As an award winning Certified Professional Career Coach, Certified Virtual Presenter, TEDx Speaker, and Leadership Development Consultant at Crawford Leadership Strategies, Joyel helps others expertly navigate every step of their career. Crawford Leadership Strategies is an award-winning consultancy that provides Leadership consulting, Keynotes, and Hybrid Solutions to provide your organization with the tools, knowledge, and skills to RISE and thrive in the global workplace.
Before her consulting career, Joyel supported professionals within all functional groups for 18 years at Verizon Wireless. She worked in Employee Relations, EEO/AA, Staffing, Professional Mentoring, and Learning & Development Training throughout her career. She was a Manager of Management and Employee Development in charge of the Leadership Development programs for over 30K employees.
Joyel hosts a podcast called “Career View Mirror®” and is the author of the Amazon Bestselling book “Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career” which was ranked #1 in New Releases.
Crawford has facilitated leadership development courses and has been a keynote speaker for businesses and organizations such as the U.S. Senate, NASA JPL, The New York Times, ESPN, Intuit, NYC Mayor’s Office, Morgan Stanley, Hewlett Packard, Aramark, various chapters of SHRM, NJACP, SHFM, and many other notable industries, organizations, and higher education institutions.
Gabby is the Co-founder and CEO of Cooper, a parenting mecca offering parents (and parents to be) with the tools and resources to build their parenting muscle and become the parents they want to be. Cooper offers on demand access to leading experts in child development and likeminded parents, 24/7. Group sessions, live events/workshops and “always on” one-on-one support are spearheaded by top tier experts including PhD’s, educators and licensed clinical social workers with decades of experience. Cooper’s mission is to equip parents with more effective ways of seeing and solving parenting challenges at home.
Prior to founding Cooper, Gabby spent her early career working with founding teams at multiple e-commerce startups . From there, she founded her first company out of Columbia Business School – Ollie, a DTC subscription dog food company.
Bethany Adams has more than 15 years of experience in HR and education. She began her career working in learning & development and human resources in the restaurant and retail industries. She has experience in both small, privately-owned businesses and large, Fortune 500 organizations. Bethany holds a BA in Psychology, MA in Organizational Management, the SHRM-SCP certification, and is a Certified Genos International Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. She currently teaches at Villanova University in the Graduate Programs in HR Development. Bethany has spoken at a variety of conferences throughout the country and leads corporate training on topics including emotional intelligence, DEI, and strategic HR. Bethany hosts an HR podcast called HR Tea.
Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group. Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year. He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.
Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as a n Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Naomi Barrett is currently the Director of Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at EisnerAmper, a global Accounting and Advisory firm. With 15 years of combined HR and DEI experience, she works closely with organization leaders and employees at all levels to design and execute DEI strategies. She has extensive experience leading employee experience efforts inclusive of DEI, recruitment, employee engagement, policy development, and more.
Naomi holds a B.S. in Applied Psychology from Albright College and a M.P.A. in HR Management from West Chester University. Her passion lies in being able to cultivate employee-focused, inclusive cultures where employees thrive. She also enjoys mentoring young professionals and connecting with like-minded professionals across industries.
Scott J Prendergast is a full-time Keynote Speaker and Mental Health Advocate based in Philadelphia, PA and owner of Scotty P Inspiration LLC. A graduate of Temple University, Scott speaks about the importance of acknowledging mental health in society, and encourages techniques to overcome the everyday mental obstacles that hold us back in life. Scott travels across the country speaking to audiences ranging from college professors, to corporate board rooms, while sharing his own story of hope and resilience in learning to overcome depression. Scott uses a practical approach of mindful strategies combined with a compassionate touch to help others validate their own feelings, and work towards moving past them. Scotty P Inspiration is a registered LLC in the state of Pennsylvania, and has partaken in speaking events across 38 different states totaling over 150,000 people in five years. Scott has been featured on Fox 29 Good Day Philadelphia on multiple occasions, and has also appeared as a keynote speaker for the Philadelphia Phillies “Strike Out The Stigma Event.” Scott is also set to release his first published book titled; From Rock Bottom to rock solid: Learning to Navigate Life Through The Lens of Hope, this upcoming January 2024.
