NEHRA's Virtual DEI Symposium - December 3 + 10, 2020

Joan Balaban is an executive coach and organizational consultant who combines her expertise in individual behavior and systems thinking to conduct leadership and organizational development work and training. Her approach reflects interests both in organizations and the people who work in them. In her consulting, Joan draws on over ten years in organizational development and executive coaching and eighteen years of experience as a psychotherapist.

Specialties: Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Team-Building, Facilitation and Training. 

Beth Chandler joined YW Boston in November 2012, with more than 20 years of experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. In August 2018, she was appointed President & CEO. Her breadth of work experience encompasses program development, delivery and evaluation, business development, and operations.

Prior to working at YW Boston, Beth served as vice president at the Achievement Network, a national non-profit dedicated to helping urban public and charter schools close the achievement gap.

Beth also held positions at Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the largest funding source for civil legal aid programs in the Commonwealth and Neighborworks America, one of the country’s preeminent leaders in affordable housing and community development.

Beth also worked as a corporate banking associate with Bank of America in corporate banking and began her career as a research and evaluation analyst with the Urban Institute.

Currently, Beth serves on the MA Conference United Church of Christ Board of Directors, the Women’s Workforce Advisory Council and the Leadership Circle of Hope Central Church.

A former professional basketball player, Beth received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Scarlett Clarke joined Commonwealth Financial in October of 2020. She was previously at Bright Horizons. Scarlett’s passion for HR began after she graduated college and worked for a staffing agency. In her current role, Scarlett is responsible for aligning business objectives with employees and management. She serves as a consultant and strategic partner to leaders and collaborates with department managers to help fairly implement our policies and to assist them with coaching employees and supporting their development.

Scarlett holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from Suffolk University. She and her family live in Hyde Park, MA. 

Scarlett will co-facilitate the session on Social Identities.

As diversity and inclusion talent Strategist for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Kim Dukes serves as a diversity recruitment trainer, internal consultant, and Human Resources regulator. Operating as a key stakeholder of the Talent Acquisition team, she innovatively designs and implements strategic recruiting programs that are focused on bringing balanced talent pools into the hiring process.  Kim focuses on creating a level playing field in the medical center for all talent, both internal and external.

As a recognized expert on strategic diversity recruiting, Kim is co-founder of DSP Executive Search, a veteran-owned diversity search firm that helps organizations address their talent pool gaps and assists them in building, recruiting, and hiring balanced workforces.

For the past twenty-five years, Kim has recruited, hired, and trained candidates for managerial and executive roles, trained corporate recruiters in the art of inclusive recruiting, and served as a consultant and strategic partner to help organizations build balanced talent pools. She is passionate about building diverse and inclusive workforces for her client organizations because research shows that an ethnically- and gender-diverse workforce results in a more effective, productive, and higher-performing organization.

Kim is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA), and the Diversity Advisory Committee, as well as past co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Community Forum and a Cornell Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner (CCDP/AP).

Additionally, Kim was a 2016 Ad Club ROSOFF 20/20 Awards nominee, which honors an individual’s vision for diversity & inclusion.  She has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and the Boston Business Journal. Kim is also a LeadBoston 2012 alumni, a past recipient of Strong Women Strong Girls’ Spark Award, and named NEHRA’s 2014 Volunteer of the Year.  Lastly, the Boston Business Journal gave Kim an individual award for Leaders in Diversity, for her dedication, commitment, and outstanding contribution to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity within organizations.

Alfranda “Al” Durr is responsible for leading ALD & Associates LLC strategic vision, creating new business opportunities, and managing key client relationships.

Prior to his current position, Al served 28 years as a commissioned officer in the Army National Guard while holding a number of Director and Program Management positions. He has more than three decades of experience in Human Resource, Equal Opportunity, Program Management as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.

Al is a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner, Human Resource Manager and Mentor with experience working with federal, state and commercial agencies and programs. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School along with Diversity and Inclusion Certifications from Cornell and Georgetown Universities. He is a Coach, Teacher, and inspires those he meets. Al is also an Adjunct Faculty at George Mason University where he teaches leadership, innovation, and interpersonal communication courses and is a frequent speaker at conferences and leadership forums.

