Erin has over twenty years of experience in Human Resources and is currently Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Omnicare, Inc., the leading provider of pharmacy care for seniors.  In her role, Erin is responsible for transforming and leading the human resource function at Omnicare, as well as leading the organization’s cultural transformation.  Erin is a member of the senior executive team of Omnicare, and is focused on aligning HR strategies to ensure human capital is prepared and able to deliver results. 

Erin is known for being a sharp, business savvy executive with intuitive ability; she has a history of being a trusted confidante and advisor to the CEO and executive team, and a reputation for getting things done in tough regions of the world and in complex organizational structures.  She is a recognized leader on global talent issues and has built successful leadership teams in emerging geographical and business markets.   

Erin earned her undergraduate degree at Miami University and graduate degree at Georgia State University.  Erin has been featured as a Deloitte Wise Woman and was recently recognized as one of the Twenty Women to Watch in 2011 by the Cincinnati Enquirer.

 

Cindy Baerman is responsible for human resources, compensation, benefits, labor relations and communication at Graphic Packaging International, Inc. She joined Graphic Packaging from JohnsonDiversey, a global leader in sanitation products and services, where she led the North American HR function and served as Vice President and General Manager of the Food and Beverage division.

Ms. Baerman has held leadership positions at Kraft Foods, Miller Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch, and Barilla.

 

Phil Brown currently works as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Mohawk Industries, Inc., a Fortune 500 international flooring manufacturer. As a Human Resources executive, he has built expertise in employee/labor relations, organizational development, training, diversity strategies, talent management and total rewards design. Prior to joining Mohawk in 2008, Brown was President of the North and South American operations for Elcoteq, Inc., a European-based electronics manufacturer. Throughout his career, Phil has successfully led operations at the business unit, plan and sub-unit levels. During his 27-year tenure with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Brown’s experiences included leading the world’s largest tire manufacturing facility, heading up Human Resources for the company’s Latin American Business Unit and working as Vice President of Human Resources for the company’s $7 billion North American Tire Unit. Brown earned his degree in Business Management at Hiram College in Ohio.

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer John Bumpus joined LifePoint Hospitals in 2005 as senior vice president, Human Resources and Administration.  He was appointed to his current position in 2009.  Previously, John served as vice president, Human Resources, with Province Healthcare Company.  He also spent more than 20 years as a human resources and strategic planning business partner with a Fortune 500 company.

A member of LifePoint’s Executive Leadership Team, John provides direction and oversight in the areas of strategic management, talent development, compensation and benefits, employee and labor relations, corporate communications and marketing.

Professional Experience
Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, LifePoint Hospitals
Vice President, Human Resources, Province Healthcare Company
Human Resources & Strategic Planning Business Partner, The Kroger Co.

Areas of Expertise
Strategic management
Talent development
Compensation and benefits
Employee and labor relations
Corporate communications
Marketing

Education
B.S., Middle Tennessee State University

 

Ceree Eberly is the Chief People Officer for The Coca-Cola Company.  Ceree joined the Company in 1990, and was the Group Human Resources Director for Europe from 2007 until she was appointed to her current role in December 2009.  Ceree joined Europe from the global McDonald's Division as Vice President, Corporate Business Unit, where she led the support of the worldwide McDonald's business in technical operations, quality assurance, social responsibility, communications, global juice portfolio, IT and human resources. Her prior roles include Vice President, Global Human Resources, McDonald's Division, and Human Resources Director, Central America & Caribbean Division in San José, Costa Rica, where she oversaw both Company and bottling operations human resources strategies.

Ceree Eberly leads an organization responsible for developing the 140,000 employee force in 206 countries into a competitive advantage, and the quality of the Company’s workplace into a global differentiator. The organization’s primary goal: attract, engage and retain the best people by making Coca-Cola “a great place to work.”

Ceree has served as Advisor to the Board, Ronald McDonald House Charities, board member for Habitat for Humanity, ongoing Coca-Cola mentor and a past mentor in the Georgia Executive Women’s Leadership program.  Ceree currently serves on the Board of Trustees, Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, and is a member of HR50, a group of the most senior Human Resources leaders from around the globe.  She is currently Advisor, Skyland Trail (an Atlanta-based nonprofit mental health organization).

Ceree is a single mom to Tyler, 17, and they live in Atlanta, Georgia. 

 

Ron Garonzik is Vice President and US National Leadership Development and Talent Management Practice Leader.  He is a Hay Group thought leader in strategic talent management that integrates business, organizational, role, and people requirements. 

