Danae Atkins is an HR Director and Business Partner at Ball Corporation. In her role, Danae partners with
the business functions within North and Central America Beverage Packaging to ensure that people
strategy supports and drives business strategy. Prior to this role, Danae was the Director of Talent Development at Ball, where she had accountability for learning and development, leadership development, coaching, succession planning, assessment, performance management and employee engagement. After spending most of her career in Centers of Excellence, Danae is loving the learning and fresh perspective she’s gaining in the Business Partner role.

Prior to joining Ball in 2018, Danae held a variety of roles in the human capital and talent management space, first at Whirlpool Corporation and then at SC Johnson. Danae has worked with and lead teams across the US and around the world. Danae holds a BBA in Marketing from Andrews University, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and is a certified coach. Danae is married to her husband Andy and the proud mom of two kids. In addition, she claims four “fur babies” as part of her family – three crazy dogs and one very patient cat.

Judith Almendra, Vice President Human Capital and Talent Acquisition at TTEC is an accomplished human capital professional with a proven track record of integrating business and people strategies to drive results. With over 15 years of business and human capital experience, Judith has led teams in the implementation of traditional and innovative strategies in the areas of marketing and communications, public relations, learning and development, talent acquisition, performance management, succession and employee engagement and employee retention.

In her 12 years with TeleTech, Judith has held progressive leadership positions, covering multiple facets of the for Human Capital spectrum as well as leading the development of company’s proprietary human capital tools, programs and solutions. Through her career, she has gained deep expertise in the international business and multicultural markets. And, she has played key roles leading global cultural transformation.
She is originally from Mexico and moved to the US in 2001 to pursue her Masters in Business at the University of Colorado. She is also a board member of the TTEC Community Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to provide better education opportunities to children in underserved communities, which is something Judith is very passionate about.

Anna is CEO and Founder of Ceresa.  Ceresa’s mission is to build diverse leadership for the future, by democratizing access to truly transformative career and leadership resources. She dedicates her time to shaping the company’s vision and strategy, driving consistent high-quality programming, building a world-class team and culture, and shaping a sustainable social impact business model.

Prior to launching Ceresa, Anna was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she served healthcare systems globally, as well as leading leadership development and diversity initiatives. She also served as COO at an early-stage tech company prior to launching Ceresa. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, MPhil, and BA from the University of Oxford. Anna lives in the Colorado mountains with her two dogs, three kiddos and one husband (who typically manage to get her attention in that order).

With more than 20 years of experience guiding organizations toward workplace inclusion, Teresa Hopke brings a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on the importance of establishing cultures of belonging where everyone can thrive. Her unique, trusted, and proven insights on employee wellbeing, women's leadership development, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) make her an incredibly valuable resource as Talking Talent’s CEO and as a partner to her coaching clients. ​

​Teresa’s career has been focused on building up others in order to achieve the best results, both for the individual and the teams they work with. Her innovative ideas and determination to see real change are the reasons for her success over the last two decades.  She is a nationally recognized thought leader on the topic of inclusive leadership, and she has been featured in many top tier business publications and media outlets such as CNBC, the CBS Morning Show, NBC Nightly News, NPR, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, HR Magazine, Money Magazine, and others. ​

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As a mother of four, Teresa understands the needs of working parents and caregivers. She also continually advocates for people who are underserved, undervalued, and underestimated in the workplace.

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton joined The Denver Post in 2022 as a business reporter, focusing her coverage on Colorado's marijuana, real estate and airline industries. For two years, she chased after lawmakers on Capitol Hill as Bloomberg Government's agriculture and trade policy reporter. Megan has covered the Venezuelan refugee crisis in Peru, parliamentary affairs in England, White House press briefings in Washington, D.C., and midterm elections in Arizona. During her stint at Arizona PBS, she worked two beats: borderlands and social justice.

Megan received her master's in mass communication from Arizona State University and bachelor's in journalism and liberal arts from the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University. She is a Beltz Award for Editorial Excellence winner and a past White House Correspondents' Association scholar. She's a member of the Overseas Press Club and a 2022 Cannabis Media Fellow at UVM.

Tamara Chuang has spent the better part of the last two decades covering technology and business news primarily for the Denver Post and the Orange County Register. But as the newspaper industry changed and the decline in traditional newsrooms seemed inevitable, Tamara jumped at the chance to start The Colorado Sun in 2018 to figure out how to create a sustainable local news business and provide valued stories for the community. She continues to focus on business and tech coverage and looks for stories that get overlooked. The Colorado Sun is owned by 10 journalists and relies on member and community support.

In her current role at Western Union, Shannon leads a talented team of business partners for Western Union’s Senior Leadership team, Office of the CEO, and Human Resources. In addition to evolving the global HR Business Partner team, Shannon is best known for building leadership confidence, connecting people and strategically evolving the Western Union workforce through various programs that include; Diversity & Inclusion, Women in Leadership Initiatives, Global Labor Relations and Business & Cultural Transformation.  Shannon holds more than 20 years of experience in human resources, senior leader and business partner development.  Prior to her current role, Shannon led HR strategy for Western Union’s Finance, Legal and Compliance organizations, working closely with the Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.

In prior experience, Shannon has gained professional skills not only in Human Resources, but Regulatory Compliance, Strategic Planning, Payroll, Finance, Vendor Relations, Communications, Employee Relations, Training & Development, Coaching/Mentoring and Policy Enforcement.

Personal Philosophy: ”I enjoy helping others unlock their full potential and creating an environment that creates diversity of thought.  I am most satisfied when I make a difference to others, the company or my family.  My energy is derived from others.  My passion is helping people personally and professionally.  I learn best from conversations and interactions with other people.  My greatest strength in being successful is my genuine intuitiveness regarding people and situations.  I believe in treating others with dignity and respect – always.”

Shannon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Sociology minor from the University of Dayton and earned a Global Labor Relations Mastery Certificate, as well as Certificates of Merit through the Mountain States Employer’s Counsel and American Management Association. She has been an active member of HR Professional Association, Corporate Executive Board, Society for Human Resources Management, and Mountain States Employers Council.

Steve has spent the last ten years of his career building technology that helps people to learn, grow, and connect. Before starting Campfire, he spent 5 years at Instructure building a talent management platform focused on career development and human performance. He worked with product, marketing, sales, and strategy teams to grow the business from the ground up to $27 million in annual revenue. While with Instructure, he worked with teams at Disney, Tesla, Lululemon, Johnson and Johnson, and other global brands to strengthen their talent management practices.

Now, Steve is focused primarily on finding ways for people to learn and grow through connected learning experiences called Campfires. The business has strong investment and is responsible for training hundreds of managers in the key skills needed to effectively lead teams. Steve’s experience in technology, content, facilitation, and talent management provide a rich mix of skills for solving these challenges.

Campfire was founded in 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic and has benefitted from the changes and shifts that allow for us to consider new ways of connecting and working with each other. Steve has three co-founders - Todd, Taylor, and Marinne - who are all passionate about the mission of providing universal access to connected learning experiences.

He has consulted for multiple Fortune 500 and public sector organizations to impact the way people and systems operate to achieve transformative results. In his work, Scott has designed, implemented, and evaluated human capital systems and processes as both a consultant and internal HR professional. His areas of expertise are in leadership development, team performance, HR analytics, organizational effectiveness, and organizational development.

Before BetterUp, Scott worked with the Trispective Group, a consultancy focused on team and leadership coaching, where he developed team assessments and frameworks for team coaching. Scott received his PhD in management with a concentration in leadership and organizational behavior from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Scott’s research has been published in the International Journal of Public Leadership and the upcoming Handbook of Organizational Resilience. His research has also been featured in the Sloan Management Review.

Lisa is responsible for all matters related to human capital within the company. She is a guiding force in shaping the culture of the organization and the human resources strategy, partnering with the executive leadership team to advance the function while supporting the business.

Lisa excels at developing and employing people practices to help companies scale and build employee experiences that drive inclusion, engagement, and retention. Most recently, Lisa operated as the Chief People Officer for Farmer’s Fridge, helping with their geographic expansion and launch of their direct-to-consumer channel. Prior to Farmer’s Fridge, she built and led the HR function at Home Chef as the company was scaling rapidly and helped position the company for a successful exit. Additionally, Lisa has led the HR function for several companies, including the Pampered Chef, Meritas, and Aramark’s Senior Living Services Division.

