Concurrent Session

Erika Frank is the Vice President, Legal Counsel of the California Hospital Association.

Prior, Erika served as the Associate Executive Director, General Counsel and Section Chief for the California Lawyers Association. 

Over her twenty-year career, Erika has utilized her legal expertise in employment and labor law to benefit the non-profit and private sector alike. When serving as Counsel at the Shaw Law Group in Sacramento, California, Erika advised the region’s employers about California’s complex employment laws, conducted impartial workplace investigations for public and private sector employers, and conducted seminars and training programs.  

Erika also served General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal Affairs at the California Chamber of Commerce, the largest broad-based trade association in California. During her tenure at the Chamber, Erika developed an expertise in employment law compliance, oversaw CalChamber’s Labor Law Helpline and assisted countless members with their employment law questions. She also played an integral role in the launch and success of CalChamber’s “The Workplace” podcast.

Erika has not only produced but has led numerous seminars and webinars on employment law topics such as leaves of absence, wage and hour compliance, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation prevention. She is known for her relentless energy and ability to transform legal concepts into simple stories and realistic scenarios for any type of audience and professional.   

In any organization that she is a part of, Erika utilizes her skills to translate vision into reality. Paying special attention to organizational culture, structure, and human capital, Erika is able to maximize potential and achieve results that boards, stakeholders and members are proud of.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and received her Juris Doctorate Degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. In her spare time, Erika enjoys spending time with her family, running the local trails, swimming laps in the pool, listening to the trending legal podcasts, and practicing mindfulness.   

Alexander Alonso, PhD, SHRM-SCP is the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) Chief Data & Insights Officer leading operations for SHRM's Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional certifications, research functions, and the SHRM Knowledge Advisor service. He is responsible for all research activities, including the development of the SHRM Competency Model and SHRM credentials.

During his career, he has worked with numerous subject matter experts worldwide with the aim of identifying performance standards, developing competency models, designing organizational assessments, and conducting job analyses. He was also responsible for working on contract task orders involving the development of measurement tools for content areas such as job knowledge (like teacher knowledge of instructional processes) and organizational climates (like organizational climate forecasting in military health care).

Dr. Alonso received his doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Florida International University in 2003. His works have been recognized for their contribution to real-world issues. They include being recognized by the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the APA; SIOP) with the 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for the development of the federal standard for medical team training, TeamSTEPPS; being awarded a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for supporting the development of competency model for team triage in emergency medicine; and receiving the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award.

Throughout his career, he has published works in peer-reviewed journals such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, People and Strategy, Personality and Individual Differences, Quality and Safety in Health Care, and Human Resources Management Review. He has also authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, as well as co-authoring Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice.

Dr. Alonso also served as a columnist analyzing major trends in the workforce for The Industrial Psychologist and HR Magazine. In addition, he has served on several professional society boards including the SIOP and the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.

Brittany S. Hale is the founder and CEO of BND Consulting Group. Brittany's experience in litigation, politics, and risk management led her to create BND Consulting Group, which equips senior leaders with the tools to establish highly engaged, trustworthy, and resilient audiences to gain a competitive advantage. She guides leaders in navigating organizational transitions by operationalizing aspirational values for enterprise, government, and startup clients alike. 

As CEO of BND Consulting Group, she established custom onboarding programming for marketing, finance, and sales departments, which increased employee retention by 21% and saved an organization an additional $400,000 through strategic operational advisement. While serving as Interim CEO of an entrepreneurial-focused nonprofit, Brittany increased donor contributions by 16% and research-based revenue by 41%. In Fall 2022, Brittany lectured on managing human behaviors in organizations at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, and her strategies have reduced attrition within organizations by over 10%.

Brittany's dedication to public service is reflected in her extensive service record. She became one of the youngest Black women to hold office in her state after using her experiences as an Obama Organizing Fellow to run for office in 2016. In August 2020, Brittany developed the first municipal Social Justice Commission in New Jersey and served as Executive Director. She serves on the Rutgers University Alumni Association Board of Directors and was appointed to the Human Relations Council Executive Committee by Governor Murphy. Brittany is also a 2023 Women inPower Fellow with 92NY. 

Jason Geller is managing partner of Fisher Phillips San Francisco office. Jason represents employers in all facets of employment law matters. He has considerable experience defending employers in litigation involving claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act and California Family Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and California wage and hour laws. Jason has also defended employers against whistleblowing and retaliation claims, including claims under the California Whistleblower Act, the False Claims Act and various provisions of the California Labor Code.

Tamara Cooksey is the CPO of Ingenio, where she is responsible for overseeing the global people operations function with a focus on culture and integrated change management. She has over 15 years of experience helping early-stage companies grow, develop, and retain top talent. Tamara has a strong combination of business acumen and emotional intelligence, which has resulted in her ability to be a results-driven leader who emphasizes relationship-building skills and creative problem-solving. She is extremely passionate about building people programs and culture initiatives to create positive, diverse, and supportive work environments that keep employees engaged, allowing them to reach their full potential. 

Tran Andrada has over 25+ years in the HR and Technology space. She started her professional career in APJ as an HR Specialist and during her journey has held roles as an HR Analyst, Solution Consultant, Account Executive, and People Leader leading cross functional teams. Tran has experience with and managed business applications such as PeopleSoft, UltiPro, ADP’s myriad of systems (EV4, EV5, PayForce, WFN, Vantage) as well as services. Tran’s HR tech experience has been with Peoplesoft, UltiPro, ADP and last but not least, Workday’s full Suite of HCM solutions. She has worked in many industries which include: airlines, banking, retail, PEO, and technology. She now leads the Sales Engineering Team at Hibob for the Americas.

