Kimberly JonesKimberly Jones, a Global Talent Acquisition Strategist who has worked for some of the most recognized corporate brands. In her most recent role as the Talent Acquisition Director at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), she managed JPL’s recruiting team in the continuous recruitment of talent from early career to senior level positions.
Prior to joining JPL, she enjoyed a wealth of experiences at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, GE Aviation, Raytheon, Honda, and Nationwide. Her 20+ years of experience have allowed her to learn and thrive in a variety of industries and corporate environments. She’s been fortunate to lead and be a member of recruiting teams that sought to recruit the best and brightest both nationally and internationally. She has developed and implemented comprehensive recruiting strategies for organizations whose needs included accounting, administrative staff, business operations, communications, engineering, finance, human resources, IT, manufacturing, scientist, and skilled labor.
One of her most rewarding and challenging assignments occurred while working at Raytheon as the Recruiting and Diversity Manager for Raytheon Polar Services. The Polar Services team, assigned to the primary contract for National Science Foundation, staffed all program positions at the headquarters location in Denver, CO along with contractors deployed to Antarctica: Palmer Station, McMurdo Station, and South Pole. Kimberly successfully completed a 6 week deployment to Antarctica including time spent at South Pole. While at Nationwide she was responsible for managing internship programs for United Negro College Fund, INROADS, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and the Tom Joyner Foundation.
Kimberly is a graduate of Wilberforce University, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management. She has obtained designations in Six Sigma, SHRM PHR, Certified Project Manager, and Certified Internet Recruiter. Kimberly is from Columbus, OH and maintains office locations in both California and Ohio. She is actively involved in the talent acquisition community and is a member of the Orange County Talent Acquisition Leadership Forum and the Los Angeles HR Advisory Board for the Veteran’s Hiring Initiative.
Lonnie McGowenLonnie McGowen Jr. has been fortunate to hold positions of influence within a Fortune 400 Company that has afforded him the unique perspective on topics such as Diversity/Inclusion and Leadership in today’s ever changing world. Lonnie McGowen Jr. attended San Francisco State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. During his time in college, Lonnie served as a student-athlete where he played 4 years of Basketball for the San Francisco State University Men’s Basketball team and led them as team captain his Junior and Senior year.
Upon graduation, Lonnie begin his professional career at The Sherwin Williams Company as a Manager/Sales Trainee in March of 2002. Lonnie quickly started his ascension up the company ladder, first being promoted to Assistant Manager and then to Store Manager in the heart of Marin County in Northern California. After a 2-year stint as Manager, Lonnie was promoted to the position of Area Human Resources Recruiter followed by another move to Area Human Resources Manager in 2008 based out of Denver Colorado.
Lonnie served as Regional Human Resources Director for the Global Supply Chain Division in Dallas TX where he was successful in creating various hiring and diversity initiatives. He played a significant role in the acquisition and integration of a smaller company into The Sherwin Williams Company during his tenure as Director of Human Resources. Going through the experience of an acquisition uncovered the true meaning of what an HR Business Partner looked like for Lonnie and his department. Lonnie currently serves as the Vice President of Human Resources (The Americas Group) where he covers the Southwestern Retail Stores Group. Lonnie has been tasked to create, drive and maintain initiatives that are strategic in action and targeted by design to continue the strong tradition of a company that has been around since 1866. As a representative of the Sherwin Williams Company, Lonnie offers Sales and Human Resources experience that gives him a unique perspective in a business environment full of global significance and cultural complexities. Amongst many other board positions, Lonnie is dedicated to providing guidance to those leaders that desire to impact the business, community, and world in which they live in.
Tatiana OueiniTatiana Oueini is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner providing strategic HR partnership to the Legal and Compliance division for Capital Group, one of the largest financial management organizations globally. Prior to that, Tatiana was the Regional HR Director for Saks Fifth Avenue for the West and Midwest regions of the country. She also spent a number of years working for Nestlé USA and held several HR positions within corporate, factory, and field capacities during her tenure. She began her career as an a Human Resources Manager for Target Stores where she not only got her start in HR but gained hands on business experience running multi-million dollar store operations. Throughout her career, she has been proud to advocate for and actively engage in initiatives that promote employee engagement, development, diversity and inclusion, as well as improve the professional experience and landscape for women within her organizations. Outside of work, when she’s not playing tennis or finding her next adventure, Tatiana spends her time in the community and university campuses where she delivers resume and interview workshops in addition to providing career counseling to students and young professionals. Tatiana holds a BA in Communications from UCLA.
