Speakers who have chosen to share their presentations online are highlighted in red.
Keynote Speakers
Kaye Foster-Cheek, Vice President of Human Resources, Johnson & Johnson
The Leadership Imperative: A Candid and Personal Discussion
Kaye Foster-Cheek is Corporate Vice President, Human Resources, Johnson & Johnson, and a member of the Executive Committee. Ms. Foster-Cheek is responsible for all aspects of the human resources and talent management functions, including worldwide management succession and organization development, compensation and benefits, education and training, recruiting, equal opportunity, affirmative action, human resources policies and employee & labor relations. She was named to this position in January, 2005. Ms. Foster-Cheek is a member of the Management Compensation Committee and the Pension Committee.
Ms. Foster-Cheek began her Johnson & Johnson career in May, 2003, as Vice President, Human Resources, for the Johnson & Johnson North American Consumer Products Companies. In March, 2004, she was promoted to the position of Vice President, Human Resources, for the Consumer & Personal Care Group, and she became a member of the Human Resources Leadership Team and the Consumer & Personal Care Group Operating Committee, the position she held until assuming her present responsibilities.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Foster-Cheek held several senior Human Resources executive positions with Pfizer Inc, supporting its pharmaceutical business in Japan, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America and led the integration of both the Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia mergers for these countries. She also worked for 10 years at The Yellow Pages in operational roles managing customer service for the Northeast region.
Ms. Foster-Cheek earned her undergraduate degree at Baruch College of the City University of New York and received an M.B.A. from Columbia University, Graduate School of Business.
Scott Weisberg, Vice President of Compensation, Benefits and Staffing, General Mills
The General Mills Employment Brand: Current and Future
Scott Weisberg is Vice President, Compensation, Benefits and Staffing for General Mills, Inc. In this capacity he leads a group of human resource specialists who define and administer the Total Rewards strategies for the enterprises 28,000 worldwide employees, as well as lead the campus and experienced talent acquisition processes.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Weisberg was Vice President, Human Resources for General Mills’ Supply Chain & Technology Organization. The organization is made up of over 18,000 employees who are located throughout North America. In that role, he provided the functional leadership for 100 human resources personnel who delivered staffing, training/development, compensation and benefits administration, as well as employee/labor relations support to the Division.
Mr. Weisberg joined General Mills as the Corporate Director of Employee and Organization Development. In that capacity he directed the activities of the General Mills Institute, which delivers the core management development curriculum for General Mills, provided leadership development for the top 500 executives and managed the company’s executive succession planning process.
Prior to working for General Mills, Mr. Weisberg was the Manager of Training and Organization Development for the Nabisco Biscuit Company, and held a variety of human resource positions with PepsiCo’s domestic and international beverage units. He has also served as an Outreach Specialist for the California State University, where he recruited minority students into the California State University System.
Mr. Weisberg holds a M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in Communications from California State University, Fullerton.
Breakout Presenters
The following is a partial list of HR Tomorrow Conference presenters and their breakout session topics:
Robert Barnett, Ph.D., Executive Vice President; MDA Leadership Consulting
Managing the Talent Pipeline: Best Practices in Succession Management and High Potential Talent Identification
Robert Barnett’s experience as an organizational change specialist and assessment psychologist is shaped by more than 25 years of experience. Significant engagements with clients include Bemis, Novartis, Fairview Hospitals, the University of Minnesota, Aid Association for Lutherans/Lutheran Brotherhood, and City of Minneapolis. He is exceptionally skilled at succession planning, executive leadership assessment, team building, and developing organizational change strategies.
Bob came to MDA in 1982 as an adjunct staff member and joined full time as a senior consultant in 1985. He is managing partner of the firm and one of the owners. He is a graduate from the University of Minnesota, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees. In 1994 he ventured off to Pepperdine University and earned an M.A. in Organizational Development. He is a frequent presenter at the industry think tank SIOP (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology), where he is active on the program committee. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Minnesota and an adjunct Associate Professor of Management at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Rebecca Bernhard, Associate; Oppenheimer, Wolff and Donnelly LLP
The Impact of Immigration on Future Talent Acquisition
Rebecca practices in the areas of corporate, labor, and employment law. With more than 15 years of management experience—including ten years in labor relations—she has extensive practical knowledge of issues facing employers.
Rebecca assists employers with collective bargaining and advises on grievance resolutions. She also advises employers on wage and hour, protected leave, immigration, and OSHA compliance issues.
