Perspectives 23 - Unleashed

Kara Swisher is an editor-at-large of New York Media, host of its On With Kara Swisher podcast and co-host of its Pivot podcast. She is also a contributing writer for New York Magazine.

Swisher was also the host of the Sway podcast for the New York Times and was a contributing columnist for its Opinion section. She was also the host and executive producer of Vox Media’s Code conference, which has been the top gathering of tech and media luminaries.

Previous to that, Swisher was also the host of the Recode Decode podcast, co-founded Recode and Code owner Revere Digital and, before that, co-produced and co-hosted The Wall Street Journal’s “D: All Things Digital,” with Walt Mossberg. It was the major high-tech conference with interviewees such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many other leading players in the tech and media industries. She and Mossberg were also the co-executive editors of a tech and media Web site, AllThingsD.com.

Swisher worked in The Wall Street Journal’s San Francisco bureau. For many years, she wrote the column, “BoomTown,” which appeared on the front page of the Marketplace section and also on The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com. Previously, Swisher covered breaking news about the Web’s major players and Internet policy issues and also wrote feature articles on technology for the paper. She has also written a weekly column for the Personal Journal on home issues called “Home Economics.”

Previously, Swisher worked as a reporter at the Washington Post and as an editor at the City Paper of Washington, D.C. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her graduate degree at Columbia University’s School of Journalism.

Swisher is also the author of “aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web,” published by Times Business Books in July 1998. The sequel, “There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future,” was published in the fall of 2003 by Crown Business Books. Her next book, coming in 2023, will be a memoir of her years covering Silicon Valley.

Britt Bloch serves as the Vice President, Talent Acquisition Strategy and Recruiting, and joined Navy Federal in April 2021. She previously worked at USAA where she was Head of Talent Acquisition Delivery, empowering senior leadership teams to restlessly reinvent the Talent Acquisition function to deliver maximum value to key stakeholders and enable Enterprise strategies. Britt has a broad background of recruitment expertise and was previously IBM’s North America and Canadian Client Innovation Centers’ Recruiting Leader.

Prior to her 10 years at IBM, she held several leadership roles with Marriott and Fifth Third Bank and was responsible for creating, championing, and executing delivery recruitment strategies to achieve mission critical business objectives.

In Chicago, Britt led a national recruiting firm for over 13 years and was highlighted as Crain top professional women in 2000.

In her free time, Britt enjoys industry writing and has been published in Forbes, Newsweek, and HR Executive Magazine. Her son, Nick, attends University of Central Florida’s Computer Science program.

Jennifer Bream is a Senior Program Manager for Learning & Development at the U.S. International Trade Commission. There she has established herself as a pivotal figure blending her passion for fostering growth with her knack for strategic implementation. Whether it's consulting with employees to nurture their professional aspirations or spearheading ambitious agency-wide training endeavors, Jennifer stands at the forefront of innovation and transformation. Jennifer has over 14 years of dedicated public service, beginning as a Peace Corps Volunteer and continuing with learning & development roles at Peace Corps headquarters and the U.S. Department of State. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University.

Stephanie Briggs is the Senior Director of Talent Management & Culture for the Humane Society Family of Organizations. Over the past two decades, Stephanie has worked across Operations and Human Resource roles to enhance performance outcomes through talent management strategies. Throughout her career she has designed and led numerous aspects’ of core Human Resource programs including leadership development, workforce and succession planning, organizational change management, as well as diversity and inclusion.

In addition to her non-profit focused work Stephanie has served as Vice Chair of the Virginia Energy Workforce Consortium, sat on the Diversity Advisory Group for the Center for Energy Workforce Development as well as the Alexandria & Arlington Regional Workforce Council. Stephanie is a graduate of Slippery Rock University, is a certified PHR, and lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, two sons and a menagerie of pets.

Amanda is a lifelong learning and development practitioner with a passion for unlocking the full potential of individuals and teams within organizations. With over twenty years of experience in talent development, organizational development, and change management, Amanda currently serves as the Director of Talent Development for St. Luke’s Health System where she designs and implements comprehensive talent development programs, ranging from onboarding and skill development to leadership development, coaching, and mentoring. She started her career in learning and development as a Facilitator and Consultant for Dale Carnegie before joining the JR Simplot Company where she moved on to the positions of Leadership Development Specialist, Manager, and later Director of Organizational Change Management. Through strategic guidance and an unwavering commitment to excellence, she has helped organizations foster a culture of continuous learning that values and encourages personal and professional growth. Amanda graduated from Iowa State University with an B.A. in Speech Communications. She holds a Masters in Adult and Organizational Learning and Leadership from University of Idaho.

