Meet Our Esteemed Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Jonathan Kirschner
Dr. Jonathan Kirschner is the Founder and CEO of AIIR Consulting, a global business psychology firm, and AIIR Analytics, a people analytics organization. Both companies help organizations outperform through exceptional leadership.
Jonathan developed the AIIR®️ coaching methodology, numerous assessment tools, and the Coaching Zone®️ technology platform. In addition to his role as CEO, he is an executive coach for CEOs, and he regularly speaks, researches, and writes on the topic of leadership.
Jonathan holds a BA in psychology and religion from NYU and a doctorate in clinical and business psychology from Widener University.
Dr. Michael Platt
Michael Platt is a scientist known for asking some of the most challenging questions in 21st century neuroscience -and conceiving innovative ways to find the answers. He holds a B.A. from Yale, a Ph.D. from Penn, and completed postdoctoral training at NYU. Author of The Leader’s Brain, Michael has published over 160 papers, received major awards including an NIH MERIT Award and Sloan Fellowship, and his research has been cited more than 15,000 times. A celebrated teacher, he has held leadership roles at Duke and Wharton and co-founded Cogwear, a neurotechnology startup.
Dr. Peter Cappelli
Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and Director of its Center for Human Resources. A leading authority on workplace and talent issues, he has served as advisor to governments in Bahrain and Singapore and co-directed the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce. Named among the top 5 most influential management thinkers by HR Magazine, he is a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, HR Executive, and Harvard Business Review.
Panel The CEO Growth Journey: Linking Personal Evolution to Business Impact
Moderator Dr. Karol M. Wasylyshyn
A pioneer of executive coaching at the C-level and the originator of the role of the trusted leadership advisor, Dr. Karol M. Wasylyshyn has coached hundreds of business leaders representing every global sector and a broad array of industries — some for more than a decade. Widely published in the field of Consulting Psychology, she is also the author of “Destined to Lead,” a book of in-depth senior executive case studies accompanied by those executives’ reflections on their coaching experiences.
Rose Lee
Rose Lee is the former President and CEO of Cornerstone Building Brands, one of the largest exterior building materials companies in North America. A seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience, she previously held senior roles at DuPont, Saint‑Gobain, Pratt & Whitney, and Booz Allen Hamilton. In 2022, Lee was elected as an independent director of Honeywell, a Fortune 100 technology company.
Michael Tiagwad
Michael Tiagwad is the President & CEO of Conner Strong & Buckelew, one of the largest privately held insurance, risk management, and employee benefits brokerages in the US. In his 20 years at the firm, Michael has guided its growth from a successful regional firm to one of the largest, most admired brokerage and employee benefits consulting firms in the country. In 2024, he was named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEOs.”
Raj Gupta
Raj Gupta is the former Chairman and CEO of Rohm and Haas Company, where he led the firm through a period of global expansion until its acquisition by Dow in 2009. He has served as a director at 15 public companies, including Hewlett Packard and DuPont, and six private companies, including Vanguard Group. Raj also founded the Ujala Foundation, an organization focused on improving education and healthcare in India and the US, with his wife, Kamla.
Panel Inside the High-Performance Mindset: Leveraging Elite Sports Science to Drive Business Results
Dr. Ian McKeown
Dr. Ian McKeown is Vice President of Athlete Performance & Wellness for the Philadelphia Flyers, where he leads a holistic, data-driven approach to player health and performance in collaboration with medical, analytics, and Penn Medicine teams. Previously, he spent nearly a decade as Head of High Performance at Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL. Known for pioneering innovations, Dr. McKeown has advanced athlete recovery and readiness while embedding precision and compliance into wellness programs. His leadership continues to shape the future of elite performance in professional sport.
Simon Rice
With more than two decades of experience in high-performance sport across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Simon has served as both a Strength and Conditioning Coach and a Physical Therapist for Olympic athletes and professional teams. He currently leads as Vice President of Athlete Care for the Philadelphia 76ers, overseeing athletic training, physical therapy, sports science, nutrition, mental skills, and performance. Simon’s career reflects a commitment to advancing athlete health and optimizing performance at the highest levels of global competition.
Dr. Lindsay Shaw
Lindsay is the Director of Sport Psychology for the Cleveland Guardians, where she leads mental health and performance programs for players and staff. She previously spent a decade with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee supporting both summer and winter national teams. A licensed psychologist with master’s and doctoral degrees from Boston University, she is board certified in biofeedback and neurofeedback and trained in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia at UPenn. Lindsay’s career bridges elite sport, corporate consulting, and academic teaching, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and books.