Lauren Williams, SPHR is the CEO of Workplace Harmony, a dynamic group of HR experts (think Avengers) that helps women owned and minority small businesses thrive with leading high performing teams and building better workplaces.HR is the No. 1 thing employees complain about. Lauren and her team know how to get the employee experience right — whether it is as simple as being sure your newest rockstars can log on, get to work and get paid, or it is as complex as blending workplace cultures when you merge one company with another. Have you thought about a mentor program or what a more robust DEI process looks like? What about recognition and rewards outside of money? Lauren cares deeply about the employee experience, and she sees around the corners so her clients can keep their heads down and do the work.When you meet Lauren, you’ll see her positivity, integrity and spiritually shine through. You’ll know her by her smile and laugh, and you’ll hear her tell her clients want they need to hear with honesty and directness. Lauren holds an undergraduate degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in Finance and Economics and a Master’s of Arts from Immaculata University in Organizational Development & Effectiveness. Her job is to help you establish a foundation that is so strong that as you grow, you won’t need her and her team of experts anymore. Lauren supports her community in various ways including volunteering on the HR Committee of Pottstown Beacon of Hope, which provides shelter to the homeless population in Montgomery County. She also is on the Board of Foundation for Pottstown Education, helping the school district of Pottstown provide opportunities for the students to excel. Lauren resides in Pottstown, PA with her husband and three kids. When she isn’t helping her husband find his keys, or wrangling the three children, she loves a good high energy concert, she can also be found cooking, and satisfying her addiction to retail therapy.
Professional Journey
Kendra Davis-Roberts has shaped her career with a commitment to excellence, cultivating an impressive array of HR skills with industry giants such as HP, Inc., Wawa, Inc. and Comcast. Her expertise spans across People Analytics, HRIS, Recruiting, HR operations, and Program Management, always with a keen focus on enriching the employee experience—a testament to her belief in its pivotal role within HR practices.
Analytics Expertise
With six years dedicated to People Analytics and Insights and over a decade in Human Resources, Kendra has become a vanguard in the field, delivering strategic insights that fuel organizational transformation and innovation. Renowned for her proficiency in establishing People Analytics Centers of Excellence, she adeptly integrates cutting-edge software and conducts advanced analyses on pivotal HR metrics, driving forward initiatives in resignation, retention, talent management and talent acquisition.
Philadelphia Roots
A proud Philadelphian (Go Phillies! Go Eagles!), Kendra’s academic and personal life is deeply rooted in the City of Brotherly Love. Her educational journey, culminating in both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, was proudly completed at The Pennsylvania State University—a foundation that has supported her professional ethos and success.
Sulaiman W. Rahman is the CEO of DiverseForce, a company specializing in inclusive human capital solutions with a broad client base spanning local, national, and international levels. In 2007, he founded UPPN, now known as BBEx Network, a well-regarded professional network. Ten years later, in 2017, he launched DiverseForce. Under his leadership, the company has developed innovative solutions such as DiverseForce on Boards, a board governance training and matching program created in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, and DiverseForce Executive Search. These initiatives have successfully placed over 300 diverse board members and executives in the social impact sector since 2017. In 2021, Rahman opened the P4 Hub, a versatile 11,000-square-foot facility in Philadelphia’s Germantown-Wayne Junction, designed for training, collaboration, and hosting special events, catering to his extensive network across public, private, and philanthropic sectors. Rahman is also actively involved in volunteer work, serving as Chairman of the board of Mastery Schools and the boards of numerous other regional and national organizations. His numerous awards and honors acknowledge his significant business achievements and community involvement, establishing him as one of Philadelphia’s most influential leaders. Rahman is recognized for his expertise across multiple sectors, highlighting his impact as a distinguished leader.
Peggy Verdi is Vice President, Human Resources and Administration for Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA). In her role as the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Verdi is responsible for all aspects of human resources. This includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts, managing corporate facilities and services, working on strategic planning initiatives, change management, and organizational design in order to meet the needs of the constantly evolving business.
At Subaru, Verdi has successfully built a leadership team with a combination of internal and external talent and is focused on partnering with leaders to create organization structure, talent strategy and succession plans for future growth. She has demonstrated success in all aspects of global human resources, enhancing organizational decision-making and approaches for securing growth on a business-wide scale.
Her dedication has helped SOA achieve sustainable people solutions and drive transformational change, partnering with leaders to create a vision, organization structure, talent strategy and succession plan for future growth. Verdi has been recognized for her excellent business acumen, sound judgment, deep understanding of what motivates people, and her success in collaborating with leaders challenged by all facets of change. Prior to joining Subaru in 2017, Verdi served as Chief Human Resources Officer of BAYADA Home Health Care and was a consultant for Resources Global Professionals. She began her career at Bristol-Myers Squib, where she was most recently the Executive Director Human Resources Change Planning, holding numerous global human resources positions throughout her nearly 30-year tenure. Verdi holds a master’s in human resource management from Rutgers University – New Brunswick and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University – Camden. She serves as the executive sponsor of the SOA veteran community employee resource group, SARGE, and is a mentor for employees throughout the company. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and has two adult children.
