2018 People Management Conference Featured Speakers

Robert Richman

Culture Hacking

Robert Richman is the author of the Culture Blueprint a systematic guide to building the high-performance workplace. He was a manager and culture strategist at Zappos.com and co-founded Zappos Insights, an innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets behind its game-changing employee culture. He took Zappos Insights from an idea to a multimillion dollar business line. Robert has spoken to and consulted for Google, Toyota, Eli Lilly, Whole Foods, Intuit and many other companies. He developed the Xpill, a pill and process that helps people break through their own blocks and access the power of the unconscious mind. He’s also a big fan of improv comedy, the Muppets, and exceptional coffee.

Robert Richman Keynote:

Culture Hacking
August 8  •  9:00-10:00am  •  Centennial Ballroom

Robert Richman Session:

UC Culture and How You Engage as a Leader
August 8  •  10:30-11:30am  •  Legacy A

Robert Richman Workshop:

Leadership’s Role in Enhancing UC Culture that Drives Success
August 8  •  2:30-4:30pm  •  Artistry

Alexandra Taussig

It’s Life. Magnified. How Important Life Events Impact Total Well-Being

Alexandra Taussig is a senior vice president at Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing and other financial products and services to more than 26 million individuals, institutions and financial intermediaries.

In her role, she is responsible for multiple cross-company teams dedicated to ensuring Fidelity provides for client needs at every life stage. This includes providing education and engagement opportunities to help investors plan holistically for short and long term goals, and take advantage of Fidelity’s tools, resources and financial professionals to help save, invest and build their wealth.

A critical focus area under this umbrella is overseeing Fidelity’s efforts to support women investors. In 2016, Alexandra was appointed to lead a firm wide initiative committed to empowering women investors to become more actively involved in their finances. This includes developing new educational materials, events, communications tools and other resources designed to meet the needs of women and drive financial confidence.

She regularly speaks to women across the country about the opportunity and impact of financial engagement, and is often quoted in the media sharing Fidelity research, resources and action steps to help women take control of their financial futures.

From 2013 to 2016, Alexandra led Analytics, Marketing and Communications for Personal Investing’s Tax-Exempt Market Retirement (TEM) organization, a unit of Fidelity Investments serving tax-exempt institutions in higher education and healthcare, focused on helping TEM’s almost 5 million participants achieve the retirement they envision.

Alexandra was SVP of Marketing for National Financial (now Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions), a division of Fidelity serving broker dealer firms, from 2013 to 2016. In this role, she was responsible for developing, designing and driving the strategy, positioning and promotion for all National Financial initiatives. Previously, she served in executive roles in marketing and customer acquisition with National Financial as well as Fidelity’s Retail Division. She began her career at Fidelity in 1992.

Alexandra received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Cornell University in 1986 and her MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA in 1992. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 registrations.

She and her husband, Bill, live in the suburbs of Boston, juggling a busy household with their three sons, Ben (a college sophomore), Harry and Teddy, and dog, Spoty. When not in the office, or shuttling between her sons’ extra-curriculars, Alexandra enjoys playing tennis.

Alexadnra Taussig Keynote:

It’s Life. Magnified. How Important Life Events Impact Total Well-Being
August 8  •  1:00-2:00pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Vincent Martinez

Shape Culture: Accelerate Change

In his role as a Senior Consultant for Partners In Leadership, Vince Martinez brings over 25 years of experience in facilitating, training and people development, and is a highly recognized thought leader in corporate culture, accountability and leadership development. He has worked with companies in a wide variety of industries, including the retail, education, IT, nonprofit and financial sectors, and with leaders at some of the world’s most acclaimed organizations, such as ATT, WalMart, Johnson and Johnson, Liberty Mutual, Purdue University, UC Irvine Health, Lone Star College Systems and many more.

Known as a powerful and engaging facilitator and consultant, Vince possesses an expert ability to motivate and empower people while producing value-added, lasting results. He has worked with audiences in Malaysia, Australia, South America, Europe, throughout the United States and Canada, and is known for his dynamic approach and captivating style.

