Presenters and Panelists

Marcus Alston

Marcus Alston joined Cisco 4 years ago as part of FLEX-RL—Cisco’s HR leadership development program. Gaining a breadth of HR experience in the rotational program, he worked in Cisco’s Leadership and Intelligence, DEI consulting, and HR Orchestration spaces.  He made a one year departure from HR to do a rotation in the business—supporting Business Transformation in ONEx (Customer Experience and Operations). He ‘graduated’ early from FLEX-RL to accept a Chief of Staff role supporting Megan Bazan, VP and People Partner to Cisco’s COO. In October 2023, Marcus was promoted to Senior People Partner.

Prior to coming to Cisco, Marcus worked in Consumer Banking for JPMorgan Chase and on the underwriting side of Insurance for Auto-Owners Insurance Company. His business experience is somewhat of a second career. Marcus is a classically trained clarinetist and trained to be a professional orchestral musician.

During his MBA program at UW-Madison, Marcus was a fellow of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. Marcus was named a Rising Star by talent brand firm, PH Creative and is a fellow of On Deck’s Chief of Staff fellowship.

Originally from Lansing, MI, Marcus and his husband Kyle currently live in the heart of Silicon Valley–San Jose, CA. Outside of Cisco, Marcus can usually be found cooking, playing clarinet, or screaming at the television watching his favorite TV show—RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Samantha Beaver

Samantha Beaver is a workplace communications analyst and linguist with over 9 years of language research and teaching/training experience. Included in her repertoire of linguist expertise are topics such as: language equity, language & gender, language learning, the language of leadership, language & power, and conversation analysis, among others.

She has adapted and applied sociolinguistic research techniques for the purposes of people analytics through her company, Memra Language Services.

Leo Cardoso

Leo has been at Land O’Lakes, Inc. for over 13 years, where he is currently the HR Enablement Director.  During his tenure at Land O’Lakes, he has held a variety of roles, including several years directly supporting parts of the business as an HR Business Partner. In his current role, his teams are responsible for HR’s digital strategy and execution, including HR technology support and deployments, people analytics, talent marketing and talent experience, and HR’s early career development program. As part of the HR leadership team, he is also involved in broad cross-functional initiatives – including the strategic prioritization of Gen AI use cases, as well as advisement on general education and policy development related to it. 

Leo earned his Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and is also a proud graduate from UW-Madison where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology along with a Certificate in Business.

In his free time, you can find Leo reading a book, exercising, spending time with his family, coaching his kids’ soccer teams or dreaming of being Marty McFly while riding his OneWheel around town!

Sarah Condella

Sarah Condella has served as the Exact Sciences Executive Vice President, Human Resources since January 2021, and previously served in increasing roles of responsibility, including as Senior Vice President, Human Resources; Vice President; Senior Director; and Director, since joining Exact Sciences in 2012. Prior to joining Exact Sciences, Ms. Condella served as a Human Resources Manager at GE Healthcare and as a Manager and Project Director at the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Condella is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and currently serves on the boards of the Madison Children’s Museum and Gilda’s Club.

Ada Dolph

With nearly 20 years of experience as a labor and employment litigator with Seyfarth, Ada is a trusted advisor to clients in the airline, retail, health care, and manufacturing industries. Ada’s practice focuses on advice and counsel, and innovative litigation involving:

• Complex procedural defenses including: preemption of state law claims under ERISA, Railway Labor Act, Airline Deregulation Act, Federal Aviation Act, and the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Act (SGLIA); Article III and statutory standing; statute of limitations; and administrative exhaustion requirements, among others.
• Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) claims, prevailing as lead counsel in the first BIPA case to be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
• Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) claims.
• Whistleblower claims under state law, AIR21, Dodd-Frank, and Sarbanes-Oxley.
• Discrimination claims in state and federal jurisdictions across the country, including under Title VII, ADA, Section 1981, and the ADEA, and their state law counterparts, including systemic actions brought by the EEOC.
• ERISA single- and multiplaintiff and class action matters involving denial of health, disability, life, pension, and 401(k) benefits, including defense of high-profile “stock drop,” retiree medical, and 401(k) fee class actions.

