APRIL SIMPKINS SHRM-CP, PHR, - April is a dually certified HR Professional with 30 years of executive-level Human Resources experience. April is an HR Consultant, and the Chief Human Resources Officer for Totalhr, a human resources services firm focused on supporting the HR needs of small- to mid-sized businesses. She has helped more than 1000 business owners shape and develop their human capital.

April's experience and expertise, coupled with her continued study of Human Resources trends, has made her a trusted advisor for many in the business community. It also led to an invitation to The Business Journal Leadership Trust, which allows April to share her expertise with leaders nationwide. She has been a requested presenter and guest speaker for organizations that include Harvard University Extension School, Winthrop University, The Citadel, EEOC, and The City of Charleston, to name a few. She is also a member of the SHRM Speakers Bureau.

April is a board member of both the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the SC Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). She is the Chapter Chair for the Charlotte affiliate of the Women Presidents Organization (WPO), a non-profit membership organization for women presidents, CEOs, and managing directors of privately held, multimillion-dollar companies. In 2016 WPO honored April with the Woman of Color Award for her business achievements.

April was the Diversity Director for the South Carolina Society for Human Resources Management from 2018 - 2020. In 2020 April received the Unsung Hero Award from Greenville SHRM for her exemplary leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Her service and commitment to the HR community and the profession's advancement led to her selection as a member of the HR Advisory Board for Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. She works with a team of HR thought leaders who have been charged with designing the human resources undergraduate and postgraduate degree curriculum and programs.

April has received many awards and honors for her business acumen. Her awards include: the 2020 Women In Business Achievement Award from the Charlotte Business Journal, the 2018 Fort Mill/ Tega Cay Business Person of The Year Award from the York County Regional Chamber, the Movers & Shaker Award given by Business Leader Magazine and, in 2016, April was named one of Charlotte's 50 Most Influential Women by Mecklenburg Times.

April is a classically trained pianist, an avid runner, athlete, mother, wife, and entrepreneur.

Behnam Bakhshandeh is an accomplished business manager, known widely as a dynamic writer, speaker, personal and business coach and trainer. Implementing his skills as a passionate, visionary leader, he produces extraordinary results in record time. Behnam brings his broad experience and successful track record to each project, whether it involves personal development, implementing customer-focused programs, integrating technologies, marketing, redesigning operational core processes, or delivering strategic initiatives.

Before designing Primeco Education technology, Behnam led educational programs and later managed operations for a global education organization based in two major US cities. During this seven-year period, Behnam worked personally with tens of thousands of participants. He was accountable for expanding customer participation, training program leaders, increasing sales, and improving the finance department's efficiency and management of the overall operations for the staff and their team of over 400 volunteers, who together served an annual client base of over 10,000.

Behnam designed the Primeco Education technology in 2001. Since then, he and his team members have helped countless businesses and individuals not only achieve their goals, but also transform their thinking. His proven methodology is based on his extensive experience in business and human relations.

He consistently delivers and works with others to produce results beyond what was predicted or expected. This exceptional rate of business and personal growth is the result of his high integrity, unprecedented teamwork, open communication, and a contagious, unflinching commitment to excellence in all business operations, personal relationships, and professional interactions. Behnam is a shining example of how combining vision and goals with hard work consistently pays off beyond even the highest expectations. His work with businesses has resulted in successful team building, companies that grow through a shared vision, efficient process redevelopment, increased revenues, and work environments that support employee satisfaction and retention.

Committed to lifelong education, Behnam went back to school and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.  He continued his graduate studies at Penn State University to earn a Master of Professional Study in Organizational Development and Change, which was immediately continued by his Doctorate in Workforce Education & Development with a concentration on Human Resources Development (HRD) and Organization Development (OD) in College of Education at Penn State. Behnam enjoyed expanding into psychology as an addition to his already strong background in philosophy and ontology. He particularly enjoyed and was inspired by Positive Psychology and the work of many psychologists who used the Humanistic Psychology approach for empowering and treating their patients. Behnam finds these two psychological approaches very similar to his own work, methodology, and approaches. Behnam is widely known for his commitment to making a difference in every life he touches.  He is distinguished in his field for delivering outcomes that leave all his clients fulfilled in realizing their dreams.  His rigor ensures that results are produced while his compassion and sense of humor bring a play to every working relationship.

