Developing HR Fundamentals - 08/04/2020

Meet Tracy Burns, the CEO behind NEHRA since November 2010. Tracy left a two-decade-long corporate HR career, finding her perfect fit at NEHRA. In her role, she stays closely connected to the HR space, championing and developing those working to meet the challenges in today’s work environment.

Tracy believes in more than just steering the largest HR organization in New England; she sees it as a duty to consistently propel HR professionals forward. For her, that goes beyond making sure HR leaders have what they need to support their own organizations; it also includes providing them with a chance to focus on their own development within NEHRA.

Her passion for women's leadership led her to play a pivotal role in launching NEHRA's first Executive HR Women’s Program in 2017. Recognizing the impact COVID had on HR professionals, in 2022, she collaborated with local business leaders to unveil NEHRA’s groundbreaking Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace resource platform.

Tracy is the go-to expert on "all things workplace," often lending her insights to local and national media outlets. She's been featured on industry-related podcasts like The Hennessy Report, HR Rebooted, and Wellbeing Walks.

Beyond NEHRA, Tracy is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the American Society of Association Executive (ASAE). She's a supporter of fundraising efforts for The Children’s Place, serves on the Work Without Limits Business Advisory Council at UMass Medical School, and actively participates in Boston's DEI community.

Tracy’s HR journey started early, leading her to earn a degree in business/human resources from California State University and later a master’s degree in organizational development from Lesley University. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Tracy has called Greater Boston "home” since 1996. Besides being a certified yoga instructor, she cherishes quality time with friends and family, especially her two fabulous sons. Tracy Burns isn't just a CEO; she's a dedicated advocate for growth, wellbeing, and genuine human connections.

David is President of the Compensation & HR Group and is responsible for all consulting functions within the organization. He is the Author of the bestselling HR book Pay Matters: The Art and Science of Employee Compensation.

Prior to joining the Compensation & HR Group, David spent 20 years managing a human resources membership and consulting organization. He has also held positions with industry leaders Liberty Mutual, Honeywell and Hewlett-Packard as a corporate human resources professional. During this period, he gained essential hands-on experience in compensation program development, marketing and internal communications.

A graduate of The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, David has also made his mark in academia, having served as adjunct faculty member for both Northeastern University and Newbury College where he taught courses in Compensation Management and Human Resource Management. He also worked as an instructor for the certification courses at the Compensation Analyst Academy, WorldatWork and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Daniel Klein is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office. Mr. Klein's practice includes the representation of management in employment and non-competition litigation matters before state and federal courts, at trial and appellate levels, as well as federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities.

Mr. Klein also counsels national, regional and local employers on a wide variety of employment matters, including disability accommodation, family and medical leave, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, commissions disputes, performance assessment and discipline, terminations, reductions-in-force, training, background checks, whistleblower claims, defamation, handbook and policy review, and trade-secrets protection strategies.As a member of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Klein has defended employers in a variety of complex discrimination cases, including multi-plaintiff discrimination lawsuits, EEOC pattern and practice cases, and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Mr. Klein also has defended employers against the full spectrum of cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, defamation, and wage and hour violations, as well as representing employers in non-competition and contract disputes.Mr. Klein regularly assists clients in drafting employment contracts, severance agreements, non-competition, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, personnel policies and company handbooks. He has represented employers in a variety of industries, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, staffing, professional services, transportation, and technology.Mr. Klein lectures frequently on a variety of employment law topics for human resource specialists and in-house counsel, including regular presentations on behalf of the Northeast Human Resources Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Klein served as a legal intern at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. From 2005 through the present, Boston Magazine and Law and Politics have named Mr. Klein one of Massachusetts' and New England's "Super Lawyer Rising Stars." Mr. Klein received his J.D., from Boston College Law School, and his B.A. from Colgate University.

Daniel B. Klein 

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Phone: (617) 946-4840

Email: dklein@seyfarth.com

Online Bio

Gina Abudi: As President of Abudi Consulting Group, LLC, a woman-owned business, Gina utilizes her 25+ years of consulting, coaching and executive leadership experience to work closely with executives and Boards of Directors of mid- to large global organizations to lead and support strategic, transformational change initiatives. Her work is focused on coaching leaders on change, providing consulting services and offering training programs related to leading and championing/supporting change.

Gina is active with the Northeast Human Resource Association (NEHRA), frequently contributing to programs for developing HR Professionals and at conferences. She’s also adjunct faculty at several college and university undergraduate and graduate programs and is active with the Association of Change Management Professionals.