Inspiring People

Megan McDonough is the CEO and founder of Wholebeing Institute.  Wholebeing Institute is a leading, world-wide educational organization founded in 2012 to teach the science of human flourishing. With a degree in nuclear medicine, several decades of leadership experience and 25 years of teaching and practicing yoga, Megan combines intellectual understanding with an embodied approach to teaching and leading. She's an award-winning writer and the author of four books on mindfulness. Her work focuses on helping people & organizations to thrive.  

Emma Plouffe is the VP of People & Culture at Vicarious Surgical. Vicarious Surgical is a Surgical Robotics company that has experienced rapid growth over the past several years. Emma leads the People team with a strong passion for creating employee development programs, championing internal mobility and maintaining a great company culture. Her current focus is on expanding recruiting operations as the company is looking to again double in size over the next 12 months. Prior to her time at Vicarious Surgical, Emma spent 3 years leading the People Team at Markforged and helping the company scale from 70 to 300+ employees globally. She has been involved in leading all aspects of HR including talent development, compensation & benefits, talent acquisition, and executive coaching.  

Andrea Forsht is the Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact at Quick Base. With a goal to be the most inclusive community in software, Quickbase looks to Andrea to lead diversity and inclusion initiatives and put action plans to this meaningful work while engaging the community in vital conversations. Prior to her time at Quickbase, Andrea spent 10 years working in Corporate Philanthropy.  Over the past several years, Andrea expanded her scope to include employee experience, building inclusive cultures, and expanding both employee engagement and alliances with surrounding communities.Andrea has an interesting perspective and experience to share around the tech industry's shift over the past year to a largely remote-work culture. She assumed her role at Quick Base both remotely (from her home in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area) and during the pandemic….all while preparing to welcome another child to her family.

Michelle Bergland is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at GID. In her role, Michelle oversees the people strategy for GID and its affiliated companies. She joined GID in 2017, and her focus is on ensuring all employees are provided with a supportive, challenging and engaging work environment where they can learn, grow and thrive.  Michelle has a background in education, accounting, operations and management. Her prior experience includes leading HR at The Princeton Review and EF Educational Tours, managing the Hult International Business School in Boston, and working as a CPA in the audit group at Price Waterhouse.

Jack McCullough is the President of the CFO Leadership Council. Jack is a recognized thought leader in the field of financial leadership, with a career that has included CFO positions at 26 companies. He founded the CFO Leadership Council, which is a global organization dedicated to empowering senior financial executives through innovative professional development programs and peer networking. Jack recently published his first book, Secrets of Rockstar CFOs, which is based upon conversations with more than 40 of the world's elite chief financial officers, from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 50 multinationals. He is a Senior Contributor at Forbes.com where he writes a bi-monthly article for the Forbes Financial Network.Jack's other accomplishments include chairing the MIT Sloan CFO Summit, and creating the vision behind CFO Week, a one-of-a-kind learning and networking experience jointly executed by the CFO Leadership Council and MIT Sloan. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two teenage sons.

Dr. Jarik Conrad, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, leads the Human Insights and HCM Evangelism group at UKG, where he works to help organizations put their people first.  Immediately prior to joining UKG, he led The Conrad Consulting Group, where he served as an executive coach, keynote speaker, and management consultant. He has held human resources leadership roles in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. He has also been a research collaborator with the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Conrad earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, two master's degrees from Cornell University, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of North Florida. He holds certifications in intercultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, plant-based nutrition, personal training and weight management. He is a sought-after speaker in the areas of leadership, health & wellness, emotional intelligence (EI), and diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEIB). He is also the author of the Amazon best-seller, The Fragile Mind. His next book, In Search of Humanity, will be published later this year. 

Marianne Monte is the Chief People Officer of Shawmut Design and Construction.  As CPO, Marianne drives human resource and business strategy, using executive coaching, compensation, talent management, and business partner leadership to create a successful work environment in which employees thrive. Marianne's work has been integral to Shawmut being named Best Workplace by Fortune Magazine multiple times, the first Construction firm in the US to be awarded such an honor. She has more than 25 years of experience in human resources and prior to joining Shawmut, Marianne served as the vice president of human resources for The Hanover Insurance Group.Marianne was awarded the 2017 Providence Business News C-Suite Award in the Chief Human Resources Officer category, recognized for being an innovator, trailblazer, role model, and leader. She graduated from Providence College with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government and earned her juris doctor degree from Suffolk Law School.  And in her spare time, Monte enjoys spending summers fishing on Ninigret Pond in Rhode Island with her wife and son.