Bob McKenzie has over 40 years of human resources management experience. His background includes a wide range of hands-on HR practices including in all aspects of Human Resources. And is a variety of industries in with private sector, public sector and nonprofit employers.

Bob has been cited in a number of Human Resources trade publications. Among them are HR.com, HR Magazine, HR Florida Review, Vault.com, BNA and the Institute of Management and Administration and the Business Journals. He has been a speaker at a number of conferences as well as audio and web-based seminars. 

Bob is a graduate of Rider University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce Degree and double majored in Industrial Relations and Organizational Behavior and lives in Brunswick, GA.

Bob Churilla is a partner in a conflict management and organizational development firm, Conflict Resolution Professionals Group (CRPG). In addition, Bob is a Visiting Professor at a private University. Bob has worked with the United States Postal Service, Veterans Administration, Transportation Security Administration and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a mediator and consultant. He has also consulted with local, state and private employers, government agencies, churches and nonprofit organizations. Bob has a Ph.D. in Conflict Resolution and a Juris Doctorate degree.

Christopher Salem is an Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, and Professional Speaker mentors C-Suite, CPAs, Financial Advisors, Physicians, and other business leaders to build and protect their brands by raising their level of influence as trusted advisors to maximize their results.  He also works with companies to create an interdependent work environment and thriving culture through a growth mindset foundation, effective communication, transparent leadership, and higher engagement.  

His book Master Your Inner Critic / Resolve the Root Cause – Create Prosperity went international best seller in 2016. He also co-authored the recent edition to "Mastering the Art of Success" with Jack Canfield. His weekly radio show Sustainable Success is part of the Voice America Influencers Channel.  Chris is also an accomplished business & emotional intelligence strategist, award-winning author®, certified mindset expert, radio show host & media personality, and wellness advocate.  

He works with organizations such as such as JP Morgan – Chase, Ralph Lauren, GE Research, UTC - Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, Microchip Technologies, Anthem, US Census Bureau, United Healthcare, Laticrete Corporation, Hubbell Corporation, Conning & Company, Foxwoods Casino, and NYPD Forensics Department including universities such as University of Hartford, Westchester Community College, Bay Path University, Worcester State University, and spoke on overcoming limited beliefs for peak performance at Harvard University’s Faculty Club and US Senate.

Danny M. Goldberg is the Founder of GoldSRD (www.GoldSRD.com), a leading provider of Staff Augmentation, Executive Recruiting and Professional Development services.  Danny is a well-known speaker on internal auditing and People-Centric Skills, co-authoring People-Centric Skills: Communication and Interpersonal Skills for Internal Auditors, via Wiley Publications.  People-Centric Skills, 2nd Edition, the follow-up to this critically acclaimed book, is currently available via Amazon and through GoldSRD at a discounted rate. 

Danny has over 26 years of professional experience, including five years leading/building internal audit functions.  Danny was named as one of the Fort Worth Business Press 40 Under 40 for 2014. 

He is a thought-leader in the profession, recognized through his numerous articles in trade magazines and consistent rating as a top speaker in the industry.  Mr. Goldberg is also accredited as the Professional Commentator of the Bureau of National Affairs - Internal Audit: Fundamental Principles and Best Practices (Professional Commentator).  This book was authored by renowned audit scholars Curtis C. Verschoor and Mort A. Dittenhofer – coauthor of Sawyer’s Internal Auditing. 

Mr. Goldberg is an active member of the Institute for Internal Auditors, both at a local and national level.  Leadership roles include: 

• Current IIA Dallas Chapter Board Member and Programs Committee Co-Chair
• Former IIA Fort Worth Chapter Board Member and Programs Committee Co-Chair
• Former Member of the IIA North America Learning Committee (2015)
• Former Volunteer Chairman of the American Lung Association (2014)
• Former Audit Committee Chairman/Director at numerous religious organizations

Danny is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise Information Technology (CGEIT), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA), has obtained his Certification in Control Self Assessment (CCSA) and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Dena Davis, PHR has over 20 years of experience designing people-centered training and development programs to unlock high performing talent, build leadership skills, and increase levels of engagement, productivity and efficiency across teams. 

She is a lifetime learner, focusing on delivering engaging workshops that are needed in today’s ever changing business climate. She prides herself in “making it real”, bringing a practical, organic approach towards training where she finds creative ways to put learnings into practice. 