Latoria J. Farmer is the Executive Director, Inclusion and Diversity for KPMG LLP with over 20 years of HR experience leading enterprise strategies to attract, retain and develop underrepresented talent and consulting with business leaders and other key stakeholders to identify and address unique workforce opportunities. Tori works closely with HR business advisors, Talent Acquisition and Leadership Development to support talent management initiatives that directly impact underrepresented groups. Her work includes establishing firmwide goals and accountability metrics and using root causes and data analysis to refine strategies that support business priorities. 

 
An active contributor to the talent life cycle, Tori has been involved with succession planning, mentoring, needs assessment, leadership development and sponsorship. She develops and deploys programmatic solutions, integrating best practices, to continually enhance the growth and progression of employees through continuous engagement with stakeholders. Tori is also a national instructor for milestone and leadership development programs.
Her previous roles as an HR business advisor has included workforce management, compensation planning, learning and development, performance development, and employee relations; and as a Workplace Solutions Leader, she supported work life effectiveness, employee engagement, mentorship, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. 

Prior to joining KPMG, Tori was an HR business partner at Porter Novelli with regional responsibility for the total employee experience from recruiting and onboarding to retirement, in addition to operational responsibilities.

Tissa Hami is the Founder and Principal of Korsi Consulting. A former investment banker turned stand-up comic turned DEI consultant, Tissa works with clients across industries on their DEI strategies and goals. Her clients have included Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, non-profits, and universities. Her mission is to build inclusive workplaces where all employees belong and can thrive.

Tissa will co-facilitate Daring Allyship: An Interactive Comedy & Storytelling Experience

Experienced Talent Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the media and financial industries. Skilled in Learning & Development, Content Creation and Facilitation, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Relations. Global leader with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Business Administration from Bennett College for Women.


Leadership development • Corporate communications • Assessments & reporting • Cross-functional team leadership • Training and facilitation • Mentoring • Strategic planning & execution • Program development • Project management • Employee engagement • Process development & optimization

Kari Heistad is the CEO of Culture Coach International and the DEI Boxx. She has been working in the space of diversity, equity and inclusion for more than 25 years. Her clients have spanned industries, sectors and sizes. Through her work she seeks to make diversity applicable and approachable for all employees, engaging them through a process of positive curiosity about the world and others. She has spoken before more than 18,000 people through presentations, keynotes and conferences and she has developed hundreds of DEI tools, models and resources.

More can be learned about her work at: CultureCoach.biz and DEIBoxx.com

As the CEO of Talking Talent, Inc., Teresa leads the US business and steers the company’s strategic direction. Deep expertise in the areas of Inclusion with Purpose, Women in Leadership, and Working Parent Support, allow Teresa and her team to unlock potential in people and organizations by helping create inclusive cultures that drive better business results.

Prior to joining the organization, Teresa was an SVP with Life Meets Work where she launched their coaching and women’s leadership practices. Before moving into the world of consulting, Teresa led retention and engagement strategies at RSM in her role as Senior Director of National Talent Management. Her innovative coaching and culture programs led the company to prestigious recognition and awards.

Teresa received the AWLP Work-Life Rising Star award for her innovative work in the field. She is a nationally-recognized speaker who has been featured in many books and media outlets such as CNBC, the CBS Morning Show, NBC Nightly News, NPR, Wall Street Journal, HR Magazine, Money Magazine, and many more.

She is a working mother of four with an arsenal of real-world experiences (and stories) that influence the work she does with her clients.

Devin C. Hughes is the current Founder of Devin C. Hughes inc., a boutique training and development firm created to help established and emerging leaders grow to reach their ideal potential as well as their teams. He currently works with a number of startups and large global organizations setting up best practices for their people strategy.

He is a captivating speaker, author, and culture expert. He helps leaders drive growth and engagement by aligning workplace culture with success. With 20 years of experience in conflict resolution, generational differences, and culture change, he is the author of 21 books and has spoken in over 15 countries. Devin lives in San Diego, CA with his wife, four daughters and two rescue dogs.

Devin’s experience working on employee engagement strategy, evolving corporate cultures, talent management, and diversity & Inclusion brings a unique perspective in helping his clients plan for positive growth and evolution. His approach which draws from the science of positive psychology, positive organizational research, appreciative inquiry, neuroscience, mindset and mindfulness. As a result, clients receive the cutting edge in research on well-being and flourishing.

Maya comes to Peoplism with deep experience in HR and the tech industry. Most recently, Maya was part of the HR team at Clever, an EdTech company that helps improve technology in the classroom for students and teachers. As one of the only black identifying women within many organizations, Maya partnered with colleagues and business leaders to identify systems, policies, and practices that contributed to feelings of inequity and exclusion. She co-founded DEI programs at each of her previous companies to help support employees. In doing this work, she developed an even bigger passion for making sure all employees feel recognized, valued, and heard.