Dr. Garonzik has worked in the private and public sectors, with domestic, international and global organizations.  He partners with clients on a range of strategic talent management initiatives – the identification of high potential talent, development of senior leadership talent, executive succession as aligned to the demands of changing business priorities, and CEO succession. Ron has worked with a broad range of leadership teams on cracking the matrix code to enhance integration, decision-making and business performance.  Ron’s clients include AeroMexico, Bridgestone, CVS, DENSO Automotive (Japan), FEMSA (Mexico), Huawei Technologies (PRC), IBM, MegaFon (Russia), Moody’s, MFS, Monsanto, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim (Japan); PepsiCo, Standard & Poor’s, Strauss Group (Israel), T Rowe Price, and Toyota Motor Corporation. 

Before joining the Hay Group in 1993, Ron was a research associate in a Bostonbased consulting firm specializing in Total Quality Management.  Prior to that, he was a navy officer and military psychologist practicing in the areas of human factors engineering.  He conducted marine-based human performance studies and developed selection systems for naval operations officers.

Dr. Garonzik was, until 2006, Global Expertise Leader for Talent Management and Executive Assessment at the Hay Group, and a long-serving member of Hay Group’s McClelland Center for Research & Innovation leadership team.   

Ron has helped clients implement large scale organizational change efforts that incorporate strategy clarification and top executive team alignment, the setting and cascading of strategic accountabilities, and the leveraging of human capital to enable clients to achieve their strategic objectives.  Ron’s executive and CEO succession practice is international in scope, and he consults at the board level.  

Ron holds a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.A. from Tel-Aviv University, and a Ph.D. from Boston University, all in psychology.  His doctoral work targeted the identification of personal and organizational factors leading to the successful expatriation of international assignees of multinational companies.  Ron was the recipient of Boston University’s Graduate School Prize for Teaching Excellence.  In 1993, he received the American Society for Training and Development’s Organizational Development Practice Award for his doctoral research.  He is a registered psychologist in the State of Israel, and a member of the American Psychological Association.  His research and thought leadership have been published in a variety of professional and trade journals.

 

Ryland Harrelson has global human resources responsibility for Total System Services, Inc (TSYS), one of the world’s largest payment-services firms.

As chief human resources officer, Ryland partners with the TSYS business units to design and implement innovative people engagement strategies to improve the competitiveness of the organization.  As an advocate of change readiness, he is responsible for aligning the corporate people strategy with the company’s business strategy.  Ryland actively supports the TSYS philosophy and mission by staying attuned to the cultural needs of TSYS’ global work force. 

Ryland’s work in transforming the HR role into one of strategic partner has been recognized by several national publications.  He has spoken at several conferences on the topic of emerging people practices for technology organizations. 

Ryland earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College and graduated from the human resources executive program at the University of Michigan’s School of Business. 

 

Todd Helms is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for the US Automotive Parts Group of Genuine Parts Company, headquartered in Atlanta.  The US Automotive Parts Group consists of over 15,000 US employees and distributes and sells aftermarket auto parts under the NAPA brand in 1000 Company owned stores and almost 6000 independently owned stores.

Much of Todd’s career has focused on change management and team building in strong, operationally driven organizations.  Prior to joining NAPA in 2010, Todd spent over 13 years with Newell Rubbermaid in various business unit HR lead roles before culminating his career there as the Vice President, Global Corporate Human Resources.  Prior to joining Newell Rubbermaid, Todd held roles with both Textron and Conoco.

Todd holds an MBA from Ohio University.  He received a BS degree in physics from King College in Bristol, TN, and a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology.  He also serves on the Board for Junior Achievement of Georgia.

 

Kevin A. Henry joined Lance Incorporated in January 2010.  In this role, he is responsible for all of the Company’s human resources, community affairs, and government relations, employment related legal and communications functions.  In December 2010, Lance Inc. merged with Snyder’s of Hanover and Kevin was named Chief Human Resources Officer of the merged Company which was renamed Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.

Prior to his current role, Kevin was Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, a position he had held since 2001.  In this role, Kevin was responsible for all aspects of the Company’s human resources functions.

Prior to Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Kevin has held a variety of human resources positions over a 20+ year career in the consumer products, retail and financial services industries.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Kevin is a graduate of Cornell University’s School Of Industrial and Labor Relations.  He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity – Beta Delta Boulé.

Kevin and his wife Tina have two sons, Tyler and Taylor, and reside in Charlotte, North Carolina where they attend Central Church of God. 

Kevin currently serves on the Boards of The Harvey B. Gantt Center, Johnson C. Smith University and is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Charlotte Latin Day School and Johnson C. Smith University’s Board of Visitors. 