Mona KhalilMona Khalil is a first-generation Guyanese-Egyptian American. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, focused on community and youth development. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at St. Mary’s and is a full time employee at LinkedIn as a Sr. Program Manager, Inclusion Recruiting.
Mona’s previous work experience was at Tesla as a Sr. Project Manager, Global Business Operations. She was the Founder and President of Tesla’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) Intersectionality. The mission is to promote personal empowerment for individuals where the social categorization of (mixed) race, class, gender, age, sexuality, ability and other characteristics meet. Empowering employees to show up to work as their whole self, without deconstructing their identity to achieve professional and social workplace equality.
She published her first book of reflective poetry rooted in love and telling the story of her life, from childhood through present day. I Write Letters in my Thoughts is a synoptic view into one person’s journey through love, life, and ultimately towards liberation. Her book is a testament to the power of storytelling as a historic healing method for communities who are often told to be quiet and patient. I Write Letters in my Thoughts allows us to realize that we are enough and that enough is enough; suffering is not our destiny, love is not impossible, and freedom is what we make it.
Kristena D. Hatcher, PHRKristena D. Hatcher, PHR, is an HR Executive focusing on Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) at leading entertainment, media, and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). She partners with leadership to solidify the overall I&D business strategy to foster an inclusive environment, ensuring CAA continues to attract, develop, and retain more diverse voices, from diverse backgrounds across the workforce. Most recently, she’s leading sessions of CAA Inclusion & Diversity’s Embracing Our Differences, conceived to leverage the diversity of thought and collective genius across the organization. As a member of the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program’s Advisory Board, Hatcher serves as a trusted resource helping fulfill the organization’s mission to be the conduit that bridges the gap between top qualified diverse candidates and the desire and commitment of the entertainment industry to develop a culturally and ethnically diverse workforce. Prior to overseeing I&D, Hatcher focused on talent acquisition and recruitment, establishing and managing internal and external collaborative partnerships, and developing and implementing staffing plans and strategies with a focus on building diverse, high-caliber applicant/candidate pools within the Motion Picture, Television, and Foundation client groups.
Prior to joining CAA in 2014, Hatcher was an Executive Recruiter for Morgan Samuels, a retained executive search firm, where she was responsible for placing senior executives and C-level talent across industries including digital media and entertainment, consumer packaged goods, and engineering and construction. She actively volunteers her time with organizations including Step Up, Dress for Success, and Hire Heroes USA.
Hatcher holds a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama. She received her Professional in Human Resources (“PHR”) Certification through the HR Certification Institute and completed coursework in Human Resources Management at UCLA.
Dr. Tyson BealeDr. Tyson Beale is a passionate “retention-driven” higher education administrator and practitioner who supports colleges and business industry partners with re-imagining practical methods and strategic plans to achieve ultimate organizational effectiveness. As a Dean and Professor, Beale is committed to sharing his learned experiences to promote recruitment, retention and development experiences for students and staff. According to Beale, “It’s time for change, students deserve it and most professionals require it”. As a highly sought speaker, Beale provides inspiring workshops, keynotes and training for colleges and business professionals. His passion to empower networks of emerging leaders led to his creation of PathwaysFWD.com. According to Beale, PathwaysFWD.com is a powerful consortium of real-time and relevant professional development on college retention and organizational effectiveness.
Beale joined the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) as Dean of Students in August 2017. At the Alexandria Campus, Beale and staff advise more than 15,000 college students in Alexandria, Virginia. Directly, Beale oversees Student Life, Student Conduct, First Year Advising, Enrollment Services and Counseling.
Prior to NOVA, he served as Assistant Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs under the University of North Carolina System. He has progressively functioned in a myriad of higher education roles such as Associate Dean for University College at Fayetteville State University (FSU), Retention Coordinator at Morgan State University (MSU) and Network Leader for the headquarters division of Baltimore City Schools. He contributes his passion for K-20 education to his parents, mentors and students that inspired him to think big.
For fun, Tyson teaches business and higher education courses.
