Headliners - Eight Keynotes!
Angus King
- Brunswick, Maine
Angus King was Maine's 72nd Governor and the second Independent to hold that office. His crowning achievements included work on the Land for Maine's Future program and the initiative that provided laptops to Maine's middle school students. Before his two terms as governor, King was a successful businessman and host of the MPBN series "Maine Watch." Now on the faculty at Bowdoin College, Angus also serves as this convention’s unofficial historian. His keynote, “How to make an effective speech and live to tell about it,” comes from lessons from some of history’s great communicators.
Hope Mihalap
- Norfolk, Virginia
Hope Mihalap is an award-winning humorist with an ear for accents and a warm message. Hope's humor and insights come from her background as a Greek-American married to a Russian, as well as from her experience as private secretary to the famed Sir Rudolf Bing, temperamental head of the Metropolitan Opera. Hope holds two of the most respected speaking awards in the world: the Mark Twain Award for Humor, received also by such artists as Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Phyllis Diller and Erma Bombeck, and the Speaker Hall of Fame Award, the Oscar of the speaking profession.
Kimberly Reed
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kimberly Reed is an entrepreneur and HR leadership and networking guru from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kim specializes in the design and delivery of innovative solutions that improve an organization’s ability to identify, attract, retain, and develop top diverse talent. The first and youngest African American to be nominated for SHRM’s “HR Person of the Year Award,” Kim’s work experience has focused on diverse talent management, planning, staffing, and training in senior management roles at Deloitte & Touche USA, Merrill Lynch, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Jay Wallus
- Peabody, Massachusetts
Jay Wallus began his selling career the hard way 20 years ago when he was hired to head out to the streets of Boston and dig up business by door-to-door, cold calling in the office equipment industry. He quickly rose to be one of the top sales reps in the country…not because of his great closing skills, but because of his non-conformist speaking skills. In a powerful, creative, and funny keynote, Jay will challenge you to become a different type of human resources professional by discarding your past beliefs and habits.
Ryan Estis
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ryan Estis’ passion is to enhance HR performance by driving higher levels of employee and customer engagement. It’s a passion he demonstrated on stage in a Mega Session at last year’s SHRM National Conference in New Orleans. Now he brings this message to the Maine HR community. Ryan is one of the industry’s leading experts in employee engagement, HR communications, and employer branding. Stories from his experience as a Fortune 500 chief strategy officer, brand strategist, and HR ambassador form the basis for his keynote: Employment Branding 2.0.
Jazz Impact - Michael Gold, Ph.D.
- New York City
A stand-up bass, drums, and a saxophone may have more in common with the corporate business model than most people realize. “Jazz Improvisation in the HR World” will enlighten the audience, through sound and technique, to think of HR strategies in the jazz perspective. Developed by Michael Gold, Ph.D., Jazz Impact is a fusion of insights and parallels drawn from both the world of business and the world of jazz. Michael spent 20 years as a freelance bassist and teacher of improvisation in New York City and earned his Doctorate in Performance from New York University.
Eric Peterson
- Alexandria, Virginia
Eric Peterson is SHRM’s Manager of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives. He is a thought leader, champion, and project lead in the design and implementation of innovative diversity strategies. Eric is a recipient of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Diversity Award and the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from the National Conference for Community & Justice. Eric’s essays on diversity and inclusion have been published in “Profiles in Diversity Journal” and “Echelon Magazine,” and he has been sourced as a diversity expert by the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.
Susan Arledge
- Portland, Maine
Susan Arledge is a Portland-based motivational speaker who excites and delights her audience by engaging them and challenging them to acknowledge the talents that they bring to their work. She has taught in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the U.S. “Most of us work 80,000 to 100,000 hours in our lives. Wouldn’t you rather do it with intention rather than by default?” This session will remind you why you chose HR as your career and what a critical impact you have on your organizations. (You DO Rule the World!) Please bring your sense of humor!