Michelle Bolles
| Vice President, Administration, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Michelle Bolles is Vice President, Administration at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation with more than three million members and 500 employees across the globe. As a Chamber officer, she provides strategic oversight for the Talent Solutions, Facilities, and General Services departments. In addition, she is part of the leadership team responsible for the Chamber’s small business membership.
Ms. Bolles joined the Chamber in 1990. She has held a variety of positions, including Director, Small Business Marketing and Operations, Director of Operations, Federation Relations, and most recently, Vice President, Human Resources. She also served as an adviser for the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), currently the Corporate Citizenship Center (CCC).
Ms. Bolles holds two degrees from The George Washington University – a B.B.A. in Marketing and an M.A. in Education and Human Development. She is a member of the Washington, DC-based Association Human Resource Group and holds a seat on The George Washington University business school’s Corporate Collaborative Council.
Bernadette Costello
| Director of Training/Organization Development, Marymount University
Bernadette Costello is a member with ATD and the Metro DC Chapter and has served on the local Chapter’s Board for the last year and a half as the Director of the Professional Development Portfolio. She will be the DC Chapter’s President Elect in 2016. She has over 25 years of experience in the areas of creating comprehensive supervisory, management and leadership development programs in public, non-profit and private organizations, managing training and development programs, retreat facilitation, and executive coaching. Bernadette was a member of IPMA’s (International Personnel Management Association) HR Competency Model review group to make revisions and modifications to the Association’s HR Competency Program. She has served on other professional organizations in leadership and volunteer roles with Virginia CUPA (Colleges and Universities Personnel Association)-HR, and IPMA. Currently, she is the Director of Training and Organizational Development for Marymount University in Arlington, VA. She received a Bachelor of Social Work from Southern Illinois University, a Master in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in higher education from George Mason University.
Holly Edington
| SVP – Human Resources, Corporate Office Properties Trust
Holly G. Edington is Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT). She is responsible for all aspects of the HR function, including compensation and benefits, training and development, recruiting, HRIS and employee relations. Holly is a member of the Company’s executive management team and supports the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Trustees. Prior to joining COPT in May 2008, she was Director, Corporate Human Resources for Black & Decker. Previously, Holly was Vice President and Division Controller for The Rouse Company, where she contributed for 16 years. She brings over 30 years of real estate, finance and HR experience to COPT.
Holly graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and she earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from the Johns Hopkins University. She is a CPA and has earned her Senior Professional Human Resource certification. Holly also holds an Executive Coaching Certification from Columbia University.
Holly serves on the Board of Directors of the House of Ruth Maryland, where she has been a Board member since 1999 and was Chair of the Board from 2004 to 2010. She also serves on the Executive Leadership Committee for Ready at Five, which focuses on early childhood education. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the MACPA, and has also served on the Audit Committee for Catholic Charities. Holly currently is a Big Sister in the Company’s corporate on-site program with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Amy Dufrane
| CEO, HR Certification Institute
Amy Schabacker Dufrane, Ed.D., SPHR, CAE is CEO of HR Certification Institute (HRCI), where she develops collaborative long-term partnerships with individuals and organizations looking to create and deliver change around human resources. Leading the “engine” behind the PHR® and SPHR®, Amy has taken HRCI’s commitment to the delivery of best-in-class HR certifications, quality products and client relations to new levels. HRCI’s portfolio of credentials for U.S. and global HR practitioners are respected and recognized standards for HR mastery.
Before joining HRCI in 2011, Amy spent more than 25 years in human resource leadership roles at Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, The Optical Society and Marymount University.
She is a commissioner for the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and part of the Advisory Board for the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind. She is a recipient of the Leadership Non-Profit Award from HR Leadership Awards of Greater Washington. Amy also holds a doctorate in education from George Washington University, an MBA as well as a MA in human resources from Marymount University, and a BA in management from Hood College.
Marcy Foster
| Director of Human Resources, Arlington County
Marcy Foster was appointed Director of Human Resources in July 2003. Ms. Foster is responsible for formulating and implementing strategies and designing programs that increase organizational effectiveness and allow employees to meet the business needs of the County. Her department is also responsible for attracting and retaining qualified employees by making Arlington an Employer of Choice. She originally joined Arlington County as Employee Services Division Chief in October 1999.
