2016 International Women's Day Speakers

	Jim Ayres Managing Director – Amway North America Amway Jim Ayres oversees all business operations for the North American affiliate of Amway. He leads the affiliate’s efforts to grow its business by increasing brand awareness, launching exceptional new products and providing enhanced Independent Business Owner (IBO) support and compensation. Jim has more than 31 years of experience at Amway. He began as an R&D technician and advanced through the company holding various positions of increasing responsibility and leadership. Jim spent four years as President, Global Quality Assurance and Technical Services before becoming the Managing Director of Amway North America. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Biological Sciences from Grand Valley State University and his MBA from Davenport University. Jim also studied Biology/Biological Sciences in the master’s program at Western Michigan University. Jim is currently a Board Member for Michigan Special Olympics and the Kinzler Foundation. Jim has been a Special Olympics coach for more than 25 years. He is also Board Chair for the West Michigan Mental Health Foundation. He teaches Global Diversity in Business for the Grand Rapids Chamber Leadership Advantage program.
	Lisa Bluhm Owner Weights Lifted Lisa received her personal training certification through A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) and during the past five years, she has been practicing personal training, leading fitness classes and coaching women in nutrition and lifestyle changes. Lisa recently opened her own studio, Weights Lifted, LLC, where she is passionate about bringing energy and inspiration into the exercise and coaching experience. In addition to Lisa’s personal training certification, she also received health coach training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition where she was exposed to more than 100 dietary theories and a variety of methods to practical lifestyle change. Lisa is certified as a Nutrition Coach (CNC) by the International Board of Nutrition and Fitness Coaching (IBNFC) and a licensed coach through Venice Nutrition. Venice Nutrition is a scientifically based nutrition program that teaches individuals how to stabilize their blood sugar. By learning how the body really works, individuals are given the tools to help them reach their specific health and fitness goals. Lisa believes that there is no one “perfect” way to eat for every individual. She believes that small changes over time can lead to big results and progress is always more important than perfection. Her education has equipped her to help clients design a personalized plan that meets their lifestyle needs and helps them to reach their desired goals with lasting results. Living and sharing her faith is also a big part of Lisa’s practice. She is equally passionate about encouraging and motivating women to not just pursue better physical health, but to consider their spiritual health. Lisa believes that true health begins on the inside with what fills your heart and consumes your thinking. She has a heart for coming alongside women and inspiring them to be all that God created them to be. Lisa received her training and certification in Christian Life Coaching through the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) and Light University.
	Connie Glaser Author, Columnist, Speaker Connie Glaser is one of the world’s top experts on women’s leadership and communications. Her keen insights and dynamic presentations have inspired diversity initiatives around the globe – helping thousands of women to succeed, and organizations to work together more collaboratively. Connie is the author of five landmark books. Her breakthrough best-seller, Swim with the Dolphins, first earned her international acclaim over a decade ago. Ranked among the Top Ten Books on Women in Business, Dolphins has been translated into over a dozen languages including Chinese, Korean, Bulgarian, and Hebrew. Her most recent book, GenderTalk Works, has become an essential corporate handbook on gender communications and hailed as “an indispensable guide for opening the lines of communication and providing practical solutions to bring out the best in men and women.” As a keynote speaker and global consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Connie is recognized for her ability to address challenging issues with humor and insight. Her client list includes FedEx, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, McDonald’s, ESPN, Morgan Stanley, Xerox, Johnson & Johnson, HP, and the U.S. Navy. A regularly featured media guest, Connie has appeared on The TodayShow, FOX News, and CNN. Her newspaper column, Winning at Work, addresses contemporary workplace issues and appears in award-winning papers throughout the United States. With a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, Connie has served as a faculty member for the American Institute of Banking and the International Management Council. She is a regular guest lecturer at leading colleges and universities around the country. Recognized for her insights on diversity and the women’s market, Connie has served as Chairman of the Travel Advisory Council for Inter-Continental Hotels. She also served on the Women’s Advisory Board for Office Depot and the Advisory Board for Emory University’s Graduate Women in Business. Connie was recently honored as Businesswoman of the Year by Office Depot. She has been inaugurated into The World Who's Who of Women.
	Dr. Diana Lawson Dean, Dean, Seidman College of Business – GVSU GVSU Diana R. Lawson, Ph.D., dean of the Seidman College of Business, brings extensive experience leading business programs and a wealth of international practice and executive training and development to Grand Valley State University. Prior to joining Grand Valley State University, she was the dean of the Herberger Business School at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Respected nationally and internationally, Lawson has held positions as an invited and visiting professor and scholar at universities in France, Moldova, and Turkey, as well as in the Harvard Summer Program. Lawson has published on topics ranging from the value of a liberal arts education to masculinity and femininity in international business negotiations and designing international business curriculum. Lawson’s research has been included in publications such as the Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Marketing Education Review, International Business Review, Journal of Euromarketing, and Journal of Teaching in International Business. She is also the co-author of Communicating in Global Business Negotiations: A Geocentric Approach. Lawson earned her Ph.D. from Kent State University, as well as M.B.A and M.A. degrees, and a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York College at Cortland.