The Virginia Beach native holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from MSU, a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Social Science from Radford University. Beale has extensive experience in leading and supervising student services, including academic advising, first-year experience programs, learning communities and student conduct among other areas. He received the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP) highest honor as its Sadie Yancey Professional Service Awardee for 2017. Tyson maintains professional affiliations and memberships within Student Affairs organizations and presents at multiple professional organizations throughout the year.
VP Harry Le GrandeHarry Le Grande, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of UC Berkeley and a nationally-recognized leader in Student Affairs, began the next chapter of an illustrious career in higher education on Aug. 26, 2019, taking over as Vice President for the Division of Student Affairs at California State University, Fullerton.
As Vice President Le Grande often says, “students are not an interruption to our day; they are the reason we are here.” Once retired and enjoying life after a successful career, VP Le Grande returned to the profession because of his unremitting desire to serve the next generation of students through Student Affairs work. During a time of transition within The California State University system, he assumed the position of Interim Vice President for Student Affairs at California State University, San Bernardino and then Sonoma State University. Shortly thereafter, he joined Cal State Fullerton.
Originally retiring from UC Berkeley in 2016 after 35 years, VP Le Grande had led as chief student affairs officer for nearly a decade, overseeing 19 administrative units with almost 1,500 career positions and an annual operating budget of more than a quarter of a billion dollars. This was a proverbial leadership opportunity 27 years in the making, with VP Le Grande beginning his professional life as a Golden Bear as a Student Affairs officer in 1981, successively rising through the ranks — from Associate Director of Housing and Dining Operations to Associate Vice Chancellor of Residential & Student Service Programs — until his appointment as vice chancellor in 2008.
VP Le Grande’s institutional service and contributions to the higher education landscape are as wide-ranging and diverse as his Student Affairs portfolio. This includes serving as an appointee of Governor Brown on the California Student Aid Commission; Chair of the Education Funding Model Committee; Chair of the Council of Student Affairs Vice Chancellors; Principal Investigator of the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program; and Vice President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. He is also no stranger to the awards podium, having been recognized with the Pillar of the Profession Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA); the Berkeley Citation, the highest honor awarded by the UC’s founding campus; and the Distinguished Service to the Profession Award as well as the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean/VP from NASPA Region VI. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Ecology from UC Irvine and a Master of Education in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State.
Dr. Zack RitterZachary Ritter received his Ph.D. in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), focusing on Asian international students’ cross-racial interactions. He is currently Interim Associate Dean of Students at Cal State Dominguez Hills where he focuses on conduct issues from a restorative justice lens. He also is an adjunct professor at UCLA, teaching civic engagement/social justice history of Los Angeles. Additionally, he is a diversity and inclusion consultant for Community Works Institute (CWI). He was most recently the Interim Associate Dean of the Office of Institutional Diversity at Harvey Mudd College. Before that, he was associate director of the Office of Campus Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Redlands. He recently co-edited a book called Marginality in the Urban Center: The Costs and Challenges of Continued Whiteness in the Americas and Beyond.
Gyasmine George-Williams, PPS, Ph.DGyasmine George-Williams, Ph.D, also affectionately known as “Dr. G” is an activist and socio-cultural higher education practitioner. She currently serves as an assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of La Verne. At La Verne, she also serves on the Black Scholars Advisory Board, Black Faculty and Staff Association, and is a faculty partner to La Verne’s intercollegiate athletics committee. She actively equips her students with the tools to engage and develop multicultural competencies, challenge ideologies and formulate a critical lens. She has served in higher education since 2002 holding leadership and administration positions in athletics, student services, multicultural services, housing, and academic affairs at institutions in Southern California.
Her research and passion includes athlete and student activism, student-faculty interaction among students of color, women of color in leadership, and critical race theory in higher education. She is a frequent presenter at conferences throughout North America and internationally, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE), the Black Student Athlete Summit, International Activism Conference,
NASPA Annual Conference, Advancing Women in Leadership Conference, and at the University of Western Cape in South Africa. She earned her bachelor’s in Psychology from California State University Los Angeles, masters in College Counseling and Student Development and masters in Educational Counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential from the University of La Verne, and earned her Ph.D in Higher Education with a Certificate in Strengths-Oriented Higher Education from Azusa Pacific University.