Holly Benner
Holly Benner Associate Director of Global Talent Management at Merck, and the founder of Metta Performance, where she blends her expertise in applied psychology with her background as an elite endurance athlete to coach leaders and organizations toward sustainable high performance. Drawing on over 15 years of strategy-driven learning and development experience, Holly supports behavior change and organizational effectiveness through practical, resilience-building methods. She holds an MS in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Clemson University and serves on the Board of Directors for ISPI Southern California and as a mentor for the World Triathlon Organization.
Panel Navigating Strategic Change: CHRO Insights from Turnarounds, Acquisitions, and the Al-Driven Future
Larry Clark
Larry Clark is a seasoned learning, development, and talent executive with a proven track record of driving positive transformation at the enterprise level. As a Senior Executive Leadership Development Consultant at AIIR Consulting, Larry brings his deep expertise in designing and delivering strategic leadership solutions that help organizations navigate complexity and accelerate performance to our clients. Prior to joining AIIR, Larry served as Managing Director, Global Learning Services at Harvard Business Publishing, where he led the delivery of custom, research-based learning solutions to corporate clients around the world. He also held senior leadership roles at Comcast and Microsoft.
John Touey
John Touey is Managing Partner of Trilogy Talent Advisors. With more than 25 years of executive search and consulting experience, he has partnered with organizations across industries to place impactful leaders and shape effective leadership teams. John is co-author of A Powerful Team – How CEOs and their HR Leaders are Transforming Organizations and a frequent contributor to CFO.com and other business outlets. His insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Bloomberg News.
Margolit Hillsberg
Margolit Hillsberg is Chief Human Resources Officer at Janney, where she leads people and culture strategies for the firm. She has held senior HR roles at Citadel Credit Union, Comcast, and PwC, and is recognized for partnering with leaders of growing, customer-focused companies. Active in her community, she serves on the Board of Community Volunteers in Medicine. Based in the Philadelphia area, Margolit is also a proud fan of the Eagles and Michigan Wolverines.
Caryn McGarry
Caryn McGarry is Chief Human Resources Officer at ICF, where she leads the firm’s global people strategy to strengthen engagement, retention, talent acquisition, total rewards, and organizational capability. Since joining ICF in 2017, she has advanced through a series of leadership roles before being named CHRO in 2020. Caryn previously held senior HR positions with USA Today Network, TASC, Verizon, and MCI, building expertise across professional services, media, federal contracting, and telecommunications. She has been recognized as a “Top HR Exec to Watch” by WashingtonExec and named HR Executive of the Year.
Jennifer Kozak
Jennifer Kozak serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Enviri, where she shapes the global people strategy, including culture, employee engagement, talent management, compensation, and benefits. Since joining Enviri in early 2022 — initially leading the Clean Earth HR function — she has risen to lead HR enterprise-wide. Previously, she held progressive leadership roles at General Electric and SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions. Jennifer earned her MBA from Penn State Great Valley and her bachelor’s degree from Temple University.
Kelly Jones
Kelly Scott Jones is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Recruited in 2022, he leads the bank’s enterprise HR strategy with a focus on workforce development, employee engagement, and expanding organizational capabilities. Kelly partners with the board and executive leadership team on talent initiatives, organizational design, and change management. With more than 25 years of HR leadership across industries including financial services, aerospace, and consumer goods, he brings deep expertise in building inclusive, high-performing cultures. He holds degrees from Temple University and Rutgers University.
Panel Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
Dr. Joy Nissen
Dr. Joy Nissen is a psychologist and executive who integrates behavioral science with business experience to drive leadership growth. Formerly President of a premium baby gear company, she built expertise across marketing, sales, operations, and international management. At Vanguard, she served as an internal coach and leadership consultant, focusing on executive development, talent assessment, and program impact. Joy holds both a doctorate in clinical psychology and an MBA from Widener University.
Rebecca Romano
Rebecca Romano is Senior Vice President and Head of Global Talent Development at NBCUniversal, where she leads enterprise-wide talent strategy and oversees The Talent Lab, NBCU’s global corporate university with locations in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore. Her work spans leadership development, inclusion, and high-potential programming across the company’s diverse businesses. Previously, Rebecca held senior roles in learning and leadership development at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Guardian Life. She earned her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Sonia Hardaway
Sonia partners with global leaders to align organizational vision and purpose with business strategy, bringing deep expertise in leadership development, talent management, and change management. Currently at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, she leads Organizational, Change and Talent Solutions, building the company’s strategic capabilities. She has held senior HR roles at Cigna, including Global Head of Organizational Development and HRBP Executive for a $5B business, and at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she served as Chief Learning Officer. Sonia has also contributed as a board leader with the Urban League of Philadelphia and Murray Grove. A graduate of Cornell University, she lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three sons.