In her professional career, she has a proven track record of successfully transforming human resources, employee engagement, organizational development, talent acquisition and (DEI) training and strategy. She was most recently Head of People of Culture at Volk Optical, overseeing the international HR function and prior to that she served as HR Manager and Business Partner for US Sales with ZOLL Medical, overseeing a high-volume recruiting operation. Prior to joining ZOLL, she held senior level HR roles where she led several organization wide transformation and change management efforts. 

In 2019, founded Davis Hill Consulting, where branched out from her corporate background into the consulting world where she leverages her expertise to build collaborative relationships with clients to develop training and advance their talent and people practices. On a personal note, Dena enjoys yoga, herbalism and anything that gets her out in and around nature.

Farhan Sadique is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Leadership at Kansas State University and serves as the Chief of Research at Rothwell and Associates. With expertise in human resource development and organization development, he completed his doctoral study at Pennsylvania State University and earned a Master of Science degree from Pittsburg State University. Celebrated for his visionary leadership and talent for fostering positive work environments, 

Farhan is also a passionate trainer, holding certifications from SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and NCDA (National Career Development Association). He is the author of influential books, book chapters, and journal articles, and frequently leads corporate training webinars and podcasts. Recognized as one of the Emerging Practitioners by the Organization Development Network in 2023, Farhan's groundbreaking research and innovative methodologies continue to empower Organization Development practitioners worldwide.

In 2018, Erica McBeth set out on a mission to talk to one stranger a week for a full year.  Her journey through that project is chronicled in her book, “52 New Friends” and her video series, “How to Make Friends & Beat Loneliness.”  In an effort to help people connect together in positive ways, Erica founded Erica McBeth Productions in 2020 and McBeth Marketing in 2021.  She sits on the Arizona Chapter Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and educates people on the benefits of how human connection can transform their companies and their lives.  She is a speaker, a writer, a storyteller, an advocate for human connection and the self-proclaimed slayer of loneliness. 

Ethan L. Chazin is a speaker, executive coach, consultant, and facilitator with over 30 years of experience. His energy is focused on helping leaders make choices that lead to stellar results – in their bottom line, their business relationships, and careers.

His focus is delivering results-driven, measurable increases in performance, productivity, and profitability through engaged, impact-driven Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, High Performance Team Building, Effective Communications, and Emotional Intelligence. Ethan has worked in several industries, including: manufacturing, legal, printing, publishing, advertising, professional services, and financial services.  He has worked with for profit organizations, privately held companies, family businesses, non-profits, and Government entities. He is driven to achieving results on behalf of his clients with employee training, executive coaching, and consulting to build amazing workplace cultures and unleash people’s untapped potential.

Ethan has authored two books entitled “Bulletproof Your Career in Turbulent Times” and “The Compassionate Organization”, conducted over 200 talks to many professional Associations and organizations, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at eight Colleges and Universities at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels.

Jennifer Hancock is the author of several best selling and award winning books and is the founder of Humanist Learning Systems. Not only was she raised as a Humanist, she is considered one of the top speakers and writers in the world of Humanism today. Her professional background is varied including leadership positions in both the for profit and non-profit sectors.

She teaches Humanism – a combination of Love, Rationality, Science & Responsibility. Her courses will give you hope. It will help you simplify your life by reducing complexity of the problems you face, which will in turn – help you reduce your anxiety. Finally- because this is all science based – it will work. 

What makes her unique is that she teaches humanistic approaches grounded in dignity and compassion coupled with science based behavioral modification techniques to create positive workplace cultures that eliminate unwanted behaviors like bullying, harassment and discrimination while positively reinforcing the behaviors you do want.

Ms. Hancock has a BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (1990). Her field of study combined cognitive linguistics, anthropology and psychology.  While in college, she apprenticed as a dolphin trainer for a dolphin language/cognition laboratory which is where she learned the behavioral science and behavior modification techniques she now teaches.

Ms. Hancock has worked in executive leadership roles her entire career (since graduating college in 1990).  She has literally never not worked in leadership/management.  In the course of her career she has provided training to companies all over the world for both executive leadership as well as staff.  She started training and coaching staff in her first job out of college as the director of volunteer services for the Los Angeles SPCA., and has provided training, support and mentoring programs at  every job she’s held since including her stint at the manager of acquisition group information for a 1/2 billion dollar company.

