Deb Alderson
| CEO, Sotera Defense Solutions
Deb Alderson joined Sotera Defense Solutions as President & CEO on July 8, 2013. She is known for her energetic leadership style and has a track record of developing high performance teams focused on driving operational excellence and business growth.
Ms. Alderson has over 25 years of experience working in national security and prior to joining Sotera she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of SRA International where she oversaw four main operating groups with over 6,000 employees.
Kay Curling
| Senior Vice President, CHRO, Salient Federal Solutions, Inc.
Kay Curling is responsible for defining, developing, and implementing strategic human resource initiatives aligned with Salient Federal Solution, Inc.’s (Salient) core values, mission, and vision. She leads all aspects of the company’s human resources and is responsible for formulating the company’s human resources strategy and providing leadership and direction as a partner to the CEO, CFO, COO, and senior leadership of the company.
Previous to her role with Salient, Ms. Curling served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Serco North America (Serco) where she led all initiatives and programs associated with employee benefits and organizational excellence.
For more than two decades, Ms. Curling led various human resource groups and strategic initiatives for SRA International, Inc. As a result of many of the programs developed by Ms. Curling, the company earned the honor of one of the “100 Best Places to Work” by Fortune Magazine for ten consecutive years.
On a personal note, Kay is a graduate of VT along with husband and oldest daughter. She is an avid Hokie football fan. She is active in her community and is currently serving a second four-year term on the Board of Directors, Military Community Youth Ministries. She and her husband Stan have served middle- and high-school students in a variety of settings for more than 3 decades.
Amy Dufrane
| CEO, HR Certification Institute
As the Chief Executive Officer of the HR Certification Institute, Amy Dufrane brings more than 20 years of experience as an innovative, performance-focused senior executive at both for-profit and nonprofit organizations to her role as a strategic leader who contributes to the bottom-line efficiency, performance and process improvement of the Institute. Her experience includes serving as the Chief Administrative and Human Resources Officer of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB); Senior Director of Administration and Human Resources for The Optical Society (OSA); and in the administrative and human resources departments at Bloomingdales.
Dr. Dufrane has been a member of the adjunct faculty in the School of Business at Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia, since 1998. She holds a doctorate in education from The George Washington University in Washington, DC; a master of business administration (MBA) and a master of arts in human resources from Marymount University; and a bachelor’s degree in management from Hood College in Frederick, MD. Dr. Dufrane also holds the HR Certification Institute designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. She is the 2003 Leadership Non-Profit Award Winner from HR Leadership Awards of Greater Washington.
Carlos Echalar
| President, Workforce Advisory Group, LLC
Echalar is an accomplished senior business leader with a progressive track record of success in leading both global human resources and business operations for publicly & privately held, public sector and commercial corporations, in wide-ranging industries and services.
Echalar most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for MICROS Systems, Inc., (acquired by Oracle Corporation) providing global operational and strategic leadership and guidance; linking talent and organizational strategies aligned with the go-to-market business execution. Advising at all levels of business on organizational transformation, strengthening capabilities and enhancing talent programs.
He has served as a global CHRO and business executive for CSC, ManTech, SAIC, and Titan Corporations, providing hands-on strategic guidance and collaborative consultation on best-practice talent programs to support client-driven requirements.
Echalar holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Old Dominion University. Currently resides in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC Area.
Michelle Murphy
| Vice President, Human Resource, BAE Systems, Inc.
Michelle Murphy is vice president of human resources and administration for the Intelligence & Security sector within BAE Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in McLean, VA, Intelligence & Security (I&S;) is comprised of four business areas and with 10,000 employees across the United States and annual sales in excess of $2 billion. Her responsibilities include leadership of all aspects of Human Resources across the sector.
