Aon Consulting is among the world's top global human capital and management consulting firms, providing a complete array of advisory, outsourcing, and insurance brokerage services to large, medium and small clients in over 110 countries. The organization lives up to its name (Aon is Gaelic for "oneness") by integrating professionals from hundreds of disciplines, helping each client achieve better business results in a custom-tailored manner. Aon's 6,500 human capital consultants and outsourcing specialists possess expertise in fields including: actuarial science, business & HR alignment strategies, employee health & benefits, communication, compensation & rewards, financial advisory & litigation consulting, HRIS/IT, HR outsourcing, industrial psychology, leadership development, legal compliance, M & A, organizational behavior, process improvement (e.g., Six Sigma consulting & training), retirement, risk management, talent selection & development, and workforce strategies. Not only is Aon the nation's largest business insurance broker, but also for two years running the readers of Business Insurance Magazine have named Aon the "Best Employee Benefits Consulting Firm."

Hay Group, one of the top global human resources and organizational consulting firms, helps more than 7,000 clients achieve outstanding performance by optimizing the effectiveness of their people and solving the most challenging organizational issues. With 86 offices across 47 countries, Hay Group provides worldwide resources and local market expertise. For over 60 years, Hay's trademark has been thought leadership — high-quality research and intellectual rigor. Areas of expertise include: compensation, benefits and performance management; effective design of jobs, organizational structures and decision-making processes; executive and managerial assessment, selection and development; executive remuneration and corporate governance; and employee & customer attitude research. Hay's expertise derives from its in-house researchers, partnerships with top academic institutions such as Harvard University and Dartmouth College, and consulting work with thousands of clients. Accomplishments include: innovations in design of organizations, jobs and compensation programs; creation of the most widely-used job evaluation methodology (employed by over 8,000 organizations worldwide); and pioneering work in the area of competencies as a result of helping clients to assess, select and develop hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Hay Group also has deep expertise regarding what differentiates outstanding organizations as a result of its long-standing research partnership with Fortune on the "World's Most Admired Companies."

Morgan Lewis LLP is ranked among the top 4 best law firms in the country for its expertise in the field of HR, employment law and labor relations. With over 1,000 lawyers in over 20 offices throughout the US, Europe and Asia, it is also one of the ten largest law firms in the world. The firm has briefed and argued a number of US Supreme Court cases. Morgan Lewis has hundreds of labor and employment law attorneys covering every geographic region of the globe. Its lawyers are nationally recognized for their sexual harassment and diversity training programs, which help companies minimize legal exposure and send the message to employees that there is zero tolerance for risky behavior in the workplace. Morgan Lewis lawyers are experienced in dealing with the intricacies of the federal discrimination statutes — including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act and their state analogues — and with the agencies that administer those laws. Other areas of expertise include employee benefits, wage and hour laws, labor-management relations, occupational safety & health, and employee relations. For more than a century, Morgan Lewis has represented startups, emerging growth firms, Fortune 500 companies and other leaders in the technology, biotech & life sciences, energy, media and financial services sectors, and even Major League Baseball.

Kimberly H. Ashbach, Esq., opened her own practice in 1996, representing both employers and employees in all areas of employment law, including civil rights actions, age, race and sex discrimination, harassment, ADA, FMLA, wage payment, overtime and collection claims, whistleblower claims, executive severance, non-competes and employment contracts. Previously associated at a large Philadelphia law firm from 1989-1996, she handled ERISA and employment matters on behalf of such clients as Mack Trucks, Continental Bank, MidLantic Bank, PECO (now Exelon) and the City of Reading. Prior to that Ms. Ashbach was a staff attorney at the United States Department of Justice, Torts Branch, successfully defending the government in multi-million dollar litigation throughout the country. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, graduating "Order of the Coif."

Scott Behson, Ph.D., chaired the Department of Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University and is a professor and member of the Center for Human Resource Management Studies, a business and academic partnership involving 22 corporations and hundreds of executives & managers. He teaches, conducts research and publishes articles and award-winning papers on HR, change management, organizational behavior, culture, work-family balance, workplace flexibility and performance evaluation. He also provides consulting services as a focus group facilitator, statistician, strategic advisor and developer & implementor of HR, change, communications and workplace flexibility programs. Dr. Behson's clients have included Lucent Technologies, the Group for Organizational Effectiveness, and the U.S. Navy Air Warfare Training Systems Division. He received a Ph.D. from the University at Albany, State University of New York, and a B.S. from Cornell University.

