Suzanne is the President and Co-founder of Forward Effect Coaching, and a nationally recognized Trainer, Speaker, and Coach. She has led sessions in a variety of organizations throughout North America. As an ICF certified coach with a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management, she continues to train, coach, and empower workforces and organizations, specializing in all aspects of communication, leadership development and team building. She currently serves as a representative in the IL General Assembly.  She is married, has 3 adult children and a granddaughter, and lives in Crystal Lake IL.

John Valverde is the President and CEO of YouthBuild USA. He joined YouthBuild in 2017 after decades of work as an advocate for creating access to opportunity and removing barriers for formerly incarcerated and low-income people.

John began working with imprisoned individuals in 1992 to ensure access to HIV/AIDS counseling, high school equivalency instruction, alternatives to violence programs, and college education. In 1995, responding to the gap created by the elimination of TAP and Pell funding for people in prison, he led an initiative to develop and deliver a college-level certificate program, the Certificate in Ministry and Human Services. Today called Rising Hope, this program continues in several New York State prisons. In 1998, he co-founded Hudson Link for Higher Education, the first privately funded accredited college program in New York’s prisons. More than 450 students in prison have graduated from Hudson Link, which has grown to serve five prisons with six college partners.

In 2009, John worked with a team at the Osborne Association to create New York City’s first green jobs training program exclusively for people with criminal records. As Osborne’s Executive Vice President, John launched, managed, and led programs including children, youth, and family services; substance abuse treatment; workforce development; community benefit projects; financial literacy; health and wellness services; housing; alternatives to incarceration; mentoring and leadership development; and social enterprises. John has led teams that offer multiple evidence-based interventions, with a trauma-informed approach, to distinct populations that range from very young children to the elderly.

As a steady and persistent advocate for creating access, John has worked with city, state, and federal agencies to develop and operate proven job readiness and placement programs. He forged Osborne's first relationships with labor unions and has served on the Board of Pathways to Apprenticeship that supports individuals from traditionally underserved communities gain access to apprenticeship programs.

John often serves as a keynote speaker at important and related events to share his personal story of transformation and second chances. As a young man who was incarcerated at 21, John’s work to accept responsibility for his actions and commit to making amends started him on a journey of redemption that allowed him to imagine and build a new future. Though he was incarcerated for almost 16 years, John is now recognized as a proven leader and example for people affected by the criminal justice system. John’s personal and professional life embodies the work of YouthBuild and is a powerful representation of its mission. He is the proud recipient of the 2018 Brian S. Fischer Achievement Award from Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. This award is presented annually to a formerly incarcerated leader who has made an impact by advocating for positive change in the world.

John is a graduate of Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy and a 2018 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. John received his Master of Professional Studies in Urban Ministry from the New York Theological Seminary and holds a Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from Mercy College.

Jason Finkelman is an Immigration Attorney working at the forefront of immigration law to assist domestic and foreign businesses, as well as international individuals in a variety of employment-based and family-based immigration matters.  He represents U.S. and international companies, entrepreneurs, investors, business-owners, executives, professionals, skilled workers, students, and families in obtaining employment visas, lawful permanent residence ("green cards") and U.S. citizenship.  Jason works with clients across a number of industries including high-tech, semiconductor, healthcare, higher education, energy, oil/gas, import/export, research, and entertainment to help them meet their immigration goals. Please visit www.finkelmanlaw.com for more information on his services.

LeAnne Lagasse is an HR consultant and keynote speaker who helps leaders and organizations improve their employee engagement and retention and develop their people managers. LeAnne is a SHRM-SCP, a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths© Coach, and also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Missouri State University, where she teaches professional communication courses to MBA students. Prior to launching her consulting business, LeAnne was a faculty member and the Director of Public Speaking in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University, where she served for 14 years. Alongside her husband, Ben, she is a proud mom to three children and two pet prairie dogs.

Johnny Campbell is a serial disrupter in the world of hiring. As founder and CEO of SocialTalent, the world’s leading hiring skills platform, he works with some of the largest enterprises in the world (such as Intel, IBM and Ikea) to drive hiring excellence in their organizations. Hiring, for Johnny isn't just about finding and hiring great talent, it must include on-boarding and fully engaging new hires for it to be considered truly successful. He has presented these concepts at some of the world’s biggest hiring conferences across the world. His dedication is matched only by his enthusiasm, making him one of the most sought after speakers on the topics of hiring and talent. 

Alyssa Gioscia is the Director, Strategic Accounts for CareerArc with more than 10 years of strategic marketing and social media experience. Alyssa has worked with organizations across a wide range of industries—from hospitality and healthcare to retail and IT/engineering—and is passionate about developing high-impact social strategies for clients and providing creative solutions to positively impact employer brand. She delivers ongoing client education and loves bringing the latest best practices in social recruiting to her clients. Alyssa lives in sunny Southern California where she enjoys hiking, salsa dancing, and trying new restaurants.

Erica Dhawan is an internationally recognized leading authority, speaker and advisor on 21st century teamwork, collaboration and innovation. Named by Thinkers50 as the “Oprah of Management Thinkers”, she is the author of two books Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence and Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance. It’s 2021, the world of business is increasingly digital and work practices have changed at a blistering rate. Erica shares innovative strategies to unlock the collective power of teams, build a culture of trust across any distance and create authentic engagement to ensure competitiveness. Rated #1 on the Top Women Keynote Speakers of 2020 and featured as one of the management thinkers most likely to shape the future of business, Erica frequently appears in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wall Street Journal. Erica speaks on global stages ranging from the World Economic Forum at Davos to TEDx and for companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, SAP, and Cisco. She has degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School.

Jeremy Eskenazi, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CMC is Managing Principal of Riviera Advisors, Inc., a global Human Resources management consulting and training firm that helps organizations improve, enhance and optimize their internal talent acquisition and recruiting capabilities.

Prior to founding Riviera Advisors in 2001, Jeremy spent almost 20 years leading talent acquisition and recruiting teams at Universal Studios, Amazon.com, and Idealab. A regular SHRM speaker and a member of the SHRM Talent Acquisition Special Expertise Panel, Jeremy is also proud professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the Institute of Management Consultants-USA.

Jeremy is the author of the books, “RecruitCONSULT! Leadership – The Corporate Talent Acquisition Leader’s Field Book”, and “The High-Performance Talent Acquisition Advantage”.

Jennifer Currence is a Senior Partner of HR Soul consultancy firm in Tampa, Florida, where she delivers results through strategic HR solutions, customized training, and coaching programs for organizational and HR leaders. She is the creator of The SOTO Approach to Leadership and the content architect for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) international People Manager Qualification (PMQ).

Jennifer is regularly published and featured in industry magazines, webinars, and podcasts, and is the author of three HR books on behavioral business competencies.

Jennifer was named one of the top 100 Influential HR professionals in Leadership and Development in 2023 and Tampa Bay’s HR Consultant of the Year in 2017.  She is a faculty member for SHRM and a former management professor at the University of Tampa.

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler is a bestselling author and one of the leading speakers on introverts in the workplace. Her pioneering books, The Introverted Leader, Quiet Influence, The Genius of Opposites, and Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces have been translated into 18 languages. The Introverted Leader was named one of the top 5 business books by The Shanghai Daily.

Jennifer has partnered with leading organizations like Amazon, Merck, Kimberly Clark, NASA, Bosch, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. She has delivered her signature presentations from Singapore to Spain. She holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation, awarded to a small percentage of speakers, and serves as a mentor to many professional women.

A native New Yorker, Jennifer calls Atlanta, GA home.