{"id":454,"date":"2019-10-14T16:02:08","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2020ga\/?page_id=454"},"modified":"2025-04-27T15:58:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T15:58:44","slug":"featured-speakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/featured-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Featured Speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Featured Speakers<\/span><\/h1>\n

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<\/h2>\n

Dr. Jessica Sharp<\/h2>\n

Sunday, April 27 | 5:00-6:15 p.m.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The brain is the root of every being. From our emotions to our thoughts and behaviors, the brain influences everything we do. In our opening keynote, Dr. Jessica Sharp<\/strong>, organizational psychologist and founder and CEO of Sharp Brain Consulting<\/span>, will explore the intersection of neuroscience and effective leadership and how we can use this understanding of how our brains work to transform our leadership approach, improve workplace interactions, and foster a sense of psychological safety and trust with those with whom we interact.<\/p>\n

About Dr. Jessica Sharp:
Dr. Sharp is founder and CEO of Sharp Brain Consulting, where she works with organizational <\/text>leaders striving t<\/text>o create strong workplace cultures. As a social entrepreneur, her <\/text>professional life and purpose intersect in a way that allows her to do her part in making the world <\/text>a kinder and more loving place. She holds a doctorate in leadership psychology from William <\/text>James College and a master\u2019s of public affairs from the University of <\/text>Missouri. Her doctoral research examined the relationships between <\/text>workpla<\/text>ce belonging and race, organizational identification, and <\/text>employee well<\/text>–<\/text>being.\u00a0<\/span><\/text><\/text><\/p>\n

Sponsored by\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

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Jennifer Parker and Melissa Fuesting<\/h2>\n

Monday, April 28 | 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Monday’s keynote session is a two-for-one! In the first segment, we’ll explore how AI can transform employee engagement and simplify HR processes in practical, achievable ways. Jennifer Parker<\/strong> of Colorado Community College System will provide a demonstration of how her HR team is using AI and will share tools and resources you can use on your AI journey.<\/p>\n

In the second segment, Melissa Fuesting<\/strong> of CUPA-HR’s research team will share results from CUPA-HR’s new Benefits, Employee Experience, and Structure (BEES) Survey and how you can use them to inform policies and practices at your institution.<\/p>\n

About the Presenters:<\/p>\n

Jennifer Parker is the assistant director of HR operations at Colorado Community College System. She is committed to making AI approachable and useful for HR professionals. She has produced AI-driven training campaigns, written articles, presented at CUPA-HR conferences, and led live demonstrations showcasing how tools like ChatGPT can enhance employee engagement, streamline HR processes and address workplace challenges.<\/p>\n

Melissa Fuesting, Ph.D., is associate director of research at CUPA-HR, where she manages CUPA-HR\u2019s annual workforce surveys. She also conducts research on benefits in higher education. Prior to joining CUPA-HR, she conducted research on recruitment and retention within in the U.S. science and engineering workforce. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University and her master’s and doctorate in social psychology from Miami University.<\/p>\n

Sponsored by\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

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Cheryl Cofield<\/h1>\n

Tuesday, April 29 | 3:00-4:15 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Drawing on the empirically based,\u00a0<\/span>courage<\/span>-building program developed by bestselling author Dr. Brene\u0301 Brown, Cheryl Cofield<\/strong> will dive into the art and science of what it means to be brave in the workplace. \u00a0Attendees will learn skills to help them bravely navigate risk, uncertainty, and emotional exposure; explore behaviors that characterize\u00a0<\/span>courage<\/span>ous versus armored leadership; explore how shame and empathy manifest on college campuses; learn to cultivate trust; and learn skills for leaning into tough, delicate workplace conversations.<\/p>\n

About Cheryl Cofield:
Cheryl Cofield is a corporate leadership trainer, executive coach, race dialogue facilitator and Certified Dare to LeadTM <\/sup>Facilitator (Bren\u00e9 Brown Education & Research Group). She assists leaders with increasing authenticity, deepening emotional literacy, building courage and evoking powerful transformation. <\/em>She has managed complex human capital portfolios for Fortune 10 corporations and served as a civil rights attorney, dean of inclusive leadership, chief dialogue officer and international humanitarian. A seasoned storyteller who masterfully holds space for courageous conversation, her work has been featured in publications such as Psychology Today<\/em>, The Academic Leader<\/em>, Journal of Profiles in Diversity<\/em>, and Higher Ed HR Magazine<\/em>. She is the CEO of Culture of Civility International, a leadership development firm with operational presence in more than 20 countries.<\/p>\n

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Featured Speakers Dr. Jessica Sharp Sunday, April 27 | 5:00-6:15 p.m.\u00a0 The brain is the root of every being. From our emotions to our thoughts and behaviors, the brain influences everything we do. In our opening keynote, Dr. Jessica Sharp, organizational psychologist and founder and CEO of Sharp Brain Consulting, will explore the intersection of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