Vincent Martinez Keynote:

Shape Culture: Accelerate Change
August 9  •  8:30-9:30am  •  Centennial Ballroom

Vincent Martinez Workshop:

Change your Culture: Change the Game
August 9  •  10:00am-12:00pm  •  Legacy B

Chancellor Gene Block

Chancellor, UCLA

Gene Block was appointed UCLA chancellor on August 1, 2007. Prior to joining UCLA, Chancellor Block served as vice president and provost at the University of Virginia, where he was also the Alumni Council Thomas Jefferson Professor of Biology. During his 29 years there, he served as vice president for research and public service and as founding director of the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center in Biological Timing.

As chief executive officer of UCLA, Chancellor Block oversees all aspects of the university’s three-part mission of education, research, and service. He has defined academic excellence, civic engagement, diversity, and financial security as top priorities for his administration, and has called for UCLA to deepen its engagement with Los Angeles and to increase access for students from underrepresented populations.

Chancellor Block is a distinguished professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and holds a joint faculty appointment in Integrative Biology and Physiology in the UCLA College. An expert in neuroscience, his research has focused on the neurobiology of circadian rhythms; specifically, the neural mechanisms by which organisms adjust sleep and wakefulness to the day and night cycle.

Chancellor Block has served on the executive boards of several leading organizations, including the Association of American Universities, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. He is the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the Commonwealth of Virginia Outstanding Public Service Award and the Los Angeles NAACP Foundation President’s Award. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Gene Block Keynote:

Welcome Reception Conference Greeting
August 7  •  6:00pm  •  Centennial Terrace

Chancellor Carol Christ

Chancellor, UCB

Carol Tecla Christ began her term as the 11th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on July 1, 2017. A celebrated scholar of Victorian literature, Christ is also well known as an advocate for quality, accessible public higher education, a proponent of the value of a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, and a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses.

Christ spent more than three decades as a professor and administrator at UC Berkeley before serving as president of Smith College, one of the country’s most distinguished liberal arts colleges, from 2002 to 2013. She returned to Berkeley in January 2015 to direct the campus’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, and was appointed interim executive vice chancellor and provost in April 2016 before being named chancellor in March 2017. Since returning to Berkeley, Christ has played an instrumental role in efforts to stabilize the institution’s budget, confront sexual violence and sexual harassment on campus, create a long-term plan for housing students and scholars, and more.

As president of Smith for more than a decade, Christ supervised the development of the nation’s only accredited engineering program at a women’s college, oversaw a significant rise in student diversity, expanded Smith’s global activities and reach, managed a major campus capital planning program, and shepherded the college through strategic planning exercises designed to improve its academic and financial models within the context of changing trends in higher education.

Prior to joining Smith, Christ served as UC Berkeley’s executive vice chancellor and provost from 1994 until 2000. During her six years as the campus’s top academic officer, she sharpened Berkeley’s intellectual focus, strengthening many of the institution’s top-rated departments in the humanities and sciences as well as advancing major initiatives in areas including neuroscience and bioengineering.

Christ received her B.A. (1966) from Douglass College, and her M.Ph. (1969) and Ph.D. (1970) from Yale University. She joined the Berkeley English faculty in 1970, and in addition to her other roles, has served as chair of that department, dean of the Division of Humanities, and provost for the College of Letters and Science. Christ has authored two books, The Finer Optic: The Aesthetic of Particularity in Victorian Poetry (1975) and Victorian and Modern Poetics (1994), and has edited or co-edited several others, including The Norton Anthology of English Literature. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Christ was married for 21 years to Paul Alpers, a professor of English and founding director of UC Berkeley’s Townsend Center for the Humanities, until his death in 2013. She has two grown children, Jonathan and Elizabeth Sklute, from a previous marriage, as well as two grandchildren. She lives in Berkeley.

Carol Christ Keynote:

Leadership Huddle
August 9  •  1:15-2:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Talmadge King

Dean, Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, UCSF School of Medicine

Dr. Talmadge E. King, Jr. has been dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs since July of 2015. He began his career at UCSF in 1997 as chief of Medical Services at Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. From 2006 to 2015, he served as chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine, the largest department in the school, with approximately 29 percent of the school's full-time faculty.

A physician-scientist, King’s research has focused on inflammatory and immunologic lung injury. He is best known for his pioneering work in the management of the interstitial pneumonias, a scarring process that often leads to death. His bibliography comprises more than 300 publications and he has co-edited eight books, including the acclaimed reference book, "Interstitial Lung Disease," now in its fifth edition.

King graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, followed by a residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta, Ga. and a pulmonary fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Association of American Physicians, American Clinical and Climatological Association and the Fleischner Society. He is a master of the American College of Physicians and fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. He won the 2007 Trudeau Medal, the highest honor of the American Lung Association and American Thoracic Society.

Talmadge King Keynote:

Leadership Huddle
August 9  •  1:15-2:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Glenda Humiston

Vice President, UC Agricultural and Natural Resources

Dr. Glenda Humiston was appointed vice president of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Aug. 3, 2015.

Humiston was born in California and raised on a cattle ranch in Colorado, where she was a member of 4-H. She came to UC ANR with more than 25 years of experience working on public policy development and program implementation supporting sustainability.

She volunteered with the Peace Corps in Tunisia, advocated for farmland preservation and value-added agriculture development as executive director of a nonprofit organization, and for several years, consulted on environmental and agricultural issues throughout the West.

Humiston served under President Clinton as deputy undersecretary for natural resources and environment at USDA from 1998 to 2001. She managed the Sustainable Development Institute at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in South Africa and the 2006 World Water Forum in Mexico City. In 2009, she was appointed by President Obama to serve as the California State Director at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development.

Humiston produced a widely acclaimed guidebook on “Access to Capital” and has led efforts to bring rural issues to the forefront of the state’s Economic Summit and policymakers throughout California.

Humiston earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Environmental Science, Policy and Management in 2009 with research focused on U.S. Farm Bill policy. She has a master’s degree in international agricultural development from UC Davis and a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Colorado State University.

Glenda Humiston Keynote:

Leadership Huddle
August 9  •  1:15-2:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Alexander A. Bustamante

Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance and Audit Officer, UC Office of the President

Alexander A. Bustamante is the Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance and Audit Officer for the University of California, a position that reports directly to the Regents and the UC President. He is responsible for developing and overseeing the University’s corporate compliance and audit program. Functioning as an independent and objective officer, Bustamante reviews and evaluates ethics, compliance, and audit matters within the University, and monitors and reports to the Board and to the administration regarding compliance with rules and regulations of regulatory agencies and University policies and procedures.

From 2011 until his current position in 2017, Bustamante had been the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), where he was responsible for providing independent oversight of the Department and its approximately 12,000 employees. He developed and implemented an integrated compliance program that reviewed all facets of the Department’s operations, enabling more comprehensive guidance to the Los Angeles Police Commission in its management of LAPD.

Bustamante served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 2002 to 2011, where he was the recipient of various local, state, and national awards for excellence, including the United States Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Department of Justice’s highest award. As an Assistant United States Attorney, Bustamante prosecuted complex, high-profile cases involving civil rights violations and organized crime groups, as well as a variety of white-collar crimes that entailed healthcare fraud, export controls, and the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act.

He started his career in 1997 as a Judge Advocate General for the United States Army, where he provided legal advice to senior military commanders and their staffs and represented the Army in criminal investigations and prosecutions. He was deployed to Kosovo, where he assisted the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations in developing political and judicial infrastructure for the region.

He received his Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School and his Bachelor’s Degree in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alexander Bustamante Keynote:

Leadership Huddle
August 9  •  1:15-2:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Michael J. Beck

Administrative Vice Chancellor, UCLA

Michael J. Beck began his UCLA service as the Administrative Vice Chancellor on March 1, 2016. With senior management responsibility for a broad spectrum of administrative, operational and service units, he is responsible for developing policy, monitoring compliance and overseeing campus operations in the following areas: Campus Human Resources; Central Ticket Office; Environment, Health & Safety; Events and Transportation; Facilities Management; Financial & Administrative Services; Housing and Hospitality Services (including faculty and staff housing, and UCLA conference centers); Information Technology Services; and the UCLA Police Department. The organization has an annual operating budget of approximately $625 million and more than 4,400 employees.

Prior to arriving at UCLA, Mr. Beck served as the City Manager for the City of Pasadena since October 2008. With responsibility for the overall operation of the city’s government and an annual operating budget of approximately $685 million, he managed 14 departments within the city, including finance, fire, housing and career services, human resources, human services and recreation, information technology, libraries and information services, planning and community development, police, public health, public works, transportation, and water and power.

