Lara Johnson is a strategic and solution-oriented Benefits & Employee Experience Leader with deep expertise in designing, managing, and communicating global benefits programs that enhance employee wellbeing and organizational performance.

Kim Quillen is a business editor at the Chicago Tribune. Earlier in her career, Kim held editing positions at The Arizona Republic and at The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, where she was involved in that newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Kim is past president of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, a national business journalism organization.

Mikaela Cohen is a Chicago-based reporter for HR Brew covering workplace strategy and trends. She previously covered workplace and business topics for CNBC.com, CNBC Make It, and AARP.org. She earned her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia.

Rahul Rajvanshi is a strategic Total Rewards executive and transformation leader. He brings over two decades of experience driving enterprise-wide benefits strategy, operational excellence, and scalable solutions for Fortune 500 organizations.

He is known for aligning total rewards programs with business goals to enhance employee experience, improve retention, and deliver measurable outcomes. His expertise includes managing large health administration portfolios, leading complex M&A integrations, and designing benefits strategies that support organizational growth and compliance.

Rahul has a strong track record of improving client satisfaction through governance models and process optimization, while fostering high-performing, cross-functional teams. With a collaborative leadership style and a focus on continuous improvement, he enables organizations to navigate change and elevate both employee and client experience through smarter, more effective rewards strategies.

Jon Simon is the Vice President and Head of Sales at CareBenefits by Care.com, where he helps organizations reimagine how they support the health and wellness of their employees. With more than two decades of experience in employee benefits, Jon brings a rare depth of expertise and a genuine passion for connecting people with the care they need. When he's not championing better benefits, he's at home in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children.

Pat Garland’s HR career spans 40 years, in roles that ranged from individual contributor to VP for a very large global division of a $16 billion corporation. Her expertise includes compensation and benefits design, organization development, labor relations and executive coaching. She is the author of “33 Ways Not to Screw Up HR” and is an adjunct instructor at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University of Chicago.

Amy Waickman is the Global Head of Benefits at Arup, appointed in 2024, where she is responsible for setting and delivering Arup’s global benefits strategy across over 30 countries, including design and governance, minimum standards, vendor and broker management, benefit financing, benefits technology, compliance, and employee engagement. Prior to joining Arup, Amy spent eight years at Accenture as Global Total Rewards Manager, leading global benefit solutions covering over 700,000 employees across 60+ countries, with responsibility for large‑scale global insurance programs, benefits administration technology, and multinational pooling strategies. Earlier in her career, she held international benefit consulting roles at Willis Towers Watson and Mercer, advising multinational clients on global health, retirement, risk, mobility, and M&A. Amy holds the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) credential and is a Strategic HR Advisor through the Josh Bersin Academy, bringing deep expertise in global benefits within complex, matrixed professional services environments.

Athar Siddiqee is Vice President of Global Total Rewards at Micron Technology. He has extensive experience in this field, having served in rewards leadership positions at Cisco, Synopsys, SanDisk, and Xilinx, among others. A life-long Bay Area resident, he has taught professional courses at WorldatWork, UC Santa Cruz Extension and San Jose State University for many years. He earned an MBA from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics/Economics from UCLA.

Rebecca Liebman is the CEO and co-founder of LearnLux, the leading provider of workplace financial wellbeing that blends digital planning with one-on-one guidance from CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals.

Founded in 2015, Rebecca has grown LearnLux from a startup to an established company serving clients across a variety of industries, Fortune 500 businesses, and global enterprises.

Rebecca is on a mission to make financial wellbeing accessible in the workplace and create a better world through the power of technology.

Rebecca has recently been honored with Forbes “30 Under 30,” Boston Business Journal “40 Under 40,” and Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas” awards.

Josh Lemon is a seasoned Total Rewards professional with over 20 years of experience, specializing in compensation, benefits, and performance management. As the Senior Director of Global Total Rewards at Resideo, he leads a team supporting employees in 32 countries, driving strategic initiatives that enhance employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.

An early adopter of AI technology in HR, Josh leverages innovative tools to transform the Total Rewards landscape. He has led workshops, presented at industry events, and shared practical insights on using AI to streamline processes and improve communication. His commitment to continuous learning and embracing new technologies is reflected in his efforts to foster transparent workplace cultures and reshape leadership strategies.

Josh holds an MBA and a BA in Economics from the University of Minnesota. He is dedicated to empowering individuals through meaningful rewards and benefits programs, striving to create workplaces where employees can thrive and grow. Josh is also the co-founder of FlashBenefits, a company that specializes in communication and employee engagement with benefits programs.

Tom Sondergeld brings 30 years in leading the transformation of company total rewards program structures, strategies, and distribution mechanisms with operational excellence. As a Senior Director at Truven, he leads analytics, research, and consultative solutions supporting large employer benefit strategies. He partners with enterprise employers to translate complex healthcare and benefits data into actionable insight—helping leaders anticipate cost drivers, evaluate emerging risks, and make informed decisions. He brings deep experience across the employee benefits landscape, having spent much of his career working with employers (such as Walgreens and Aon)  on benefit strategy, population risk, and cost management. His work consistently focuses on applying data and analytics to real‑world benefit challenges, including healthcare affordability, plan design decisions, and the evaluation of emerging therapies and innovations.

Jane Lyons is a strategic results driven healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience, spanning pharmacy, pharmacy, benefit management and healthcare consulting. She has a proven track record of driving revenue growth, leading large scale, transformation and building high-performing teams across complex highly matrix organizations. Currently serving as senior vice president of Customer Success at SmithRx, Jane leads the account management division supporting a portfolio of all clients, brokers and consultants. She is known for aligning enterprise strategy with execution, advancing client-centric solutions, and delivering measurable business outcomes through disciplined P&L management and operational excellence. Prior to SmithRx, Jane served as divisional vice president of managed markets at Walgreens, where she led national growth and retention strategies across health plans, health systems, employers and federal clients supporting a portfolio that contributed to tens of billions in pharmacy revenue. Jane has also held senior leadership roles at Envision Rx, including senior vice president and general manager of the commercial division, where she oversaw a multi-million-dollar P&L, managed significant client drug spend, achieved exceptional client retention, and led large cross- functional teams. Earlier in her career, she served as practice leader and senior consultant at Pharmaceutical Strategies Group and as a senior pharmacy consultant at Aon Hewitt, advising Fortune 500 employers on pharmacy strategy, benefit design, and vendor optimization. Jane began her career at Walgreens progressing through multiple roles in PBM operation, sales and account management, giving her a deep, end-to-end understanding of the pharmacy and healthcare ecosystem. Jane holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago and is recognized for her executive communication skills, client leadership, and commitment to mentoring and developing talent.