Dr. Michael J. Sorrell<\/a><\/h2>\r\nSunday, October 20 | 5:00-6:15 p.m.\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nDr. Michael J. Sorrell\u00a0<\/b>is the longest-serving president in the 146-year history of Paul Quinn College. During his 11 years of leadership, Paul Quinn College has become a small, private, minority-serving institution that, by focusing on the most persistent, prevalent and pressing problems of our society, is remaking higher education and becoming a movement.\r\n\r\nDuring President Sorrell\u2019s tenure, Paul Quinn College has won the HBCU of the Year, the HBCU Student Government Association of the Year and the HBCU Business Program of the Year. Additional achievements include the college being recognized as a member of the President\u2019s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the creation of the New Urban College Model, achievement of full-accreditation\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n

Whitney Johnson<\/a><\/h2>\r\nMonday, October 21 | 8:30-10:15 a.m.\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"\"Whitney Johnson<\/strong>, CEO of WLJ Advisors, is an innovation and disruption theorist, best-selling author, sought-after executive and performance coach, and management consultant. She is recognized as one of the world\u2019s most influential management thinkers by\u00a0Thinkers50<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Fortune<\/em>. Johnson specializes in helping leaders grow their awareness, building the skills needed to achieve maximum success in their organizations. Senior executives seek out Johnson\u2019s coaching and consulting expertise because she understands that productive workplace cultures begin with the leader. She excels at helping leaders break through to new levels of personal and organizational effectiveness. Johnson\u2019s services utilize her exclusive proprietary tools, such as her S-Curve coaching framework and team disruption diagnostics, which were first developed after co-founding the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School\u2019s Clayton Christensen. At WLJ Advisors, she has mastered her formula for helping executives and organizations harness the unpredictability of change so they can thrive in today\u2019s volatile business environment.\r\n\r\nJohnson\u2019s best-selling book,\u00a0Build An A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve,\u00a0<\/em>is being used by leaders globally to build the culture and attract the talent they need to reach their big goals. This follow-up to her critically acclaimed\u00a0Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work (2015),\u00a0<\/em>outlines the key strategy to having an engaged, productive and innovative workforce, which is having a plan for developing all employees \u2014 no matter where they are on their personal learning curves. Using her book\u2019s frameworks, Johnson works with leaders to shape how their organizations embrace and manage disruption by leading individuals and teams up the S-curve of change.\r\n\r\nPrior to WLJ Advisors, Johnson was an award-winning Wall Street analyst. She is one of Marshall Goldsmith\u2019s original cohort of 25 for the #100 Coaches Project, is a coach for the Harvard Business School\u2019s Executive Education program, frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, a LinkedIn influencer and hosts the Disrupt Yourself Podcast.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n

Michele Norris<\/a><\/h2>\r\nTuesday, October 22 | 8:00-10:15 a.m.<\/strong>\r\n

\"\"<\/h2>\r\nMichele Norris<\/strong>\u00a0is a Peabody Award-winning journalist, founder of The Race Card Project and executive director of The Bridge, The Aspen Institute\u2019s new program on race, identity, connectivity and inclusion.\r\n\r\nFor more than a decade Norris served as a host of NPR\u2019s\u00a0All Things Considered\u00a0<\/em>where she interviewed world leaders, American presidents, Nobel laureates, leading thinkers and groundbreaking artists. She has also produced in-depth profiles, interviews and series for NPR News programs as well as special reports for\u00a0National Geographic<\/em>,\u00a0Time Magazine,\u00a0<\/em>ABC News and Lifetime Television. Norris created The Race Card Project, an initiative to foster a wider conversation about race in America, after the publication of her family memoir,\u00a0The Grace of Silence<\/em>.\r\n\r\nBefore joining NPR in 2002, Norris spent almost 10 years as a reporter for ABC News in the Washington Bureau. She has also worked as a staff writer for\u00a0The Washington Post<\/em>,\u00a0Chicago Tribune\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0The Los Angeles Times<\/em>. In 2014, Norris earned a Peabody award and the Distinguished Dialogue Award for her work on the Race Card Project.\r\n\r\nIn 2009, she was named \u201cJournalist of the Year\u201d by the National Association of Black Journalists. The NABJ recognized Norris for her coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign \u2014 when she co-hosted NPR\u2019s Democratic presidential candidates\u2019 debate, covered both conventions, anchored multi-hour election and inauguration live broadcasts and moderated a series of candid conversations with voters on the intersection of race and politics. That series earned Norris and\u00a0Morning Edition\u00a0<\/em>Host Steve Inskeep an Alfred I. DuPont -Columbia University Award for excellence in broadcasting.\r\n\r\nNorris was honored with NABJ\u2019s Salute to Excellence Award, for her cove","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-454","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":158,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5081,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/454\/revisions\/5081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.cupahr.org\/spring2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}