This week's guest is Brandi Emerson, VP of People and Culture at Single Digits, Inc. Brandi is responsible for creating and implementing innovative people strategies. Her key areas of focus include promoting a vibrant culture, enhancing employment brand, providing leadership & development, and ensuring a positive and fulfilling experience for all.  Prior to her current role at Single Digits Inc, Brandi was the VP of People and Culture at Scribe Software where she lead a cultural turnaround initiative that helped transform the business, significantly increase engagement and revenue, and achievement of the award for 'Coolest Company to Work for For Young Professionals' in her state.  While Brandi is a certified HR professional with more than 15 years of experience, she proudly considers herself to be a non-traditional HR leader with a people first focus and is always interested in continuing her learning. Brandi enjoys mentoring new HR professionals, supporting the community, and spending time with her family.

As Chief Executive Officer of Flywire, Mike has grown the business from a concept into the global and growing company it is today. He has overseen Flywire's expansion in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions while aligning Flywire's international team with the company's strategic direction and increasing the visibility of Flywire globally.  His organization is a consistent Best Place to Work, most notably because they put their people (FlyMates) first with everything they do.Mike began his career as part of the technical risk services practice at PWC, LLP. His background spans global payments, mobile software and hardware, and e-billing at high growth technology companies, including Carrier IQ and edocs, Inc. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Babson College. Mike is also a 2019 recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Financial Services, which recognizes unstoppable entrepreneurs who redefine the way we live, work and play.

David Almeda is Chief People Officer of Kronos, Inc and Ultimate Software. In this role, he drives the company's human capital management strategy for more than 12,000 employees worldwide.Dave's vision and leadership has evolved the employee experience, leading to top place to work honors in both Fortune magazine “Top 100 Companies to Work For®” and on Glassdoor's “Top 100 Best Places to Work.” Dave, who was named CPO of the Year by Mass TLC in 2019 and CHRO of the Year in 2017 by HRO Today, has led the implementation of innovative benefits and employee development programs that have been featured in several leading publications, including Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal .Dave brings a wealth of expertise to Kronos and Ultimate after spending 16 years in various human resources functions at Staples, a $25 billion retailer with more than 90,000 employees worldwide. His most recent position with Staples was as vice president of global human resources. Dave is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM); serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Human Resources Association; and is an advisory board member of both The Workforce Institute at Kronos, and the Executive Program in Work-based Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton. 

Dr. Kiera Penpeci leads Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Drift. Her passion lies in helping leaders to enact the strategies and visions of their teams using Organizational Design principles. In her work, she focuses on surface acting, mindfulness, and their relationship to the sense of belonging.   Kiera will be the first to tell you that she's lucky because her day job is her passion and that she chose HR as a profession because she hopes to build a better place to work. In addition to her work at Drift, she devotes time to another cause that is near and dear to her as a member of the Girls In Tech Advisory Board.

Cynthia Ring is the Chief People Officer of Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare. Her passion is in curating and continually improving the essentials of effective corporate culture -- from HR and business operations to building programs that sustain and nurture organizational and staff development. With a big focus on coaching and mentoring resources, she's designed employee experience and recognition programs that have secured Harvard Pilgrim's long track record as one of Boston's Best Places to work. Cynthia has served in a variety of leadership roles within Human Resources over the last twenty-five years.  Within the last ten, she's received special recognition from the Stepping-Up Program, JobClubRI and the Governor's office for her work in establishing an innovative career ladders program and her commitment to community workforce investment & development programs.  Community service and corporate responsibility are both passions for Cynthia and she serves on many non-profit Boards. 

Tracy Burns is the CEO of the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA).  Tracy has served as NEHRA's Chief Executive Officer since November of 2010. Prior to this role, she spent nearly 20 years working in corporate HR, holding leadership positions across various industries. In 2016 she received SmartCEO's Brava Award as one of 40 female leaders in Greater Boston. And in 2017, she was featured in Boston Business Journal's series “Women of Influence”. Tracy is also actively involved across a number of HR associations and management advisory boards. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Tracy has called the Boston area “home” since 1996. She is passionate about advancing female leaders, raising two fabulous boys and her bulldog, Moose.

Veronica Curran is VP of Global People & Culture Operations at Flywire.  In this role, she manages Flywire's HR Operations, Talent Acquisition and Office Administrative teams in APAC, EMEA and The Americas.  Prior to Flywire, Veronica was the Global VP of Talent Acquisition at Mendix, a Siemens Company, and spent time at both Bain Capital and Turbonomic as well. Veronica's spent the last 15 years building tech start-ups and developing a passion for both understanding great talent as well as a focus on the importance of building strong executive teams. 