Rebecca trains employers on discrimination and harassment prevention, basic supervisory training, wage and overtime compliance and managing employees in a unionized setting. She also drafts shareholder agreements, employment agreements, noncompete covenants, immigration petitions, separation agreements, employee handbooks, safety policies, and other critical documents. Rebecca received her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Minnesota Law School. While in law school, she was a member of the Minnesota Law Review and served as Lead Note and Comment Editor.
Richard Ericson, Principal; Towers Perrin
Executive Incentive and Compensation Trends and Developments
Richard Ericson is a Principal in the Executive Compensation and Rewards practice of Towers Perrin and is one of the firm’s leaders in the area of incentive design. He specializes in management and reward systems emphasizing principles of shareholder value creation. He is a frequent speaker to professional and industry audiences on the subjects of value-based systems for target setting, performance measurement and rewards.
Mr. Ericson has over twenty years of experience in the areas of business valuation and incentive design and has worked with many medium and large public and private companies internationally. He has published a range of articles, developed a suite of proprietary methods used in incentive design and is the author of the 2004 book, Pay to Prosper: Using Value Rules to Reinvent Executive Incentives. He holds an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago. He holds a B.S. in finance and a B.A. in French literature, each granted summa cum laude by Northern Illinois University.
Nancy Hanna, Senior Vice President, Human Resources; Ceridian Corporation
Leaders in Our Time; The Case for Purposeful Renewal
With over 25 years of HR experience, Ms. Hanna has a broad, global perspective on the changing world of work. Her background includes companies large and small, in industries including financial services and insurance, high-tech, and education. She has served as Vice President, Human Resources for PLATO Learning, and prior to that, Sagebrush Corporation. She spent several years in Cray Research and Silicon Graphics (sgi) as Director of Human Resources and in organization development leadership positions, after starting her HR career with Northwestern National Life (now Reliastar/ING).
Nancy is the author of a regular column in Ceridian Solutions, a quarterly customer publication, and recently contributed a chapter to Human Resource Leadership Strategies: 15 Ways to Enhance HR Value in Your Company, and is a frequent speaker on various topics related to human capital management and the changing world of work.
She is on the Board of Directors of RNA Insurance Company in Rock Island, Illinois, and Cabrini House, a provider of supportive services for people challenged with mental illness, chemical dependency and homelessness in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Edward Hayward, Partner; Oppenheimer, Wolff and Donnelly LLP
The Impact of Immigration on Future Talent Acquisition
Ed, a partner since 1978, has devoted his practice to international transactions for more than three decades. A Councilor and former Chair of the International Business Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Ed speaks frequently on topics relating to international trade, investment, employment and dispute resolution.
Ed attended the University of Aix-Marseille in France and received his B.A. in French literature from Stanford University. After serving in Germany as a captain in U.S. Army Intelligence, he earned his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
He is Chair of the Minnesota District Export Council, National Secretary and past Chapter President of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, Director of the German-American Chamber of Commerce (Minnesota Chapter) and Director of the Alliance Française (Minnesota).
Valerie Howard, Manager; Manufacturing Learning Center, Thomson
Training Isn’t Everything: What does it take to develop employees?
Valerie Howard is currently the Manager of the Manufacturing Learning Center (MLC) at Thomson in Eagan. Valerie is responsible for ensuring that high quality training programs are offered to the Manufacturing employees; this includes courses taught by vendors, MLC staff, and internal subject matter experts. The MLC has been open since November 2003; in 2006 the MLC hosted 609 sessions on 86 different topics for over 5,700 participants.
Valerie came to Thomson in 1999 as a Training Specialist on the SAP implementation team. She was responsible for the training of 2,400 end users from Publishing and Manufacturing. After “go-live,” Valerie continued to provide training solutions in the Business Operations Support department.
Prior to her time at Thomson, Valerie spent six years at Boston Scientific. Her last role was as the Cardiology Training Supervisor, where she developed a training organization for a three-shift operation in five departments.
Valerie has more than 25 years of experience in various operations support roles, including production planning; global systems implementation; technical writing; pioneering new roles; managing, training and development; project management, and team facilitation.
Valerie has a bachelor’s degree in Organization Administration from Northwestern College in Roseville, Minnesota. Valerie also graduated from the Sign Language Interpreter program at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.
Jean Kriesel, Senior HR Manager; Select Comfort Corporation
Building the Foundation for Success Tomorrow – Today!
