Speakers

Ramona Agrela
Chief HR Officer and Vice Chancellor, University of California, Irvine

Ramona Agrela serves as CHRO and vice chancellor for the University of California, Irvine. She is the senior university official responsible for all human resources administration and operations. She is a dynamic HR professional with extensive, award-winning experience across multiple HR disciplines. With a passion for helping organizational leaders achieve their strategic goals through progressive talent management strategies, she truly believes that HR’s role is to empower people to drive a culture of innovation, learning and service. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics and a master’s of public administration degree, both from California State University, Fullerton. She is a SHRM-certified senior professional, a WorldatWork certified compensation professional, and a Human Capital Institute Strategic HR Business Partner.

Amanda Bailey
Vice President for Human Resources, Boston University

Amanda Bailey is vice president of human resources at Boston University. Prior to her role at BU, she served as vice president of human resources at Brown University and held the roles of associate vice president and acting chief of staff at Morehouse College. With 25 years of professional experience in HR, she has held senior HR leadership positions over the past decade at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. She is a national board member of CUPA-HR and an advisory council member to the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. She also serves on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island and has been a panel committee reviewer of HR operations with the Council of Great City Schools since 2013. She has previously served as a SHRM chapter board member.

Prior to serving in education, she held HR positions at American Express and other private organizations. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree in HR management and labor relations from the University of Rhode Island.

Christina Brogdon
Vice President and Chief HR Officer, Michigan State University

Christina Brogdon is the vice president and CHRO at Michigan State University, leading MSU’s human capital agenda, including talent acquisition and retention; leadership and organizational development; compensation and classification; benefits; and employee and labor relations for staff and executive management. She has proven excellence in the oversight and delivery of HR strategy. She is a visionary leader with expertise in the opportunities and challenges facing higher education HR. Her utilization of core people skills, ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and create a problem-solving approach has led to a career with demonstrated improvement, workforce leadership and skill in change management. Before joining MSU in 2022, she served as vice chancellor for HR at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Prior to her role at North Carolina A&T, she served as CHRO at West Georgia, Radford and Bluefield State, in addition to having leadership roles at Virginia Tech. She earned her bachelor’s degree in management at Virginia Tech and an MBA from Averett University. She also received a certificate in Strategic HR Leadership from the Industrial & Labor Relations School of Cornell University and has her Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). She champions diversity, equity and inclusion and employs best practices that facilitate discourse to source, select, engage, develop and retain a highly qualified, diverse workforce. She serves on the Pamplin College of Business Advisory Council at Virginia Tech and is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). She is also a member of CUPA-HR and has held leadership roles at the state, regional and national levels of the association.

Michael Carr
Director, Providge Consulting

Currently a partner at Providge Consulting, he almost left his first post-college job after being disappointedly hired into Price Waterhouse’s HCM Management Consulting practice at the young age of 22. Backed with a degree in finance and two years interning at Merrill Lynch, he had big plans to work in the financial applications space and did not appreciate being forced into an area he did not yet recognize as strategic or impactful. This quickly changed on his first day of his first project, when over 500 HR staff were laid off in preparation for the new self-service HR technology he would be implementing. He was speechless. For better or worse, this would be the norm of his early years in consulting … consolidate, replace, streamline and eliminate. Later, as enterprises evolved and competition for talent increased, industry focus turned to unlocking the value of human capital. And this is where he lives today.

He is obsessed with HR, and he enjoys assisting executives in helping individual team members understand their role in the enterprise, developing new leaders and aligning HR processes to their underlying purpose. He specializes in creating feedback mechanisms to ensure every process serves its purpose as it relates to the organization’s highest-level goals. Today, he can’t see himself doing anything but HR, and he looks forward to sharing his experiences and where he sees HR going with us in November!

Mark Coldren
Associate Vice President and Chief HR Officer, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Mark Coldren serves as associate vice president and CHRO at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, with overall responsibilities for all HR functions, including employee and labor relations, compensation, employee and organizational development, payroll, employee benefits, recruitment, work/life and wellness. Prior to coming to UB in July 2015, he was CHRO of Ithaca College and prior to that a member of the senior leadership HR team at Syracuse University and an adjunct faculty member in the Whitman School of Business.