Marianne is the Director of Talent Development for Lumen Technologies. She and her team are responsible for offering robust training and development opportunities to foster a culture of continuous learning for the humans at Lumen. She has over 34 years of experience in technology and training. Prior to joining Lumen 6 years ago, she managed technical training at Verizon for 11 years. She is passionate about developing others and helping them reach their potential.

Liza Harrington is the head of The Academy for Global Technology and Global Operations for Bank of America, leading learning and professional development for more than 70,000 employees. Her team is responsible for onboarding, educational programing, training, coaching and development across the employee life cycle. Liza also founded and led the Academy for Consumer Investments, Merrill Edge and the Private Bank, focusing on recruiting and training financial solutions advisors at Financial Centers, contact centers and Merrill offices.

Liza was recently the COO for the Consumer Client Services organization, which provides financial solutions to more than 65 million Bank of America clients each year. Liza provided horizontal leadership across the organization, driving initiatives around client experience, workforce productivity, digital adoption, employee engagement, and Real Estate strategy.

Liza joined Bank of America in 2005 and held a number of operations and strategy roles within Consumer, Merrill and Investment Banking. She has also worked as a management strategy consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton Financial Services practice in New York and Sao Paulo. Before her MBA Liza worked in Sao Paulo at Citibank’s corporate credit group and at Credit Agricole Indosuez sales & trading group for emerging markets.

Liza earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a business degree from Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is licensed for Series 7, Series 66 and Series 24 from FINRA. Liza resides in New York City with her husband, 16 year old twins, 11 year old daughter and Ginger, the Golden Retriever.

John manages all activity related to the delivery and development of Unisys University (UU)—the learning and development organization at Unisys—as well as the 13 members of the UU team. Although most of the content needed to satisfy their internal learning requirements is available through Percipio, there is often a need for other training, or certifications, that are not included in the many Percipio libraries. The additional training needs include the following:

• Custom proprietary courses, which must be created and deployed as needed by our internal clients based on their requirements; that training must be of the highest quality and always takes priority when we are building courses. All internal content is created by the UU Content Development team John manages.
• External Learning program: This program enables Unisys associates to go outside to get the training and/or certifications that are needed by the business.
• Certification program which helps Unisys associates to obtain and record certifications earned to support the business.
• Education Reimbursement / Executive Education (in partnership with edX): These programs offer opportunities for higher education learning.
• Compliance training: John works with the Legal Department to make the required compliance content available to Unisys associates.

In addition to the content responsibilities, John manage's Unisys' vendor relationships, including the managed services support received from Skillsoft and all of other vendor partner relationships. Finally, John is responsible for managing the UU budget to ensure they stay within the funding provided to UU by the company and to maximize the funds given by working with vendor partners to offer the most training possible at the best possible cost to Unisys.

Dr. Jones holds more than 30 years of academic and administrative experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Over the course of his career he has held two Endowed Chair Professorships. As the Ewing Marion Kauffman Endowed Chair for Teaching and Leadership at the University of Missouri he engaged in statewide research on best leadership practices in education reform in partnership with the Missouri State Department of Education, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Danforth Foundation. At the University of Missouri System level, Dr. Jones founded and led the Consortium for Educational Policy Analysis (CEPA), which was housed on three campuses of the University of Missouri System. Through his research at CEPA and with the support of the Peter Herschend Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Hall Family Foundation and the Danforth Foundation, he launched Missouri’s first statewide comprehensive assessment of student achievement. At the University of South Florida (USF), Dr. Jones served as the David C. Anchin Endowed Professor of Education and Director of the David C. Anchin Center. Under his leadership the external grant portfolio of the David C. Anchin Center grew from an estimated $625,000 when he arrived at USF to a record high of more than $30 million. Dr. Jones also served as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education. At the University of Houston (main campus), Dr. Jones served as Professor and Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School.

Prior to joining the academy, Dr. Jones worked extensively with philanthropic institutions on program funding strategies, strategic planning, evaluation and executive/board decision-making.

Dr. Jones currently serves on the board of the Northern Israel Center for the Arts and Technology and has served on the boards of Family Services America; the Alliance for Children and Families; the National Association of Partners in Education and the National Policy Board in Educational Administration.

Dr. Jones holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University in New York City.

