Annamarie grew up in HCM, truly. She joined Cielo as an intern to support their brand experience - event strategy and now leads marketing for North America focusing on driving demand, building the brand and engaging client advocates.

Andrew is a director on William Blair's Technology Investment Banking team, and is based in San Francisco. Andrew is focused on providing advice to HR technology companies and, more broadly, cloud-based businesses, having completed over 70 transactions, including M&A and equity offerings. Prior to joining William Blair in 2004, he was part of the technology investment banking team at WR Hambrecht + Co. and began his banking career at The Shattan Group LLC, a boutique investment bank focused on private equity placements.

Andrew is a graduate of Columbia University and the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. Andrew lives in Piedmont, Calif., with his wife and two children.

Kate is a serial entrepreneur, psychotherapist, founder, and author. Founder of 7 businesses, Kate is now an executive and part of the founding team for Waggl, an enterprise SaaS business in HR Tech. Kate believes that radical self-expression and empathy lead to a connected and engaged workforce, and that the best ideas and input can come from anyone in the organization. In addition to her work at Waggl, Kate volunteers as a trauma psychotherapist at Community Violence Solutions, a sexual assault crisis center. Kate has a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University, where she graduated with honors.

Meghan M. Biro is a globally recognized HR tech analyst, author, speaker and brand strategist. The founder of TalentCulture, she hosts #WorkTrends, a popular weekly Twitter Chat and podcast. Her career spans across recruiting, talent management, digital media and brand strategy for hundreds of companies, from startups to global brands like Microsoft, IBM and Google. Meghan can be regularly found on Forbes, SHRM, TalentCulture and a variety of other outlets. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @MeghanMBiro.

Bio coming soon!

SVP and CHRO since 2016, Ms. Cipolla currently leads the CNB Human Resources function, responsible for strategy, compensation, benefits, leadership development, staffing, analytics, training, safety and employee relations. Prior to joining CNB, Ms. Cipolla spent 25 years with Williams, primarily in Human Resources and was Vice President of HR at the time she moved to CNB. Outside of CNB, Ms. Cipolla has served on numerous non-profit and community impact boards. Ms. Cipolla is a graduate of Oklahoma State University earning degrees in Economics (BA) and Accounting (BS).

Anne is author of The Career Engagement Game and founder of Fuel50 which provides innovative career pathing solutions in 28 countries across the globe. Personally, she's a 'wannabe' marathon runner and triathlete who only turns up for the scenery and camaraderie with friends and family.

Sonjoy brings over 20 years as a veteran product management executive as Madison Logic’s Chief Product Officer. With extensive experience in the media, financial and professional services industries. Sonjoy was most recently employed by Deloitte & Touche in their Strategy, Brand & Innovation division, managing the definition and execution of new product strategies to identify and cultivate new ways the firm’s practices and its clients can adopt new technologies to create innovative, market leading solutions at scale.

Prior to Deloitte, Sonjoy’s extensive background includes leading Xaxis’ Programmatic, DMP and Search platforms, Doubleclick’s Rich Media, Mobile and Video platforms, Accenture’s Live and On-Demand Streaming Video platform, as well as the definition and growth of product management organizations for companies like TheLadders.com and Donovan Data Systems.

Sonjoy brings a wealth of industry and functional experience to the Madison Logic leadership team. Sonjoy attended New York University’s Stern School of Business and spends his off hours with his wife, raising their 2 young children (and still praying for a good night’s sleep).

Jonathan leads The Starr Conspiracy’s consulting and strategy practices — a team known as the Intelligence Unit (IU). Companies that plan to stoke a market revolution — and deploy next-level marketing — first require clear thinking and good counsel. That’s where the full-service digital agency’s team of world-class consultants, researchers, market analysts, PR professionals, and writers do their thing. Industry innovators in marketing, sales, and product leadership engage the IU for the kind of industry insights and growth-orientated strategy they can’t find anywhere else. And they keep working with The Starr Conspiracy to execute across brand and digital.

Jonathan is a regular speaker at InfluenceHR and was recognized in the #Engagement101 for his contributions to Employee Engagement. When he’s not plotting the future of enterprise software with clients, Jonathan spends his time with his wife and two children in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lance is a practice leader at The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit, the research, consulting, and publishing arm of The Starr Conspiracy. As part of the Intelligence Unit, Lance helps enterprise software and services companies find their compelling place in their respective markets, consults with them on messaging and go-to-market strategy, and helps them execute their game plan with compelling thought leadership and content strategy. He also works on public-facing market research and reports that specifically target the HCM industry.

Before joining The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit in early 2013, he was an editor at ERE Media for over three years. He also served as editor-in-chief for SourceCon, the leading publication and biannual conference for sourcers and recruiters.