Jean Kriesel, SPHR, has been at Select Comfort for 13 years, the last 6 years in HR as an HR Manager for the U.S. Sales division. Her experience includes leading the areas of employee communication & recognition, diversity, organizational development, and generalist services & support. Jean currently holds a seat on the Corporate Partners Executive Committee for the National Black MBA—Twin Cities chapter and is actively involved with the Twin Cities HR Association (TCHRA).
Tom Lynch, Vice President, Compensation and HR Operations; Ceridian Corporation
Catch the Next Wave in Compensation Trends: Variable Pay
Tom Lynch is the Vice President of Compensation for Ceridian. He has over 20 years of experience in Compensation related-areas such as strategy development, design of base pay, variable pay, stock plans, reward and recognition programs and employee communications.
Tom has spent his entire 25 year + career at Ceridian (formerly Control Data Corporation) and continues to enjoy the ever changing topic of Compensation.
Susan MacHolda, Senior Director of Work Life and Diversity; Carlson
Mentoring the Future: Why Mentoring should be in your Talent Development Toolkit
Susan MacHolda joined Carlson in 1992 and currently holds the position of senior director, worklife/diversity. She is responsible for Carlson’s work life programs and initiatives, including the Carlson Child Care Center. Additionally, Susan works within the Diversity Center of Expertise on diversity strategy and implementation.
Susan joined Carlson as a human resource generalist for Carlson Wagonlit Travel and later became a human resource manager, providing support in human resources in the Midwest and West regions. She left the company for two years and returned as a human resource manager for Carlson corporate.
Before joining Carlson Susan worked for Northgate Computer Systems, a startup computer company, as part of their human resources leadership team. She recruited exempt and non-exempt staff, growing the company from 50 employees to over 500 in a three-year period. She began her career as a personnel manager with Target Corporation.
Susan received her bachelor’s degree in human development and communications from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is a certified senior professional in human resources (SPHR).
Holly Nordquist, Senior Vice President, Consulting Services; Right Management, Inc.
Building Your Bench: Ensuring Leadership Strength for Tomorrow
Holly Nordquist is a Senior V.P. of Consulting Services with Right Management and serves as Subject Matter Expert for Leading for Performance. Holly has over twenty years of experience in Organization Development, assisting organizations, groups, and individuals to establish development strategies, navigate change, and achieve results. Holly also has done extensive consulting in the area of Sexual Harassment throughout the state of Minnesota.
Holly recently led the “Talent Management & Development” function at Xcel Energy where she implemented several comprehensive development initiatives that were recognized nationally. As a former adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota, Holly has taught the graduate course “Organization Development in Business and Industry”. Holly also has been a keynote speaker and presenter in several national professional conferences including CLO Symposia, Human Resource Planning Society, Academy of Human Resource Development, and Western Energy Institute.
Holly holds a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota with a specialization in group dynamics and counseling. She received a B.A. in Sociology. Holly is also a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in Organization Development at the University of Minnesota.
Kristina Parker, HR Director, Selection; Best Buy Co., Inc.
How to Build a Strategic Talent Sourcing Plan
Kristina Parker is the Director of Selection for Best Buy Co., Inc., North America 's leading specialty retailer for technology and entertainment products. She is responsible for the development and execution of all staffing strategies including retail, services, logistics, new business and corporate positions in North America & emerging International markets. Parker has been with the Fortune 100 company for eight years, starting in their Training Division as a Retail Training Manager, responsible for all training services, and then moved on to Senior Manager, responsible for all enterprise training. Parker holds an MA in Organizational Management from Concordia University and a BA in Speech Communication from the University of Minnesota.
Leslie Rapp, Program Vice President; MENTTIUM Corporation
Mentoring the Future: Why Mentoring should be in your Talent Development Toolkit
Since joining MENTTIUM Corporation in 2001, Leslie has helped to direct the flagship cross-company mentoring program MENTTIUM 100®. She currently oversees the business education and program components for MENTTIUM 100® programs worldwide, and leads the facilitation team for mentor and mentee orientations and training sessions. Leslie is a member of MENTTIUM’s Senior Leadership Team and has been a guest speaker at conferences, corporate groups and universities including: Deloitte, Carlson School of Management, the University of Nebraska’s Cather Circle mentoring conference, and Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.
Prior to joining MENTTIUM, Leslie was a senior coach for Change Masters, Inc., a prominent Twin Cities consulting firm specializing in leadership training and communication coaching, where she helped hundreds of leaders in Fortune 100 and 500 companies assess their communication styles and develop strategies to become more effective communicators – both in business and in life. She has frequently been a guest coach at communication workshops sponsored by Health Partners and Health Systems of Minnesota designed to help physicians gain awareness and develop skills in their communication styles with patients and family members. Leslie is a former consultant for Ridge Associates, a New York-based training company dedicated to improving ways in which people communicate and collaborate at work. Leslie currently mentors in the Carlson Undergraduate Mentorship Program.
