Live 2026: Philadelphia

Alan Ranzer spent nearly 20 years co-founding and running Impact 4 Good, one of the country's leading corporate social impact team building companies, working with HR, People, and CSR leaders across industries to design employee experiences that moved the needle on engagement, connection, and culture.

What he kept seeing: companies running one-day or one-off giveback events that employees forgot by the following week. No strategy before. No story after. A missed opportunity to build something that sticks.

That gap is why he founded Community Service Concierge (CSC).

Through CSC's "Social Impact Journey" framework, Alan helps leaders turn corporate giveback from a transactional checkbox into a culture driver by building the strategy before the event, deepening the experience during it, and sustaining the momentum long after.

A recognized voice in the CSR and employee engagement space, Alan has spoken at industry conferences and been featured in publications on building purpose-driven workplace culture.

Alan and his family live in Bethesda, Maryland. When not working, he's running on the C&O Canal, experimenting with recipes on his Big Green Egg, and waiting impatiently for his Hoosiers to return to March Madness glory

Matt Geis serves as a head of Human Resources for Lincoln Financial Group, supporting LFD, Annuities, Life Insurance & Retail Shared Service In this role, he manages a team of HR business partners who provide strategic and tactical HR consulting for employees. He also partners with the HR Centers of Excellence to unlock the full suite of HR services for leaders across Lincoln.

Geis joined Lincoln Financial in 2005 from the Capital Search Group, whe he was a managing partner, executing senior level search Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, he worked in various HR leadership roles for Bar of America and USF&G. He has more than 25 years of progressive HR experience.

Geis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Towson University.

Catherine DaGrossa is a people and strategy leader who helps organizations navigate change, growth, and transformation by bringing together human insight and intentional action.

With strengths in ideation, strategic thinking, adaptability, and activation, Catherine is known for turning complexity into clarity and momentum. She helps leaders and organizations identify emerging patterns, align around what matters most, and move ideas into meaningful action.

Deeply curious and future-focused, Catherine believes the future of work is built at the intersection of human truth, connection, and strategic execution. Her approach combines optimism with realism, helping organizations elevate what already works while creating the conditions for innovation, resilience, and sustainable success.

Whether speaking on leadership, organizational culture, change, or the evolving workplace, Catherine brings thought-provoking insights, practical strategies, and a genuine passion for helping people and organizations thrive.

Bejoy Philip is the HR Executive Team , Head of Shared Services HR for Vanguard’s Personal Investor business and a member of Vanguard’s HR executive team. A seasoned executive leader, he specializes in aligning people and organizational strategies with business goals to drive transformation, performance, and growth.

Known for fostering inclusive cultures and empowering teams with an ownership mindset, Bejoy brings a unique blend of strategic insight, creativity, and data-driven decision-making to his work. His leadership approach focuses on delivering meaningful outcomes by helping organizations navigate change while keeping people at the center of the business.

Allison Russell is a Total Rewards leader at Lincoln Financial, responsible for designing and delivering benefit strategies that drive employee well-being, financial security, and enterprise performance. She leads the company’s benefits center of expertise, overseeing health, welfare, wellness, retirement, and executive benefit programs.

In this role, Allison plays a key leadership role in shaping Lincoln’s long-term Total Rewards strategy, including leading a multi-year transformation of the company’s benefits ecosystem with major carrier and vendor transitions. She is responsible for financial stewardship and fiduciary oversight of benefit plans, and has led major cost management initiatives that have delivered significant financial value and strengthened vendor accountability.

Allison joined Lincoln in 2013 and has held multiple roles across Total Rewards, including benefits consulting and sales compensation. She has led complex enterprise initiatives, including large-scale M&A integrations and cross-functional HR transformations. She was recognized with Lincoln Financial’s CEO Excellence Award in 2026.

Allison earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University, graduating summa cum laude with a major in Risk Management & Insurance and a minor in Accounting. She holds the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation.

Cora Claus is the Vice President, Human Resources at Burlington Stores, Inc.

Sandra Auffray is a global human resources executive with extensive experience partnering with CEOs and senior business leaders to drive organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, and business transformation across the United States and internationally. As Senior Vice President of Human Resources for the Americas at Arkema, she leads the company's HR organization across the region, overseeing human resources, talent management, compensation, enterprise communications, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, crisis management, mergers and acquisitions, and enterprise transformation initiatives.

Previously, Sandra led Arkema's global HRIS strategy, supporting operations across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Throughout her career, she has built and executed strategic HR initiatives that have fueled business growth, strengthened organizational capabilities, and created long-term shareholder value.

A dual citizen of France and the United States, Sandra studied at École Normale Supérieure in France and continued her education at Harvard University and Stanford University. She also served on the Board of Trustees of the French International School of Philadelphia, where she chaired the Finance Committee.

Larry Solomon is the SVP, Chief People Officer & Head of Operations at EPAM, where he is responsible for global company infrastructure and shared services, as well as all aspects of global talent management, talent acquisition, and workforce planning and management.