Before working in higher education, he worked in organizations specializing in manufacturing, sales and distribution, and software development. Previous organizations he worked with include UTC Carrier Corporation, Goulds Pumps, Inc., and Automatic Data Processing. He started as a history teacher in the public school system. He is a past chair of the CUPA-HR national board of directors. He holds a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from Cortland State University, and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Manuel Cuevas-Trisán
Vice President for Human Resources, Harvard University

Manuel Cuevas-Trisán joined Harvard University in August 2021. As vice president for HR, he serves as a member of the university’s executive leadership team and sets the overall strategic vision for Harvard’s workforce. He has oversight of and responsibility for benefits and labor relations for the entire university, acts as the coordinating partner to the HR leaders at each of Harvard’s 12 individual schools, and is responsible for all aspects of HR for central administration. He joined Harvard after serving in a similar capacity at Northwestern University (2019-21). Prior to joining Northwestern, he had a successful 20-year career at Chicago-based Motorola Solutions, where he started as labor and employment counsel and assumed roles of global responsibility, culminating in his dual role as lead employment counsel and chief HR officer (2015-2019).

Prior to Motorola, he worked at the San Juan, Puerto Rico, law firm of McConnell Valdés and served as judicial clerk at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals. He received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame, and earned his juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He holds Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and a master’s degree in executive coaching and leadership from Universitat de Barcelona/OBS.

Christina Cutlip
Senior Managing Director, TIAA

Christina Cutlip is a senior managing director for the institutional financial services division of TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services organization. She is the head of the client engagement & national advocacy team, which is responsible for expanding relationships with industry and government associations, while also focusing on client engagement. In 2011, she was recognized as TIAA’s Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother magazine and received an Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016 from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) State Fund Network for her contributions to higher education.

She was appointed by the Secretary of Labor to the Department of Labor ERISA Advisory Council for a three-year term from 2013 to 2016. She is on the board of the CIC and chairs the board of Almasi Collaborative Arts, a nonprofit organization that strives to create and facilitate artistic collaborations between African American artists and American artistic institutions. She serves on the board of retirement healthcare provider Emeriti, on the board of trustees for Grinnell College, and on the advisory councils of WISER and ERIC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Grinnell College, a master’s in business administration from Regis University and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Northcentral University. As a FINRA-registered representative and principal, she holds Series 7, 24 and 51 licenses while maintaining accident, health, life and variable annuity licenses. Additionally, she has obtained the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) professional designation.

Skye Duckett
Vice President and Chief HR Officer, Georgia Institute of Technology

Skye Duckett is vice president and CHRO at Georgia Institute of Technology. Under her leadership, Georgia Tech HR has the goal of building and supporting innovative staffing models to align with the university’s strategic plan and reflecting the diversity of the Georgia Tech community. Prior to her appointment at Georgia Tech, she served for eight years at Atlanta Public Schools, where she most recently served as CHRO, leading the organization through a dramatic improvement following the testing scandal of 2009. As a committed Atlanta resident, she brings nearly 20 years of experience in HR roles in urban educational settings. Her experience includes implementing ethics programs, launching new HR technology, developing capacity of hiring managers, designing career development pathways, developing comprehensive compensation programs, and supporting employee well-being.

“It is an honor to be selected to lead the human resources team for such a prestigious organization and have the opportunity to collaborate across all academic, research and business functions,” she says. “I look forward to leveraging my life and work experiences to build upon the solid foundation that has been laid in order to take HR into a new era of innovation, efficiency and work-life balance in support of recruiting and retaining a highly engaged and talented workforce.”

James Gallagher
Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, University of Pittsburgh 

James Gallaher is vice chancellor of HR at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to this role, he served as the executive director of strategic initiatives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His career spans numerous higher education institutions as well as the corporate sector, including roles as vice president of HR, diversity and wellness at Butler University and CHRO at Eastern Michigan University. He started his career in HR at General Motors in Detroit, where he served in various capacities including HR consulting, labor relations, global organizational capability, leadership development, training and evaluation, and organizational development.

He received his Ph.D. in HR development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also earned his MBA and Ed.M. degrees. Additionally, he holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in workforce education and development from Southern Illinois University. He is also a proud veteran and holds an associate’s degree from the Community College of the Air Force.