Lance is a regular speaker, having spoken at the Society for Human Resource Management annual conference, HR Technology® Conference, ERE Recruiting Conferences, IHRIM’s HRMS Strategies Conference, and numerous other local and regional events and webinars. His writing has been featured on the Harvard Business Review blog and he is regularly interviewed as an expert on HR and recruiting issues by The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, HR magazine, Workforce Magazine, Fast Company, and BNET.com.

Emily He is Oracle’s senior vice president of the human capital management cloud business group. Prior to joining Oracle, she was chief marketing officer of DoubleDutch, a leader in digital marketing solutions for events, conferences, and trade shows. Ms. He has 18 years of experience in various enterprise software roles, including marketing, corporate strategy, and business development at companies such as Siebel Systems, E2Open, and Saba Software.

Ms. He is known for supporting business growth with highly differentiated corporate branding and product positioning, as well as innovative digital marketing, demand generation, and customer experience programs. She is a recognized thought leader on digital transformation, engagement marketing, talent management, and authentic leadership. Her perspectives have appeared in a broad spectrum of business publications including the Economist, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, and the Huffington Post.

Ms. He has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Prior to DocSend, Russ was a Product Manager at Facebook, where he arrived via the acquisition of his startup Pursuit.com. Russ has also held roles at Dropbox, Greystripe, and Trulia. He received a BS in Computer Engineering and an MS in Computer Science from Stanford, and an MBA from Harvard.

Dave Hendricks is the founder of SeriesX and Vertalo, blockchain enterprise companies that are focused on fintech and the future of work. Prior to launching SeriesX in 2016, Dave was President and cofounder of LiveIntent, a programmatic email advertising technology company with offices in 5 countries and a daily human reach of almost 100 million people. Dave recently moved to Austin TX from London UK and retains his New York sense of humor and directness.

Lisa Holden leads communications & PR at Entelo, the recruiting automation platform modernizing hiring. In this role, she is responsible for the company’s voice, reputation and image including its customer and employer brands. Having represented Glassdoor, Jobvite and Simply Hired, Holden has spent the last decade garnering media hits in the HR technology space.

Kelley is a high performing Total Rewards leader with proven ability to develop and execute strategies that align to business objectives and resources. At Great-West she leads compensation including sales compensation design & administration, benefits, payroll, HRIS & Workforce Analytics. Currently, Kelley is current leading a global HR Modernization effort which includes a Workday implementation replacing all of the current HR technology solutions as well as setting up an HR Service Center. Kelley has over 20 years experience leading Total Rewards teams and converting strategy and philosophy into practical applications and solutions.

Keith is CEO and co-founder of GuideSpark, and brings over 20 years of digital communications and eLearning expertise to creating, building and leading GuideSpark as it transforms workplace communications.

Keith’s career has been focused on building companies that develop digital solutions to connect people and information. He and his co-founders created GuideSpark to bring technology and innovative content together in a way that transforms employee communications, leading GuideSpark into a team of nearly 300 professionals and serving 650 customers including 20 percent of the Fortune 500.

Prior to founding GuideSpark in 2008, Keith served as Senior Director and Entrepreneur in Residence for Adobe where he led efforts on the company’s new SaaS business.

In 1999, Keith co-founded Presedia, which developed eLearning and digital presentation solutions. Presedia was bought by MacroMedia in 2003 and Keith joined MacroMedia as VP, Project Management and Operations, where he managed a team and business that he grew into $50 million in annual revenue.

Keith received his B.A. in Electrical Engineering and his M.B.A. from Stanford University.

George LaRocque, Principal Analyst and Founder of #HRWINS has more than 25 years in the HCM industry. A former practitioner in talent acquisition, talent management, and HR, he turned technology vendor executive for some of the market's largest brands. Now an HCM market analyst and advisor focused on users and developers of HR technology. Publisher of #hrwins research and reports on workforce trends and related innovation in tech. He helps employers understand the trends that are impacting their workforce today and in the future. He helps HR technology vendors with a unique perspective on the HR customers, the changing workforce, and their go-to-market strategies.

Jason Lauritsen a keynote speaker, author, and consultant. He is an employee engagement and workplace culture expert who will challenge you to think differently. A former corporate Human Resources executive, Jason has dedicated his career to helping leaders build organizations that are good for both people and profits. Most recently, he led the research team for Quantum Workplace’s Best Places to Work program where he has studied the employee experience at thousands of companies to understand what the best workplaces in the world do differently than the rest. Jason is the co-author of the book, Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships, and author of his new book, Unlocking High Performance, to be published by Kogan Page in October 2018. Connect with Jason at www.JasonLauritsen.com or by sending him an email.