Carla Callender, M.Ed., is the President of Callender Enterprises, Inc., specializing in HR consulting and customized hiring event management services. In her 15+ years of experience as an HR professional, she has played an integral role in growing business startups as well as designing and implementing process improvement programs at larger corporations. With expertise in career development, change management, cultural assessments, executive coaching, leadership development, performance management, staffing/recruitment and team building, Callender has delivered consulting and training services to clients including General Electric, Horizon Leadership, Corporate World Public Relations/Communications, Inc., Kellogg's, PepsiCo and Quaker. She holds a B.A. from Eastern Kentucky University in Political Science as well as a Master of Education from the University of Louisville in Human Resources Education with an emphasis on Organizational Design & Development. She serves on the DeKalb County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Board (past Board Chair), and is a member of Leadership DeKalb (cited for Junior Achievement's Economic Success Program participation).

Karen Ench, J.D., has over a decade of combined employment law and HR consulting experience. As a consultant within the Global Human Resource Solutions group of PricewaterhouseCoopers, she assisted clients across multiple industries with enhancing the effectiveness of their HR function and evaluating and mitigating the risks associated with managing the workplace. She led reviews and implementation of organizational policies, processes and controls with respect to hiring, managing, payment of wages, and compliance with state and federal employment laws (e.g., Affirmative Action, EEO, ADA, FMLA, and FLSA); she drafted employment policies and procedures including employee handbooks, supervisor guides, and self-assessment/audit tools and checklists; and she reviewed and drafted employment law training materials and assisted in conducting training seminars. Previously, after earning a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Hofstra University, where she was Associate Editor of the Labor Law Journal, Ench served as a Deputy County Attorney in Nassau County, NY, litigating employment law actions brought before the New York State Division of Human Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in Federal District Court.

Shawn Farrell, J.D., named a Pennsylvania Rising Star in Construction Litigation by Law and Politics, is a partner in the Labor & Employment and Construction practices of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC. He handles all phases of law, from negotiating and drafting contracts to litigating cases. He has successfully defended matters under the Pennsylvania Human Relation Act and the New Jersey Law against Discrimination, and litigated actions (including federal jury trials) regarding wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment and related tort claims. Farrell has also handled a variety of other civil litigation matters in federal court, state court, and arbitration and mediation forums regarding the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and other general business matters. He further advises on OSHA violations and how to properly investigate sexual harassment, hostile work place and racial discrimination claims.

Erin Fullerton has over 20 years of diverse leadership experience in both human resources and general operations. She currently works as a business consultant throughout Southern California, specializing in the areas of employee relations, performance management, policy & procedure development, strategic planning, and organizational development. Prior to this, she worked primarily in the healthcare industry, in the areas of human resources, operations, customer service and organizational development. Additionally, she served for several years as Vice Chair of the Board for the Santa Monica, California Chapter of the American Red Cross where she was responsible for oversight of the human resources functions of the Chapter, along with a redesign of the strategic vision and direction of the Chapter. She has received numerous awards throughout her career for both her professional and her volunteer work, including awards from the City of Los Angeles, the City of Santa Monica, and the American Red Cross. Fullerton received her B.A. in sociology from U.C.L.A.

Robert Halprin, J.D., is corporate counsel for Teleologic Learning Company. He has some 15 years of extensive publications in all aspects employment law, first while a legal editor for Business & Legal Reports, Inc., and then as senior legal editor at the Bureau of Business Practice, a subsidiary of Aspen Publishers. For this work, he received an editorial excellence award for best instructional reporting from the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Foundation. He has also analyzed employment law court decisions for the Connecticut Law Tribune, published by American Lawyer Media. Halprin serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Finance and Law at Central Connecticut State University. Prior to working several years as a general practice attorney, he was deputy communications manager for a national membership services organization. He received his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Dianne Hayden is President of Hayden Consulting, a human resource practice and technology firm that provides consulting services to clients in various industries. With 25 years of executive level HR experience working at Novartis, a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, and as a consultant, Hayden specializes in the design and delivery of HR programs and services such as employee relations, strategic staffing, compensation, employee benefit plan design and administration, change management and process redesign, SAP-HR implementation and M&A activities. Consulting clients include ARINSO International, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Syngenta and USPOWERGEN. Hayden holds a B.S. in Psychology from Syracuse University and an MBA in Organizational Behavior from Iona College.