Sean Garrick
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Sean C. Garrick is vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He leads the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion unit and his purview extends over the Office for Access and Equity, the Title IX and Disability Office, Academic Inclusive Excellence and the Office for Business Community Economic Development. He also serves on the chancellor’s leadership team, providing vision and guidance on diversity, equity and social justice issues. Prior to coming to Illinois, he served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota as professor of mechanical engineering. He is an accomplished researcher in the area of computational transport phenomena and has published extensively in his field of study. His research has been funded by the Army Research Laboratory, Army Research Office, NASA, NSF and a variety of industrial partners.

He has also served as associate vice provost in the Office for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota, where he led initiatives designed to recruit, retain and sustain a diverse community of scholars, and as the director of the University of Minnesota Institute for Diversity, Equity and Advocacy, where he led efforts to engage faculty whose scholarship focuses on diverse, underrepresented or marginalized populations. He was instrumental in creating and overseeing dynamic programs that recruit, retain and advance the success of diverse students and faculty at all five University of Minnesota campuses.

Farnam Jahanian
President, Carnegie Mellon University

Farnam Jahanian is the 10th president of Carnegie Mellon University. He previously served as the university’s provost and as well as its vice president for research. A nationally recognized computer scientist, entrepreneur and higher education leader, he brings to CMU extensive leadership and administrative expertise. Prior to coming to CMU, Jahanian led the National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. Previously, he was the Edward S. Davidson Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan, where he served as chair for Computer Science and Engineering. A widely-published expert in cybersecurity and networks, his research formed the basis for the internet security company Arbor Networks, which he co-founded in 2001 and where he served as chair until its acquisition in 2010. He is a member of the board of directors for Highmark Health, the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, among others.

He served as chair of the National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) from 2015 to 2021 and has been a board member of the Computing Research Association (CRA). He sits on the executive committee of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and is a trustee of the Dietrich Foundation. Dr. Jahanian is active with the World Economic Forum, serving as vice chair of the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) and as a member of the Global Network Advisory Board for WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR). He also serves on C4IR’s Internet of Things Council. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Matthew Keating
Assistant Vice President, HR Technology and Service, Carnegie Mellon University

Matt Keating is assistant vice president, HR technology and service, at Carnegie Mellon. In this role, he is responsible for delivering an HR technology roadmap and strategy that incorporates university-wide strategic plans and related HR priorities. His team supports a technology portfolio that includes Workday HCM, Tableau and integrations to Oracle EBS financials, student information systems and several operational applications. He partners with HR leadership to provide strategic direction for HR services for staff, faculty and student workers.

Since 1996, he has provided steady leadership, trusted partnership and strategic, systemic thinking for numerous global and domestic companies, spanning human capital management (HCM), technology, finance and operational functions. He has led teams that manage HCM and enterprise systems, strategic projects, process re-engineering and application support in the U.S. and abroad. His previous employers include TekSpark, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Newton Consulting, Perot Systems, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting and others.

John Kosky
Vice President and Chief HR Officer, University of Virginia

As University of Virginia’s top human resources executive, John Kosky works closely with each member of the university’s executive leadership team to advance UVA’s strategic priorities. UVA HR serves the academic division, UVA Health and the University Physicians Group, which together employ nearly 28,000 full-time and part-time faculty, staff and team members. He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Georgia State University, a master’s from the University of Georgia, and a juris master’s from Emory University. He was in the United States Army for seven years, achieving the rank of staff sergeant and serving numerous overseas deployments between 1993 and 2000.

He brings more than 21 years of experience in HR management in higher education and worked at three universities prior to coming to UVA in 2017. His experience in both universities and academic medical centers includes systems implementation, compensation, benefits, recruitment and retention, data analytics, employee well-being, and organizational learning and development.

Dr. Anand Kumar
Lizzie Gilman Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago

Anand Kumar, M.D., is Lizzie Gilman Professor and head of the department of psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Kumar received his medical degree from Madras Medical College in Madras, India. He completed his residency training in psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and subsequently served as a medical staff fellow in the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. His research focuses on late-life depression and mental disorders of the elderly, including Alzheimer’s disease. He has been consistently funded by NIH research grants for over 18 years and is author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His papers have been published in prestigious journals including American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of General Psychiatry and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

He is renowned in geriatric psychiatry as an educator and mentor; his former trainees have been awarded clinical, research and/or training positions at such esteemed institutions as UCLA, Brown, Emory, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Harvard and Yale. Recently he was awarded the Jack Weinberg Award for Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association.

Sharri Margraves
Executive Director of Organization and Professional Development, Michigan State University

Sharri Margraves, M.A, SHRM-SCP, LEED-AP, joined MSU HR in 2012 and is currently serving as executive director of organization and professional development. Her team provides consultative services for MSU leaders who are interested in improving their organizational effectiveness and developing learning programs for employees. She also leads the university’s Performance Excellence program for support staff, New Employee Welcome, exiting, and administering the employee’s educational assistance program.

Prior to coming to MSU HR, she served the students and parents of MSU through multiple leadership roles within residential and hospitality services including student housing; dining; and construction, maintenance and interior design and established the marketing communications department among other positions. She earned her master’s in higher, adult learning and education and her master’s in dietetics from Michigan State University and is currently a doctoral student at Oakland University in the organizational leadership program with a cognate in lean leadership.

Dr. MaryFrances McCourt
Chief Financial Officer, University of Chicago

MaryFrances McCourt joined University of Chicago as chief financial officer in April 2022. She works closely with deans and officers, faculty and senior administrative leaders throughout the university and UChicago Medicine to manage and strengthen the university’s business, financial and administrative strategies in support of the academic, research and patient care missions. She is responsible for financial services, controllership, treasury/capital markets, HR, IT services, risk management, compliance, internal audit and shared services.

 An accomplished financial leader with deep experience in higher education, she joined UChicago from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was senior vice president for finance and treasurer. There she led the strategic and operational direction of a wide range of areas, including financial systems, accounts payable, payroll, property management, global support services, research services, risk management and insurance, student registration and financial services, and the treasurer’s office. While at Penn, she oversaw the modernization of its financial management systems and processes, developed a comprehensive, long-range planning model, and led programs to expand student access and affordability, strengthen financial stewardship and enhance compliance.

Before joining Penn in 2016, she served as senior vice president and chief financial officer at Indiana University. She also previously served in financial management roles for Agilysys, Inc., a diversified technology distributor focused on enterprise system solutions. She earned her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Duke University and an MBA from Case Western University.

Edwine Michel
Chief of Staff to the President, Charter School Growth Fund

In his role at Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF), Edwine Michel supports the president and CSGF’s portfolio investment team in executing their operational goals and objectives. Before joining CSGF, he was a director and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt for the School District of Palm Beach County. He previously served as director of global services at The Regis Company and has held various leadership roles, including senior manager for Sanofi S.A., a management consultant for Fidelity Investments, leadership associate at United Technologies, and project manager for Textron Inc. and Janos Technology.

He is a passionate leader with experience leading strategic change, developing organizational talent, and driving innovation and operational excellence. He earned an MBA from Boston University and master’s from the University of Rochester School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. He is also a graduate of the Broad Residency Program, where he completed his M.Ed. in educational leadership.

Theresa Milazzo
Vice President for Human Resources, Emory University

Theresa Milazzo serves as a vice president for human resources at Emory University. In this role, she works with the HR leadership team to guide HR strategy, practices, functions and policy toward the goal of workplace excellence and organizational effectiveness. She oversees staff and executive compensation, employee benefits, HR technology and data services, wellness and health management, and the Work Life Resource center. In addition to her HR functional role, she has provided leadership for initiatives such as Healthy Emory, Tobacco Free Emory, the Retirement Transition program and the Class and Labor Staff Study, and she has been actively engaged with campus committees focused on fringe benefits, technology, retirement, faculty data, work/life matters, women’s issues and diversity. Her efforts have earned the university the WorldatWork Seal of Distinction for six consecutive years, honoring Emory’s strength in total rewards and success in creating positive work environments.

Prior to joining Emory, she was a consultant with several major HR consulting firms, specializing in executive and employee compensation. In this role, she worked with companies in a wide array of industries, from healthcare to public utilities to manufacturing. As a consultant, her work involved both small-scale design projects and large-scale projects involving significant change management initiatives. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from Rice University and an MBA in decision sciences from the University of Florida. She is currently a part-time student in the Master of Religion and Public Life degree program at Candler School of Theology.