Kevin is past Chairman of both the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Central Carolinas and the Charlotte Chamber’s Black Professional Network.  He is a former Board Member of Junior Achievement, Queens University’s McColl School of Business and Teach for America and has served as an advisor for both The Charlotte Chapter of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources and PRIDE Magazine. 

Kevin has been recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as a Top 40 under 40 Award Winner. He was awarded the 2009 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award by the Urban League of Central Carolinas for his philanthropic work in the Community and leadership in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion and in 2010 Kevin was recognized as a Father of The Year by the National Father’s Day Council.  In 2011, Kevin was recognized as a Charlotte Catalyst by Uptown Magazine.

 

Terry A. Hildebrand is the Global Head of Talent & Development for The Coca-Cola Company.  She leads a global team responsible for Coca Cola University, talent management  and organization development which are all core to the Company’s 2020 Vision goal to “attract, engage and retain the best talent” and making Coca-Cola “a great place to work”.

Under Terry’s leadership the company is taking an integrated view towards leading, managing and developing global talent.  Among her top areas of focus: partnering with the business to identify critical capabilities required to drive the Company’s 2020 Vision, building competence in our core front facing organization capabilities,  preparing leaders to lead not only today but in the challenges of tomorrow, creating a leadership pipeline in a time of high talent demand and low organization loyalty, maximizing business impact through driving an integrated approach to performance management, and developing diverse leadership with a focus on women as a core business strategy.  

Terry’s experience as a leader and a consultant with The Coca-Cola Company makes her uniquely qualified for to lead the Global Talent and Development function.  She has been in the Coke system for 14 years, most recently as the Global Director, Program and Organizational Development in Coca-Cola University.  Her prior roles include Director, Worldwide Strategic Planning, and Global Director, Organization Capability and Individual Development. 

Terry has a MBA and PhD in Organizational Behavior from the University of Western Ontario School of Business Administration.

 

Brian Hults is a former Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Coca-Cola executive with significant experience in global human resources, executive capability building and strategic workforce planning.

Currently, Brian leads Newell Rubbermaid’s Global Organizational and People Development function.  In this role, Brian has a wide variety of responsibilities, from developing the company’s succession plans for the Board of Directors to directing major organizational change initiatives such as the company’s marketing, sales and operational transformation initiatives.  Most recently, Brian is credited with implementing a sales and operations planning initiative that contributed to a $224 million reduction in inventory and a 33 percent increase in cash generation for the company during 2009.

Brian joined Newell Rubbermaid in 2005 as Group Vice President of Human Resources for the company’s Global Office Products segment.  In partnership with the segment President, he led a turnaround of the business that helped achieve nine consecutive quarters of double-digit operating income growth.

Prior to joining Newell, Brian was responsible for the turnaround of corporate human resources, global staffing, labor relations, and HR shared services at Novartis Pharmaceutical in Basel, Switzerland.  He also led the turnaround of human resources for the Coca-Cola Company’s $5 billion business in the Asia-Pacific region.  There, he fostered quality HR practices across the region, implemented a proactive workforce planning model and led HR for the $890 million Korean bottler acquisition.  Brian also led a 33 percent workforce rationalization initiative on-time, ahead of budget while enabling the business to exceed its financial targets that year.

Earlier in his career, Brian was responsible for HR for the $3 billion Global Farm Equipment business at Case Corporation (formerly JI Case).  There, in partnership with the business president, he co-led the development of a new go-to-market approach that resulted in a 27 percent lift in top line sales and 40 percent reduction in fixed cost.  Also at Case, he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility including Plant HR Manager, Corporate HR Manager and HR Manager for global R&D, while also serving on the team that managed a successful initial public offering exceeding parent company expectations.

Brian began his career with Frito-Lay, Inc. (a PepsiCo division) in Dallas, working in Management and Organizational Development.

He has a B.A. in general psychology from the University of California, San Diego, an M.A. and Ph.D in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University and a Master of Management from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.  Brian lives in Atlanta with his wife of over 20 years and three children.

 

Rhonda Piar MacAndrew serves as senior vice president of human resources for Greyhound Lines, Inc., joining the company in 2007. MacAndrew is responsible for management of all human resources, labor relations, corporate communications and training activities in the United States and Canada.

Prior to joining Greyhound, she was vice president of human resources for Lewisville, Texas-based Overhead Door Corporation, developing HR strategy and reorganizing the function to align with the overall company’s strategy. Prior to that position, MacAndrew served as vice president of human resources for Dallas-based Builders FirstSource.