Irene Justiniano has been with Humana for the past 18 years. She started in a technical training role and quickly began developing her skills and competencies as a culture and learning professional. Irene currently leads the IT Learning Strategies team, which is responsible for onboarding, integrating and enhancing the talent and development experience for IT associates. Prior to working in IT, she led culture for the Provider Process and Services Organization (PPS). Her team was responsible for strengthening associate engagement, enabling well-being, advancing inclusion and diversity and supporting organizational communications. During her time with PPS, her team increased the organization’s year over year engagement score by 40% and increased well-being by 30%. Her team was also recognized as a top performing culture team within the company.

Irene’s driving force in life is her faith and her passion for people. She enjoys using her talents and strengths to help build up others. Irene is a wife, a mother, friend, sister, daughter and mentor and loves to laugh, share stories, cook, read, travel and to live life to the fullest.

Favorite Quote: “Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Kathleen Koch is a sought-after moderator and master of ceremonies, leading fascinating discussions for The Hill, AtlanticLIVE, Washington Post LIVE, the Bipartisan Policy Center and major events and conferences around the world.

She is also an international speaker on disaster and resilience and founder of LeadersLink, the first nonprofit to harness and share elected officials’ disaster lessons learned to help other communities better prevent, prepare for and recover from similar crises. Koch is an award-winning journalist and author who for 18 years was a CNN Washington correspondent covering the White House, Pentagon and Capitol Hill as well as numerous disasters including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. She currently writes op-eds for CNN.com, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report and other publications.

Koch anchored two prize-winning documentaries on the recovery of her hometown, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and recorded its journey in a best-selling book, Rising from Katrina, which was named Best Nonfiction in the Southeast Region in the 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards. She also shared in the 2006 Peabody Award CNN received for its coverage of the hurricane.

From 2019 to 2021, Koch chaired Howard County, Maryland’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster, a network of more than 70 organizations working to speed and coordinate crisis preparation, response and recovery activity in the region. For her work leading the NGO pandemic response, Koch received the 2021 Holland Humanitarian Award and the 2020 Emergency Management Volunteer of the Year Award.

Koch is a Paul Harris Fellow and was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Dijon. She is a member of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Alumni Hall of Fame and serves on the Mass Communications and Journalism Advisory Board. Koch is also a member of the D.C. Board of Advisors for Childhelp, a nonprofit that works to combat child abuse and neglect.

Krista Mainous is a seasoned organizational development expert with a successful track record spanning over two decades. She’s held various roles in talent management, leadership development, sales, and sales training. Throughout her career she has been instrumental in driving organizational growth, employee development, and leadership excellence.

Currently serving as the Manager of Global Talent Management at Lexmark International – an innovative global imaging and IoT solutions leader – her team plays a crucial role in managing the company’s digital learning platform and strategy. The team is also responsible for directing Lexmark’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs, the organization’s global leadership succession process, and managing the company’s high potential programs which leverage both Skillsoft content and Skillsoft Coaching.

Krista holds a BA in Business Communications from Georgetown College. With her broad experience, she continues to make significant contributions to her organization’s success, setting a standard of excellence in the global business arena.

Matisha Montgomery is the Chief Learning Officer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In this role she oversees general training for employees across the Department, leadership development, learning technology and solutions, workforce and succession planning, Organizational Development, and HR Analytics. Matisha has been a career Federal servant since 2005. Matisha holds a master's degree in industrial/Organizational Psychology and certificates from American University’s Key Executive Leadership program and George Mason University’s Chief Learning Officer program. Matisha uses her experience transforming government through investments in workforce development and reform to help federal government organizations design experiences that build public trust. Matisha works at the nexus of employee experience, human capital, and process improvement to drive organizational transformation in government.

James Motley manages all aspects of workforce development for DLA to include managerial and supervisory development for DLA’s 4000 strong supervisory workforce, succession management programs for various career paths within the organization. Mr. Motley also manages DLA’s extensive Executive Coaching and Mentoring programs. He is in charge of the administration of DLA’s learning management system (LMS) which tracks learning histories for all 26,000 + employees and also houses the agencies e-learning program (Skillsoft) which contains over 4000 online training courses and 10,000 e-books. In all he is accountable for DLA’s multimillion dollar training budget.

Gina Johnson is the Director of Learning and Development for NTT DATA in North America. NTT DATA is a trusted global innovator in IT and business services, with headquarters in Tokyo. They offer consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization, and managed services, helping clients transform into the digital future. NTT DATA is committed to its clients' long-term success and serves them in over 50 countries with global reach and local client attention.