Mim Minichiello serves as Chief Performance and Talent Officer for the East Region. In this capacity, her primary focus is on enhancing the performance of the HUB team through the implementation of best practices in talent management and the preservation of the organization's deeply ingrained entrepreneurial culture. Additionally, Mim takes pride in her role as a staunch advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as well as community engagement efforts within the East Region.

Mim is renowned for her unwavering commitment to the HUB team and the broader insurance industry, consistently propelling her colleagues toward their next career milestones and forging new pathways into the sector. Before assuming her current role, Mim served as the President of Employee Benefits at HUB International New England.

With a distinguished career spanning executive roles in both the insurance brokerage and health plan sectors, Mim possesses expertise in designing and executing strategic growth plans, spearheading innovative sales and marketing strategies, and fostering high-performing teams. Beyond her leadership responsibilities, Mim contributes her expertise as a board member for several influential charities, including Facing History, YW Boston, and The Women’s Edge. She also actively participates in board committees for esteemed organizations like the Northeast Human Resources Association, New England Employee Benefits Council, and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council.

Mim's exceptional contributions to her field have earned her multiple accolades, including recognition as a multi-year recipient of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts award and her selection as one of the 2019 Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 winners. Mim is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She has further enriched her skill set by completing a graduate certificate in management from Radcliffe College and obtaining the Certified Health Insurance Executive designation through AHIP's Executive Leaders program.

Originally from NYC, Kaden Mohamed moved to the Boston area in 2010 to attend Wellesley College. There he studied women’s and gender studies and education studies, and was able to explore his interests in social justice and anti-oppression work. This exploration helped him understand and become comfortable with his own gender identity as part of the trans community.

Kaden works full-time at Keshet, a national organization that works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and their families in Jewish life, and is the Chair for the Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. He has participated in numerous panels, has been interviewed about trans issues and trans rights by the New York Times, WBUR, the Rainbow Times, The Boston Sunday Review, and TBF News, and was featured in Spirit magazine’s 2017 Young Trailblazers list for activists under 30. 

Sarah Morrell is a Director of Inclusion and Diversity at KPMG LLP. She has over 10 years of experience as an Inclusion and Diversity Practitioner.  She works closely with firm leaders to ensure that I&D is embedded in key business and talent processes. Sarah currently oversees the development and deployment of the firm’s inclusive leadership learning framework, redesign of the self-ID platform and corresponding campaign, and serves as a subject matter expert for the Accelerate 2025 Transparency & Accountability workstream

Jane Moyer is the SVP & CHRO at Commonwealth Financial Network in Waltham where she is responsible for all aspects of the employee experience. Prior to heading HR at Commonwealth, she was the CHRO and Vice President, Human Resources Management at Northeastern University in Boston.

Jane was Vice President, Global HR Shared Services for ICON PLC, a worldwide provider of clinical research to the pharmaceutical and medical products industry based in Dublin, Ireland. There she managed all HR Shared Services and HRIT through regional service centers in the US, Europe and India and provided OD and business partner support to senior management. Prior to Ireland she lived in Copenhagen and was Global Head of HR for Operations at Maersk Line, the largest shipping company in the world, where she supported global business partnering and led a significant culture change resulting in a turnaround of the company to profitability. Jane has also held senior leadership roles at Starbucks including global organizational design, and Head of HR for Starbucks Canada, based in Toronto. At Kendall-Jackson Wines, Jane was the VP HR for Shared Services and led the comp and benefits, HRIT and staffing functions.

In addition to her corporate HR roles, Jane was a lecturer in Penn State’s World Campus for the School of Labor Studies and Employer Relations for ten years, and was the 2017 recipient of Penn State’s prestigious Kelly-Willits Award for excellence in online instruction. Jane is the current co-chair of the School of Labor Studies and Employer Relations’ Alumni program board that works to support the School and its students.

Jane has degrees from Penn State (including studies at the University of Cologne, Germany) and Cornell and has presented and lectured nationally on issues of compensation, equity and stock, AI and HR, organizational agility and justice in the workplace. She has been a featured executive in numerous publications including The Advocate and Fast Company. Jane was a Fellow at the Sierra Institute, an HR research and advocacy group, and currently serves as a Board member on the Northeast HR Association. She previously served on TIAA’s Advisory Council. She is a member of the International Guild of Sommeliers and has served on numerous boards for local charities and media arts organizations. 