	Scott Patchin Owner The trU Group Scott Patchin has a core belief that managing transitions is the key to success. For individuals, leaders, teams and organizations, transitions contain great opportunities and great risks. His coaching and leadership development work focuses on maximizing the opportunities and minimizing the risk. Scott brings to these conversations personal experience in a wide variety of professional and organizational transitions. He has experience working with leaders from a variety of industries, including: local government, IT services, education, software, healthcare, manufacturing, insurance, banking, not-for-profit, and construction. Scott has a BSBA from Michigan Tech University, an MBA from The University of Illinois at Chicago and has completed the Strategic Leadership Series at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has held executive level human resource positions in the mortgage/banking and healthcare industries. Scott recently published his second book titled People-Centered Performance as a lens for leaders to see opportunities to become more effective at unleashing their leadership capacity.
	Kate Pinkham Director of Consumer Insights and Market Intelligence Wolverine Worldwide Kate Pinkham is the Director of Consumer Insights and Market Intelligence for Wolverine Worldwide. She is a passionate marketer and researcher with more than 12 years of experience building amazing brands. Kate grew up in the Grand Rapids area and became interested in consumer behavior at an early age. Her passion led her to obtain bachelor of arts degrees in both Communications and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan. During this time, she partnered with the esteemed feminist, Susan Douglas, to write her thesis on Depictions of Working Women in Advertising. Prior to her start with Wolverine, Kate spent 10 years working in consumer insights for Unilever and Mars Inc. She had the fortune of working on a portfolio of well-loved brands including Dove, Axe, Suave, Skittles and Orbit Gum. In 2014, Kate moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to build a best-in-class Consumer Insights and Market Intelligence department at Wolverine Worldwide – her shoe closet has never been the same. Additionally, Kate is an ambassador for the Wolverine Worldwide Women’s Network and facilitates monthly employee panels on the needs of working parents.
	Michael Rotelle III Senior Vice President of Human Resources Meijer Michael Rotelle is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources/Chief Human Resource Officer for Meijer, Inc., the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates more than 220 supercenters and employs more than 70,000 team members in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Michael joined Meijer in 2014 and has more than 26 years of successful business execution and strategic human resource leadership in complex Fortune 50/500 companies, private equity-backed and entrepreneurial organizations As the top Human Resource executive at Meijer, Michael is responsible for all HR strategic planning, processes and initiatives. His team supports the retailer’s stores, supply chain/manufacturing facilities, and corporate functions with effective solutions for strategic planning, performance management, organizational development, talent management, employee/labor relations and compensation/benefits. Under Michael’s leadership, the retailer has launched a large-scale effort to better understand what conditions team members need to be successful, what attracts new talent and what differentiates Meijer from its competitors. Michael came to Meijer from Nash Finch Company, where he spent 5 years as its Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Previously, he served as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Acosta Sales Company, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Tree of Life, Inc., and Vice President of Human Resources at Supervalu. Michael received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
	Rosann Santos-Elliott Founder Latinas in Higher Education In order to thrive in the highly competitive industry of higher education as well as successfully complete college, certain skill sets are necessary. Both in her full-time career and by founding Latinas in Higher Education - a professional networking organization - Rosann has made a commitment to help Latinas develop their executive presence, both as students and as Latina professionals. Rosann uses her experience in higher education and program development to uplift women by creating opportunities that will promote their advancement in the collegiate and corporate environment. The focus is not only on helping them succeed during college, but also in the years beyond. Through these platforms, she has been able to support the professional, social and emotional development of women, drawing on her professional experience in student affairs. Rosann believes in lifting as she climbs by empowering, enlightening and emboldening women in their career pursuits. Currently serving as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Student Affairs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a City University of New York, Rosann has worked in higher education for more than 15 years. She began her career in residence life and as an adjunct faculty member at the University at Albany and The College of Saint Rose. She served as the Director of Student Development at The College of New Rochelle for 7 years before transitioning to John Jay. Throughout her career, she has been trained on conflict resolution, crisis management, strategic development, assessment and is a StrengthsQuest facilitator. Rosann received her bachelor’s degree in history and mathematics at Syracuse University where she was a founding member of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. She has a Master of Arts Degree in History from the University at Albany where she is also pursuing her doctoral degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
	Julie Slagter Manager of Certification and Client Services Cultural Intelligence Center Julie Slagter is the Manager of Certification and Client Services at the Cultural Intelligence Center, an institute that brings together diverse perspectives to create better solutions. She works with CQ certified professionals and clients around the world to help them implement cultural intelligence in their organizations. Julie is also the Founder of the Michigan Abolitionist Project, a non-profit organization working to prevent human trafficking. She is also an advisor to other like-minded organizations and has worked extensively with non-profit organizations. Julie has a graduate degree in Intercultural Studies and has lived and worked internationally.