Justin Jones-Fosu MBA, CSP is a full-time dad-e who also happens to be an international speaker, a social entrepreneur, and author. He is the Founder and CEO of Work. Meaningful. where he speaks 50-60 times a year for professionals, corporations, organizations, and associations. His clients include some of the biggest names in The Fortune 500 to the best spelled names in Fourth Grades across the country.He is the author of two books, the most recent being The Inclusive Mindset: How to Cultivate Diversity in Your Everyday Life. Justin is a former HR Professional who obtained his MBA specializing in Leadership and Organizational Change and undertook further graduate studies in Human Resource Development. He has also gained valuable leadership experience with three Fortune 500 companies as well as by consulting on strategy, leadership, diversity/inclusion and organizational development. Justin was named as one of EBONY Magazines “30 Young Leaders on the Rise.”
He is a former radio host and a former workplace contributor to NPR's "The Takeaway." If you only remember a few things about Justin, it’s that he loves being a dad-e and giving to educational initiatives on the continent of Africa. He believes that these are more important than any accomplishments, recognition, or accolades!

Christine Rodman is a visionary leader with an extensive background in Human Resources and training, spanning over 25 years. Christine’s expertise shines through her skillful design and facilitation of numerous training programs, each crafted to enhance productivity, ensure legal compliance and elevate the morale within organizations across a broad spectrum of industries. Beyond her professional pursuits, Christine is deeply passionate about giving back to her field and the local community.  Serving as State Director Elect for CalSHRM, Christine works to actively shape the future of HR practices and showcases her commitment to collaborative growth.  Her altruism extends to organizations like the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, Chops Teen Club, and the YWCA. Christine finds balance in an array of exhilarating activities.  Whether scuba diving into the depths of the ocean, snowboarding down mountainsides, running marathons with determination, or relishing cherished moments with her family, Christine embraces life with enthusiasm and authenticity.

Dawn N. Stone is owner of The Conflict Chick LLC, a consulting company that provides training and development for organizations, corporations, teams and individuals that specializes in conflict management, communication, storytelling and diversity, equity and inclusion. Dawn’s 28 years of corporate experience coupled with her MBA in Marketing and MA in Conflict Management has afforded her the opportunity to touch thousands of lives across the US through education and leadership training she provides. She has two years of a Doctorate of Education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in Leadership and Learning In Organizations where she plans to enhance the organizations and the leaders she serves through curricula, research and development.  

Dawn's passion to develop and train others resulted in several entrepreneurial ventures since the age of 19 and this diversified skill set is leveraged daily. She has 12 years of adjunct professor experience at the college and community college level in business, entrepreneurship, communications and general education.  

Dawn is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and Lipscomb University’s Institute for Conflict Management. She has served as a certified Rule 31 Mediator in the State of Tennessee and a certified Circle Facilitator through The Circle Center Inc. These certifications make it easier for her to bring peace to communities across industries and organizations.  

In her spare time she enjoys family outings and volunteering in the community. Current and former employers include Center for Nonprofit Management, People3, Inc, Dismas House Nashville, Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry, The Higher Education Initiative of TN, Nashville State Community College, National College, Austin Peay State University, YMCA of Middle Tennessee, Dell, Home Depot, Alive Hospice, Nabisco, Coca-Cola, Nortel Networks and several start-ups. 

Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer who also closely tracks the most important developments at the U.S. Supreme Court impacting the business community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing management in a wide variety of employment and labor matters in perhaps the most challenging state in the nation for employers – California.  Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics.  He is a member of SHRM and has been an annual presenter at both the SHRM Annual Conference and the Employment Law and Compliance Conference for two decades.  Mr. Beachboard is frequently quoted in such leading publications as HR Magazine, National Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, HR Executive and Workforce, and has been published in dozens of legal and business journals. Throughout his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Beachboard has represented dozens of studios and entertainment properties.  He cites his most interesting project as working with the cast and crew of the television show The Office, from its pilot through the final season.

Jenny is a global executive taming complexity for distributed global technology firms. She’s been a Chief People Officer, Chief Talent Officer and Chief Learning Officer at companies like SuccessFactors, SAP, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems/Oracle, Klaviyo and Sum Total Systems.  An international thought leader in HCM, she is acknowledged as one of the 50 most Powerful Women in Tech. She is also the author of two best-selling business books, “Data Driven: How Performance Analytics Delivers Extraordinary Sales Results,” and “The Data-Driven Leader: A Powerful Approach to Delivering Measurable Business Impact Thought People Analytics.”  She’s an advisor to Education and HR technology firms and sits on the Board of Directors of talent assessment firm Plum and compensation management firm Beqom.

Melissa Adams is Executive Vice President of Human Resources of Duarte, Inc., responsible for the company’s culture and talent strategies to enable all our people to thrive. As a leader in HR for over two decades, Melissa brings a wealth of best practices for creating engaged, diverse, and inclusive work environments where people and business results excel. Through her experience in a range of industries, across businesses of all sizes in the U.S. and Europe, Melissa has developed proven strategies for cultivating employees and strengthening culture to support and sustain business growth. She’s particularly passionate about creating innovative training experiences that build empathy and inclusion, underpinned by her deep expertise in psychometric and relationship awareness tools. As a result of Melissa’s leadership, Duarte’s employee engagement measures have skyrocketed, with scores well above benchmarks for similar companies. She has received several accolades for her work, including National Employer of the Year and Outstanding Contribution award. In addition to multiple coaching and psychometric accreditations, Melissa has an International Human Resources Management Degree with honors from Southampton Solent University, UK.