Ada’s class action experience includes unique procedural issues including sustaining removal of cases to federal court on preemption and Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) grounds, successfully opposing a named plaintiff-intervenor, obtaining Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(f) review of class certification, obtaining appellate CAFA review and reversal of a district court remand order, defeating and narrowing class certification, and negotiating and overseeing settlements in classes of up to 160,000 class members.

Ada also has significant e-discovery experience in both single-plaintiff and class action matters, including the effective and efficient management of preservation, collection, review, and production of electronically stored information (ESI), as well as aggressively navigating disputes regarding the breadth and scope of the production of ESI.

In 2019, Ada’s unique legal strategy in a a commercial airline matter was recognized for innovation by The Financial Times.

Ada also co-chairs the firm’s Air and Rail specialty team, and is a member of its ERISA and Employee Benefits Litigation practice group, Whistleblower team, and Health Care and Provider Fraud team.

Barry Gerhart

Barry Gerhart is the Bruce R. Ellig Distinguished Chair in Pay and Organizational Effectiveness, Department of Management and Human Resources, Wisconsin School of Business, UW-Madison. Gerhart previously served as Department Chair at Cornell and Vanderbilt and as Department Chair, Senior Associate Dean, and interim Albert O. Nicholas Dean at the Wisconsin School of Business. He also previously served as the interim Vice Provost and Dean, International Division, UW-Madison. Gerhart earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his B.S. in Psychology from Bowling Green State University. His research interests include compensation, human resource management, staffing, and international management.

Gerhart has received several lifetime achievement awards: the Herbert Heneman Jr. Career Achievement Award and the Thomas A. Mahoney Mentoring Award (for his work with doctoral students), both from the Human Resources Division, Academy of Management, as well as the Michael R. Losey Excellence in Human Resource Research Award from the Society for Human Resource Management. He has also been elected a Fellow of both the Academy of Management and the American Psychological Association. In addition, he has received the scholarly achievement award (best research article) and (twice) the international scholarly achievement award (best international research article), both from the Human Resources Division, Academy of Management.

Gerhart’s work has been published in the Academy of Management Journal, Annual Review of Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, and other leading journals. He has co-authored a research monograph, Compensation: Theory, Evidence, and Strategic Implications, as well as several books, including: Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage (13th edition), Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (9th edition), and Compensation (14th edition).

Ambika Kumar

Ambika has been at Microsoft for over 2.5 years and is currently a Wellness Benefits Manager. She first interned at Microsoft summer of 2020 in the Global Executive Talent Acquisition Team, working as an executive recruiter. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with her MBA, she moved to Washington and returned to Microsoft as a full-time employee within the HR Rotation Program (HR2P). Within this program, she has been able to experience a variety of roles and continues to develop her HR skills with each rotation. 

She spent her first year as an HRBP for the Cloud Marketing team learning the ins and outs of being a partner for a large, complex business group. Here, she got a better understanding of what it meant to truly collaborate across both HR and the business while coaching, influencing, and guiding leaders and teams. For her second rotation, she returned to the Global Executive Talent Acquisition Team first as a Program Manager and then shifted her scope to also including executive recruiting responsibilities. She was able to work alongside talented exec recruiters, take part in recruitment searches, conduct in-depth industry analysis, source for top-tier talent, and help PM the succession management processes. For her third and final rotation, she is now in the benefits field focusing on one of her passion areas – Workplace Wellness!

Ambika attended Miami University in Oxford, OH for her undergraduate education. Here she was heavily involved with the co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. She believes her time in Alpha Phi Omega was integral to the development of her leadership skills early on. She then attended The University of Wisconsin – Madison where she completed her MBA and specialized in the Strategic Human Resource concentration. She became an actively engaged in two organizations (Graduate Women in Business and the Artful Business Collective), competed in numerous consulting case competitions, traveled internationally, and grew both inside and outside of the business school.  

Outside of work you can find Ambika volunteering in her community, trying out different restaurants, kayaking or hiking nearby, reading at home, having craft nights with her friends, and most importantly catching up on the latest Taylor Swift news!