	Eric Steindler VP Human Resources for Retail Operations Meijer Eric is the Vice President of Human Resources for Retail Operations at Meijer. He is a results-oriented executive HR leader who has been successful at delivering strategies that increase sales growth and profitability through human capital initiatives. Eric has been promoted to positions of increased responsibility in generalist and specialist leadership roles delivering results in a variety of functional areas including Talent Planning & Acquisition, Employee & Labor Relations, Compliance, Compensation, Benefits and HR Systems. Eric has worked at several organizations including JCPenny, Lowe’s Home Improvement, ThyssenKrupp, PepsiCo - Tropicana, Visteon, Ford Motor Company, and more. He has a proven track record of success across multiple industries including Retail, Food & Beverage and Manufacturing. We are happy to have Eric as part of the Meijer Family!
	Deborah L. Young, SPHR Vice President Inforum Center for Leadership Deborah Young is a proven HR leader with significant, multi-industry experience in manufacturing, foodservice distribution, information publishing, healthcare information consulting and business services. Deborah is vice president for Inforum Center for Leadership (ICL), a new created role where she is responsible for leading, growing and managing the Inform Center for Leaderships expanding portfolio of leadership development programs. Inforum Center for Leadership is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization whose programs serve a broad range of women in different stages and types of careers – from nonprofit professionals, to emerging and rising corporate leaders, tech entrepreneurs, Veterans and corporate board leaders. Inforum Center for Leadership also conducts and publishes original research on women’s leadership influence, including the Michigan Women’s Leadership Index. Prior to this role, Deborah was Vice President, Human Resources for IHS Automotive in Southfield, Michigan where she had global HR responsibility for over 800 colleagues in the North America, EMEA and APAC regions. Deborah’s HR role with IHS resulted from the company’s acquisition of R.L. Polk & Co. (Polk) in Southfield, Michigan where she was employed from 2006 through 2014. During her tenure at Polk, the organization was recognized for numerous innovative HR best practice awards including the Arbor Awards for HR Excellence; Crain’s Cool Places to Work; American Heart Association’s Start! Fit-Friendly Company; Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For (2008, 2011 and 2014), the SASHE Award recognition as a “Great Company for Women” (2013, 2014) and Corp! Magazine Diversity Business Leader Award (2014). In 2013, Deborah was also recognized by Driven (a Who’s Who Publishing tribute to African American achievement in the Automotive Industry) as an “Interesting Personality for Authentic Human Resources.” Deborah’s HR leadership experience also includes management and leadership roles with USG Corporation (Chicago, IL), Kraft/US Foodservice (Taylor, MI and Baltimore, MD), Spartan Stores (Grand Rapids, MI) and Xycom Automation (Saline, MI). A native of Chicago, Deborah holds a BS degree in Human Resources Management from DePaul University. She is currently a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), Detroit SHRM, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) and Leadership Detroit Class XXX Trustee through the Detroit Regional Chamber. She is a 2013 graduate of New Detroit’s Multicultural Leadership Series, and has been an Inforum Board Member from 2014 – 2015. She has a passion for leadership development, coaching and enabling others to define and achieve success on their own terms.
	Dani Zizak Chief Marketing Officer Wolverine Worldwide Dani is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Heritage Group at Wolverine Worldwide. An energetic and passionate brand builder and lifelong student of consumer behavior, Dani brings more than 25 years of marketing, retail, footwear and apparel experience to this role. A Division I athlete at Syracuse University, Dani began her marketing career in commercial banking on the East Coast. After pushing the creative boundaries of the financial sector, Dani left banking behind and entered the exciting world of fashion retail with Rosenheim Germany based Gabor International. While leading the national retail marketing efforts, Dani refined her demand creation skills and developed a serious footwear habit. At the height of the grunge movement, Dani joined footwear icon, Dr. Martens, and ultimately led their North American brand marketing efforts. Working with alternative music artists such as Green Day, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, she positioned Dr. Martens as the “must have” brand for American youth. Since joining Wolverine Worldwide, Dani has leveraged her retail, fashion and marketing expertise to lead the global brand building efforts of the Caterpillar, Harley Davidson, Sebago and Wolverine brands. Today she is responsible for the Heritage brands marketing efforts in more than 160 countries worldwide. Dani is a committed advocate of human equality initiatives. She is the founding Chair of Wolverine Worldwide’s Women’s Network focusing on Diversity and Inclusion and is a member of the Board of Directors at Adoption Associates.