Melissa Johnson, J.D., Psy.D., is an expert on the human side of business. Listed in Who's Who in American Law and the World Who's Who of Women, she leverages a rare combination of expertise — in both human resources, and in labor and employment law — by applying legal and business strategies to achieve corporate goals. She currently serves as General Counsel & Vice President of Human Resources for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Johnson has worked with business executives, HR managers, and law firms on employment audits, compliance issues, contract development, policy-making, executive development, compensation, benefits, training, employee & labor relations, downsizings and litigation prevention & response. She has conducted corporate training programs in the areas of sexual harassment/discrimination, conflict resolution, hiring & terminations, managing change, performance evaluation, stress management, corporate culture, union avoidance and workplace violence. Dr. Johnson developed her expertise through several senior management and law firm positions: Vice President of Human Resources for Houghton International, General Counsel & Vice President for Legal Affairs/HR for Strategic Management Group, Chair of the Employment Law practice for McCausland, Keen and Buckman, independent legal and HR consulting practice under MJ Consulting, and Labor & Employment Department Associate for Blank Rome LLP. She received dual graduate degrees from Widener University, earning a Juris Doctor and a Doctor of Clinical Psychology.

Sharon Kazaras, MS, is a benefits consultant with over 25 years of experience, specializing in the administration and communication of ERISA plans. She is a contributing author of the textbook ERISA: A Comprehensive Guide and served as a production assistant for the Legal-Legislative Reporter News Bulletin. Kazaras currently runs her own practice, providing a wide range of services to clients of all sizes; she also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate Human Resource Development Program at Villanova University, conducts workshops for professional organizations on various benefit-related topics, and served on the Executive Board of the PENJERDEL Employee Benefits and Compensation Association. Previously, she was Director of ERISA Compliance Services for a Philadelphia consulting firm, a senior benefit analyst in a Philadelphia law firm, and a manager in the Philadelphia tax division of an accounting firm. A licensed life and health agent, Kazaras earned a B.A. and a M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Shannon Maroney, MBA, is President & CEO of HR Backbone™, a consulting firm specializing in helping organizations implement solid HR infrastructures tied directly to business objectives and profitability goals. An accomplished human resource generalist with more than 15 years of experience developing and implementing effective HR solutions, she has worked with companies of all sizes, from Internet startups to Fortune 500 corporations, including ING, Unisource Worldwide, Alco Standard Corporation, and InvestorForce.com. Her work has spanned a variety of industries — financial services, technology, manufacturing and distribution — throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. She has led teams that delivered results in the areas of staffing, compensation, benefits, employment practices, diversity management and HR information systems. Maroney is recognized as an expert at devising organizational and employee development solutions that cut costs and reduce legal liability while improving employee satisfaction, productivity and efficiency. Maroney founded the Diversity Committee of the Greater Valley Forge Human Resource Association, and has had leadership roles in both the national and local chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Joan Mueller, SPHR, is a human resource executive with more than two decades of diverse experience in leadership positions, including designing and building HR functions for growth-oriented companies. As Vice President of Human Resources for eCal Corporation, she helped the firm grow to over 250 employees globally by implementing creative staffing solutions, designing cost-effective benefits programs and compensation structures, facilitating several mergers & acquisitions and creating an employee-friendly culture. Previously, as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for American Business Financial Services, she created its first HR function, enabling the company to more than quadruple in size in less than 18 months. In other HR leadership roles at Towers Perrin, Grant Thornton LLP, and Butcher & Singer, Mueller provided technical and functional support in areas such as recruitment & retention strategies, employee relations, policy and procedure development, compensation, benefits, training/development, and work & family initiatives. Mueller has served on the Board of the National Human Resources Association (NHRA) as Vice President of Communications and as President of the Philadelphia Affiliate. She was named NHRA National Member of the Year in 1992.

[SPHR: Senior Professional in HR — the highest certification level awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute.]