Prior to joining EPAM, Mr. Solomon held several leadership positions at Accenture. His most recent responsibilities as Senior Managing Director and North America Operating Officer included overseeing and managing the full employee lifecycle of all Accenture people in the US and Canada, resource planning, recruitment, staffing and deployment, and performance management.

Prior to that, he was the Global COO of Human Resources for nearly three years, with overall responsibility for human resources operations.

Mr. Solomon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Albany with a finance/MIS major and a Spanish language minor. He graduated with the magna cum laude distinction in 1986.

at EPAM, where he is responsible for global company infrastructure and shared services, as well as all aspects of global talent management, talent acquisition, and workforce planning and management.

Prior to joining EPAM, Mr. Solomon held several leadership positions at Accenture. His most recent responsibilities as Senior Managing Director and North America Operating Officer included overseeing and managing the full employee lifecycle of all Accenture people in the US and Canada, resource planning, recruitment, staffing and deployment, and performance management.

Prior to that, he was the Global COO of Human Resources for nearly three years, with overall responsibility for human resources operations.

Mr. Solomon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Albany with a finance/MIS major and a Spanish language minor. He graduated with the magna cum laude distinction in 1986.

Dr. Monte Masten, MD, MBA, MPH, FACOG, serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Marsh McLennan Agency. In this role, Dr. Masten leads the MMA Planning & Analytics for Total Health (PATH) team, which provides data analysis and health risk mitigation strategies for MMA clients. Dr. Masten has over 25 years of leadership experience in patient care, consulting, managed care, population health management, and pharmacy management with diverse teams at national health plans, large employers, and health systems. Most recently, he was National Senior Medical Director, Clinical Transformation at Aetna based out of the Atlanta, GA office. Dr. Masten earned his medical degree at Loyola University of Chicago, his MBA from University of Tennessee and his MPH from University of North Carolina. In addition, he earned a graduate certificate in Biomedical Informatics from Oregon Health and Sciences University.

Kendra Griffith is an Employee Health & Benefits Client Executive at MMA, where she consults with employers on their health and welfare strategies. She specializes in serving clients across the business services, financial services, technology and manufacturing industries, helping them design benefit programs that align with their culture, support employee well-being and balance cost and risk. With more than nine years of experience in the health and benefits industry, Kendra brings a well-rounded perspective shaped by roles in agency operations, carrier sales, account management, consulting and production. Her approach is grounded in a passion for population health and a commitment to developing client-centric solutions that deliver meaningful value for both organizations and their employees. Kendra is currently pursuing her MBA at Rosemont College and holds a Bachelor of Science from The College of New Jersey. She is licensed as an Accident, Health and Life Producer and has also contributed her time as a corporate volunteer with the Independence Blue Cross Blue Crew.

Omar is a seasoned HR consultant with over 20 years of experience helping forward-thinking organizations redefine the future of work. Since joining Workhuman in 2019, he has served clients as an educator, advocate, and trusted advisor, driving impactful people strategies. Omar began his career in the U.S. Air Force as a combat pilot and training operations director, leading and developing high-performing teams. He later expanded his expertise through consulting roles at Deloitte, Appirio, and the NeuroLeadership Institute. Omar holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, an MBA from California Polytechnic State University, and a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law.

Jonelle Coletta Parker is an enterprise transformation leader, organizational effectiveness executive, and human capital strategist with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations drive innovation, agility, and sustainable growth. She is passionate about activating change and building the organizational conditions that enable people and businesses to thrive.

Throughout her career, Jonelle has led large-scale transformation initiatives across workforce strategy, organizational design, operating model development, change management, M&A integration, and operational excellence. She believes that human capital is a true competitive advantage when talent, capabilities, leadership, rewards, and operating systems work together as an integrated ecosystem.

Combining systems thinking, business acumen, and enterprise influence, Jonelle partners with leaders to address complex organizational challenges and translate them into practical, scalable solutions that improve performance and create long-term value. Her expertise spans AI and workforce strategy, enterprise transformation, organizational effectiveness, strategy and operations, and HR leadership.

As a speaker, Jonelle shares actionable insights on the future of work, organizational transformation, workforce strategy, leadership, and maximizing the value of human capital in a rapidly changing business environment.

Christopher Rosett is an HR strategy, technology, analytics, and operations executive with extensive experience helping global organizations transform their workforce, optimize operations, and drive sustainable business growth. Throughout his career, he has partnered with executive leadership teams across the consumer goods, supply chain and logistics, telecommunications, and technology sectors, serving organizations ranging from emerging enterprises to Fortune 500 companies with revenues of up to $638 billion.

Christopher brings deep expertise in workforce strategy, organizational design, people analytics, digital transformation, and talent management. He has successfully scaled global teams of up to 140 professionals, managed budgets exceeding $35 million, and delivered enterprise-wide solutions that balance operational efficiency, innovation, and employee experience.

Known for his strategic mindset and data-driven approach, Christopher has led initiatives in organizational restructuring, leadership development, business intelligence, predictive analytics, recruiting strategy, compensation, succession planning, employee engagement, and cultural transformation. He is also recognized for his work in data and digital strategy, process optimization, and the application of emerging technologies, including large language models, to enhance business performance and workforce outcomes.

