Monica Jackson

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.

Shannon Armbrecht

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.

Donald Deas

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.

Jennifer Cockrum

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.

Carla Anthony

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

Andrew Lawrence

Andrew Lawrence is the Vice President – Enterprise Learning & Personal Development – Human Resources at SCL Health.

Marisa Carson

Since joining TIAA in 2013, Marisa has held several roles within the Talent Management organization. She currently serves as the Chief Talent Officer for TIAA’s core retirement business. In this role, Marisa leads a team of Talent Management and Learning professionals to deliver high-impact, evidence-based solutions that drive business strategy and outcomes. Previously, she served as the Head of Performance and Talent Practices with oversight of enterprise performance management, talent review and succession planning, career development, and talent assessment processes/programs. Prior to moving into this role, she led the enterprise talent review and succession planning process and focused on building a strong, diverse pipeline of internal talent to lead the organization today and in the future. Marisa was also instrumental in the development and implementation of TIAA’s Values Based Leadership Model and job family competency models.

Prior to joining TIAA, Marisa worked as a consultant with Kenexa, an IBM Company, and with Strategic Management Decisions, a boutique human capital consulting firm. She has significant experience in the areas of talent acquisition, employee engagement, organizational design and effectiveness, leadership development, and succession planning. Having worked with organizations across the finance, utilities, healthcare, and nonprofit industries, she is skilled in implementing evidence-based talent management solutions that drive organizational performance.

Marisa is a co-author of Business-Focused HR: 11 Processes to Drive Results and has published several articles on leadership and employee development. She serves as Vice Chair of the Paddington Station Preschool Board of Trustees and is actively involved with the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. Marisa holds an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a Ph.D. in Organizational Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Marisa and her husband, A.O. are proud parents to three children: Aviana, Talia, and Hollis. As Colorado natives, they are avid skiers and look forward to spending more time on the slopes as their kids get older. In the meantime, they are focused on more simple pleasures including frequent dance parties, bike rides, and picnics in the park.

Kate Langhorst

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.

Amy Carris

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

Danae Atkins

Danae Atkins is the Acting Vice President, Talent Management & Director of Talent Development at the Ball Corporation.

Teresa Hopke

Teresa Hopke is CEO, North America of Talking Talent, a global coaching firm that inspires inclusive cultures that allow people and organizations to thrive.  She and her team provide coaching-led programs to support working parents, the advancement and retention of women, and cultures of inclusion and belonging. A working mother of four, Teresa is committed to creating a more inclusive world for her children and the organizations she serves.

Lisa Bomrad

Lisa Bomrad is the CHRO, Advisor at Homethrive.

Judith Almendra

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.

Cynthia Barnes

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.