Robert Padulo, Ph.D., is President of iWorkwell, Inc. Before founding iWorkwell, Dr. Padulo spent the latter 1990s advising and/or investing in a variety of businesses, including several early-stage technology-related companies. He was formerly a consultant at McKinsey & Company and president of TapeLicator, Inc. (maker of a patented one-handed tape dispenser). A graduate of Harvard University, he earned his Ph.D. at Balliol College, Oxford University. His doctoral thesis was titled "Managing Corporate Transformations: Lessons From a Cross-Case Analysis of Empirical Studies." During his doctoral research and consulting work at McKinsey, he conducted detailed studies of companies in different industries: media, consumer products, financial services, insurance, energy and health care. A former Board member of America's TV JobNetwork, Inc., Dr. Padulo is President of the Entrepreneurs' RoundTable at the Union League of Philadelphia, and serves on several non-profit boards. Specializing in change management, leadership, management and organization development, Dr. Padulo brings both academic rigor and practical experience to the world's largest multi-national corporations as well as some of its smallest private firms.

Ellen Rosenberg-Caserta has worked for over 20 years as an HR generalist in labor relations and workforce planning, and is presently an adjunct professor for the Keller School of Management. Prior to this she was HR Manager for J&B Software, an international company headquartered in the United States and Chennai, India. Previously Rosenberg-Caserta handled diversity efforts, workforce planning and recruitment, and developed a junior engineer training and mentoring program as Manager of Workforce Planning for Amtrak's Engineering Department, and as a Labor Relations Officer for Amtrak handled fifteen separate collective bargaining agreements and dealt with labor relations cases at the second level of appeal. She first acquired familiarity with European Labor Law as an 8-year Director of Human Resources for the largest resort hotel and casino on St. Maarten. Ms. Rosenberg-Caserta has taught Labor Relations for the Harry Van Ardsdale School of Labor Studies, holds a BS in Labor Relations and an MS in Human Resources from Baruch College, and has attained her PHR, CEBS, RPA (Retirement Plan Associate) and ARM (Associate in Risk Management) designations.

Deborah Shapiro, J.D., MBA, is an attorney with over a decade of experience in domestic and international employment law. She provides strategic counsel to organizations and individuals on all employment matters, including day-to-day and long-term personnel issues, policy-making, dispute resolution, and negotiating, drafting and reviewing employment contracts, severance packages and retention agreements. Her clients have included companies of all sizes in a wide variety of industries. She has litigated cases in federal and state courts and before arbitrators and administrative agencies on a panoply of labor and employment issues such as discrimination, restrictive covenants, contracts, defamation, whistleblower laws, wages and commissions, and traditional labor law issues. She has conducted harassment and diversity training seminars and workplace investigations, as well. Shapiro also has significant experience advising employers with unionized workforces and has defended election campaigns, handled NLRB charges, and led collective bargaining. In addition to her work as an advocate, Shapiro serves as a neutral mediator, handling cases for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and as a Hearing Officer for the City of New York, Office of Labor Relations. Shapiro graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University, earned a J.D. with a concentration in Business Law from Cornell Law School, and received her MBA from Oxford University.

Richard Steel is a partner in the firm of Steel, Rudnick & Ruben of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Earning an Honors B.A. from Dickinson College and an LL.B. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Steel has been exclusively engaged in the practice of immigration law since 1974. His written publications include "Steel on Immigration Law" and "Steel on Immigration Law, Second Edition." As past Chair of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), he received AILA's Mentor Award and has spoken extensively on his area of expertise. A twenty-four year Board member and former chair of the Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia, Steel has been the course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's programs on immigration law for more than 20 years. He is a recipient of the Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for the advancement of the practice of immigration law.

Kenneth Sturtz, J.D., acquired a thorough knowledge of the practical side of HR management at Burnham Holdings, Inc., an international heating equipment manufacturer. Beginning in 1990 as Corporate Director of HR, he was promoted in 1993 to Corporate VP of HR and in 1998 to Vice President of Human Resources and Industrial Relations; in 2000 he assumed the additional responsibilities of Corporate Secretary, and since 2005 Sturtz has served as the Senior Vice President and Secretary. Sturtz is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio Bar Association and the Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals. He has served as a member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Advisory Council and as an instructor at Penn State University, Berks Campus. He earned a B.A. from Kent State (OH) University and his law degree from Akron (OH) University Law School.