Kevin is a partner at The Starr Conspiracy and managing director of the Digital Unit, which leverages its unparalleled industry insights and digital advertising acumen to help organizations maximize their investment in sales and marketing technologies, such as marketing automation platforms and advocate marketing platforms.

Kevin specializes in helping organizations eliminate waste in their digital processes to increase the velocity of opportunities as they flow through sales and marketing systems. Kevin also oversees the media planning and digital strategy teams, which are responsible for driving a significant percentage of the revenue generated from paid media in the HCM space.

Kevin leads marketing and brand at Zenefits. A technology and HR veteran, Kevin brings two decades of marketing leadership experience in human resources and talent management to his role. Prior to Zenefits he served as CMO at HireVue, Vice President of Brand and Digital Marketing at Taleo (acquired by Oracle), and SVP Marketing and Sales Support at Vurv Technology. Kevin is the co-founder of an innovative sports-tech startup in stealth mode.

As The Starr Conspiracy’s Director of Client Services, Haley brings incredible strength in bridging the gap between clients’ business objectives and the agency’s talents to create creative, cohesive campaigns that tell an impactful story while driving innovation in marketing strategy, client engagement, digital advertising, and brand-awareness generation.

Haley has spent time on the B2C side of advertising, where she learned the importance of managing budgets, negotiating the best deals, and high-touch account management. She’s also successfully directed national and global accounts for clients such as Harrah’s Casino, AT&T, Bimbo® Bread, and a multitude of enterprise software companies.

Haley is responsible for the agency’s development and execution of strategic and innovative digital advertising campaigns, in addition to managing day-to-day operations. Currently, she focuses on developing and maintaining strong relationships with current clients by understanding their business needs, communicating effectively, and maximizing results.

When she’s not focusing on the next best thing in the HCM space, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 4-year-old son, and 6-year-old lab. Her latest obsessions include college football, cinnamon gum, and the hunt for the best soup recipe on the planet.

Andrew R. McIlvaine is senior editor for talent acquisition at Human Resource Executive®. He oversees coverage of talent acquisition and recruiting and also edits the weekly Recruiting Trends Bulletin e-newsletter and its associated website, RecruitingTrends.com. A Penn State graduate, Andy also spent two years in the U.S. Army prior to attending college and attained the rank of sergeant while serving in the Army Reserves.

Mark is a partner at The Starr Conspiracy and is based in Fort Worth, where he manages the agency’s sales and marketing efforts. Aside from being responsible for the growth of the agency, Mark brings his nearly 15 years of HCM marketing experience to bear by helping soon-to-be clients identify the marketing strategies and initiatives they must pursue in order to achieve their growth goals. A frequent speaker, his internal sales and marketing responsibilities allow him to offer both unique perspectives and personal experiences – keeping him both close to the work and aware of the larger trends within the HCM industry.

Attendees of last year’s InfluenceHR might remember Mark from his mutton-busting (Google it) interview with Thomas Middleditch.

Jill joined Marketo as growth advisor in December 2017. She concurrently serves as the chief growth officer for Sales for Life, the largest social selling and digital sales training organization in the world. Jill previously founded her own consulting practice, #SocialSetting, to help sales and marketing organizations evolve their digital transformation. Before joining Marketo, Jill built a training curriculum at Oracle for the company’s global salesforce. She also worked at Salesforce.com, TrackMaven, HubSpot, and Affino, and Eloqua, among many others. She shares that knowledge of social selling with global companies like GE, AT&T, and Microsoft.

Jill holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Finance from the University of Charleston.

Stacia is a researcher and thought leader on talent management, leadership, D&I, people analytics, and HR Technology. A frequent speaker and writer, her work has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, and The New York Times, among others. Stacia co-founded RedThread Research in 2018, after leading talent and workforce research for eight years at Bersin by Deloitte. Before Bersin, Stacia spent nearly five years conducting research and creating learning content for the Corporate Leadership Council, part of CEB/Gartner. She has an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

Steve is a partner at The Starr Conspiracy and is based in San Francisco, where the company offices in the heart of South Beach. Steve’s focus is strategic consulting and account leadership, as well as writing on where the HR technology industry is headed. Since 2001, he has specialized in human resources and human capital-focused strategy, content, and consulting after nearly a decade as a newspaper journalist. He has developed messaging, positioning, brand, thought leadership, and content marketing strategy for dozens of enterprise software companies and written hundreds of white papers and research reports for HR technology clients.

