Advisory Board

As chief people officer, David Almeda is responsible for overseeing the company’s global human resources function supporting more than 12,000 employees worldwide. In this role, he drives UKG’s human capital management strategy – including talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, facilities, corporate security, and employee engagement programs – to support the company’s continued growth, innovation, and profitability.

Capitalizing on the company’s culture of caring and building on its strong foundation of trust and transparency, Almeda and his team were instrumental in raising global engagement scores to record-highs that far outpace benchmarks for global software providers. Almeda’s vision and leadership has evolved the employee experience at UKG, leading to the company being honored as a top place to work in every country where it has an office, including being named a Fortune magazine "Top 100 Companies to Work For®" and a Glassdoor "Top 100 Best Places to Work". Almeda, who was named 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 featuring the company’s myTime open paid time off program and The Wall Street Journal chronicling the revolutionary Kronos Manager Effectiveness Index initiative.

Almeda brings a wealth of human resources management expertise to UKG, after having spent 16 years in various human resources functions at Staples, a $25 billion retailer with more than 90,000 employees worldwide.

Almeda 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 UKG, and the Executive Program in Work-based Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania/Wharton. A sought-after expert on HR issues, he has presented at or been published by organizations such as The Conference Board, Harvard Business School, and CMO Magazine.

In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Almeda also holds a master’s degree in HR management, and a doctoral degree from The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School/Graduate School of Education.

As Vice President of Payroll Shared Services at Charter Communications, Martin Armstrong is responsible for overseeing payroll strategy and execution for the company’s nearly 100,000 employees. Prior to joining Charter Communications, Martin held executive roles at Time Warner Cable and Caesars Entertainment. Martin is a retired U.S. Navy Supply Corps Officer and is currently the Accounting and Finance Area Chair for the University of Phoenix, where he was named the Distinguished Faculty of the Year. He is a member of the American Payroll Association (APA), SHRM, and the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). Martin is also an advisory board member of the Bloomberg Tax and Accounting Payroll Administration Library and Vice Chair of the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council. He is a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), holds an MBA from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), and a DBA from Argosy University, where his dissertation concentrated on employee readiness for organizational change.

What he’s passionate about: Spending time with family and friends, traveling, and helping entities with business processes and tax compliance.

Kate Bischoff is an overly enthusiastic and opinionated management-side employment attorney and HR professional. She works closely with management, HR professionals, and technology companies to improve organizations through training, policy, and investigation work, in addition to everyday advice and counseling. Prior to starting her own business, Kate served as the HR Officer for Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem, and U.S. Embassy Lusaka, Zambia. Kate has been recognized by The New York Times, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, NPR, and other journalistic sources as a leading authority on harassment, technology in the workplace, and employment law.

What she’s passionate about: Learning to fly helicopters and seeing as many glaciers she can with her two teenaged sons.

Natalie Bickford has worked in HR and HR leadership for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience in consumer-facing industries to Sanofi.

Prior to joining Sanofi, Natalie was Group HR Director at Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second largest location-based entertainment business, where she was responsible for 30,000 employees across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. She also held senior HR positions at Sodexo, AstraZeneca and Kingfisher Plc.

Natalie has a solid track record of transforming organizations, with a strong focus on inclusion and diversity. She was awarded “HR Diversity Champion of the Year” at the European Diversity Awards in November 2019.

Natalie Bickford is a citizen of the United Kingdom.

Bob Clements is President and CEO of Axsium Group, the world’s leading workforce management consulting firm. Over the past two decades, Bob has become one of workforce management’s most influential thought leaders. He is a frequent contributor to industry magazines, is often interviewed by the press to comment on the latest industry trends, and has been a keynote speaker at dozens of industry events and webinars. Prior to Axsium, Bob was a distinguished member of the National Retail Foundation’s (NRF) Association for Retail Technology Standard (ARTS) and led product strategy and design for several leading workforce management solutions.