Wayne Tarken, MBA, SPHR, widely recognized as a leader in the HR profession, is a consultant to senior management with over two decades of business and HR experience including recruitment, retention, training, organization development, employee & labor relations, compensation, and benefits. He specializes in the application of technology to HR by developing Internet strategies and management practices with a focus on the virtual worker and the people-side of technology. As Managing Principal with the HR Technology Group, Tarken worked with clients' executives and HR managers to develop strategies for "employee of choice" selection and retention, performance management, process improvement, employee development and organizational effectiveness. As a faculty member at Temple University's Fox School of Business, he has taught Strategic HR Management, Managing People and Organizations, and Internet-Based Organizational Staffing. As a member of the Human Resource Certification Institute Item Review Team, he has evaluated certification questions on the HR profession's body of knowledge. Tarken has served as President of the Tri-State Human Resource Management Association, and on the National Advisory Board for the Human Resource Technology X-Change within SHRM. A regular speaker at national conferences and programs, Tarken was the Chair for the 2002 SHRM Annual Conference, the largest meeting of HR professionals in the world.

[SPHR: Senior Professional in HR — the highest certification level awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute.]

Sandra Torres, MS, is President of TrainingBuz.com®, which provides products for training & HR professionals and instructor-led training & consulting services to organizations worldwide, including the Los Angeles Police Department, Salomon Smith Barney and UPS. She has more than 23 years of experience in the training and organizational development field, including leadership development, team building, needs analysis, program design, supervisory & middle management training, performance appraisal systems and managing corporate change. She specializes in providing training programs and organizational development consulting, often working with intact teams to develop interventions and processes for performance improvement. Torres has worked with all levels of staff, entry level through executive, in a wide variety of organizations such as Corestates Bank, Comcast Cable Division, and Hay Associates; she has also done consulting for the U.S. Navy. She earned her Masters of Science degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Pamela Tudor, MA, is President of Tudor Consulting, an organizational consulting firm providing leadership strategies and executive coaching to global corporations, smaller private organizations, government and nonprofits. She brings 25 years of business experience as a leadership consultant, executive coach and founder of her own highly successful motivational events company to assisting senior executives, managers, and their teams navigating through significant changes, with organization development and governance, competency development, assessments, team alignment, strategic planning and implementation, development of inclusive environments and the merging of cross cultural teams. Tudor's clients have included J&J, Citizens Bank, Horizon Blue Cross, Prudential and GPU Energy. After advising the George Harvey Program on Redefining Diversity at the Wharton School of Business for 5 years, Tudor has become a sought-after speaker in the area of leading diverse/multicultural teams. In the 1980's she founded and was President of a company in New York City that produced motivational events for organizations. Pamela has published numerous articles on Adding Value with Diversity and Leading Effective Virtual Teams. She is also an artist whose mixed media works have been exhibited nationally.

Michael E. Volpe, Ph.D., joined iWorkwell Inc. as a Knowledge Manager & Editor after 10 years in executive search and nearly two decades in HR management and consulting. He opened the Philadelphia office of DHR International, the fifth largest retained executive search firm in the U.S., in 1998. His search clients included companies large and small in a variety of industries, such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, consumer products, finance, electronics, transportation, manufacturing, insurance, marketing research, food services, telecommunications, software, entertainment and construction. Prior to joining DHR, Dr. Volpe spent 17-years as an HR professional and independent consultant. His consulting practice specialized in performance management and succession planning processes, executive development, and productivity improvement for clients that included many of the world's largest organizations: Deutsche Bank, Merck, Colgate-Palmolive, Supervalu, American Express, AT&T, Morgan Stanley, Pepsi Cola, American International Group, Estee Lauder, Merrill Lynch, among others. He held management positions at Medtronic, Citibank and Chemical Bank. Dr. Volpe began his professional career as a Professor of Speech Communication at the University of Virginia and The Pennsylvania State University.

Christopher Wright, Ph.D., is President of Reliant Live, which provides an Employee Relationship Management package of online survey and assessment tools and advanced analytics that have helped over 1,000 clients acquire, develop and retain talented employees. Clients include Booz-Allen, Capital One, General Motors, KPMG, Penske, Phillip Morris, U.S. Army, U.S. Health & Human Services, U.S. Navy, Wyeth, and the YMCA. Dr. Wright has over a decade of consulting experience in industrial/organizational psychology, survey research methodology, assessment tools and employee development. He has worked with corporate, non-profit and educational organizations to develop surveys, selection tools and 360-degree performance appraisal systems. Dr. Wright has been a frequent presenter of original research and a speaker and panelist at various conferences of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, SHRM, and the Academy of Management. He earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Tulsa. His publications include an article in the Journal of Applied Psychology and the book The Survey Research Handbook: Guidelines for Developing, Administering and Reporting Effective Organizational Surveys.