After leaving a career in sports journalism, Gina shifted her focus to Information Technology and became a functional consultant in SAP. She worked with clients in various industries and traveled around the world. Over time, she led SAP Canada Education Services, became a partner in boutique consulting firm Learn2Perform, designed SAP's largest external learning management system for the state of Pennsylvania, and ultimately became the Chief Learning Officer of Optimal Solutions, which was later acquired by NTT DATA.

Adam Pannone helps organizations meet future needs by building skills and capabilities. He currently leads program design and development for digital upskilling initiatives at Johnson & Johnson. In this role, he has the pleasure of partnering with some of the best and brightest minds in healthcare to help shape how the organization advances its digital talent strategy and innovates to provide amazing, democratized products and services to stakeholders.

Previously, Adam worked as a learning leader and management consultant with PwC and Booz Allen Hamilton. In these roles, he worked across digital upskilling and leadership development programs for new joiners to C-suite executive teams. He brings a range of experiences leveraging storytelling, humor, data analysis, visualization, and automation skills to advance organizational digital transformation.

Adam is a West Point graduate, retired Lieutenant Colonel, and holds an MBA from George Washington University. He was a distinguished leader for U.S. Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, SC, and was recognized as the U.S. Army Reserve’s instructor of the year in 2018. He lives with his wife Megan in Arlington, VA, enjoys biking and paddleboarding, and has a 226-day Duolingo streak.

Phil Rhodes is a senior executive who specializes in leveraging the latest technologies and processes to drive large-scale transformational change programs that deliver multimillion-dollar growth across highly competitive industries such as technology, hospitality, and environmental services. This experience – coupled with his strategic leadership and relationship management skills – has enabled him to thrive as a growth-oriented executive coach and workforce development leader. He has specific expertise in crafting dynamic Learning and Development (L&D) solutions that enable data-driven decision-making and help employees reach their full potential. Today he serves as the Head of Learning & Leadership Development at WM, the largest environmental services company in North America, and is a frequent conference keynote speaker on topics ranging from organizational effectiveness, leadership development, change management, and learning trends.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Cory C. Sangster was born on 27 January 1980 in Brownsville, TN. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps from Memphis, TN in August 1998 and entered recruit training on 24 August 1998 at 2d Battalion, Company H, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California.

Meritoriously promoted to Private First Class upon graduation, he attended Marine Combat Training followed by Ground Radio Repair Course and Field Radio Operators Course where he was assigned the military occupational specialty of 2531. After completing training, Private First Class Sangster was assigned to 2D Battalion 2D Marines where he served from January 1999 until October 2003. During this tour, he was promoted to Lance Corporal, Corporal and Sergeant and was deployed with the 26th MEU (Special Operations Capable) in support of Operation Silent Lance. Sergeant Sangster was again deployed with the 24th MEU (Special Operations Capable) in support of Operation Dynamic Response in 2002, Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002, Operation Southern Watch in 2003, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During these deployments he served as a radio operator for every company in the battalion, the Communications Platoon Sergeant and as the assistant radio chief during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In October 2003, Sergeant Sangster transferred to School of Infantry East, Camp Geiger, North Carolina, where he served as radio chief.

In December 2005 Staff Sergeant Sangster was transferred to Communications Company 1st Marine Division where he served from January 2006 to January 2009. During this tour he served as Radio Chief, Company Gunnery Sergeant and Company 1st Sergeant. He also served as the Communications Chief for Mojave Viper for over a year and deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom 682 and 791 as Communications Chief and Senior Enlisted Advisor for Military Transition Team 721. While at Camp Pendleton, Staff Sergeant Sangster attended the Radio Chief Course, the SNCO Career Course and the SNCO Advance Course where he was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant.

In January 2009, Gunnery Sergeant Sangster was transferred to Marine Corps Communications Electronics School at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty-nine Palms Ca. where he served from January 2009 to June 2012. During this tour he served as an instructor for the Radio Chief Course and an instructor for the Communications Course and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his performance.

In July 2012, Gunnery Sergeant Sangster was transferred to Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28. During this period he served as the Transmissions Platoon SNCOIC and deployed as the Communications Chief and Detachment SNCOIC for Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response in Moron Spain. He also served and Company Gunnery Sergeant for Company B, Company First Sergeant for Company B, and Company Operations Chief for Company B and was promoted to Master Sergeant.

In August 2015, Master Sergeant Sangster was transferred to HQMC, MMEA – 2 at Quantico Va. During his assignment, he served as the PMOS monitor for PMOS 0612, 0621, 0627 and 0631.

