Patti Taylor

Patti Taylor is head of global total rewards at Xerox. Previously, she was a total rewards leader at companies including Husqvarna Group, Newell Rubbermaid, Masonite International, and Randstad USA.

Based in Georgia, Patti is an accomplished total rewards leader with extensive experience leading cross-functional and global total rewards initiatives to exceed objectives within competitive and complex markets. She effectively partners across functions and levels to build robust (internal and external) business partnerships and create effective total rewards strategies that exceed business needs. She is focused on building and strengthening employee-centric total rewards, promoting retention and recruiting goals while maximizing cost effectiveness.

Mark Valerius

Mark Valerius is the senior VP of global compensation and benefits at Stellantis, one of the largest global automotive and mobility companies in the world, home to the brands Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. He is responsible for the strategy, design, implementation and oversight of the company’s executive compensation and global compensation and benefits programs. He has over 30 years of experience in executive and board compensation, global compensation and benefits, global mobility, and HRIS with other multinational organizations in the automotive and health care/medical device industry.

Mark’s education and professional background includes actuarial science consulting (pension & OPEB), an MBA from University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Physics from Eastern Michigan University.  He also holds a Certificate in International Benefits with the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans.

Melissa Fisher

Melissa Fisher is self-proclaimed [total rewards] nerd! Her love of superheroes and Star Wars runs deep in her DNA. Dedication to community service also runs deep as she comes from a long line of teachers and public servants. Melissa shares her family drive for providing service to the community, with over 17 years in human resources with non-profit and public-sector organizations. Throughout her career, Melissa has led teams through strategic planning efforts to ensure alignment between HR and business goals and has implemented new and innovative technologies, motivated teams, and delivered results. Melissa is passionate about making a positive impact on Children’s Hospital Colorado by creating and maintaining rewards programs to support team member needs.

Melissa holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado and an MS in Management from University of Colorado at Denver. Prior to joining Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2014, she served in HR leadership roles with the City and County of Denver.

Hannah Wilkowski

Hannah Wilkowski, CEBS is the Director of Global Benefits at BuzzFeed, with over a decade of experience. Hannah has a specialty and passion for getting to know and understand the nuanced and niched needs of employees, and finding benefits to meet those needs.

In Hannah’s current role, she is responsible for the quality, integrity, sustainability, and relevance of all employee health, wellness, and retirement plans. Prior to this role, she was a Business Partner and Global Reward Specialist in the financial services industry. Hannah’s accomplishments include rebranding global employee benefits, implementing and growing Wellness Programs, enhancing Parental Leave policies, and expanding parental benefit offerings.

Hannah is a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) by the IFEBP and Wharton Business School, received an M.S. from New York University, and a B.S. from Muhlenberg College. Hannah lives on Long Island with her husband, son, and 2 rescue dogs (her house is never quiet). Hannah enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, and gin & tonics.

Jeanne Walsh

Jeanne Walsh is responsible for overall strategic leadership in the design, development and success of BSC’s competitive and innovative North America Benefits and Global Mobility programs. She partners closely with Senior Business Leaders and HR Business Partners to translate business strategy into meaningful programs that meet the organization’s needs and investment in its talent. She is Chair of the BSC Employee Benefits Committee and participates in multiple Employee Resource Groups.

Jessica Nam Kim

Jessica Kim is the co-founder/CEO of ianacare on a mission to encourage, empower, and equip family caregivers with the practical tools and communities, so no one does it alone. The platform leverages the powerful combination of technology + personalized navigation to organize and mobilize all the layers of support. Her dedication stems from being the primary caregiver for her mom who fought a seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Jessica is a 3x startup founder, speaker, and caregiving advocate, was honored as Crain’s Top 40 under 40, Forbes Next 1000, and Woman in Digital Health Award 2020, served as the inaugural EIR & Presidential Council advisor at Brown University, & Venture Partner at Praxis Labs. She graduated from Brown University and received her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She lives in Boston with her three young children, husband, and 83-year-old father.

Angela Nelson

Angela Nelson is the Vice President & Executive Director of Clinical Services for RethinkCare, overseeing consultation services and content generation for the Professional Development and Parenting & Caregiving solutions. Angela began working at Rethink in 2011 and specializes in working with parents who have children and teens with learning, social, and behavioral challenges, as well as organizations motivated to best support their employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Prior to joining Rethink, Angela managed early and intermediate-age intervention programs at an agency in Los Angeles and worked for many years conducting school, clinic, and home-based behavior intervention services. She has also created and led several psychoeducational groups, including workshops for siblings of children with disabilities and support groups for adults with autism. Angela holds a master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Northridge, a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She is pursuing her doctorate in Education with a specialization in organizational behavior change at the University of Southern California (USC).

Lydia Dishman

Lydia Dishman is Fast Company’s senior editor for growth and engagement. She has also written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

Matthew Tremmaglia

Matt Tremmaglia leads the Customer Success and Professional Services teams at Achievers, a technology platform focused on enhancing culture, improving employee belonging, and driving improved business performance in today’s workplace at scale. As the Chief Customer Officer, Matt focuses on creating repeatable high value outcomes for all organizations who leverage the Achievers platform. With over 15 years of experience working with companies of all sizes and backgrounds, Matt leverages behavioral data, proven best practices, and real-life examples from hundreds of global organizations to build stronger communities of employees who are aligned to values and carry a high sense of belonging. 

Matt is known for pushing the boundaries on what an organization can learn from their employee data; examples include how to identify top talent early, how to structure employee strategies that are both global and locally relevant at the same time, and how to recognize the whole employee such that they feel welcomed, known, and connected within their organization. Matt holds an honors degree from Queen’s University in Software Engineering and is an avid endurance athlete who enjoys swimming, cycling, and volleyball. 

Nicole Tanzillo

As Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of Ceresa, Nicole Tanzillo is dedicated to changing the landscape of leadership, using technology and neuroscience to democratize access to transformative leadership development for all, and particularly for traditionally underrepresented leadership communities. She is responsible for driving all aspects of the Ceresa experience, inclusive of Product, Design, Engineering, Operations, and Brand, building both a deeply human and data-driven solution for supporting early career talent.

Prior to joining Ceresa in 2018, Nicole was the Vice President of Strategic Operations at Spiceworks where she drove both long-term strategic planning and objective-aligned business operations across the company. During her eight-year tenure, she held multiple roles across marketing, operations, and product, pioneering the product management function.

Previous to her work at Spiceworks, she held multiple leadership roles at Surgient and NI (National Instruments) that included more than 2.5 years of working and living abroad in the UK, Europe, and Asia.

Over the course of her professional journey, the common theme is one of service and connection, leading Nicole to become a sought-after speaker and mentor, delivering engaging workshops and keynotes around the world.

A product technologist from the start, Tanzillo earned a BS in Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University where she was a President’s Endowed Scholar.

Taylor Padalino

aylor Padalino is an Enterprise Partnerships Account Executive at Carrot Fertility, the leading global platform for fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits. In her role, Taylor creates strategic partnerships with enterprise employers, working with HR benefit leaders to design a lifelong fertility and family-forming benefits program that offers comprehensive, inclusive coverage to support all employees.

Taylor’s personal fertility journey sparked her curiosity in the fertility healthcare space. After a less-than-ideal experience navigating IVF, she felt there had to be a better way to access care, and was drawn to Carrot’s mission of fertility care for all.

Prior to Carrot, Taylor spent 10 years in the healthcare technology and digital health space working for industry-leading companies, including Cerner Corporation and Rx Savings Solutions. At Cerner, she partnered with large hospitals and health systems to implement clinical software solutions to improve provider workflows, patient safety, and clinical outcomes. While at Rx Savings Solutions, Taylor partnered with HR benefit leaders to implement transparency software to help people save money on prescription costs.

Lauren Reed

Lauren Reed, MHA, serves as senior manager for Accolade’s solutions management team responsible for
leading market research. Lauren is a digital health fanatic who joined Accolade after nearly ten years
with the University of Washington’s health system. Lauren earned her graduate degree in Health
Administration from the University of Washington and her undergraduate degree in Spanish at the
University of Oregon. Beyond her work at Accolade, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family,
training her new puppy, and traveling.

Kaeli Yuen

Kaeli Yuen, MD is a clinical product manager who currently leads Accolade’s Frontline Care Team
products. Prior to joining Accolade, she served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow detailed
to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where she worked to modernize healthcare delivery for
Veterans by leading development of a standards-based (SMART on FHIR) clinical decision support
platform.

She was recognized for her work at VA with a 2021 Service to the Citizen Award, 2021
FedHealthIT Innovation Award, 2020 FedHealthIT 100 Award, 2020 FedScoop50 “Disruptor of the Year”
nomination, and others. She enjoys building products, processes, and teams from the ground up, and
has practiced these skills at Y-Combinator-backed healthcare startups The Human Diagnosis Project and
Akido Labs.

Kaeli received an MD from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern
California, and a BS in biology from Stanford University. She is passionate about driving data and
compassion-driven transformation of healthcare and improving provider experiences. Outside of work,
she enjoys rock climbing, baking, and Peloton.

Stephanie Denton

Stephanie Denton is the People Operations Lead at Northstar, the financial wellness platform for employees. With over 13 years of HR experience, Stephanie specializes in recruiting, employee engagement, benefits, employee relations, leadership coaching, and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Belonging). Previously at Uber, Postmates, Twitch, and KIXEYE, Stephanie focuses on providing education and guidance for employees to be their best personal selves at work. At a very young age, Stephanie was taught to give back and volunteer in the community and to this day is passionate about serving traditionally underserved communities, which is why she joined Northstar.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance reporter based in Richmond, Va., who writes about workplace culture and policies, hiring, DEI, and issues faced by women. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Fast Company, and Food Technology, among others, and has been syndicated by MSN and The Motley Fool.