2024 Speakers & Panelists
If you'd like to learn more about, or connect with, our panelists & speakers,
click on their picture to be redirected to their LinkedIn page. |
Keynote Address: Leading Inclusion
2:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Paul College G75
Gena Cox (she/her), Ph.D., is the CEO of Feels Human, LLC. She is a leadership strategist, executive coach, and speaker on leadership impact, employee engagement, career optimization, and workplace inclusion. Gena spent decades working in, and consulting with, global companies, including the Fortune 500. In her private practice, she works with high-performing leaders, optimizing their impact and influence, and with enterprise leaders building Respect-First, inclusive organizations. Her advice and coaching help leaders focus on what matters for their organizations to avoid ineffective flavor-of-the-month approaches.
Dr. Cox is the author of Leading Inclusion, an award-winning guidebook book for corporate leaders, and co-authored the Harvard Business Review article “5 Strategies to Infuse D&I into Your Organization.” Gena is also a frequent media contributor. Dr. Cox is a member of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Committee for the Advancement of General Applied Psychology (CAGAP), the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Professional Practice Series Editorial Board and has served in leadership roles on SIOP’s Awards and Leading Edge Consortium committees. Gena earned a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida. |
Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Innovators
11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Paul College 115
Dzijeme Ntumi Lazares '17, '18G is a design engineer for the NH Department of Transportation Bureau of Bridge Design. She has worked for the department for over four years. Dzijeme is responsible for design calculations for new bridge projects as well as load rating calculations for existing bridges. She has worked with The Dinah Whipple Steam Academy (DWSA) for three years now. Dzijeme has also worked with Tech Camp for eight years and volunteered for DEI stem camps in South Africa in 2018 and 2019. |
Gina Casazza, a Long Island native, is a dynamic children's author, motivational speaker, filmmaker, and business owner. Known for her inspiring book, "You Really, Truly Do Belong," she engages children with compelling narratives that foster self-acceptance, self-worth, and courage. Her journey to understanding the true meaning of belonging was sparked by her transformative experience at the Navy SEAL Prep program, Team Eagle One, at the age of 31. This diverse and enriching background fuels her passion for empowering children and strengthening their sense of self. |
Dustin Giannelli '12 (he/him) is a profoundly deaf accessibility advocate, a motivational speaker and a social influencer based in Boston. With professional experience and relationships in the world of DEIA, Dustin is passionate about sharing his story and partnering with brands that are focused on making their organization and culture more accessible and inclusive for all. Dustin has 10+ years experience in sales and marketing, worked with the video accessibility thought leader, 3Play Media, and recently launched HearsDustin LLC in January 2023. Dustin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Management from the last WSBE class in 2012! |
Magdalena Abrego-Baltay (she/her) is a dedicated Operations and Development professional with 8+ years experience in the nonprofit space – She helps organizations revitalize their strategic planning, relationship management, and community engagement approaches. At her current position at G{Code}, she works alongside a network of city planners, technologists, and activists to create opportunities for economic mobility in marginalized communities in Greater Boston and beyond. |
Not Just a Number: DEI @ Work
11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Paul College 225
Laura McAliley (she/her) is a People Research &. Survey Analyst at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Laura has also worked in people analytics at Pinterest and in government consulting for clients such as IRS, FAA, FEMA, and CDC, consulting on various projects spanning topics such as pay equity, competency modeling, employee engagement, workforce planning, and cyber workforce strategy. Her career as an I/O Psychologist has allowed her to work with DEI across different clients, projects, and content areas, aiming always to amplify the employee voice and experience through data! |
Armando G. Llorente (he/him), SHRM -SCP, is a bilingual, award-winning HR executive with global experience directing human resources teams at Clark & Lavey Benefits Solutions, Thermo Fisher Scientific, EMC (now DELL) and Osram Sylvania (Siemens.) He is the Manager of Llorente HR Consulting LLC. Additionally, he is the Co-Leader/Facilitator for the Senior Human Resources Network’s (SHRN) People and Culture Consulting Group. His leadership and commitment to developing/supporting Diversity and Inclusion programs at EMC (now DELL) were recognized as he received the prestigious “Luminary Award” from HENAAC (Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation.) Armando is a member of the Board of Directors for the Diversity Workforce Coalition and also a member of the Board of Directors for the Senior Human Resources Network.
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Malobi Achike (she/her) is an attorney who is passionate about helping organizations create DEI optimized workplaces by successfully leveraging data and technology to drive real and sustainable results.This passion led Malobi to start a cutting-edge technology company, DEI Directive. DEI Directive helps organizations drive, track and measure DEI impact, so they can unleash increased employee engagement, innovation, and profitability. She is a problem solver through and through, and enjoys connecting organizations to solutions that can move them from talk to impact. |
Lisa Aucoin is the Vice President of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems. Her career in the engineering and experience in the defense industry has spanned over 30 years.Her team is responsible for the design, production, & sustainment of advanced electronic warfare systems for the F-35 jet and other key defense programs. She leads a team of over 3000 engineers, program managers, & other professionals. Lisa is passionate about DEI. In 2020, BAE create the ASPIRE (Asian Pacific Islanders Reaching Excellence) employee resource group (ERG) for which Lisa served as the executive sponsor and was awarded a 2022 ally recognition by the Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers. Lisa is currently the executive sponsor for BAE's Young Professionals ERG and is a member of BAE's Multicultural Network.