Guided by the values of integrity, candor, and perseverance, Christopher is passionate about designing resilient organizations and healthy workplace cultures that enable people and businesses to thrive. As a speaker, he shares practical insights on the future of work, HR technology, workforce analytics, organizational transformation, and leadership strategies that drive measurable results in complex global environments.

Companies promote managers for how well they perform, then blame them for not knowing how to lead. Two different jobs. Nobody teaches the second one. And now a manager has to lead humans and machines at once, and nobody developed them for either. AK Helm spent 25 years watching that happen from the inside, developing thousands of leaders while she carried the people and the number, including a $55 million P&L at VMware. Four acquisitions, a different seat in each one. She went looking for the manual. There wasn’t one. So, she built it. She founded Boss at the Helm and created the Helm Method℠ for companies going through large transformation, M&A, scaling, restructuring, and AI adoption. She ran 100 middle managers through it at a post-acquisition technology company, where it rebuilt the cross-divisional collaboration acquisitions had broken. She cultivates what she calls UnMachined℠ leaders. She made the word up. These leaders master the Humanity Skills and Human Intelligence no algorithm can copy: judgment, discernment, presence, and the nerve to have a hard conversation. AK is mildly irreverent, makes up words, smiles too much, laughs too loud. Lead yourself. Then lead others. Be a Boss.

Robert Foster is an experienced Talent Acquisition professional with a proven track record in full-cycle recruiting, vendor management, resource management, and client relationship management. Throughout his career, he has successfully delivered recruitment solutions across corporate, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), agency, and consulting environments.

With expertise spanning high-volume recruiting, strategic workforce planning, and just-in-time hiring, Robert has partnered with organizations to identify and attract top talent in competitive markets. His experience includes supporting commercial enterprises, public sector organizations, and federal government agencies, giving him a broad perspective on talent acquisition challenges and best practices.

Robert is highly skilled in leveraging Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), online sourcing platforms, job boards, and social media channels to build strong talent pipelines. He is also known for cultivating and utilizing an extensive professional network to support strategic recruitment initiatives and deliver exceptional hiring outcomes.

As a speaker, Robert shares practical insights on modern recruiting strategies, talent acquisition trends, workforce planning, candidate engagement, and building effective recruitment partnerships. His diverse industry experience and hands-on approach make him a valuable resource for organizations seeking to strengthen their talent acquisition capabilities.

Earl Hopkins is an award-winning reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covering the region’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene. He’s also a freelance writer who has contributed music reviews, op-eds, and profile stories for Billboard, GRAMMY.com, Complex, MTV News, Stereogum, UPROXX, SPIN Magazine, and other outlets.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Earl graduated from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in May 2019. After graduating from OU, he worked as an education and family issues reporter for the Evansville Courier & Press in Southwest Indiana before transitioning to arts and entertainment coverage.

Before landing at The Inquirer, Earl was an arts and culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and The Columbus Dispatch, covering music, fashion, food, and film in Central Ohio and Texas.

He has interviewed the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jason Kelce, Tracy Morgan, Chelsea Handler, Jill Scott, and other big-name celebrities throughout his career.

Earl is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, and NABJ Philadelphia. He’s also a noted public speaker who has addressed the state of the freelance economy and the future of entertainment journalism at higher-ed institutions across the country.

His upcoming book, [Working title]: “How J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar Saved Hip-Hop,” will chronicle the evolution of socially conscious rap and focus on the role Cole and Lamar have played in the subgenre’s salvation. The book is slated for a Fall 2026 release under Rowman & Littlefield, a Bloomsbury Publishing (US) imprint.

Ariella Cohen is Deputy Managing Editor, News at the The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Abigail Seldin is Chief Growth Officer at Scholarship America, the leading administrator of private scholarships in the United States, where she leads revenue, partnerships, external affairs, and go-to-market execution. Scholarship America delivers $340M+ annually to students through 1,350+ unique programs for nearly half of today’s Fortune 500, in addition to federal agencies, local governments, small businesses, sports teams, community foundations, and individual philanthropists. Last year alone, the organization awarded nearly $20M in support to 10,000 students in trade school. A Rhodes Scholar and a Henry Luce Scholar, Seldin co-founded and led two organizations from inception through acquisition. In 2012, she co-founded College Abacus, an edtech company that integrated financial aid tools for more than 4,000 institutions, and served as CEO through its 2014 acquisition by ECMC Group, where she subsequently served as Vice President of Innovation and Product Development. In 2022, she co-founded the Civic Mapping Initiative, a nonprofit research center that identified 5,000+ last-mile transit opportunities to support workforce development. Moving from research to implementation, the Initiative piloted route expansions in select markets before its 2023 acquisition by the National League of Cities. Seldin’s policy work includes the Kids on Campus Initiative, which has successfully relocated Head Start programs onto community college campuses to expand access for student parents at scale, earning a Washington Post editorial endorsement in 2023. She serves on the board of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars and on the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, appointed by Governor Ayotte.

Ximena Conde is a Reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer.