ALICE P. KILBORN, JD PHR is the State Legislative Director for the Society for Human Resource Management of New Mexico (SHRM NM) and, after graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Law in May 2011, Alice works for Moody and Warner, PC (a labor and employment law firm) as a law clerk pending the results of the bar examination after which she looks forward to working for the firm as an Associate.  Prior to entering law school Alice worked in the field of Human Resources specializing in the areas of state and federal regulatory compliance (including oversight of Affirmative Action Plans, Equal Employment Opportunity, USERRA, and Family and Medical Leave Act) and training.

 

BOB DANIEL has more than 36 years of experience in finance, administration, human resources and business consulting. He joined Pulakos CPAs in 1993 as a firm administrator.  Additionally, he consults with the firm’s clients on controllership, human resources and employee benefits issues. Bob holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at San Diego .

 

BOB NELSON, PhD is president of Nelson Motivation, Inc. He has worked with 2/3s of the Fortune 500 companies to help improve their strategies, systems and programs for better motivating employees to achieve exceptional performance and is a best-selling author of multiple books including 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work. He has appeared extensively in the national media including CBS’ “60 Minutes,” NPR, The New York Times, TheWall Street Journal, BusinessWeek and Fortune magazines. He holds an MBA in organizational behavior from UC Berkeley and received his Ph.D. in management from The Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management School at Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles. He teaches Building High-Performing Teams for the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego.

 

CELESTE BLACKMAN Blackman is an international consultant and co-founder of The Green Zone Culture Group, dedicated to creating organizational cultures where high trust, emotional commitment and collaboration thrive.  She is both a consultant with Business Consultants of Japan and an adjunct faculty member at the Wharton School of Business where she teaches communications in the Executive MBA program. 

 

FRED MINER represents management in collective bargaining negotiations, counsels employers concerning bargaining obligations and administration of collective bargaining agreements, and is an advocate in the arbitration of disputes arising out of collective bargaining agreements and in enforcement litigation. Fred has represented numerous employers in administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and in related litigation, including the successful defense of unfair labor practice charges and the successful prosecution and defense of appeals in such cases. 

 

GENA JONES has been the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources (HR) for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center for the past three years. She arrived in Lubbock having worked as the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Gena earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from New Mexico State University, a Masters degree in Management from Webster University, and a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.

 

JENNIFER MCCLURE is President of Unbridled Talent, LLC a consulting firm providing services to clients in the areas of attracting, recruiting, developing & engaging key talent in their organizations. Jennifer is passionate about helping businesses to improve their people strategies through providing consulting and training services and she’s also a popular speaker who is regularly engaged to present at conferences, associations and to HR, Recruiting and leadership teams at a variety of organizations - including Fortune 100 clients.

 

JOANNE L. SMIKLE has distinguished herself in the field by developing mastery of both the theory and the practice of organizational development. She is a nationally recognized expert on leadership and is frequently called upon to share her knowledge at conferences and conventions. She is the author of numerous articles, books and recorded programs. Her tools are utilized by associations, government agencies, corporations and academia.

 

JOSE MARESMA has been a practicing exercise physiologist for 22 years, and a leading expert in wellness program development. After completing his graduate studies in physiology at the University of New Mexico in 1990, he began his career in athletic performance by consulting in program development at the Olympic Training Center, National Football League, National Basketball League, and over 50 division one college athletic programs. In 1998, with the increasing National crisis around health care, Jose saw the need to provide quality education and programs to help individuals become empowered and take charge of their personal health. Jose has consulted several organizations in developing evidence based wellness programs, including The Centers for Disease Control, Ford Motor Company, Destiny Health Insurance and Intel Global. In the last 12 years Jose has been a guest lecturer at more than 40 universities including Duke and the University of Texas at Austin.

 

KATHE STARK has over twenty years experience in management at the municipal, county and state level, including Assistant to the CEO, Assistant to the City Manager, ADA Compliance Coordinator and Human Resource Director, as well as non-profit and private-sector experience.  Kathe has provided leadership, guidance and counsel to executive teams and line staff to ensure effective, compliant human resource activities and possesses extensive experience in policy and procedure development, implementation and evaluation.  A published author of “Sexual Abuse:  For Friends, Family and Lovers, Helping the Adult Survivor,” copyright, 1993; “I Can Get That Job and Keep It: curriculum and workbook for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, copyright, 1993 and “ADA and its Implications for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities in the Work Place,” and  “ADA and its Implications for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities in Education”, copyright, 1993. 

 

 

LEE COWHERD, M.Ed, SPHR has over 20 years experience as a consultant, facilitator and trainer. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Vanderbilt University, Lee has worked extensively in the public sector, developing and delivering training to thousands of government employees, leading futuring and planning sessions for top leaders, and developing innovative HR practices. His public sector expertise is tempered by his experience with the for-profit world, having worked with clients from Main Street retailers to Fortune 500 companies. Lee’s specialty is helping his clients prepare for the future by identifying key workforce and societal trends and helping them develop the systems, structures and skills they need to thrive in a changing world.