Kayla Anne Lewis

Kayla Anne Lewis is a Vice President, Human Capital Risk & HR Governance at Citi, currently residing in Tampa, Florida. Since joining Citibank, in their rotational program she has showcased her aptitude for strategic thinking and execution. As an Early Career Learning Advisor, she collaborates effectively with stakeholders and vendors, optimizing participant engagement and refining training content effectiveness. In her previous rotation as HR Advisor, she was involved with partnering with senior business leaders and management teams to strategize and execute HR goals, with a keen focus on talent development, performance management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Kayla Anne completed her MBA with a focus on Strategic Human Resource Management in 2021, and BBA in Marketing from Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, PA in 2012. During her MBA program at UW-Madison she was a fellow of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and the Forte Foundation.

Originally hailing from Barbados, Kayla Anne maintains a strong connection to her roots, frequently visiting her home country. In her leisure time, she indulges in her passions for photography, traveling, attending live music events, and staying abreast of the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). This multifaceted approach to life reflects her curiosity, creativity, and commitment to personal and professional growth.

Kendra McAdams

Kendra McAdams is currently a Human Resources Executive supporting Retail Banking. She provides comprehensive HR support for 1000+ employees in Advanced Client Solutions, as well as executing core HR processes such as performance management, organizational design, talent acquisition and development, and year-end compensation.

Prior to her current role, Kendra held several HR generalist roles supporting Enterprise Credit, Corporate Treasury, Global Risk Management, and Merrill Edge, along with working in Executive Compensation.

Kendra joined Bank of America in 2012 as part of the Human Resources Development Program.  While pursuing her MBA, Kendra also interned with Bank of America in Enterprise Leadership Development, focusing on Talent Selection and Assessment. An active member in LEAD for Women, Kendra previously co-chaired the Charlotte chapter’s Community Involvement committee and is currently serving as a mentor in their mentoring program.

Before joining the bank, Kendra spent three years in sales and internal consulting at Sageworks, Inc., a financial analysis software company, in Raleigh, NC.  

Originally from Northern California, Kendra now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Scott, and two children. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Spanish from Wake Forest University and her MBA in Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She previously served as the Chair of the Wisconsin Business Alumni Board at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has volunteered her time with Art with Heart, Arts and Science Council, Christ Lutheran Church, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association-Charlotte chapter. In 2016, she was recognized as one of “8 to Watch Under 40” by the Wisconsin School of Business.

Maureen Miner

Maureen Miner leads the human resources department for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling UW-Madison’s research to solve the world’s problems. Since joining WARF over 15 years ago, Maureen is responsible for leading HR initiatives and programs related to talent management, organizational development, and total rewards that align with strategic priorities and enhance organizational culture.

As an alum of the UW-Madison School of Business with undergraduate and executive MBA degrees, she is happy to return as the lead instructor for the MHR 611 Strategic Talent Management course offered spring semester. Maureen enjoys engaging and the supporting the community in various ways, including serving on a variety of nonprofit boards.

Morgan O’Neil

Morgan O’Neil is currently Vice President of Human Resources for US & Canada at GE HealthCare leading HR strategy and execution for the commercial organization across North America. Morgan has been with GE HealthCare in a variety of HR leadership roles over the past almost 10 years including Vice President of Human Resources for the Women’s Health & X-ray business globally where Morgan was responsible for HR leadership across product and engineering teams as well as four global manufacturing sites. Additionally, Morgan held HR Business Partner roles for Supply Chain functions, direct manufacturing plants, as well as field service.

Through these various HR leadership roles, Morgan has gained deep experience in large-scale change management, executive leadership coaching, and multi-function international client support. Morgan is a “double badger” and earned her MBA and BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (’15 and ’08, respectively). In between degrees, she spent 6 years in education non-profit management. She resides in the Greater Milwaukee area with her wife and 2 kids, Charlie [age 6] and Rowan [age 1].

Joe Rohde

Joe Rohde joined UnitedHealth Group in 2020 as a People Team Intern, where he joined the Compensation – Strategy and Operations team, supporting the Compensation Consultants and the various businesses within the organization. Upon completing his MBA at the University of Wisconsin, he transitioned into the Full-Time People Team Development Program, a pivotal two-year rotational experience within the organization.