Lisa earned her MBA in HR from DePaul University and holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Iowa. She serves on the Board of HRMAC (Human Resource Management Association of Chicago, now part of the Executive Club of Chicago), as the Board President of Elite, as a Founding Member of Chief, and is the former Board President of Life Span. She is a Chicago native who loves dogs and is passionate about leveling the playing field and helping others.

Elizabeth Hernandez is a reporter at The Denver Post with a passion for covering historically marginalized communities and issues impacting younger readers. She started at The Denver Post in 2014. Hernandez is a leader in DEI efforts within her newsroom. As a first-generation college student and a Latina, Hernandez understands the value and importance diverse perspectives bring to an organization.

Jennifer is the Vice President of North America Operations for Hertz Global Holdings, and leads the team of field Human Resources Business Partners across the continent.  In her role, Jenn supports the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Joe McPherson.  Jenn joined Hertz in January 2019 supporting Joe and the Southwest Region RAC.  She has more than 20 years of HR expertise, including organizational development, workforce planning/ forecasting and succession planning, compensation and benefits, and labor management and employee relations. She’s held key HR leadership roles with Pepsi Co, New West Technologies, and the City and County of Denver.

In her HR leadership role with Hertz, Jenn has developed a strong reputation for being action-oriented and a propensity to “get stuff done.” She has demonstrated deep caring for employees and receives very high marks for being a strategic thinker as well as a coach and mentor to senior executives.  Notable achievements at Hertz have been her pilot of the Peak Support Team—a cross-regional team that combined operations support with enhanced development training opportunities for high potential managers—and she was on the steering committee for the rollout of the airport Leadership Evolution Program in 2019.

Jenn places high value on the “business of the business” – and often says that the two most important words in the term “Human Resources Business Partner” are BUSINESS and PARTNER.  Jenn herself has both HR and business acumen, having earned her M.S. in HR Development from Villanova University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame. In addition, Jenn is a certified Black Belt and a graduate of Denver’s PEAK Academy.

Andy Rosa is the vice president of care, supporting customer service delivery across the Accolade product and solution suite. He joined Accolade in 2019 and previously led the large strategic/enterprise account management team. Before Accolade, Andy led various HR functions at AmeriGas and Comcast, buying and enabling Accolade solutions for both organizations. Outside of work, Andy enjoys spending time with his family and traveling. He is also a passionate sports fan and coach.

McKendree supports the development and direction of our facilitation team. She has a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, with a research focus on conviction, women’s leadership development, and developmental experiences in the workplace. She has delivered leadership training at over 300 companies and led learning and development at the fully remote company, InVision.

Amy Cohen is the Vice President of Total Rewards for Hunter Douglas North America, located in Broomfield, Colo., where she is responsible for leading compensation, benefits and rewards strategies for 15,000 employees throughout the US, Canada and Mexico.  Prior to joining Hunter Douglas in May 2021, Amy was the Director of Total Rewards for Noodles & Company for 8 years, leading the chain restaurant's compensation, benefits, talent acquisition and people management system strategies for 10,000 employees.

Amy was also the Director of Benefits, Compensation and Payroll for Giorgio Armani Corporation in New York for 9 years. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelors in Economics and Cultural Anthropology. Amy loves spending time outdoors at her home in Boulder, Colo., with her husband and two children.

Jennifer Fairweather is currently the Director of Human Resources (CHRO) for Jefferson County, located in Golden, Colo. She is also an Affiliate Professor with Regis University where she facilitates undergraduate and graduate courses for the Anderson School of Business and Computing. Jennifer has over 25 years of experience in both public sector and private sector human resources in addition to leadership experience in finance and human services. Jennifer is also the current national President of IPMA-HR and serves on the board of the Second Chance Center.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development from Webster University. She also has her IPMA-SCP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, as well as a Certificate in Professional Training. Jennifer has facilitated sessions for local and national forums on leadership, human resources, and diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. She has also written articles for newsletters and newspapers on public administration and communication.