Marquis Miller
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Obama Foundation

Marquis Miller recently became the vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at the Obama Foundation. Prior to joining the Obama Foundation, he served as the first chief diversity officer for the City of Chicago from January 2020 until July 2022. In the role, he partnered with the city’s chief equity officer in support of the city’s strategic human capital activities, diverse vendor initiatives, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and the work of the Office of Equity and Racial Justice in policy and systems development. In 2018, he served as the managing partner and principal at the Business Mosaic, a strategic diversity consulting firm delivering business and community engagement for mid-sized companies and non-profit organizations. The focus of the firm is on helping clients develop profitable opportunities for business and mission growth using a diversity lens.

From 2011 to 2017, he was the vice president of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. The council is responsible for developing and implementing strategic business development, field operations and organizational management of a regional affiliate network. He consulted with affiliates on strategies and new business models to ensure sustained competitive advantage for the organizations and shaped new business development, revenue maximization and techniques to fully leverage available resources. Other roles he has held include vice president of institutional advancement at Chicago State University and vice president for external affairs at the Chicago Urban League. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in social and behavioral sciences from The Ohio State University, where he was also a member of the men’s basketball team. He has also served on numerous boards, including the board of trustees at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and as a board member for Reading Between the Lines.

Roxanne Murray
Vice President of Administration, Association of American Universities (AAU)

Roxanne Murray has served at AAU since October 2002. As vice president for administration, she oversees AAU’s operations, finance, IT, meeting planning and human resources. She participates in strategic planning, problem solving, policy formation and budgetary decision. In addition to business and administrative oversight, she has worked on issues such as membership, institutional data and undergraduate and graduate education. She serves as AAU’s chief diversity officer and staffs the chief diversity officers constituent group. She also staffs the AAU membership committee and the audit and finance committee.

Her expertise in the HR field extends to her personal volunteer work. She has volunteered as a mentor and has served as an expert on multiple committees for professional societies. She also leads employee readiness seminars to prepare adults and youth for careers in the public and private sector. She has a bachelor’s degree in HR management from the University of Maryland, University College. She has memberships in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), American Society for Association Executives (ASAE), and the Human Resource Association of the National Capital Area (HRA-NCA).

Jami Painter
Associate Vice President and Chief HR Officer, University of Illinois System

Jami Painter has 28 years of human resources experience, the last 20 at the University of Illinois System in various human resource leadership roles. She provides senior leadership and executive oversight for system-wide and system-level HR initiatives, policies and programs, including benefits plan administration; HR policy; federal, state and institutional HR compliance; equal employment opportunity, diversity, equity and inclusion; information management; organizational effectiveness and employee engagement; talent acquisition and management; leave administration; HR systems; and employee and labor relations. Prior to coming to higher education, she was an HR leader in healthcare and private industry.

She currently serves as president-elect on the CUPA-HR national board of directors, as president-elect of the Leadership Illinois board of directors and as a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Chief HR Officers. She has also served as a leader in many organizations, including vice president and president of the local SHRM chapter, Central Illinois Human Resources Group; chair of the Illinois Higher Education Consortium on Human Capital; and member-at-large on the CUPA-HR Illinois Chapter board of directors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s in HR education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Michelle Piekutowski
Vice President and Chief HR Officer, Carnegie Mellon University 

As the associate vice president and chief HR officer for Carnegie Mellon University, Michelle Piekutowski provides leadership, direction and strategy on human resources issues involving recruitment and retention; onboarding and professional development; employee and labor relations; benefits and compensation; and performance standards and assessments. With experience as an HR executive and more than 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, she provides strong values, a proven ability to realign resources to ensure success, and the passion for transformational change.

She formerly served as associate vice president for human resources and chief HR officer at Clemson University. She sits on the National Chief HR Council for The Conference Board, the TIAA Advisory Committee, and the board for the American Research University Chief HR Officers. She has served as an HR legislative advocate for the Society for Human Resource Management, on the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium advisory board and as a past president, and as vice president for the CUPA-HR South Carolina Chapter board. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and four children.

