

She has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources since 1990 and is a recipient of the Louisville SHRM Award for Professional Excellence.  

Effenus Henderson is Chief Diversity Officer for Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, Washington where he advises the CEO and senior management team on diversity, inclusion and affirmative action related matters. He is an internationally recognized diversity thought leader and has been invited by numerous companies and organizations to share his expertise.  He recently led the development a company-wide “Inclusive Leadership Learning Series” for the top 1,500 leaders which is currently being implemented. Additionally he has provided advisory support on diversity to the Federal Government’s EPA office and Office of Personnel Management.

John Edwin Mein is a Brazilian, born in Recife Brazil. After receiving his Masters in International Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management, in Arizona, he worked in the International area of a US Bank, in business promotion for the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and in business development for American and Brazilian companies. He was president of the American Chamber in Brazil for 13 years, during which it became the largest American Chamber outside the US.

John Edwin Mein led the efforts to organize and is the Executive Coordinator of the Alliance for Modernization of Logistics and Foreign Trade  - PROCOMEX. The PROCOMEX Alliance is a coalition of 70 business associations with the common objective of modernizing Brazilian customs processes as a means to increase the country’s competitiveness. The operational arm of the coalition is the Instituto Aliança Procomex which is maintained by over 40 companies.

John is the president of CONSENTES – Institution Building, a consulting company to companies, associations and NGOs in the areas of planning, organizational and business development, communication, social responsibility and public policy.

John is on the board of SOBEET - The Brazilian Institute to Study Transnational Enterprises and Globalization, and was its president from 2005 to 2007.

John has been a member of the board of Transparency Brazil since its inception.

John is a member of the Private Sector Consultative Group of the World Customs Organization.

Michael J. Fox is an Emmy-award-winning actor, author and advocate. He is well-known for his award-winning roles on the television series “Family Ties” and “Spin City,” and as the star of the cult classic “Back to the Future” movie trilogy, he has won numerous awards and is considered one of the most successful actors in the business.

In 1991 Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and in 1998 he disclosed his condition to the public. As the symptoms of his disease worsened in 2000, Fox semi-retired from acting. He has since dedicated his life to research and advocacy for finding a Parkinson’s disease cure through the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Fox continues to act and has recently appeared as himself in a prime-time special “Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.” Fox will close the 2011 conference with his incredible story; he will talk about his struggle, his outlook on life and how to remain positive, even in difficult times.