Prior to joining Arlington County, she served as Benefits Manager for the US Generating Company from 1998 to 1999. Before that, she was Compensation and Benefits Manager at ROW Sciences from 1995 to 1998.
Under her leadership, Arlington received a Companies as Responsive Employers (CARE) Award in 2003, an award given to employers in Northern Virginia that provide exceptionally family-friendly workplace policies and benefits for their employees. She currently serves on the CARE Award panel.
Ms. Foster is a member of Leadership Arlington, a program that provides a forum for the business, nonprofit and public sectors to discuss the issues and opportunities facing Arlington, while enhancing personal and professional leadership skills. She has also been a volunteer with the Calvary Women’s Shelter since 1994, a non-profit organization that provides housing and support services to homeless women in Washington, DC.
Ms. Foster holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Marymount University. She has her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation from the Wharton School and has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from Miami University.
Dana M. Smith
| Chief Human Resources Officer, American Capital
Dana M. Smith has earned a reputation for applying best-in-class people strategies to solve real business concerns. Ms. Smith was recognized in the top three for her leadership by the prestigious HR Leadership Awards of Greater Washington, has been featured in or contributed to articles in the Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, Employee Benefits News, and Smart CEO Magazine, and, as a keynote speaker, she often advises on organizational development. Ms. Smith has been sought out for a host of speaking engagements including Consero’s Talent Management Forum, the CFO Leadership Council, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, The Wharton Club of DC, the Chesapeake Human Resources Association, and the HR Leadership Awards of Greater Washington, and she judged the selection of its 2016 HR Leadership Awards.
In her role as Chief Human Resources Officer for American Capital and its affiliates, she has overall responsibility for global human resources and facilities. Prior to this role, Ms. Smith was Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Marketing for eight years for CapitalSource, a leading professional services company. She is credited with helping to build a culture to attract, develop and retain top-tier talent and was instrumental in developing programs and resources to enhance employee engagement and productivity. During her tenure, CapitalSource was distinguished by American Banker as the #2 best bank to work for nationally in the $3-$10 billion asset category. It was acknowledged for two consecutive years as one of the Healthiest Employers in the DC metro area by the Washington Business Journal, as a top workplace in Orange County by both the Orange County Register and Orange County Business Journal, and one of the top Adoption-Friendly employers by the Dave Thomas Foundation. Her partnership with the executives contributed to Bank Director ranking CapitalSource Bank as one of the five highest performing banks nationwide in the $5-$50 billion asset category. Ms. Smith has run HR for several companies owned by both Constellation Energy and Sylvan Learning Systems. Additionally, she has worked both domestically and overseas in an array of positions for Citicorp.
Ms. Smith is a member of the Board of Directors of the Y of Central Maryland, one of the fastest growing and largest Y associations in North America and an employer of choice amongst Baltimore Magazine’s “Top 25 Places to Work”. In 2016, she was awarded the Y of Central Maryland’s Volunteer Instrumental in Supporting Change for a Positive Future at its annual meeting, and she was previously recognized as its Top Fundraiser for its signature charity event in 2015. Ms. Smith is an avid volunteer for other philanthropic causes. In 2015, she was appointed to and is a current member of the Senior HR Executive Forum, and she served on Evanta’s CHRO Governing Body for its DC Leadership Summit in 2014.
Ms. Smith is a Senior Professional in HR (SPHR) and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and she earned an executive coaching certificate from Wharton Executive Education. She holds a bachelor of science in economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a master of science in organizational counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
Sue Snyder (Facilitator)
| Human Capital | Learning Consultant, The Knowledge Network LLC
Sue Snyder is known for building comprehensive Talent Management and Learning 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 local entities such as Management Concepts, Bates White, The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and Historic London Town. 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, a Certificate of Appreciation for job management process reforms, and Special Commendation Awards 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 under her oversight was acknowledged by the Wall Street Journal.
She is on the board 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. She recently was on a Tiger Team to infuse support for the Dageno Girls Center providing educational opportunities for young women in Tanzania. 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.