During Mr. Beck’s tenure in Pasadena, he developed a five-year fiscal plan to reverse a structural operating deficit; led an economic development strategic planning effort, which resulted in the creation of Innovate Pasadena – a non-profit organization committed to advancing the greater Pasadena area as a leading center of innovation for technology and design; developed and implemented a $150 million funding solution for an unfunded pension liability; championed capital investment appropriations of $670 million for renovations to public facilities, infrastructure and equipment, including the $182 million Rose Bowl renovation project; managed the emergency response of a devastating windstorm in 2011; and developed a department of information technology to better utilize technology to serve the community.

Mr. Beck previously served as assistant city manager (2004-08) and deputy city manager (2001-04) for the City of Riverside, where he was responsible for creating the funding strategy for the $1.8 billion Riverside Renaissance infrastructure initiative. From 1987 to 2001, he worked at UC Riverside in different capacities, including director of economic development and real estate services and director of new initiatives and special programs.

Mr. Beck served as president of the California chapter of the International City/County Management Association and on other non-profit boards. He earned a B.A. in business economics and an MBA from UC Riverside.

Michael Beck Keynote:

Opening Remarks
August 8  •  8:30-9:00am  •  Centennial Ballroom

Dwaine B. Duckett

Vice President Systemwide Human Resources, UC Office of the President

As Vice President, Mr. Duckett is responsible for Systemwide Human Resources and programs. This includes Strategic Planning, Employee/Labor Relations, Talent Management, Health & Welfare benefit policies and programs, Senior Management Recruitment, Compensation, Performance Management, and ensuring compliance with the University’s Staff Human Resources policies. He also serves as the primary fiduciary, as delegated by the Board of Regents and the President, to oversee all aspects of benefit plans and is the Plan Administrator for the University of California Retirement System (UCRS). Duckett is the Chair for the Association of American Universities (AAU) Human Resources Institute which is comprised of the top Human Resources Officials from the 60 largest and most prominent research universities in the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. Duckett’s primary experience has been in leading and transforming various human resources functions within large multi-billion dollar corporations. In his most recent assignment before joining UC, he served as Vice President of Human Resources for Heinz North America, the largest division of the H. J. Heinz Company. He has held several chief and senior level human resources positions for organizations such as AT&T Wireless, Automatic Data Processing Incorporated (ADP), the Pepsi-Cola Company, Covisint LLC, Phillip Morris, and Sony.

His primary focus at UC is to build the human resources organization to add strategic value. He is also charged with leading efforts to continuously improve the function and services it provides. The University has 190,000 faculty and staff across its ten campuses, five medical centers and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Dwaine B. Duckett Keynote:

August 8  •  6:00-6:45pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Shola Richards

Director of Training & Organizational Development, UCLA Health

Shola is a dynamic keynote speaker, best-selling author, a workplace positivity expert, an award-winning Director of Training & Organizational Development for UCLA Health, and a positivity blogger with a passionate worldwide following. His articles have been read by readers in over 160 countries, and has been featured in the Huffington Post, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Complete Wellbeing India, Business Insider Australia, and in numerous publications all over the world who recognize him as an authority on workplace happiness and engagement.

As a speaker, Shola has shared his transformative message with top universities, Silicon Valley, leading healthcare organizations, the motion picture industry, and in his greatest honor to date, as a keynote speaker for the Department of Homeland Security under the Obama administration—three days before the 15th anniversary of 9/11 (September 2016).

Last, but certainly not least, Shola is a father, husband, identical twin, and a self-professed “kindness extremist” who will not rest until bullying and incivility is extinct from the American workplace.

Shola's keynote, The Three Questions that Will Change How You Work, Live and Lead will close this culture-shifting conference and bring it all together by introducing the audience to three powerful questions that will positively change how we work, live and lead—starting today. Additionally, Shola will present a strategy to help the participants to deal more effectively with the most difficult people in their lives (professionally or otherwise), while also providing them with an additional tool to ensure that the participants stay committed to putting these concepts into action long after the conference ends.

Shola Richards Keynote:

The Three Questions that Will Change How You Work, Live and Lead
August 9  •  2:15-2:45pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Shola Richards Session:

Keys to Creating a Culture of Workplace Positivity
August 9  •  11:15am-12:15pm  •  Exploration

Donna Salvo

Conference Moderator
Executive Director, Systemwide Talent Management, UC Office of the President

Donna Salvo has been with the University of California since 2010 and appointed as Executive Director, Systemwide Talent Management in 2012. Responsible for the initiatives related to Systemwide strategies and programs which include attracting, hiring, deploying, developing and retaining talent. Her focus is to lead and identify best practices in a systemwide integrated talent management function that enables employees to succeed by strengthening the connections between the employee and their opportunities at UC.