What he’s passionate about: Spending time with and supporting his wife and two daughters, while also believing the Chicago Cubs will win another World Series in his lifetime and he can get his golf handicap into the single digits.

David Creelman is CEO of Creelman Research. He’s best known for his research on the latest issues in HR. He has worked with many think tanks, including Talent Tech Labs (New York), Works Institute (Tokyo), CRF (London), and, of course, The Workforce Institute at UKG. He’s collaborated with leading academics such as Henry Mintzberg (leadership development), Ed Lawler (“Built to Change”), and John Boudreau (future of work). His latest book is a way-out-of-the-box look at the state of management, titled Management for Scientists and Engineers: Why Managing is Still Hard and If It Will Get Better. Prior to founding his own company, David was Chief of Content and Research for HR.com. He has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and a Combined Honours bachelor’s in chemistry and biochemistry from McMaster.

What he’s passionate about: Raising awareness that the science and practice of management has made pitiful progress in the past 40 years — hence, we need to take a radically different approach.

Sharlyn Lauby is the author of HR Bartender and president of ITM Group Inc., a Florida-based training and HR consulting firm focused on helping companies retain and engage talent. Before starting ITM Group, Sharlyn was Vice President of HR for Right Management Consultants, one of the world’s largest organizational consulting firms. She has designed and implemented highly successful programs for employee retention, internal and external customer satisfaction, and leadership development. Publications such as Reuters, The New York Times, ABC News, TODAY, Readers Digest, Men’s Health, Mashable, and the Wall Street Journal have sought out her expertise on topics related to HR and the workplace. Sharlyn launched HR Bartender to provide a “friendly place for everyday workplace issues.” The site has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Blogs Read by HR Professionals by SHRM. She is the author of Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success and The Recruiter’s Handbook: A Complete Guide for Sourcing, Selecting, and Engaging the Best Talent.

What she’s passionate about: Playing Pokémon, watching Marvel movies, and finding the best cheeseburger on the planet.

As Chief Nurse Executive at UKG, Nanne M. Finis, RN, MS, is committed to creating more meaningful and connected work experiences for all healthcare employees. An industry executive immersed in the nursing profession and patient-care delivery for more than 40 years, Nanne is committed to fostering innovation, collaboration, and strategic decision-making across care settings. In addition to serving on the advisory board of The Workforce Institute at UKG, Nanne leads the UKG Chief Nurse Executive Advisory Board, is Co-Chair of the Nursing Advisory Council for Saint Mary’s College, and is a member of the AONL Foundation Advisory Council and ANA/AONL’s Nursing Administration Scope and Standards Revision Workgroup. As a nurse, she’s a lifelong caregiver who finds purpose in supporting the people around her and seeing them thrive.

What she’s passionate about: Spending time with those who matter most: family and friends; people will forever be her passion.

John Frehse speaks around the world on a variety of best practices in the labor management field. John’s experience covers a wide array of strategic issues, from analytical resource deployment modeling to implementation planning and execution. Specific tactical problems include scheduling and shift management to increasing employee satisfaction, health, morale, and performance. Over John’s career, he has implemented solutions with Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Those projects have generated over $400 million in cost savings. John has done this with diverse workgroups across almost every industry, focusing on employees who do not work the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 schedule. His proven approach has balanced operations and labor savings with employee-morale initiatives to make sure cost savings stick. John is a sought-after speaker and has authored numerous white papers and articles, including the “11 Keys to Strategic Scheduling.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in politics with a focus on the political economy from Wake Forest University.

What he’s passionate about: Spending time with his family, running, and learning from hourly employees about what engages them.

Alexandra Levit focuses on preparing organizations and their employees to be competitive and marketable in the future business world. A nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Alexandra has authored several books, including the international bestsellers They Don’t Teach Corporate in College and Humanity Works: Merging People and Technologies for the Workforce of the Future. Alexandra consults and writes on leadership development, HR, technology adoption, entrepreneurship, innovation, and career and workplace trends on behalf of numerous Fortune 500 companies and has spoken on these topics at hundreds of organizations around the world. In the last several years, Alexandra has conducted proprietary research on the future of work, technology adoption, the millennial generation, gender differences and bias, and the skills gap. She was recently named to the Thinkers50 Radar list of rising business thought leaders in the world.

