Caroline Starner is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Oakley, Inc., a $1.2 billion company with more than 5,000 employees worldwide. As a valued member of Oakley’s executive team, Caroline provides strategic HR leadership to attract, retain, and develop the best team of people on the planet for a company that has earned global renown. Oakley creates innovations that serve sport performance, active and lifestyle customers in more than 100 countries. Caroline joined the Oakley management team in 2009 to strengthen partnerships between the company’s global HR team and its business units, and maximize operational and organizational effectiveness. Her previous experience includes serving as Vice President of Human Resources for Pacific Sunwear of Ca. Inc., where she provided HR solutions for close to 19,000 employees. Her experience and expertise in process reengineering, strategic staffing and management transition goes back decades, including service as Vice President of Human Resources for a $4.5 billion division of Gap, Inc., an organization with more than 45,000 employees. Caroline has held senior human resources positions with global accountability within leading companies that include DuPont, Pepsi Co. and Johnson & Johnson, utilizing skills that range from team leadership to executive coaching and beyond. A native of New Jersey, Caroline has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
Ms. Matrice Ellis-Kirk has been Managing Director of RSR Partners since January 2014 and serves as its Head of Dallas Office. Matrice Ellis-Kirk earned her BA from University of Pennsylvania.
Joy Higa is Vice President, Health Care Reform at United Healthcare where she manages federal health reform policy and implementation.
She previously served as deputy chief of staff to the California State Controller from 2004 to 2006 and chief deputy cabinet secretary in the Office of the Governor during 2003.
Joy Higa received her bachelor of arts degree from Cornell University.
Vivian Schiller is the former president and CEO of National Public Radio, and former head of news and journalism partnerships at Twitter. She is also the former senior vice president and chief digital officer for NBC News, including oversight of NBCNews.com. Vivian Schiller graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in Russian studies and Soviet studies, and a has Master's degree in Russian from Middlebury College.
Erin O'Connor is a Partner with Cammack Health (formerly Cammack LaRhette). Erin has helped evolve the company's hospital centric services to expand beyond traditional employee benefits by developing strategic partnerships with clients who are migrating to population health management. She works with industry leaders, clients and partners to develop best practices for accountable care.
Erin has 25 years of experience in human resources and health care operations. Prior to joining Cammack Health, she was the chief HR executive at two large healthcare organizations for over seven years, one of which operated several health plans.
Erin O'Connor is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Fordham University School of Law.
Maria Verrigni is a Human Resources Leader at IBM. Maria Verrigni received her undergraduate degree from Mount St Marys COllege and her graduate degree from Manhattanville College.
Kathleen Carroll started the Branding Clinic in 2000 with a mission to unearth consumer insights for Fortune 500 companies to help their brands achieve double-digit or higher growth. The U-Promise program developed for Citibank and its partners is one of her most recognized and successful in-market concepts. Kathleen began her career in brand management with Procter & Gamble in the food and health & beauty divisions in the US and Europe for 7 years. She has also worked for H.J. Heinz, a management consulting firm, MCA (Marketing Corporation of America) and was the CMO for two internet start-ups: the internet grocery precursor sold to Peapod and CNBC.com, which Microsoft bought. She earned at Cornell University a B.S. and MBA in their 5-year joint degree program.
Jin Seo is a designer at RLX which is a product line within the Ralph Lauren Polo brand.
Jin Seo is a graduate of Cornell University.
Erika Fowler is the founder of Ithaca Fine Chocolates based in Ithaca, New York. One of the most popular items produced by the company is the Art Bar. Art Bars are organic, Fair Trade chocolate bars that feature an art reproduction by a regional adult artist or an international child artist on a collectible card inside the wrapper. Ten percent of profits from sales are donated to the Kaleidoscope outreach program of the Community School of Music & Arts in Ithaca, NY, and to the International Child Art Foundation in Washington, DC. Ithaca Fine Chocolates aims to promote artists and support art education by bringing together the luxuries of fine art and exquisite chocolate for inspired enjoyment.
A former museum director and art history instructor, Fowler intended to start an art gallery in Ithaca. That plan evolved into Art Bars while she was contemplating how to provide artists with broader exposure.
Fowler received an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and her Masters degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.