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Business Leaders Roundtable
1:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Paul College 115
Barry Reaves (he/him) is a seasoned Diversity Practitioner with more than 18 years of experience. He currently serves as Vice President of DEIJ/Workforce Development and Environmental Justice for the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC). In the role he serves as the strategic leader and advisor on matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and workforce development to the NECEC president and other executive leaders and to the and other executive leaders and to the membership as a whole. Barry is a graduate of the University of Louisville and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute which is the premiere Department of Defense school in Diversity and Inclusion Equal opportunity and equal employment opportunity training, education, and research. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving on Active Duty for 18 years and has a deep background in diverse leadership development, diversity and inclusion programming, analytics, and effectiveness. He is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), Executive Certified Diversity Coach (ECDC).
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Frederic Mason '91 (he/him) served as an Executive Director in U.S. Equity Trading at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York, a $2.5 trillion global investment manager with over $400 billion in US Equities. In his current position, he is responsible for Large Cap Core equity trading in the Financial, Energy, Utility, TMT and Industrial sectors. Fred has also been Governor of the Security Traders Association, past President of the Boston Securities Traders Association, founder of the Boston Security Traders Foundation, past member of the National Organization of Investment Professionals and a previous member of the Dallas Securities Traders Association. He is actively involved in many D&I and Mentorship programs both within and outside the industry. At J.P. Morgan he is a member of the Executive Leadership Council of PRIDE, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, + and Ally Resource Group. He is also a member of numerous other minority ally groups within the firm, including the Black Leadership Forum, Asian Leadership Forum and Women on the Move.
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Denise Saltojanes '95 (she/her) is an active early investor through Golden Seeds-Boston and NuFund Venture Group-San Diego, where she focuses on due diligence, deal-sourcing, and advising early entrepreneurs. During her time with the US Air Force, she successfully modeled and defended $6B of Congressionally approved appropriations and was responsible for numerous financial agreements regarding technology and materiel transactions with America’s foreign allies. Denise also served as Vice President of Investment Banking at Medical Capital Advisors where she was an integral part of the firm’s merger and acquisition team and led the valuation process. As a Senior Executive at Cambridge Polymer Group, she supervised daily operations as well as coordinating marketing, financial strategy, and new business development and licensing agreements. Denise is also an active philanthropist for the promotion of women and diversity in leadership roles, animal welfare, and expanding access to the arts. Denise actively promotes interdisciplinary learning and career goal-setting as well as STEM education for first generation college students.
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Allyship Across Environments
1:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Paul College 165
Alexys Febonio '18 (she/her) is a Wealth Planning Associate at Ballentine Partners, a wealth management firm, where she assists multi-generational families with all components of their wealth. In particular, she enjoys helping families align their wealth with their values, goals, and impact areas that matter most to them. Prior to joining Ballentine, Alexys was a Valuation Associate on the Deals team at PwC in Boston, Massachusetts. From the start of her career, Alexys has been deeply invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the workplace and personally. She actively contributes to and leads initiatives set forth by the Executive Advisory Board of Paul College through her work on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee that serves the board. In the spring of 2022, alongside her colleagues on the DEI Committee, Alexys spearheaded the launch of “Being an Ally at Paul and Beyond,” which is an allyship workshop that was created to bring together student leaders at Paul College to have candid conversations and engage in action plans around allyship. Outside of her efforts at Paul College she is an active member of the DEI Task Force at Ballentine Partners. She looks forward to continuing to dedicate herself to these initiative and others.
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Scott Migliori '07 (he/him) is a partner with PwC specializing in providing multistate tax consulting and compliance services to banking, insurance, and asset management clients on a national basis. Scott is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. Scott has presented on state tax issues facing financial institutions at the Council on State Taxation and Tax Executives Institute conferences as well as other industry specific events. Scott is one of PwC’s lead relationship partners for the University of New Hampshire and has recruited UNH graduates since 2009. He also serves on the Paul College Dean’s advisory board. Scott lives in Portsmouth, NH with his wife Jill, their son, Chase (5) and daughter Hannah (1). Scott enjoys music, travelling, skiing, golf, and boating. |
Maria Dykema Erb '92 (she/her) is a natural collaborator and community builder who is passionate about helping first-generation students succeed. She joined the Boston University Newbury Center as its inaugural executive director in January 2021, bringing nearly three decades of experience in diversity and inclusion work, student recruitment and retention, academic and student affairs. Most recently, she was co-director of diversity and student success at the Graduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Maria received her MEd in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Vermont and her bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. One of five siblings raised on a Vermont dairy farm, Maria is the first person in her family to have gone to college and the only one to have completed a four-year degree. “Having been a first-gen student myself,” she says, “I want to be the person I needed back then.”
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Mr. Noah Elwood is President of Appledore Marine Engineering and is very proud to be one of the founding members of the DWSA. Through progressive experience as the designer of record on complex marine infrastructure improvement projects, and leading teams on underwater inspections, Noah Elwood has earned his place as an established industry leader, speaker, and author on structural engineering in marine environments. His expertise has taken him across the United States and the Caribbean, the territories of Puerto Rico and Guam, and the countries of Japan, Egypt, Mexico, Canada, and Greenland. Noah has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Massachusetts—Lowell. He is a certified commercial diver and is professionally licensed in 20 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Nova Scotia, Canada. |