 

MARIA DE GUEVARA is the Associate Vice President of Human Resources for San Jose State University where she is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources.  Under her leadership the SJSU HR team was namesd 2007 Quality Improvement Team of the Year for the California State University system.  Additionaly, the SJSU R Department received the 2007 Western Region IPMA-HR Award for Agency Excellence. 

 

NANCY L. NEWELL, SPHR Is an independent management and human resources consultant based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.   During her 17 years of practical experience in Human Resources Management, she has focused on strategic compensation and benefits planning, recruitment and training, leadership development and executive coaching, employee relations and effective organizational design and communications.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University and completed her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota.  She is a SHRM Learning System© instructor with SHRM and the University of New Mexico’s Management Development Center.  A long-time member of the Society for Human Resource Management, she has served in volunteer leadership roles for the organization at the local, state and national level.

 

PAT BUHLER is a professor of management at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Delaware and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.  Teaching since 1989, she serves as the cluster coordinator for the business administration courses and is the founder and faculty co-advisor for the student chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).  Pat teaches in the graduate and undergraduate programs specializing in the upper level management, human resource management, and strategy courses. 

 

PEGGY EDDENS is a Pittsburgh native and relocated to Wilmington to become the Executive Vice President and the Human Capital Director for WSFS Bank. Peggy joined the Bank in August 2007 and she oversees all aspects of Human Capital including: Learning and Development, Benefits, Compensation, Associate Relations, Payroll, Talent Acquisition and Retention, Human Sigma, Internal Communications and Associate Innovation.  She also leads the Bank’s strategic planning process.  Peggy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration  with majors in Management and Psychology from Robert Morris University  and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from La Roche College.

 

ROBERT J. GREENE, PhD, SPHR, GPHR, CCP, CBP, GRP is the CEO of Reward Systems, Inc., a consultancy whose mission is "Helping Organizations Succeed Through People."  He also serves on DePaul U.'s faculty in their MSHR and MBA programs.  He has over thirty years of experience and has published over 100 articles, as well as the book "Rewarding Perfomance."  He was a principal designer of the PHR, SPHR, CCP and GRP certifications and was the first recipient of the Keystone Award, bestowed by World at Work for achieving the highest level of excellence in the field.

 

SCOTT GORDON is a Director in the Albuquerque office and the Chairman of the Litigation Department.  He is a board-certified specialist in Civil Trials and in Employment and Labor Law.  Since 1986, Mr. Gordon has been the first chair trial attorney in numerous jury trials and bench trials including the trials of discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of contract and personal injury claims. He is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Advocate and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is certified by the New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Civil Trials and in Employment and Labor Law.   Mr. Gordon is an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law where he teaches Pretrial Practice.  He also serves on the faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

 

 SHAWN OLLER has represented management of both private and public entities exclusively in all aspects of labor and employment litigation and has extensive experience defending harassment and discrimination claims under Title VII, the ADEA, ADA, and FMLA. During his practice, he has represented clients in both federal and state courts in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, as well as before and against federal agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and various state agencies.   Shawn also regularly
advises employers on day-to-day personnel matters and practices, including providing telephone advice and conducting in-house training on employment related topics. On behalf of his clients, Mr. Oller regularly defends state-law claims for breach of contract, negligent hiring, supervision and retention, defamation, and wrongful termination. 

 

TARA E. MAUK ARTHUR, PHR is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Services with direct focus on the Human Resources and Compliance for Selected Funeral and Life Insurance Company in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Tara currently serves as Membership Advisory Council (MAC) representative for the SHRM Southwest Central Region, and previously served as the Director of the Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management State Council, Inc. She has held many volunteer positions within the SHRM state council and chapter structure, including chapter president, Manager’s Seminar chair, and Arkansas Employment Law and Legislative Affairs (ELLA) Conference chair. In 2007, she was named the Arkansas HR Professional of the Year.

 

WHITNEY WARNER is a Partner with the labor and employment law firm of Moody & Warner, P.C., representing employers and employees.  She was previously a human resources generalist and is SPHR certified.  She is past chair of the Employment and Labor Section of the New Mexico State Bar Association.  She is currently serving on the SHRM Labor Relations Special Expertise Panel, and was a state and chapter SHRM legislative director from 2000 to 2006.  Ms. Warner is currently serving a two-year term on the Federal Court Local Civil Rules Committee.  Ms. Warner and the firm have been recognized by “Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” each year since 2005 as leaders in employment law in New Mexico.  Ms. Warner is named as one of the top 5% of attorneys by Southwest Superlawyers in its 2007 and 2008 editions, based on peer nominations.