What she’s passionate about: Watching her kids grow into cool people, watching a new dystopian show every month on Netflix, and checking travel destinations off her bucket list.

Dennis Miller is the Associate Vice President of HR and Benefits Administration in a shared services environment at The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven separate and highly regarded institutions of higher education, including Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont Graduate University, and Pitzer College. Dennis has held several executive roles over his career in HR and was formerly the Chief Employment Officer for Cal Poly Pomona Foundation. This auxiliary organization supports Cal Poly Pomona, which is one of the 23 California State University campuses delivering exceptional educational services and experiences to about 500,000 students annually. Dennis’ focus in the workplace is organizational development, with an emphasis on process improvement through the application of technology, and team development. Dennis holds a Senior Professional in HR Certification from the HR Certification Institute and is a Senior Certified Professional from SHRM. He holds a graduate degree in HR development and management from Chapman University. He is also a retired U.S. Marine Corps Air Traffic Controller.

What he’s passionate about: Living life to its fullest, remaining healthy and happy, while sharing in that happiness with friends and loved ones (which became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Sarah Morgan has been a practicing HR executive for over 20 years in the retail, restaurant, and light industrial industries. She has worked behind the scenes leading HR for such brands as Jiffy Lube, KFC, Taco Bell, ADT Home Security, and more. In 2021, Sarah stepped away from being a traditional corporate HR practitioner. She is now the Director of Equity and Inclusion for Humareso, working with customers nationwide to create workplaces where people from traditionally marginalized identities can better thrive. In 2011, Sarah blasted onto the social media scene under the pen name “Buzz Rooney” with her blog, The Buzz on HR. Over 10 years later, the pen name is gone — but her voice as an influencer is stronger than ever. Sarah is the creator and curator of the #BlackBlogsMatter and #BlackPodsMatter challenge, which recognizes the unique content creation of Black bloggers and podcasters as well as drives thought-provoking conversations around equity and anti-racism. She is also the creator and host of the Leading in Color podcast, a show centered on cultivating positive workplace experiences through diversity, inclusion, and social consciousness.

What she’s passionate about: Her family, friends, and dog, as well as food, reality TV, and rest.

Chris Mullen, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Executive Director of The Workforce Institute at UKG. In his role, Chris leads the institute’s education and research initiatives, which focus on empowering organizations with meaningful strategies to improve employee engagement by delivering a modern work experience. His 15-year career as an HR practitioner and leader shaped his PhD in leadership studies and his research in work-life negotiation. In his daily work, he focuses on combining research and practical insights to provide organizations and HR professionals with actionable knowledge. A sought-after speaker, thought leader, and executive coach, Chris routinely speaks about the often-overlooked challenges faced by employees who must be present to perform their jobs and the strategic value of empowering this segment of the workforce. His insights have been featured in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and by NBC News.

What he’s passionate about: Dedicating time to spend with his family, and staying active by working out and climbing tall mountains.

Laurie Ruettimann is an HR leader-turned writer, speaker, and entrepreneur known for her common-sense style and straightforward approach to workforce issues. Her popular podcast, Punk Rock HR, regularly hits the Top 100 management and business podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and Pandora. For over 20 years, Laurie has been telling work-life stories and building solutions to drive better employment experiences, increase retention rates, and improve job satisfaction. CNN recognized Laurie as one of the top five career advisers in the United States, and her work has been featured by NPR, The New Yorker, USA TODAY, the Wall Street Journal, and Vox. Her latest book is Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career.

What she’s passionate about: Being an animal rescue advocate and a cat/dog foster.

