Sean McCrory has been the Editor-in-Chief for the Houston Business Journal since November 2023.

Before arriving in Houston, he was the Editor-in-Chief for the Orlando Business Journal and before that the Executive Editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He has over 33 years’ experience as a news journalist, with stints at newsrooms throughout Texas, Louisiana, New York and Florida. 

Sean is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, where he also taught as an adjunct lecturer for several years.

Sean and his wife, Cat, have five adult children, one 12-year-old grandson, and share their home with two Yorkies.

Mia Smallman is the Global Director, Benefits at Halliburton.

As Senior Director of HR Operations, Clelia leads the day-to-day operations and strategic evolution of the Human Resources function across the organization. She oversees employee relations, payroll, compliance, talent and performance management, onboarding, and human capital analytics. She partners closely with senior leadership to translate business objectives into scalable HR strategies and programs that strengthen performance, accountability, and collaboration across the group.

Her primary areas of focus include leveraging people and workforce analytics to enable data-driven executive decision-making and driving continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and employee experience.

Throughout her career, Clelia has held senior HR leadership roles with global scope, building deep expertise across recruiting and training, HR strategy, talent and performance management, HR programs, employee relations, and executive coaching. She began her HR career at Schlumberger and has since held leadership roles at NexTier Oilfield Solutions (formerly Keane Group), Aegion (now Azuria Water Solutions), Alvarez & Marsal, LoneStar Group, and most recently Vytl.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends and traveling combining cultural exploration with time in nature.

Elise Furlan joined SICK in 2014 as an attorney, becoming the first attorney outside Germany to join the SICK group. She currently serves as the President, People & Legal, Compliance Officer, North America. Elise is a member of the joint SICK North America Management Board, where she oversees Human Resources, Compliance, People Development, and Legal operations across North America and, in some cases, all of the Americas.

Before assuming her current role, Elise served as the Chief Compliance Officer for the Americas and Asia, as well as the General Counsel for North America. In these capacities, she established international relationships and developed a world-class Legal Department.

Elise holds an Economics and Political Science degree with a concentration in International Relations from Carleton College. She earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota and studied finance and accounting at Harvard. Her strong global perspective was shaped by her studies abroad at the University of Cambridge and the American University of Beirut.

As Head of HR OpEx and PMO, Mindy leads the HR function through governance and processes that drive efficiencies, and effectiveness and collaboration. She also has the role of HR Director, where she partners with our Legal, EHS and Government Relations executives to execute people strategy in support of Air Product’s role in generating a cleaner future.

Mindy most recently served as the Director of Diversity Culture and Engagement. In this role, she built and led the functions of employee engagement, talent attraction and marketing, and diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She played a pivotal role in the success of executive leadership development, advancing diversity KPI's and achieving results through signature DEI programs. Mindy also executed employee engagement surveys that enhanced work culture.

Additionally, she served as the company's EEO officer and authored the people and culture sections of the Air Products’ Sustainability Report. Mindy was also a Director of the Air Products Foundation focusing on talent and diversity giving.

Prior to Air Products, Mindy accumulated over 20 years of experience in the oil, gas, and chemical industries across multiple geographies. She led departments in learning and development, talent management, people strategy, and project management within HR. She also served on the Deepwater Horizon incident response team leading competence assessment programs and delivering learning and leadership programs at site locations.

Chris serves as Vice President, Human Resource at Daikin North America in Houston, Texas. He is an executive with over 30 years of progressive experience in the Talent Acquisition, HR Technology, employee Learning and Leadership Development. Chris Joined Goodman (acquired by Daikin Industries Limited, DIL in December, 2012) in 2001 as Manager of OD and Staffing and, in his current role is responsible for Daikin’s Organizational and Learning Development, Executive Coaching, Talent Acquisition, Compliance, Communications & Community Relations, Grants, Project Management Office, HR Technology and Corporate Security functions serving the needs of Daikin’s 15,000+ employees in over 300 locations in the America and 13 countries in Latan America. Today, Chris offices at the company’s headquarters (Daikin Texas Technology Park) in Waller, Texas, which is the largest HVAC manufacturing site in the world.

Chris’ work reaches beyond to the local community where he sits on several non-profit boards and committees that all share a common aspect and goal – to help people and organizations reach their strategic and developmental objectives. Prior to Daikin, Chris had a variety of leadership roles in the entertainment and banking industries. 

Chris holds degrees in Psychology, Philosophy and Religion from University of St. Thomas in Houston Texas.

Lynn Moffett is the Vice President of Human Resources with BMC Software, Inc., a global leader in innovative software solutions, and has responsibility over the Global Business Partner, Rewards, and Payroll organizations. With over 20+ years of award-winning experience in HR/People, Lynn is passionate about creating and supporting an inclusive work experience that meets the needs of today’s employees.