Dr. Tracy Pascua DeaDr. Tracy Pascua Dea is the Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success and former Director of the High Potential First Generation to College Program at Saint Mary’s College of California. She also teaches part-time at Northeastern University and Saint Mary’s College. She has 15+ years progressive experience in corporate and higher education settings specializing in student success, diversity, equity and social justice, career development, and leadership training and development. Her research and teaching focus on student success with an emphasis on first generation and historically marginalized student populations, strengths-based institutional change, first generation professionals with special interest in the Asian Pacific Islander community, and the power of narratives for social change. She has worked with diverse individuals and groups and with internationally recognized programs; co-wrote and awarded two Federal grants totaling $4.2 million; and has presented over 30 times at international and national conferences. Throughout her career, Tracy has been active in service to the community and has held leadership roles in professional organizations such as NASPA, NACADA and APAHE. Her family immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. She is the first in her family to attend college in the United States. Tracy earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and B.A. in Psychology from Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She is co-author of NextGenFirstGen.com and KayaNarratives.com.
Elizabeth HannaAn American of Mexican descent, Elizabeth Hernandez Hanna grew up in Wilmington, CA with both of her parents and four siblings. The struggle of living in a low income and high crime demographic area made earning an education a lofty dream, but with the support of her husband and her mama, Elizabeth earned her GED, an Associate’s degree from L.A. Harbor College, a Bachelor’s degree from CSU Dominguez Hills and a Master’s degree from CSU Long Beach.
Professionally, Elizabeth serves as the Director for TRIO Student Support Services at CSU, Dominguez Hills. TRIO Student Support Services, also known as SSS, is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Education and it is designed to support the academic needs of first generation and low-income students, former foster youth, and students with disabilities. Her passion lies in assisting and motivating students pursue their academic goals, navigate the college system, and succeed in college and beyond.
When Elizabeth is not working, she loves spending quality time with her husband and 2 children, she enjoys volunteering in her hometown community, and she loves to dance!
Dr. Malissa Barnwell-ScottDr. Malissa Barnwell-Scott is the Director of the Student Support Office and First Generation Professionals Program (FGP) at USC Gould School of Law. She is responsible for student programming in the areas of diversity, wellness, and professionalism. She supports student organizations and promotes the importance of service-learning. She also provides support and counseling to student leaders and organizations that have an interest in pro bono and community service projects.
In her role as FGP Director, Dr. Barnwell-Scott builds upon her dissertation, Developmental Math In California Community Colleges and The Delay To Academic Success (2016) with data collection and analysis of FGP student outcomes with the ongoing goal to identify best practices and programs to support first-generation professional students. She conducts monthly lunch sessions to discuss stereotype threat, imposter syndrome and the benefits of a growth mindset. Dr. Barnwell-Scott also cultivates tips for success from first-gen students and alumni. The monthly sessions also provide safe spaces for first-gen students to connect with each other, share tips of success and words of wisdom and encouragement.
Dr. Barnwell-Scott is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where she earned a BFA in Photography. She earned her M.A. in Communication Management from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, with an emphasis in Educational Psychology from USC Rossier School of Education.
In her free time, Malissa enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports, movies, and sharing tips for academic success in higher education.
Dr. Anita Polite-WilsonAnita Polite-Wilson, Ph.D., affectionally known as Dr. Anita, has served as an executive coach, workshop facilitator, and organizational development consultant helping people and teams raise their awareness around leveraging individual strengths to accelerate organizational performance. With over 20 years of experience, she is a scholar-practitioner with expertise in adult learning theory, coaching and mentoring, and implementation of organizational leadership initiatives aligned with the goals and objectives of corporate, government, and non-profit entities.
Regardless of the industry, audience, or number of participants, each client engagement focuses on the design and delivery of reflective learning experiences with the values of Comfort, Community, and Commitment as being critical to the process. Considering herself to be “a facilitator of conversations that matter”, Dr. Anita defines client success as aligning People, Passion, and Purpose.
In 2016, she facilitated a break-out session at the MGM Resorts 10th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference entitled, “Maintaining Grace Under Fire” and was featured in the Las Vegas Business Press (July 3, 2016).
Believing that everyone is “gifted to shift” into new levels of success with a little help from a coach, Dr. Anita is a Gallup certified Strengths Coach and an iPEC Certified Professional Coach. She holds a B.S. in Management from Pepperdine University, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Biola University, along with an M.A. and Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University.
Dr. Anita is also a member of the Elevate Faculty, in association with the UCSD Rady School of Management, and serves on the Biola University Alumni Board of Directors.