Evelyn Murphy is a Ph.D. economist, Founder and President of The WAGE Project, Inc. and author of Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men and What To Do About It published by Simon & Schuster in 2005. The WAGE Project, Inc. is a nationwide, grassroots activist organization dedicated to eliminating the gender wage gap.

Dr. Murphy conducts Work$mart salary negotiation workshops for working women throughout the United States -- to community women at YWCAs, at other community organizations, even at a mayor’s office; to women staff and faculty in colleges and universities; and through professional associations to women lawyers, surgeons, certified public accountants, scientists, librarians, and others. In addition, she facilitates $tart$mart workshops on campuses for young women about to start their careers.

Earlier in her career, Evelyn Murphy served as Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, and subsequently as Secretary of Economic Affairs, In 1986, she was elected Lt. Governor of Massachusetts and became the first woman in the state’s 200 year history to hold constitutional office. Prior to her election, no woman had ever served as Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor or United States Senator.

Dr. Murphy is Chair of the Board of Directors of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company and a Director of Citizens Energy Corporation. In her civic role, she is a founding Director of The Commonwealth Institute; Honorary Chair, The Lost Coin Women’s Fund, Inc; Advisory Board Member, the Center for Women and Work at UMass Lowell, and the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston.

She earned a BA in mathematics from Duke University; MA in economics from Columbia University; a PhD in economics from Duke University. She is the recipient of eleven honorary degrees, the distinguished alumni award of the Graduate School of Duke University, and more than one hundred awards from federal, state and community organizations. In her spare time, she has run the Boston Marathon many times and can be seen in the bleachers cheering for the Boston Red Sox.

There’s a saying 'Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And then there are those who wonder, 'What the heck just happened?' I'm one of those people that make things happen. I work to understand the “big picture”, then drill down to a practical action plan and make it happen! Throughout the entire process you’ll find infectious enthusiasm, energy, and optimism!

I have enjoyed the great fortune of a diverse career as an entrepreneur and HR executive with over 20 years of global operational and strategic work experience. I've been employed by Fortune 100 companies such as TJX Companies and Blue Cross-Blue Shield and worked with Fortune 50 companies including IBM, GM, Fidelity Investments and even the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as an entrepreneur.

What problems can I help you solve? A few examples below:
• Restructured a global workforce from 1200 consultants to 700 using competency modeling, redeployment and upskilling as appropriate. This resulted in increased revenue (over $250M) and market share 5% with decreased cost by 28% in one year.

• Transformed organization from transaction oriented to an employee engagement model. This resulted in decreased arbitration, complaints and improved overall employee satisfaction.

• Reduced recidivism rates 98% for citizens incarcerated for misdemeanor offenses in 18 U.S. cities. Collaborated with community engagement and citizen projects that influenced federal and state criminal justice policies and laws.

In summary using a combination of creativity, relationship and change management, I enable leaders and policy makers to create actionable strategies to address core issues quickly. As a board member I bring these skills to both domestic and international companies.

Specialties: Executive coaching, business consulting services, profit and loss management, talent management, organization development, diversity and inclusion, employee and labor relations, policy development. 

Paula Parnagian is Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at Eversource Energy and formerly the president of World View Services, a global organizational practice specializing in diversity and inclusion. She has been a (co)creator and leader of numerous social justice initiatives, including Citizens for Public Schools, Boston City-Wide Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity, Boston Police-Community-Youth Dialogues, and the Angry Heart Collaborative. Paula has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Top 100 thought-leader in Diversity & Inclusion

Shilpa Pherwani, the principal of IBIS and a leading expert in diversity and inclusion, has been guiding global organizations for over 12 years on leveraging diversity as a business advantage. An organizational psychologist by training, she partners with organizations to effect sustainable organizational change by conducting cultural assessments, developing comprehensive strategic diversity action plans, and designing compelling and interactive classroom-based and online training.

Shilpa collaborates with key stakeholders to strategically plan, implement, and measure diversity initiatives. Shilpa has worked with global organizations to guide management and executives on being effective across cultural and geographical boundaries. She delivers outcome driven and systemic consultation to diversity committees, senior members of HR and business leaders. Shilpa’s clients include Aetna, Barclaycard US, Boeing, Campbell Soup, Framingham State University, Grainger, Genzyme, Microsoft, Nestle, Progress Software, Sun Life Financial, State Street Bank, Texas Health Resources, Thrivent Financial of Lutherans, Tredegar Corporation, and Williams Sonoma.