She has over 30 years of experience working in executive leadership and in providing leadership and management training to others. If you let her, she can teach you how to be a more authentic and effective leader who is both powerfully ethical and armed with the technical skills required to master whatever challenges you face with grace and dignity. 

Julie Smith, MBA, is the Practice Manager for Harper & Company CPAs Plus, an entrepreneur, and co-host of the podcast Empowering Entrepreneurs. Julie joined the firm in November of 2013 and brings a strategic approach to running the practice.

Empowering others to develop into their best professional selves is her passion. Her superpower is teaching leaders how to get out of their own way so they can successfully execute change, build positive cultures, and move their businesses forward. With expertise in the business of public accounting, Julie also speaks nationwide and enjoys inspiring others in the profession to take action, evolve, and grow.

Julie was named CPA.com’s 2021 Innovative Practitioner of Year, and she was honored to accept the Luca Award on behalf of the firm from Thomson Reuters, also in 2021.

Julie has 2 beautiful daughters, Ella and Avery, that she enjoys spending time with in addition to traveling, sporting events, and running.

 Justin brings over 20 years of wide-arranging experience in compliance, training and regulations. He has served as Head of Compliance Training at Bank of China, Macquarie Group’s Head of Americas Compliance Training and JPMorgan Chase’s Compliance Training Manager.Justin also worked for FINRA, a US regulator, where he created Examiner University to train examiners on how to perform their function.

Suzanne Lucas, better known as the Evil HR Lady, spent a decade in corporate HR, where she hired, fired, managed the numbers, and double-checked with the lawyers. She left that world to embark on a new mission to enhance the world of work for all individuals. Suzanne's company, Improve Your HR, focuses on improving HR for everyone, through writing, training, and speaking. 

You can read her articles at her website Improve Your HR, and watch some of her speeches, including her TedX talk, Forget Talent and Get to Work.

Suzanne Blake, PCC, is an award-winning International Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach and Global Human Resource leader with 28+ years of experience in Executive, Career, Talent Management and Productivity Coaching, with a focus on Corporate Soft Skills, Management Training, as well as Human Resources development.  

Her specialties include Career Development and Leadership/Talent Development Coaching and Training,  Soft Skills and Productivity Training and Coaching.  

She has been recognized as a leader in the coaching community by being awarded the PRISM award for Excellence in Corporate Coaching by the International Coach Federation of New England and nominated for ICF’s "Best Career Coach.” Suzanne’s warmth and humor, in conjunction with her strategic insights and engaging style, give her the laser-like ability to pinpoint the root causes of problems to collaborate on sustainable solutions and create positive behavioral change. 

Her coaching and training work has been profiled in a variety of respected media venues, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Today Show, NPR, Smart Money Magazine, MSN.com, as well as numerous other media venues including CBS affiliate, WBZ News Television, ABC affiliate, and WCVB Chronicle Magazine.  

William J. Rothwell, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RODC, CPLP Fellow is President of Rothwell & Associates, Inc. & Rothwell & Associates, LLC. His consulting focuses on succession planning and talent management.  He is also a Professor at Penn State University, University Park, where he teaches graduate courses in Organization Development and Change. 

Before becoming a professor 28 years ago, he had nearly 20 years of full-time human resource management experience in government and in business. He has consulted on succession planning with corporations, small businesses, family businesses, charities, and Federal, State and local government agencies. He has traveled to China 83 times and has consulted on succession on nearly every continent. Among his 127 published books are these, which are relevant to this webinar: The essential HR guide for small businesses and startups; Optimizing talent in the federal workforce; Building a talent development structure without borders; Effective succession planning: Ensuring leadership continuity and building talent from within; The leader’s daily role in talent management: Maximizing results, engagement and retention; Career planning and succession management: Developing your organization’s talent for today and tomorrow; The competency toolkit; Talent management: A step-by-action-oriented guide based on best practice; Becoming an effective mentoring leader: Proven strategies for building excellence in your organization; Working longer: New strategies for managing, training, and retaining older employees; Invaluable knowledge: Securing your company’s technical expertise-Recruiting and retaining top talent, transferring technical knowledge, engaging high performers; The manager’s guide to maximizing employee potential; and Cases in government succession planning: Action-oriented strategies for public-sector human capital management, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent management.