She has more than 23 years of experience managing various HR functions, including union contract negotiations, employee development, compensation and benefits.
MacAndrew earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio and completed coursework toward her MBA at Dayton University in Ohio.    

Rhonda lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband Jim.  Rhonda’s personal interests are boating, traveling and gardening.

 

Debbie Pollock-Berry is senior vice president of human resources for XO Communications. Ms. Pollock-Berry is responsible in the establishing XO's policy and practices governing employment and recruitment, compensation, benefits, training, labor policy, and diversity.

Prior to joining XO communications in April 2011, Ms. Pollock-Berry served as chief people officer for the North American Energy Alliance (NAEA) where she focused on understanding and responding to employee concerns, developing and retaining key talent, establishing leadership succession planning, and implementing strategic programs to poise the company for growth. Prior to that, she held HR leadership positions at AOL and Verizon as well as HR roles at Qwest Communications and PSINet.

Ms. Pollock-Berry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. She has also successfully completed a variety of professional leadership development programs including the "Strategic Leadership for Women Program" at the Simmons School of Management. She is a member of professional associations including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

 

Bob Ravener is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for the Dollar General Corporation, a Fortune 200 publicly traded company. In this capacity, Mr. Ravener has leadership responsibility for all Human Resources initiatives for a $13+ billion company with more than 90,000 employees in over 9,800 stores. Prior to joining Dollar General, Mr. Ravener was Senior Vice President US Partner Resources, for the Starbucks Coffee Company. In this role, Mr. Ravener was responsible for the leadership and support of the people priorities and initiatives affecting more than 125,000 employees, across more than 10,000 company-operated and licensed stores. Prior to that assignment, Mr. Ravener served as Vice President, Partner Resources-Eastern Division. Before joining Starbucks, Mr. Ravener served as Vice President, Human Resources for The Home Depot. During his tenure there, he held roles as both Vice President Human Resources for the Store Support Center, and as Vice President Human Resources for one of three domestic divisions. In the latter role, Mr. Ravener was responsible for the Human Resources leadership of almost 700 stores and more than 100,000 employees in 23 states. Prior to joining the company in 2003, he was with Footstar, Inc., the second largest footwear retailer in the US, serving for three years as Vice President, Chief Personnel Officer with a workforce of 22,000 and over 5,000 locations. He then moved into operations as a Senior Vice President, leading a $300 million business with over 2,000 employees. Mr. Ravener’s retail experience also includes start-up operations, new business development, and acquisition integration. Before joining Footstar, Mr. Ravener spent eleven years with PepsiCo in positions of increasing responsibility in Human Resources, earning awards for leadership development and safety improvement. His experience at PepsiCo included roles as a Senior Human Resource Generalist as well as benefits operations, safety and risk, and business re-engineering.

Prior to entering the private sector, Mr. Ravener was in the US Navy, having served as a Strategic Weapons Submarine Officer aboard the USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626), a Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his tour of duty.  Mr. Ravener finished his active duty service at the US Naval Academy where he served as an instructor, coach, and recruiter. He also spent time in the Naval Reserves following active duty.

Mr. Ravener is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he earned distinction as a leader, intercollegiate varsity baseball player, and is past president of his class. He also earned an MBA in General Management from New York University.  Mr. Ravener has been actively involved in service to the community through military veterans outreach, coaching of youth sports teams, Habitat for Humanity, and other volunteer efforts. He has also served on his community board for the Boys and Girls Club and the Ramapo College Board of Governors. In February of 2004, Mr. Ravener was appointed by the Secretary of Labor to the President’s National Hire Veterans Committee and in 2007, was appointed to the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach. In 2011 Mr. Ravener was also recognized in the Human Resources community as a Top 10 HR Breakaway Leader and under his leadership Dollar General has been nationally recognized for military support and training excellence. 

Mr. Ravener resides in Brentwood, TN and is married with three children.

 

Anne Schwartz serves as the UPS Vice President of Global Leadership Development.  At UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain solutions, Ms. Schwartz is responsible for global talent and leadership development, training strategy and governance, analysis and development of learning technologies, and succession planning for the enterprise. She and her group support over 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries.  

During her 25-year career with UPS, she has held a variety of positions in Small Package Operations and Human Resources, as well as in non-package sectors of the business, both in the United States and Asia, including UPS Supply Chain Solutions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate strategy.  These assignments have provided her with the knowledge and insight to provide dynamic leadership development to a culturally diverse workforce.

Ms. Schwartz graduated from Michigan State University, has the SPHR certification from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is a board member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).  Ms. Schwartz is based in Atlanta, GA. 