Throughout this program, Joe played a crucial role in supporting leaders during the challenges posed by the Pandemic. His contributions ranged from streamlining executive recruitment processes to collaborating closely with the Talent Team to develop and implement impactful Early Careers development programs. After an impactful first year in the program, Joe launched into a full-time role ahead of schedule, accepting the role of Associate People Business Partner.

In his current capacity, Joe provides support to various operational and delivery teams within UnitedHealthcare, coaching leaders through never-ending change, and offering guidance for impactful programs that help employees flourish within the organization.

Before his tenure at UnitedHealth Group, Joe honed his skills as an Inventory Control Analyst and Project Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Originally from Milwaukee, WI, he now resides in Minneapolis, MN with his wife, Calli. In his free time, Joe enjoys cooking unique meals and attending sporting events and concerts.

Abhishek Shroff

Abhishek Shroff leads strategic planning, communications, and operations for Cisco’s Acceleration Center, an organization formed to accelerate Cisco’s mission-critical company-wide transformation. As a member of the Acceleration Center’s leadership team, Abhishek plays a principal role in the delivery of Cisco’s highest-priority, cross- functional initiatives.

Before joining Cisco, Abhishek was a Partner with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the firm’s digital technology, financial services, and people practice areas. During his time at BCG, he led the design and delivery of large-scale transformations and C-level strategy efforts for institutional clients in the technology and financial sectors.

Prior to BCG, Abhishek was an Associate at Goldman Sachs where he worked on strategic initiatives across the capital markets, private equity, and asset management businesses.

Abhishek holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign. He received his MBA from University of Chicago and a Master of Engineering Management degree from Dartmouth College.

Dan Waldman

Dan guides some of the world’s best-known companies through their most complex international employment law challenges. In his nearly two decades of focusing on international employment law, Dan draws on his unique career experiences and education in international relations to add value in his legal work with clients. For instance, Dan spent five years in-house as global employment counsel, and has an extensive background in strategic human resource management—including an advanced degree and decades of experience starting and running various businesses.

Dan views his counsel role as that of an international workforce architect. He helps clients solve complex legal challenges involving multiple countries with complex people matters, particularly when the geopolitical landscape is increasingly unstable. Clients seek Dan’s legal insight on the intersection between corporate strategy, human capital philosophy, and its corporate geopolitical approach. Clients appreciate Dan’s legal advice that helps to translate corporate strategies into actionable tactics at a country-by-country level.

Dan works extensively in connection with high-value corporate events, including the people-related aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and divestments. He has implemented multicounty outsourcing transactions, including compliance with laws regarding dispatched workers, staff leasing, and joint employment. Dan has negotiated commercial contracts implicating employment law matters. He has also advised clients on implementing global cost-cutting and efficiency undertakings, including modifications to compensation, benefits, and working time. In addition, he has managed the harmonization of a global portfolio of employment documents, such as handbooks and policies.

Dan also advises clients on complex day-to-day international employment law matters. He counsels on individual and collective redundancy processes, and advises clients on cross-border protection of valuable intellectual property and enforcement of employee restrictive covenants. Dan also develops and implements practices for conducting comprehensive background screening processes in particularly sensitive industries.
Dan received his MBA in Human Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin, his JD from the University of Wisconsin, and his BA from the University of Rochester.

Erin Withington

Erin Withington currently serves as the Global Director of Talent Transformation at Rockwell Automation, where she leads initiatives to develop over 26,000 employees across more than 80 countries.  She joined Rockwell Automation in 2013, holding various HR Business Partner roles across the organization, including Global Sales & Marketing, Finance, IT, HR, and Supply Chain and leading the HR Generalist team.  Prior to her tenure at Rockwell Automation, Erin held positions at General Electric, working in its Healthcare, Aviation, Transportation, and Headquarters groups.  She earned her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Organizational Behavior and International Business from Washington University’s John M. Olin School of Business.  Erin is certified in Korn Ferry Leadership Architect and 360 assessments and is a graduate of the GE Human Resources Leadership Development Program. Outside of work, she enjoys planning global adventures with her husband Brad and their three children.  (Fun fact, Erin was introduced to Rockwell Automation via a past UW Madison SHRM board member!)