Claire Hawkins is European director of The Workforce Institute at UKG and Vice President of EMEA Global Delivery Services at UKG, where she works with customers to define and deliver workforce-optimization programs focused on employee engagement to drive improved business performance. Claire is multilingual, speaking Dutch, French, and German, a product of her ex-pat upbringing, to which she credits her understanding and awareness of culture and international working practices. Her love of language led her into the contact-center industry, where she rose to the ranks of senior leadership at both Aspect Software and Verint Systems, defining workforce management solutions for EMEA customers both inside the contact center as well as the wider back-office environment. Claire’s passion for language and politics has also driven her educational focus. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Surrey and a graduate degree in international studies from University of Warwick.

What she’s passionate about: Competing in triathlons and participating in cycling sportives, in particular the Half Ironman, as it challenges her physically and mentally.

Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author and the Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance, and prepare for the future. He is the bestselling author of three career books: Back to Human, Promote Yourself, and Me 2.0. Schawbel is also the host of the 5 Questions podcast, where he interviews world-class humans. Past guests include Matthew McConaughey, Natalie Portman, Richard Branson, Condoleezza Rice, Reed Hastings, Chelsea Handler, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. His Workplace Intelligence Weekly LinkedIn newsletter is the most read in his industry with over 250,000 subscribers, and more than 130,000 students have taken his LinkedIn Learning courses on leadership, management, and hybrid working.

What he’s passionate about: Using data and interviews to connect the dots on key workplace issues that leaders can take action on.

Ivonne Vargas is an author, journalist, and speaker with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of human capital, education, and HR. She is the author of the bestseller ¡Contrátame! (Hire Me!), published in Mexico and Central America, and a freelance columnist for Entrepreneur and Business Insider. In addition, Ivonne is a senior member of the radio show Zona Económica (Economic Zone) at IMER. She is an Associate of the Formal Employment Studies Center and speaker at the Human Capital Bureau for Penguin Random House. She received the Journalism Award for HR in 2013 and 2014 from OCCMundial, an online employment agency. Ivonne has also been a guest influencer in entrepreneurship and human capital campaigns for different companies such as Zonajobs and Bumeran, both online employment agencies.

What she’s passionate about: Volunteering and having the opportunity to support social causes for women and children, such as The Junior League (based in New York), where she is part of the “Care for Water” committee and “Intégrate Mujer,” a coaching program for women.

Mark Wales has over 30 years of retail experience both in the US, Europe, and Asia with leading retailers, such as Starbucks, Ralph Lauren, Williams-Sonoma, Selfridges, and Tesco. He has provided retail consultancy with IBM and Price Waterhouse Coopers, where he has worked with many other leading brands in the US. His expertise centers on how to implement and drive benefit from the more challenging projects such as ERP, eCommerce, and Workforce Management. His recent focus has been on developing a next generation model for workforce management that drives company performance through impacting the customer experience by investing in the employee experience. He believes that the role of workforce management is to coordinate and facilitate the various critical activities into a management discipline that brings Operations, Stores, Planning, HR, Training, Payroll, Finance, Corporate, Logistics, Planning, and Legal into a holistic approach. In this way the modern retailer can create and sustain real performance improvement.

Joey V. Price is founder and CEO of Jumpstart:HR, which offers HR outsourcing and consulting for startups and small businesses. He also co-hosts While We Were Working, a weekly podcast for workplace leaders who wish to be better at handling people issues, covering topics such as employee engagement, workplace culture, and HR law for the agile, modern workplace. A seasoned HR professional with experience in multiple organizations, Joey advocates for businesses to translate their goals into high return on investment through happily engaged staff members. In addition to The Workforce Institute at UKG, he also serves on the advisory board for the HR department at the Forbes School of Business and Technology at the University of Arizona, the Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Board at Arena Analytics in Baltimore, Maryland, and as a member of the Forbes HR Council.

What he’s passionate about: Traveling and creating new memories with his wife and two daughters, as well as audiobooks and podcasts that open his world to innovation and historic moments he might’ve missed in history class.