...

 

VICTORIA THRASHER,  Vice President,  Human Resources for Oracle Corporation, is a seasoned  Human Resources professional with over two decades of managerial and executive responsibilities.   Presently, Victoria leads the HR Business Partner function for the Americas employee base of more than 40,000.

Victoria joined Oracle Corporation in 1996 as an HR Consultant and in 2000 she became a Vice President in Human Resources.  She has directed a variety of major initiatives in the areas of Talent and Performance Management as well as M&A integration.  Victoria’s professional HR experience spans a variety of industries including, manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications and computer hardware.

Victoria earned her B.A. in Social Science from Michigan State University and M.A. in Industrial Relations from Saint Francis University. 

 

Rita Trehan is Vice President of Human Resources and Internal Communications for the AES Corporation.  As the leader of AES’ global HR function, Ms. Trehan is responsible for the company’s workforce of 27,000 people who are committed to bringing affordable and sustainable energy to businesses and communities in 29 countries around the world. She oversees the company’s global people strategy, compensation and benefits programs, learning and development offerings, HR information systems, mobility practices, internal branding efforts and companywide communications.
 
Ms. Trehan pioneered a number of innovative initiatives for the company, including efforts to pool benefits in regions and countries around the world that have led to measureable savings, and the launch of the AES’ first leadership development program in partnership with the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Now in its eighth year, similar programs are available to AES people in Brazil, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Singapore and the Ukraine, and more than 1,000 global leaders have graduated with skills that are critical to the success of AES’ business. Ms. Trehan also helped build and continues to manage AES’ worldwide performance improvement program, APEX. The company benefits from this homegrown continuous improvement program in numerous ways including increased satisfaction among its customers and the creation of millions of dollars in measurable benefits, which has increased by 583% over the last four years to more than US $100 million annually. In addition, Ms. Trehan serves on the Board of Directors for AES Sonel, the company’s integrated utility in Cameroon.
 
Prior to joining AES in 2004, Ms. Trehan held a number of senior HR leadership positions at Honeywell International. Ms. Trehan served in various Corporate and HR business roles during her 15 years at Honeywell, gaining extensive global experience in HR operations across Europe & the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
 
Ms. Trehan holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Brunel University in Middlesex, UK and a post graduate diploma from the Institute of Personnel Management. 

 

For over 30 years Daisy has been involved with every aspect of Human Resources Management, from mergers and acquisitions, talent acquisition and development, performance management, and succession planning to designing and developing compensation and incentive programs for a global organization. She has been part of, and led, many major corporate change initiatives.

Daisy also has extensive leadership experience in retail merchandizing and sales,  as well as administrative functions such as loss prevention, facilities management, and aviation. Her  last corporate assignment also include the leadership of internal communications and public relations.

In her last position at Office Depot, where she was the EVP of Human Resources for almost 6 years, she was a member of the Executive Committee and was involved in the company’s expansion into Asia, including the development of the Global Sourcing  function in Shenzhen, China. She led a team of over 300 Human Resource professionals across the globe.

Previously, as the SVP of Human Resources and Loss Prevention for AutoZone, she was involved in the expansion of the business domestically as well as in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Daisy was the first ever VP of Human Resources for Tractor Supply Company during its expansion in the mid 90’s. During her tenure there Human Resources cornerstone practices were built for the growing organization.

Daisy’s other experiences include Marshalls, the off-price retailer. She began her career in retail management and held many positions early in her career in store operations and buying roles.

Daisy has been a member of Human Resources Planning Society and has spoken at various HR seminars. During her tenure with AutoZone she was an active member of the Executive Board for the Greater Memphis Arts Council.

She was also instrumental in establishing the Florida Atlantic University Executive Development Center and currently serves on the FAU Business School Deans Advisory Council.

Daisy received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University where she majored in History and Sociology. She has attended various executive leadership programs including the Financial Management Course for Executives at Vanderbilt University.

 

Jonathan W. Yarbrough is a partner in the law firm of Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP. The firm is dedicated to representing management exclusively in all aspects of the employment relationship. Mr. Yarbrough's practice includes providing advice and counsel to employers on compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and wage and hour laws, in addition to other federal and state employment laws. He has successfully represented clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and the United States and North Carolina departments of labor, among other federal and state agencies. Mr. Yarbrough is a frequent speaker on employment law topics and was a significant contributor to North Carolina Employment Law, a treatise on state employment law published by Lexis Law Publishing. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in North Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Yarbrough holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Louisville School of Law.