Nancy Sherman Dragone
Nancy Dragone is the Global Head of Talent Management at TE Connectivity, where she leads organization effectiveness, leadership development, learning, culture, engagement, and inclusion. She joined TE in 2018, after leadership roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals and over a decade at Pfizer in global talent and HR business partner roles across R&D and Commercial. Earlier in her career, she held positions at Wyeth, American Water, and JP Morgan Chase. Nancy holds master’s degrees in Human Resource Management and Organizational Psychology and a bachelor’s in Psychology. She lives in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two sons.
Christy Kenny Notigan
Christy Kenny Notigan is the Vice President of Global Talent Management & Diversity & Inclusion at Solenis, where she leads global strategies in talent development, leadership, and DE&I. With a background in employment law and senior HR leadership at PSEG, Christy brings a unique blend of legal expertise and human resources insight to building inclusive, high-performing organizations. Since joining Solenis in 2021, she has championed transformative initiatives such as the Global Diversity Scholarship, which is designed to expand and diversify the company’s global leadership pipeline by 2030.
Karen Clay
Karen Clay is Vice President of Talent Management, Training, and Development at Johnson Controls, where she leads global strategies to strengthen leadership, learning, and workforce transformation for more than 100,000 employees. Over nearly a decade with the company, she has advanced through senior roles in global learning, product and channel development, and cultural transformation—earning multiple Brandon Hall awards for innovation in leadership and customer training. Previously, Karen held leadership positions with Tyco, VWR International, GE, Cigna, and Wawa. She is recognized for building high-performing teams, driving organizational change, and aligning talent strategy with business growth.
Client Spotlights
Lane Erwin
Lane Erwin is Director of Organizational Effectiveness at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), where she leads initiatives to strengthen culture, leadership, and organizational capability across the enterprise. With more than 25 years of experience in organization development, she has deep expertise in facilitation, strategic planning, change management, and leadership development. Prior to joining ASCO in 2011, Lane held senior roles at NPR, the Support Center of Washington, and Kaiser Associates. She earned her BA in English, Economics, and Philosophy from the University of Virginia.
Katherine Williamson
Katherine Williamson is Vice President of Talent Development at HashiCorp, a leading multi-cloud infrastructure and security software company recently acquired by IBM. With over two decades of experience in human resources and organizational psychology, she has held leadership roles at Pinterest, VMware, and YSC Consulting (now part of Accenture). Kat specializes in leadership development, talent strategy, and guiding organizations through transformations including IPOs and acquisitions. Originally from Melbourne, she earned her master’s in I/O Psychology in London and Chicago. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two dogs.
Lauren Elicks McCort
Lauren Elicks McCort is Executive Director of Youth INC, where she leads efforts to strengthen nonprofits that help young people thrive. Since joining in 2012, she has expanded the Partner Network from 44 to over 80 organizations and doubled coaching programs, driving measurable gains in program growth, strategy, and leadership. Previously, as Chief Program Officer, she advanced evaluation and capacity-building initiatives that fueled program expansion and research on nonprofit infrastructure. Lauren holds an MPA and BA from Binghamton University and a certificate in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.
AIIR Coach Talks
Taylor Flake
Taylor Flake, an executive coach at AIIR Consulting, draws on a 21-year career at PepsiCo where he developed the Critical Experience Career Model for 40,000 professionals and introduced agile team practices that transformed performance. He has coached more than 100 leaders worldwide, helping them achieve lasting behavioral change through self-awareness and targeted action. Certified by the College of Executive Coaches and trained at Columbia University, Taylor brings a global perspective and recently relocated from New York to a horse ranch in Utah.
Maria Wade
Maria Wade, MCC, brings nearly two decades of leadership experience and nine years of executive coaching to her work with senior leaders. Having served as Chief Legal Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Executive Director, she understands firsthand the pressures of executive roles. Her Leadership Integrity Coaching Framework, grounded in neuroscience and adult development theory, helps leaders connect who they are to how they lead, strengthening presence, resilience, and impact. Maria has partnered with Fortune 100 and 500 executives to expand thinking, align values with leadership, and create meaningful, lasting change.