She originally joined BMC in April 2011 as the Director of Benefits, subsequently progressing to Senior Director of Compensation and Benefits and Area Vice President, before being promoted to Vice President in April 2015. Lynn worked as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Paysafe Group, from November 2019 through November 2020, before rejoining BMC in December 2020.

She is also an Advisory Board Member for the SUPERGirls SHINE Foundation and has been a Client Advisory Board member for Fidelity and Syndio. She has received a Top 15 Women in Business award and a DEI Influencer award from the National Diversity Council (Houston).

Lynn holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, LA, and is a Certified Benefits Professional (CBP), Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP), and a Certified Public Accountant (Louisiana - inactive).

Brea R. May is the Head of HR (Americas) at Mahindra.

Laura Matthews is the Vice President, Human Resources & Organization Academic Institute Physician at Houston Methodist.

Jill Zhang is the Global Head of Total Rewards - Well Construction Division at SLB.

Manuela Abreu is the Head of Nutrition and Community at Nutrium. Manuela brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and strategic leadership to her role. She is a registered dietitian and was instrumental in launching the Nutrium platform in the US and UK. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Sciences and a master’s degree in Nutrition Education.

Katy Theroux is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Westlake.

Seth Macdonald is an Employee Gifting Specialist with Corporate Traditions, a gifting company that helps organizations celebrate and appreciate their people in meaningful ways. Known for his upbeat energy and genuine approach to connecting with others, Seth has helped countless HR teams turn their employee recognition programs into something people actually look forward to with more options and no fee, contracts or order minimums.

From providing better options than frozen turkeys for holidays or buying gift cards at the grocery store for work anniversaries, Seth believes great gifting should make people smile — and make HR’s job a whole lot easier.

When he’s not helping companies bring joy to their teams, you’ll find Seth at HR conferences, sharing laughs, swapping ideas, and handing out good vibes (and maybe a few extra $25 Gift Card+s).

Lizzy Engsberg is an industrial-organizational psychology practitioner who partners with organizations to connect leadership development with business and talent strategy across the pipeline. She works with global clients across industries including
manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and retail to design learning programs, develop success profiles, and implement assessments for hiring, development, and succession. Known for her calm, engaging facilitation style, Lizzy
creates psychologically safe, highly interactive experiences that blend practical strategies with thoughtful insight, challenging leaders to grow and drive meaningful, behavior-focused conversations.

As General Manager, Enterprise Solutions, Shawn Overcast partners with stakeholders at all levels and involves them in the co-design of strategic solutions to achieve critical business objectives. Shawn brings 20 years of experience working with well-known brands like BP International, Fifth Third Bank, The Hershey Company, JetBlue Airways, McDonald’s, Twitter, and Virgin America. She coaches leaders at all levels, including C-suite executives, senior leaders, and managers and directors across various industries, including education, transportation, technology, and healthcare. Shawn has a BS in Psychology and an MS in Instructional Systems from Florida State University. She’s a certified Executive Coach and Myers Briggs Type Indicator practitioner.

Becca Cosani is a healthcare executive focused on modernizing insurance operations through automation, streamlined utilization management, and clinically grounded decision-making. Her work reduces administrative burden, shortens time to care, and removes unnecessary barriers for both members and providers.

Heather Blair is the Senior Director, Enterprise Sales at LHH.

John is the visionary entrepreneur and technologist leading the transformation of the global talent and work-solutions industry as the CEO of both Skill and Aquent. Since founding Aquent from his Harvard dorm room in 1986, John has built the firm into one of the largest work-solutions companies in the marketing and creative space, now employing more than 10,000 people worldwide. His career is defined by disrupting industry norms. He pioneered comprehensive health benefits for contingent workers and achieved carbon-negative status in 2024—an industry first driven by significant clean energy projects and a virtual-first operating model.

Under John’s leadership, the staffing industry was once again transformed with the launch of Skill. Skill is a technology-driven staffing agency with proprietary AI technology that redefines how companies hire talent. It delivers matches 12x faster and 7x more accurately than traditional recruiting firms, providing employers with significant cost-savings. Skill’s launch is more than a strategic move for Aquent; it embodies John’s bold vision— that staffing firms of the future will operate like technology companies, powered by algorithms and engineering teams. John’s foresight and execution have positioned Aquent and Skill at the forefront of this transformation, ensuring long-term growth and setting industry standards.

As an active investor and operator, John was the lead investor and chairman during Angie’s List’s growth and IPO. He currently invests in and advises companies such as Make My Move, MetaCX, and Health Rhythms. John holds degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Business School and has been widely featured in national media, receiving honors including multiple selections to the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) SIA 100 North America list, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the U.S. Pan Asian American Excellence Award.