In August 2018, Master Sergeant Sangster was transferred to Marine Corps Forces Central Command where he was promoted to Master Gunnery Sergeant and served as the Communications Chief.

In May 2021, Master Gunnery Sergeant Sangster was transferred to HQMC, DCI, IC4 where he served as Occupational Field Specialist.

In February 2022, Master Gunnery Sergeant Sangster was selected and assigned as the Communications Chief of the Marine Corps/Senior Enlisted advisor to the Director, IC4, were he currently serves.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Sangster’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with a gold star, Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a gold star, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. Master Gunnery Sergeant Sangster is married to the former Shanetta Bowen of Beulaville, North Carolina; they have two daughters. Areionia, who is 24 years old, and Tia, who is 11 years old. They also have one son, Cory Jr, who is 17 years old.

Kisha Salters is Senior Manager of the MITRE Institute, the corporate education arm of the MITRE Corporation. The MITRE Institute is responsible for providing learning opportunities to reskill, upskill, and provide professional and technical development opportunities for MITRE’s staff. In addition to technical programs and courses, the MITRE Institute provides programs focused on early career staff and women.

Kisha holds a BS in Computer Science from South Carolina State University and a MS in Software Development and Project Management from Rochester Institute of Technology. Prior to working for MITRE, she was a real-time embedded systems programmer and systems engineer for 17 years at Xerox Corporation. During her time at Xerox, she received a US Patent for the development of an algorithm to maximize productivity on one of Xerox’s flagship high-volume printers. A subject matter expert role that involved training field engineers and technicians was the first step into the corporate education arena. This led to an opportunity in 2009 to utilize her technical expertise to help design a learning program for systems engineers at MITRE. The program, SEworks, received the Program Recognition Award, MITRE’s highest accolade, given for its most impactful work. A lifelong learner, and born into a family of educators, Kisha continues to look for ways to enable learning in a company with very diverse needs.

Keith Varner is the Manager of Learning & Development at Love’s Travel Stops. Prior to Love’s, Keith was a Senior Human Resource Manager with the Cintas Corporation, and he spent 31 years in the US Army retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2018.

Keith’s background in Human Resources, Recruiting, Operations, and Training serves him well in his current role, where he leads an L & D department focused on providing exceptional, engaging, and efficient training to Love’s 39,000 employees in over 650 locations nationwide.

Keith holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Central Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in Military History from American Military University, He is a graduate of the CLO Accelerator Course, is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, and a Certified Workplace Coach.

Matt Waesche is the Chief Learning Officer for BAE Systems, Inc., a U.S.-based defense company that generated 2022 sales of nearly $13.2 billion and employs more than 34,000 people around the world, with major operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden.

In this role, he is responsible for leading and formulating the company’s corporate learning and development programs and technologies as a strategic business process.

Matt has been a HR professional and leader for over 20 years, ending a 22 year career in the Navy as an HR Officer, and the last 15 years with BAE Systems.

His career started in the skilled trades as a Navy Aviation Machinist, later earning his commission to the officer ranks upon completing his Bachelor of Arts at San Diego State University. As a Naval Aviator, he operationally served as a Helicopter Aircraft Commander and Functional Check Pilot, highlighted by the squadron leadership positions of Maintenance Officer, Communications Officer, and Quality Assurance Officer. Upon completion of his Masters of Science in Leadership and Human Resource Development in 2001 at the Naval Postgraduate School, he served as a Professional Learning and Leadership Development Master Instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2004 Matt laterally transferred to become a HR Officer serving as a Workforce Strength Analyst/Planner at the Pentagon and an Officer in Charge of the Personnel Support Detachment at NAS Jacksonville. He retired from active service in 2008.

Matt started with BAE Systems Ship Repair in 2008, and in 2012 he moved to HR Shared Services as a Leadership Development Manager, HR Capabilities Manager, and Talent Manager working in the Talent Solutions Center of Expertise. In 2016 he returned to Ship Repair where he rose to the Director of HR supporting 5 shipyards (Norfolk, Jacksonville, Mobile, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor). In in 2020 he transferred to be the Director of HR in the Intelligence and Security sector supporting both the Air and Space Force Solutions (ASFS) business area and the Corporate Infrastructure Senior Leadership Team. In 2022 he returned to the Talent Solutions Center of Expertise as the Chief Learning Officer.

Matt has served in leadership positions in the manufacturing and services communities, having held positions representing BAE Systems on workforce development committees and various boards.

When not working, Matt can be found enjoying the outdoor lifestyle with his wife Casey and family, residing in Falls Church, Virginia.