Topic:  Success Stories from thrivers in today's economic uncertainty and change

Our Panelists:      Brian Boylan, SR VP Human Resources 
                             Barbara Bras, VP, Human Resources 
                             Mark Luebke, President/COO 

Our Emcee:          Debra Larson, Area Director 
                             FranklinCovey AZ & NM

Senior Human Resources leaders will share their insights into what organizations do to retain and develop talent, increase employee engagement, and prepare their organizations for the future..even in the economic downturn or an uptick through mergers and acquisitions.

• How do they thrive? 
• What do they say and when do they say it to their associates? 
• What do great leaders do to minimize the psychological fear associated with change?
• How do they retain a culture when key talent is lost?

Brian Boylan, SR VP for JDA Software, a global supply chain software company with more than 4800 retail, manufacturing and wholesale clients in 60 countries is working in a rapidly growing organization that is challenged to duplicating their culture in new acquisitions, retaining their culture with legacy teams, and preparing leaders for the future.  He was promoted in March 2007 to SR VP HR responsible for leading JDA's Global Human Resources organization.  He joined JDA in 2005, bringing more than 20 years experience in Human Resources.  Prior to joining JDA, Brian was a principal in Alliance HR Advisors, a human resources consulting firm.  He served as SR VP of Legal Affairs and Human Resources for Asarco Inc., Former Assistant General Counsel for New York City Labor Relations Office,  Brian has a Juris Doctor Debree, Brooklyn Law School; BBA, Pace University in New York.

Barbara Bras, VP HR for Best Western International Hotels, the world's largest hotel brand with more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries is serving members when the hospitality industry (and their member hotels) are impacted by the economy.  Barbara, in addition to overseeing recruitment, retention, benefits and training for the organization's more than 1,000 employees, manages administrative service and corporate security teams.  In her five years at Best Western, she has put in place tools and training programs to create a culture of continuous improvement to better serve the company's 2200 North American Hotels.  She has a diverse background with experience in education, sales, customer service and strategic planning.  She put these skills to work for Best Western, decentralizing the HR department in a client-based approach; instituting an employee-engagement measurement program; and creating a staff version of the brand's successful "I Care Hotel Training."  Before joining Best Western, Barbara held senior positions with Northwestern Mutual Insurance and Wisconsin Energy Corporation.  In each of those roles, she served as a change agent, redesigning recruiting strategies, creating leadership development programs and playing a key role on a number of merger teams.  Barbara has a Bachelor of Education degree from University of Hawaii.  She has her SPHR certification and is a member of the Human Resources Planning Society.                  

Mark Luebke, President and COO for Pima Medical Institute. Pima Medical Institute started changing lives in January 1972, when Richard Luebke, Sr. and his wife, JoAnn, realized their dream of offering quality medical career education in Tucson, AZ, starting with a nursing assistant program.  Just one year later, the program had become so popular, the Luebkes added classes for other medical professions to meet the growing demand.  Today the legacy of the family business continues as Richard Luebke, Jr. and Mark Luebke lead the college their father founded nearly four decades ago.  As such, PMI has become one of the premier medical career colleges in the western United States.
Sponsors:  Keller Graduate School of Management 
                  ESM of Greater Phoenix