Far from her native Florida, Jamie Alvarez is Director of Corporate Communications for Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN), the leading global mountain resort operator with 40 resorts in 15 states and three countries—including some of the world’s most iconic destinations as well as travel-centric retail and hospitality businesses. She focuses on strategic and crisis communications for the company, reputation management, media relations, and corporate social responsibility. Jamie has worked in every segment of the communications field—government, non-profit, agency, corporate, and sports—bringing diverse exposure and expertise to her role to benefit any situation.

Jamie’s work with major news outlets, including Colorado Public Radio, NPR, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal has helped to shine a light on marginalized communities, health disparities, and equity in sports. She currently serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Marketing and Communications Forum Board. In her free time, Jamie enjoys music, movies, yoga, skiing,

Spencer Campbell, features editor of 5280 magazine, writes features and edits service packages. A proud Texan (proud of the state, not its crazy), Spencer covered NASCAR for the Bristol (Virginia) Herald Courier, beach life for Gulfshore Life magazine, and commerce for Business North Carolina magazine. Based on that background, he has no real clue why 5280 agreed to employ him, though he’s certainly glad they did. Spencer, a Texas A&M University alumnus and almost graduate of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas (he’s one class shy!), has won too many honors to mention here. When not collecting journalism awards, Spencer enjoys golf, Netflix (his free HBO trial ran out), and filling awkward silences with idle chit-chat.

Bonnie serves clients across sectors and industries, including financial services firms, health systems,
insurers, Federal and State agencies, and NGOs. Her work focuses primarily on operational efficiency and
organizational transformations and she has deep expertise in end-to-end talent management with a
particular focus on hybrid-virtual operating models, employee engagement, capability building, leadership
development and labor optimization.

Betsy Rodriguez is the Senior Vice President & CHRO at the Children's Hospital Colorado.

Lauren Guthrie is the Vice President of Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action for VF Corporation.

Lauren is responsible for developing and operationalizing the strategic framework, guardrails and program development that drive VF’s commitment to building a culture anchored in allyship, advocacy and belonging. She works closely with key talent management and business leaders to amplify social impact initiatives within VF, in direct support of the diverse associates, communities and consumers served by the VF portfolio of brands.

Lauren also leads VF’s Council to Advance Racial Equity, a governing body that has worked to define VF’s broad commitment to racial equity and justice by focusing on opportunities to advance education, economic equity and environmental justice for marginalized communities.

Prior to joining VF, Lauren has held progressive merchandising and general management roles with global brands such as Nike, Levi’s and Old Navy across a variety of businesses. She is a vibrant team leader and coach, who is passionate about developing powerful teams and fostering high integrity work environments where each player is celebrated for their unique contributions.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Columbia University where she pursued focuses in History and Psychology.

Amy Carris is the Director, People and Culture Development at Centura Health.

Cynthia Barnes is a Denver-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, 5280, The Boston Globe, The Denver Post, and many other publications. She loves dives (both scuba and bars), baseball, and planning her next adventure.

Kate Langhorst is a trusted HR Business Partner at Medtronic, a leading global healthcare technology company committed to boldly attack the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. The Medtronic Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people.

Kate has diverse experience providing strategic HR support to General Managers and Commercial Leaders at Medtronic.  Prior to joining Medtronic in 2012, she worked in a variety of HR leadership roles at Target – spanning retail, financial services, distribution, and Corporate HR.  She earned her Master’s degree Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the Carlson School of Management (U of MN) and her BA at Creighton University.  Kate is a trained CTI co-active coach and is committed to coaching as a spark to ignite others to live in alignment with their values in support of personal fulfillment.

Carla Anthony is the director of HR at the Department of Public Safety, City and County of Denver.

Monica Jackson is the VP of global inclusion and diversity at Eaton Corp., the multinational power-management company. Previously, she held roles in HR and diversity and inclusion at GE Aviation, NBCUniversal, and Procter & Gamble. She earned her MBA at Indiana University Bloomington and her BA at Clark Atlanta University.

Donald Deas is director, HR, and business partner at the E.W. Scripps Co., one of the nation's largest local TV broadcasters. Previously he served in leadership and HR roles at Northrup Grumman, International Paper, and the U.S. Army. He earned MA degrees at Webster University and the Army War College, and his BS at South Carolina State University.