Known for her expertise in aligning strategies to attract key talent, improve performance, drive leadership effectiveness and employee engagement. She is passionate about advancing the disciplines in talent management by creating positive experiences which resulted in sharing her insights at 2011, 2012, 2013 LinkedIn Talent Connect, 2016 & 2017 Perspectives, 2017 HCI , 2018 Argyle , CUPA and CLO conferences . She serves as a thought leader and talent management innovator which was recognized in 2016 and 2017 with “creating an impact in Higher Education” an award from Skillsoft/Sum Total. She and her team were also recognized with the Talent Management Bronze award for transformational work in organizational learning and development at the 2017 CLO Symposium+PLUS event.

Programs she is involved with include the creation of the UC Systemwide Job Board and deploying LinkedIn tools to help UC’s Talent Acquisition groups in utilizing social media. Creation of the Systemwide Talent Management Consortium to deliver programs that creates a cultural synergy across UC.  Highlighted programs she and her team have delivered are: UC Management Development Program, UC-CORO Systemwide Leadership Collaborative, UC People Management Series and certification which includes Hiring for Success, Onboarding and Performance Management, Managing Implicit Bias and most recently the annual UC systemwide People Management Conference supporting the development of UC’s 46,000 people managers.

Prior to joining UC, she held the position of Vice President of H.R. Operations for AAA and other top human resources positions over her 20+ years of experience for organizations such as Wells Fargo Bank, Citigroup, Palm Inc., Hexcel, ADP, Transamerica and Colgate-Palmolive.

Donna Salvo Keynotes:

Opening Remarks
August 8  •  8:30-9:00am  •  Centennial Ballroom

Leadership Huddle
August 9  •  1:15-2:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Closing Remarks
August 9  •  2:45-3:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Donna Salvo Session:

UC Culture and How You Engage as a Leader
August 8  •  10:30-11:30am  •  Legacy A

Nancy Chen Lane

Conference Moderator
Senior Director of Systemwide Talent Management and Acquisition, UC Office of the President

Nancy builds talent strategy aligning higher education organizational culture and people to business strategy. With knowledge and understanding of higher education organizational development and current workforce challenges, she implements talent development leading practices that enhance employee engagement and contributions. She has over 19 years public and private higher education experience working with staff, faculty, and students specializing in leadership and management, organizational and talent development, change management, performance management, coaching and communication, conflict resolution, and diversity awareness. Nancy holds a Masters in Higher and Postsecondary Education Administration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors in Business Administration and Accounting from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Nancy Chen Lane Keynotes:

Opening Remarks
August 8  •  8:30-9:00am  •  Centennial Ballroom

Closing Remarks
August 9  •  2:45-3:15pm  •  Centennial Ballroom

Nancy Chen Lane Session:

UC Culture and How You Engage as a Leader
August 8  •  10:30-11:30am  •  Legacy A

Melanie Gideon

Program Director, Operation Mend, UCLA Health

Melanie Gideon joined Operation Mend in 2008 as the program’s first hire. For over 10 Years, UCLA Operation Mend has proudly served our nation’s post 9-11 wounded warriors and their family members. The program offers a full spectrum of services for both the physical and psychological wounds of war, ranging from advanced surgical and medical care to an intensive treatment program for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Today, Melanie is an instrumental leader and team member responsible for working with UCLA Health and the Katz Center for Collaborative Military Medicine to oversee the program’s growth internally and externally. Aside from leading Operation Mend’s multi-disciplinary team, she works with clinicians and faculty across UCLA Health to guarantee they have the resources needed to provide world class medical and psychological care. Since the early days, Melanie and her team have dedicated their efforts to ensure that every Operation Mend warrior and family receives the highest level of concierge patient and family-centered care available.

In addition to her role at Operation Mend, Melanie serves as the lead representative for UCLA with the Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network and The George W. Bush Institute’s Warrior Wellness Alliance. Her work connecting Operation Mend with community partners, military personnel, veteran service organizations and other local and national key leaders has led to a network of collaborators and supporters for Operation Mend’s expansion.

Melanie Gideon Activity:

Community Event with Operation Mend (opens in new window)
August 8  •  6:45-8:00pm  •  Centennial Ballroom