Cheryl Reardon
Associate Vice President and Chief HR Officer, University of Iowa

Cheryl Reardon is the chief HR officer and associate vice president at the University of Iowa. The university has 30,000 employees, including the academic and healthcare campuses. She has cultivated a rich, diverse and progressive portfolio of experiences in her 30-year career on campus. She has served in leadership roles in student life, academic administration, research and the economic development enterprise. In her current role, she has provided a strategic framework and leadership for HR on campus, including organizational leadership for the units that make up the HR enterprise. These units include talent acquisition, payroll, benefits, organizational effectiveness, employee wellbeing, threat assessment, employee and labor relations, total rewards/compensation, and employee support programs. In addition, she is responsible for the distributed HR service delivery model. Her focus on daily success has allowed HR to be more strategic in its approach, and she has engaged in the application of processes, policies, systems and procedures designed to enhance the employee experience at the university.

She holds a master’s degree from Minnesota State University-Mankato and a bachelor’s degree from St. Ambrose University. She has demonstrated her leadership skills and her commitment to the UI community by serving on numerous university, community and state-wide committees.

Helena Rodrigues
Vice President and Chief HR Officer, University of Arizona

Helena A. Rodrigues, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is vice president and chief HR officer at the University of Arizona, serving its over 15,000 staff and faculty. With a reputation for navigating complex institutional systems, she commits herself to building long-lasting relationships, strengthening core organizational values and spreading best practices, particularly in the areas of diversity and inclusion. Over her career, she has held leadership roles in both higher education and the private sector.

Dedicated to advancing her profession, she currently serves as a member of the national board of directors for CUPA-HR. She is also a member of the Human Resources Advisory Council for the Pima Community College system in Tucson. In addition to her administrative role at University of Arizona, she has an appointment as a Professor of Practice in the School of Government and Public Policy in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College and master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Iowa.

Jonathan Small
Associate Vice President of HR and Institutional Equity, Tulane University 

As the associate vice president of human resources and institutional equity, Jonathan Small gets great personal satisfaction in helping to steer Tulane’s HR services to support the resource HR values most — its people. With 17 years of HR professional leadership experience, he serves as the strategic leader of the Office of HR&IE. He works collaboratively with each department to successfully deliver high-quality, innovative and effective programs. But he also keeps an eye on the future, always searching for ways to ensure the university evolves and adapts to its ever-changing environment.

Before devoting his work full-time to Tulane, his noteworthy career included serving as a vice president and strategic leader for several hospital and healthcare organizations as well as a large nationally recognized university. He is also the co-founder of TOCO Group, LLC, a professional services firm promoting inclusivity and innovative hiring practices. This last endeavor, in particular, has afforded him the unique skill set to deliver on Tulane’s ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. He earned a bachelor’s degree in HR management and business administration from Towson University and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Laurita Thomas
President, ARU-HRI

Laurita Thomas is the president of the American Research Universities Human Resources Institute. She is responsible for executive development and leadership programming for the chief HR officers of 65 major research universities in the United States and Canada. She is a certified master coach and provides organizational effectiveness consulting. Prior to her appointment at ARU-HRI, she served as the associate vice president for human resources at the University of Michigan for 15 years. There, she was responsible for HR policy for all UM campuses and a full range of comprehensive integrated HR services, products and operations. She was responsible for 330 staff, a budget of $36 million and a benefit plan of approximately $1 billion. Prior to that position, she served as CHRO for the University of Michigan Heath System for 15 years.

She is known for her work to create environments where people thrive, partnerships prevail and performance excels. Her professional HR career spans roles in the financial industry, higher education and healthcare. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan in political science and economics. Her graduate work is in guidance and counseling and business administration. She has published many articles and book chapters and has received many leadership and service awards, most recently HR Executive of the Year for the State of Michigan from the American Society of Employers and the CUPA-HR Distinguished Service Award.

Allison Vaillancourt, Ph.D.
Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness, Segal 

Dr. Vaillancourt is a vice president in Segal’s Organizational Effectiveness practice. She is a nationally recognized expert in organizational strategy and human resources, with more than 30 years of faculty and administrative experience in universities across the U.S. Prior to joining Segal, she was vice president for business affairs and human resources and an award-winning faculty member at the University of Arizona. As a result of her work, the University of Arizona received numerous awards for developing high-impact leaders, becoming a destination workplace and deepening university and community ties.

She earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Affairs and a master’s in public policy and administration and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Wisconsin. She holds multiple human resources and executive coaching certifications as well.

Felicia Washington
Senior Vice President for Human Resources, University of Southern California

Felicia A. Washington was appointed senior vice president of human resources at the University of Southern California in June 2019. In her role, she oversees three university central offices: university HR; equity, equal opportunity and Title IX; and culture, ethics and compliance. In this capacity, she provides the long-range strategic vision for building an integrated human capital strategy and leadership of the equity, culture and compliance priorities and to enable people and the development of accountability systems. She is deeply committed to advancing USC’s mission by balancing the overall needs of the university with the unique needs of its schools and units.

Washington arrived at USC with decades of experience as a highly respected attorney specializing in employment law and a dynamic university administrator. She built a strong reputation around implementing rigorous and ethical standards at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a similar role as vice chancellor for workforce strategy, equity and engagement, while at the same time caring deeply about students, faculty and staff. Previous to her role at UNC-Chapel Hill, she spent more than two decades in private practice at the Charlotte office of K&L Gates, a multinational law firm. As an employment law partner, she litigated cases in federal and state courts and advised clients on a variety of matters, including such issues as hiring and firing, internal investigations and regulatory compliance. She has been involved in a wide range of legal and community organizations, including service on the North Carolina Medical Board and as a member of the board of trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC-Chapel Hill and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

John Whelan
Vice President for Human Resources, Yale University

John Whelan recently joined Yale University as vice president for human resources. Prior to this, he was Indiana University’s chief HR officer. His top priorities at IU were to build a stronger and more strategically focused HR function, to improve HR’s process efficiency and customer service, and to increase the engagement of IU’s 23,000 employees across the school’s seven campuses.

Prior to IU, he served as vice president for HR at Baylor University. He has also held HR leadership positions at the University of Notre Dame, Bristol- Myers Squibb, The Gillette Company and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He is a past member of the national board of directors for CUPA-HR and served as the board’s chair. He is also a member of the Massachusetts bar association.

Eugene Whitlock
Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and General Counsel, San Mateo County Community College

San Mateo County Community College District serves 45,000 students across three colleges. In Eugene Whitlock’s HR role, he has led the District’s equity-focused recruitment, which resulted in the increased hiring of staff and faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. He has championed professional development opportunities for employees, developed workshops and training on harassment and discrimination, and led efforts to support faculty and staff in order to enhance the employee experience. As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, he has been invited by the California Community Colleges state chancellor, community colleges and K-12 school districts throughout California to deliver training to board members, administrators, faculty and staff. In 2017, his work was recognized by his peers when they selected him for the Progress in Diversity Award given for outstanding achievement in support of diversity in the higher education community.

In his role as general counsel, he has advised the District on general litigation, privacy and data security, wage and hour rules, disability, accommodations, leave policies, contracts, the Brown Act, the Education Code and the Labor Code. He also led the District’s International Student Program, focusing on growing the program’s enrollment of students from Africa and South America. Prior to joining the Community College District, his professional background includes legal, investment banking and project management roles in the U.S., Germany, Japan and Venezuela. He has a strong affinity for academia and learning that brought him to the Community College District. He obtained his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan. He is also a fluent speaker of Spanish and German.

Elizabeth Zacharias
Vice President for Human Resources, Stanford University

Elizabeth Zacharias serves as Stanford’s vice president for human resources, reporting to the university president. In her role, she provides strategic leadership for all HR functions, including equity and inclusion; learning and organizational effectiveness; employee and labor relations; compensation and benefits; talent acquisition; talent management; global HR; systems and analytics; employee communications; and work/life programs. Over the last 18 months, she has chaired several long-range strategy groups, including a university-wide task force focused on addressing affordability issues associated with living and working in the Bay Area; a committee chartered to improve inclusion, diversity, equity and access in all parts of Stanford; and a committee focused on enhanced professional development and well-being.

Prior to joining Stanford, she served in HR leadership roles at Aerojet Rocketdyne as well as at several startups and multi-national corporations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Outside of work, she is an active volunteer with a variety of community organizations.