Prior to The Starr Conspiracy, he worked as an employee communications consultant on Fortune 500 accounts such as FedEx and BNSF. His writing has earned awards from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Tony Spangler, APR, is director of communications and leads the agency’s public relations and analyst relations practice. Tony creates and executes PR campaigns promoting brands, amplifying key messages, and garnering game-changing earned media for clients.

Tony is a battle-tested communications leader. Previously, he served as senior vice president of corporate communications at OCG PR, where he led a team of PR professionals on B2B, B2C, and B2G campaigns, including overseeing the agency’s multicultural communications for AT&T. Prior to that, he worked in the Texas Senate as a communications director for a Texas State Senator, elevating her brand to national stature and positioning her to run for Texas governor. He’s also an award-winning journalist, having spent nearly 20 years as a government, political, and investigative reporter.

He was an Ottaway Fellowship recipient at the University of Missouri’s National Institute for Computer-assisted Reporting and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the category of community journalism.

Bret is founder and CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, a marketing agency that has served thousands of clients around the world since 1999. He has dedicated his career to developing brands, messages, and marketing strategies that help businesses connect with buyers on a human level. Bret is an author and a speaker, but spends most of his time researching new marketing models, strategies, and tactics, and consulting directly with clients. His agency has been the recipient of more than a dozen local, state, and national “best places to work” awards, along with numerous marketing awards. Bret lives with his wife and two children in Fort Worth, Texas.

The areas of Bret’s expertise include branding, message, advertising, public relations, mergers and acquisitions, market research, and management consulting.

Mark is the founder of IA HR, applying more than 20 years of experience in the implementation of internal and external HR transformational initiatives for public and private sector clientele worldwide. Mark manages a market-leading consulting firm in support of the most complex human resource decisions in the world. Through deep and embedded partnerships with client organizations, Mark guides HR transformation by creating business cases for change, selecting sustainable third-party service providers, and supporting organizational and operational change management. By offering unbiased and candid advice to C-level leaders in nearly all geographies and vertical market segments, Mark has brought over $3.5 billion worth of value to his clients and employers. Mark is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and resides in San Francisco.

Phil Stewart, CEO, joined Engage2Excel in 2015. Phil is responsible for leading and growing all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, quality, operations, technology and administration. He brings 20 years of human resource experience to the position and spent the last eight years at IBM/Kenexa, first as Chief People Officer and then as President of Kenexa’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) business unit since 2007. Prior to Kenexa, his roles included various human resource leadership positions at Dentsply International and Sara Lee Corporation. He holds a MS in Human Resources from Warren National University and a BSBA in Management from Western Carolina University.

Wendy leads global marketing for Virgin Pulse, one of the world’s largest providers of digital health and wellbeing solutions that engage users every day in building healthy habits that drive long term behavior change. As chief marketing officer, Wendy is responsible for accelerating the company’s growth, expanding Virgin Pulse’s brand awareness, driving demand for the company’s personalized health, wellbeing and engagement solutions, and connecting the touch points with Virgin Pulse customers and users to ensure a consistent and positive experience.

Wendy leads a global team that is responsible for all marketing initiatives and operations, including product marketing, demand generation, field marketing, corporate communications, B2B2C initiatives, brand and creative. This team is focused on driving growth by helping organizations understand the value employee wellbeing delivers in driving health outcomes, building strong workplace cultures, increasing employee engagement and accelerating business performance.

Over the past two and a half years, Wendy has successfully scaled the Virgin Pulse marketing organization to support and facilitate Virgin Pulse’s rapid growth, which has included several strategic acquisitions and the company’s recent merger with RedBrick Health.

A growth focused marketing leader, Wendy has more than 22 years of experience across all areas of marketing and strategic communications. Prior to Virgin Pulse, Wendy served vice president of global marketing at SumTotal Systems, a leading human resources (HR) and talent management software provider, where she was responsible for elevating SumTotal’s brand and scaling the company’s global marketing strategy prior to its acquisition by Skillsoft. She brings extensive experience implementing marketing strategies that have propelled impressive growth for a number of market leading enterprise software companies, including Plateau Systems (SuccessFactors/SAP), Appian, and webMethods (Software AG), which remains one of the most successful software IPOs in NASDAQ history.

As chief marketing officer, Kristen is responsible for building Cielo’s brand reputation and creating market momentum for the company across the globe. Kristen drives the firm’s global marketing vision, brand strategy, marketing programs, and communications. Kristen brings a wide variety of experience gained during her 20 years in the HR industry, and excels at pairing that expertise with a drive for innovation and continuous learning. Under her leadership, Cielo has received numerous awards for its excellence in marketing practices, including being recognized as the 2015 Business Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year and leading the 2015 Marketing Team of the Year. Kristen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a Master of Science in Management and International Business from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She resides in Menomonee Falls, Wis., with her husband and two children.