Murphy has an extensive background in human resources, in the aerospace and defense industry. During her career she has held a variety of HR leadership roles in areas of intelligence, aerospace, space technology and missile defense systems in businesses with revenues north of $3 billion a year. In addition she has led human resources activities for domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation and learning and development organizations. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Amy Panzarella
| Vice President, Human Resource, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, American Public University Systems
Amy Panzarella is the Vice President of Human Resources at American Public University System. She is responsible for all aspects of human resources including budget, healthcare benefits, professional training and development, and compliance. Ms. Panzarella has worked in human resources for over 18 years in a variety of industries. She holds a Master’s degree in Management with a concentration in human resources and has her SPHR and SHRM-SCP. Ms. Panzarella was named “HR Professional of the Year” in 2011 by the West Virginia Society of Human Resources State Council. She graduated from the Leadership West Virginia program in 2011 and continues to be a contributing writer for the “Around the Panhandle” magazine offering human resources, management and professional advice to its readers.
As an active member in her local community, Ms. Panzarella serves on several Boards of Directors, to include: the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (Vice President), the West Virginia University Hospitals – East Foundation Board (Director), the Charles Town Old Opera House (Secretary) and Discover Downtown Charles Town (Secretary). Ms. Panzarella is a member of the Eastern Panhandle Society for Human Resources (EPSHRM); and the Charles Town Rotary Club. Additionally, she volunteers for the Personnel Committee of the Eastern Panhandle Care Clinic, the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC), the Career and Technical Education Council in Jefferson County, and the Marketing and Technology Advisory Council for Washington High School.
Renee Romulus
| Human Capital Strategist, PwC
Renee Romulus is a Certified Human Capital Strategist with 25 years of experience in global talent management, learning & development and organizational transformation. Renee has a proven track record of delivering high impact Human Capital programs and initiatives enabling targeted, sustainable performance improvement and working with senior leadership to drive cultural change and adoption. Seasoned as a Global HR and Operations Executive, Renee specializes in facilitating business transformation initiatives aligning corporate strategy and vision to drive organizational change and business results – helping organizations achieve strategic priorities that matter most.
Experience:
– Talent Management , Development & Transformation Lead at PwC
– Former CLO, VP Management & Organization Development $50 B Global Retailer with over 180,000 associates
– Former Managing Partner, Customer Education Services, Global Technology company in 130 countries
– Renee earned her MBA from Johns Hopkins University, her Masters Certificate in Program Management from George
Washington University, and her BSBA in MIS from Old Dominion University.Renee also studied under Dave
Ulrich at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business Advanced Human Resource Executive Program.
– Certified Senior Human Resource Professional (SPHR)
– Certified Human Capital Strategist, HCI
– Certified Strategic Workforce Planner, HCI
– Certified Change Management Consultant and Facilitator, ODR
Sue Snyder (Facilitator)
| Human Capital/ Learning consultant, The Knowledge Network LLC
Sue Snyder is known for building comprehensive Talent Management systems that are committed to support individuals and organizations reach their potential. She has worked with global organizations such as Serco, Unisys, CSC, and TransAsia and her experience has spanned boutique practices to multi-million dollar companies. She also works with individual leaders to refine their vision and implement their path forward. By understanding trends, goal setting, skill development and environmental reinforcement she guides and supports individuals and organizations to sustained performance improvement.
Sue has received a Meritorious Service Award, Certificate of Appreciation for job management process reforms, and Special Commendation Award for her work with the US Government Accountability Office. Under her leadership at SRA, learning programs were recognized as a major factor in the selection of SRA as one of the Best Companies to Work for in 1999 by Fortune Magazine and a course was acknowledged by the Wall Street Journal.
She is the Board Chair of Women LEAD Nepal which provides young women with skills, support and opportunities to become leaders and change-makers in their schools, communities, nation and world. Sue also has worked with Competitive Futures to create a Template for Recovery and Renewal, has served on the World Future Society Metro Chapter Board and was on the Advisory Council for Anne Arundel Community College’s Institute for the Future. Sue has spoken before diverse audiences in places throughout the US, India, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Croatia.
Gil Yancy
| Executive Director, F. David Fowler Career Services, The George Washington University