Laurie Schmidt, Consultant; The Collabrium
Leaders in Our Time: The Case for Purposeful Renewal
Laurie Schmidt is a seasoned consultant, facilitator, and coach with nearly 20 years of business experience. She is an expert in the tools and processes of individual and organizational change.
Her current focus is helping individuals and groups to navigate through critical “change points” at work and in life. She coaches newly hired or promoted leaders on how to make successful transitions, helps downsized or re-structured groups to re-energize and renew, and helps teams at the top get aligned around a new mission, goals or values. Her coaching with individuals has centered on leadership effectiveness, work/life renewal, and full engagement.
She is on the faculty of Duke Corporate Education and teaches in the Ramsey County Leadership Academy. She facilitates a leadership development program, The Integrity of Leadership, that helps leaders align their values, purpose, intentions and actions so they can have more impact in their organizations. As a master facilitator, she is skilled at helping groups resolve difficult or sensitive issues.
Tom Sopcyzk, Senior Compensation Consultant; Ceridian Corporation
Catch the Next Wave in Compensation Trends: Variable Pay
Tom Sopczyk is a Senior Compensation Consultant for Ceridian. He has over 18 years of experience in the areas of Employee Compensation and Benefits with particular focus on the design and implementation of sales incentive and other variable pay programs. Tom also moonlights as an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University teaching courses in Human Resource Management, Compensation, and Benefits. .
Tom received a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of St Thomas and a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University.
Sheri Stolp, Director of Human Resources; Thomson West
Climate Assessments: Vital Importance in Employee Retention
Sheri Stolp has over 15 years of HR management experience, with employment at several Fortune 500 organizations throughout southeastern Wisconsin and the Twin Cities. She's held both HR Director and VP roles for employers such as: US Office Products, G&K Services, Supervalu and most recently Thomson West. Primarily supporting field or regional operations, her background also includes several years operating within an OD capacity. Sheri holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University. She is a member of SHRM and HRP, and is PHR-certified through HRCI. Sheri is also an adjunct professor for CSU's accelerated MBA program, facilitating coursework in HR and Ethics Management at the master level.
Mark Sullivan, Consultant; The Stanton Group
Using Compensation to Win Your Talent War: Tools to Attract, Develop, Motivate and Retain Quality Employees
Mark is the HR & Compensation Services Practice Leader for Stanton Group. His consulting experience includes a wide range of compensation projects for various industries. He is an experienced professional with over 25 years in compensation work at organizations ranging from mid-size to Fortune 100 companies as well as being the founder of two Twin Cities-based consulting firms. Although compensation work is a primary focus, his roles have also called for his involvement in succession planning, merger and acquisition activity, performance management and organizational design.
His compensation experience has included designing, developing, implementing and managing a variety of executive compensation tools (short- and long-term incentives, stock options, restricted stock, deferred compensation, etc.), job evaluation, compensation administration and development of corporate-wide compensation communications.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Administration with a concentration in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota. He is also an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), WorldatWork, and the Minnesota Human Resources Planning Society.
Prior to joining Stanton Group, he held several human resource positions with Course Charters LLC, Sullivan Consulting LLC, Pearson PLC, National Computer System Inc, and Honeywell International, Inc.
Larry Voeller, Senior Director Talent Management; St. Jude Medical
Talent Management – Where Do I Begin?
Larry Voeller joined St. Jude Medical as Senior Director, Talent Management in 2006. He is responsible for leadership talent planning and development at the corporate level. His initial work is focused on a common model of leadership and a revamped talent planning process. His belief is that knowing HR practices, even so-called best practices, is the easy part; navigating organizational waters to implement practices is the challenging part.
Prior to St. Jude Medical, Larry spent over 28 years at Allina Hospitals and Clinics and its predecessor organizations in various system human resource roles, primarily working in areas of leadership and organization development. He has worked as a trainer, coach, process designer, and facilitator in a wide variety of organizational domains, including strategic planning, board education and evaluation, community health-care planning, employee engagement, team building, large-scale change and leadership development. The work he did at Allina on their talent review process was featured in Healthcare Executive (November-December, 2005), a journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Larry has been active on several community non-profit boards and commissions and has also been a mediator through the Dispute Resolution Center in St. Paul. He holds a Masters Degree in education from the University of St. Thomas.
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