Shilpa Pherwani graduated from Kanpur University (India). She received her Master’s from Springfield College in Industrial/Organizational Psychology where her focus was on Organizational Development.

Transforming C-Suite Women's Leadership Development Because Diversity Matters.
“It’s my mission to close the diversity gap between the Executive Suite and the C-Suite by ending career plateaus and off ramps that derail the careers of minority women and men. There’s a tiny space between making a difference and accepting the status quo – I work within that gap.”

A transformational keynote speaker, author, coach, business strategist, and visionary. Margaret has 30 years’ experience inspiring organizations to value talent. Engaging employees in a shared vision, creating inclusive initiatives, and fostering collaboration across silos are central tenets of her work.

Determined to create a glide path for diversity and inclusion in executive leadership, Margaret launched The Employee to CEO Project, a global initiative aimed at increasing the representation of women, with specific emphasis on minority women, in C-Suite leadership roles. Her, latest book, Leadership Self-Transformation: 52 Career-Defining Questions Every High-Achieving Women Must Answer – challenges women to clarify their vision, find the power, and the limitless courage to build the career they want.

Margaret’s journey to the executive suite was nontraditional. She began her career managing workplace injuries and, consequently, observed injured employees being discarded from the workforce. From a catapulting question written on a napkin in 1999, her company, C. Douglas & Associates, currently manages a claims loss portfolio valued at over $95 million for its multinational client base.

Voted Top 20 Speaker seven consecutive years at SHRM Society for Human Resource Management Annual and Diversity conferences. A six-year member of SHRM’s Special Expertise Panel. She is the five-term Conference Co-chair of the Return to Work section of the WCI Workers’ Compensation Education Conference. In 2017 she received the InTouch Excellence Award “Women Leading the Way” in Workers’ Compensation. 

Sandye Taylor is the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at RBC Capital Markets. She joined RBC Capital Markets in 2015. In her role, she collaborates with senior management to drive the company’s global diversity and inclusion strategy ensuring alignment with business goals. Sandye has oversight across all employee resource groups and external partnerships to help foster an institutional culture of inclusive leadership that empowers RBC to attract, retain and advance top talent from diverse backgrounds. Prior to joining RBC Capital Markets, Sandye worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) where she was Senior Vice President, Head of D&I, Global Wealth & Investment Management. During her 12 years at BAML, she held roles as Global Head of D&I, Global Banking & Markets, head of Global Supplier Diversity; and Global Supply Chain Management, Acquisitions & Divestitures. Prior to that, she practiced law in public service and private law firms. Sandye holds her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland, School of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland at College Park. She is married with two children.

Yulkendy is a tech entrepreneur, social justice advocate, and public speaker. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Forefront, she helps employers, schools, and youth nonprofits prepare the next generation of the workforce through their modern technology.

She is a proud alumna of Babson College, the #1 school for entrepreneurship. More recently, she was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 and one of the Latino 30 Under 30 honorees by El Mundo Boston.

Yulkendy is originally from the Dominican Republic and was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Yulkendy has traveled to over 30+ countries for work and fun.

Learn more at getforefront.co. For speaking opportunities, please visit yulkendyvaldez.com. 

Director of Diversity for Patient Care Services at Mass General since 1995, Washington is a national leader in addressing diversity issues. She has developed the Mass General program into one of the most robust and highly regarded diversity programs in the country and her initiatives have been replicated in healthcare organizations throughout the world. Her achievements at the hospital include co-creating the Culturally Competent Care Curriculum, establishing the annual PCS African American Pinning Ceremony, helping to recruit minority leadership, initiating Cultural Rounds on the patient care units, and developing the Hausman Student Nurse Fellowship—designed to expand the diversity of the MGH nursing staff to better reflect the patient population and that of the greater community.

Washington earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the Connell School. She also is a member of the Connell School’s Diversity Advisory Board.

Washington, who was named a Champion in Health Care by the Boston Business Journal, has been honored with the American Organization of Nurse Executives Prism Award and the Arnold Z. Rosoff Agent of Change Award.

Dan Wilson is currently a Sr. HR Consultant at AllWays Health Partners. He is an experienced human resources and information systems professional, enabling business areas to perform their best by leveraging analytics and continued skill development.