Cara Pelletier is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Belonging at Ultimate Software. She holds a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School. A highlight of Cara's Ultimate Software career has been building our in-house leadership development and diversity programs from the ground up. She's passionate about helping leaders connect their heads with their hearts, creating welcoming and inclusive teams, and leading their teams to greater levels of success. Cara never says no to karaoke. Her house in Maine is a revolving door for animals. Currently, she and her wife have 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Dena Upton is the Chief People Officer at Drift, the world's leading conversational marketing and sales platform.  Dena leads Drift's People Operations team, responsible for the company's talent development, operations, recruitment and retention. Prior to that she served as VP, People and Talent for LogMeIn for six years, and brings over 20 years of experience in managing people. During our chat, we talk about how under Dena's leadership, her prior companies have been recognized for outstanding culture and talent management, including nine consecutive Best Places to Work accolades from the Boston Business Journal.  We also discuss how she's recently navigated decisions around the safety of her employees and customers during this unprecedented time.

Paul Clark is President & CEO of Clark & Lavey Benefits. He's been in the industry for more than 30 years and is a former board member of the Manchester Area Human Resources Association (MAHRA) as well as a member of the Society of Human Resource Professionals (SHRM). He's also served on Advisory Boards for various carrier organizations. In our discussion, Paul spoke about the rapidly-evolving world of benefits.  From unique new benefits that companies are offering to how the under-utilization of healthcare premiums could spur a change in the way businesses approach insurance. 

Christina Luconi is the Chief People Officer at Rapid7. There are many out there who already know Christina's name, but for those who don't Christina has served as a People Strategy Executive for a variety of start-up companies including @stake, Sapient, and now Rapid7. She's recognized as a visionary in her field, and embodies the belief that a great company starts with the quality and leadership of people you have on the team...and the culture you build to scale an organization. Christina's side gigs include being a board member for BUILD Boston as well as advisor to CultureHQ, Scholarjet and the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.  In addition to serving in an advisory capacity to a variety of CEOs, she's a highly-regarded speaker and the author of a blog on VentureFizz.

Chris McMahon is the Senior Vice President of People at Kyruus where he is responsible for all aspects of the employee experience and spearheads talent acquisition, development, and retention. Near and dear to Chris are the mission and vision of Kyruus and he is also the ambassador of the company's CORE values - Caring, Ownership, Respect, and Empowerment.  When Chris isn't wearing his Kyruus hat, he is a proud husband and father of two teenagers. In this episode we talk about topics ranging from the importance of mission in attracting the right people at Kyruus to how they've pivoted quickly to help their primarily office-based team thrive in a WFH environment.

Craig Powell is the President and CEO of Motus, a technology company in downtown Boston.  In his time as CEO, Motus has been recognized for both its significant growth and as a multiple-time Best Place to Work winner.  Outside of work, Craig is a proud husband and father of three children.  And in his spare time he busies himself with impressive endeavors including serving our nation's veterans through Your Grateful Nation, improving life outcomes for urban youth with the Beat the Streets Wrestling and as a contributor to the Forbes Technology Council. 

Paula Heller is the VP of People & Culture at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Paula is best described as a leader who is committed to creating and achieving the best possible outcomes through a focus on People. Her career in HR has spanned over 25 years but it wasn't until recently that Paula found her true purpose and passion.  We'll talk a bit more about that today, but also learn about Kripalu's focus on stress, mental health and emotional resiliency in light of current events. 

Dave Barbato is CEO & co-founder of Talent Retriever. Dave is someone we've been lucky enough to get to know over the past few years… in fact, he's been kind enough to welcome Jason and I as squatters at Talent Retriever's Tech Jam booth a couple of times now. In even those short times together, it's easy to see that Dave and his wife Cheryl have created a special and unique community at Talent Retriever.  So it's come as no surprise that they've evolved into a multiple-time Best Place to Work winner and have earned a reputation as one of the top talent acquisition partners for companies such as LogMeIn, Rapid7, Intuit and Constant Contact among others. 

Tom Connolly is the CEO of GattiHR. He's built a reputation as an HR visionary over the span of his 30+ year career and has held leadership roles across such recognizable names as Citibank, UBS and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Currently you may know Tom as the CEO of GattiHR.  And when he's not wearing that hat, Tom keeps himself busy as a husband, father, community servant, and DisruptHR Boston organizer -- among many other things.