William Rolack Sr. is Kroll’s Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, based in New York. He has over 20 years of experience leading diversity and inclusion strategies, human capital management and mobility management. William works closely with the Kroll leadership team and other stakeholders to develop strategic programs aimed at accelerating inclusion and diversity in the workplace and the commercial impact those programs have on high performing teams that drive economic value, innovation and business integration. Prior William led the Global DEI strategies at Workforce Logiq, and for Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Office of the Commissioner. Currently, he serves on the board of Abilities Inc., and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources as the Immediate-past National President. He has been featured in the Black Enterprise Business Report, News 12 Long Island, HRO Today, CIO.com and Long Island Business News. William has been named Savoy Magazine’s 2023 Most Influential Executives and received the NAAAHR Trailblazer Award in 2021. William earned his BS degree from SC State University and his MBA from Long Island University.
I provide support to law firm partners who are committed to growing their practices. I work with rainmakers going to the next level, new partners, lateral partners, and non-equity partners and counsel who aspire to be equity partners. I help law firms retain their most valued talent and integrate new talent.
I bring decades of experience as a coach to hundreds of partners in firms throughout the US.
My work supporting other lawyers on business development started in 1980 when I became a partner at Alschuler, Grossman & Pines, a leading Los Angeles litigation boutique. To avoid the existential threat of the firm’s depending on the firm’s one major rainmaker, I coached any lawyer in the firm who was interested. I was also a rainmaker in my own right, a leader in the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the ABA TIPS Section Employer-Employee Relations Committee and recognized in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.
In 1997, I founded The New Ellis Group, a consulting firm to provide similar support to law firm partners around the country. Since 1997, I have supported hundreds of law firm partners, hired either by their law firms or by themselves individually. I often work with lawyers at critical junctures: when they become partners, when they make a lateral move, and when they face pressure to retire. When firms invest in sponsorship and mentoring programs to retain their best talent, I provide individual coaching support to lawyers in these programs, sponsors and proteges, to insure the programs’ success.
Since 2007, I have published a biweekly newsletter on business development strategy, Monday Monday, which is full of ideas with illustrative examples to help lawyers apply business development strategies to their own circumstances. You can access the newsletter archive at The New Ellis Group website.
If I can help your firm retain the best talent or help you build your practice, please reach out to me.
Miami native Hope Giselle got her start in activism and facilitation while in College at Alabama State University. Helping to found and govern the conservative schools FIRST LGBT organization. Giselle graduated with a BFA, and Masters in Fine Arts as the first openly trans woman to do so at her Alma Matter Alabama State University and hit the ground running with her modern social take on trans and black bodies in public spaces. The author (Becoming Hope:Removing the Disguise) and activist has now founded her own non profit organization (AllowMe) and works with organizations like HRC, freedom for all Americans, and LGBT University to help ensure that the voices of the communities she’s apart of is heard. Giselle is definitely a force the world should be aware of.
Richard Mihalic (he/him/his) is currently a Manager on the enterprise-wide Inclusive Diversity & Equity (IDE) Team at Allstate Insurance Company. Providing oversight and support for many IDE efforts with Allstate and its family of Companies’ global initiatives, Richard is responsible for the integration of IDE into every facet of the various business areas at Allstate. Richard also previously served as President of the Allstate PRIDE Employee Impact Group – EIG (formerly known as ERG) and continues to consult with that Team as the Strategy Implementation Director of PRIDE. Richard has been part of the Allstate family for the last 18 years and is excited to bring his passion and experience leading diverse teams through a myriad of business transformations throughout his career.
Katie Spitzel is a senior project manager at Freddie Mac and co-chair of their Pride Business Resource Group. Katie’s work with the Pride BRG has led Freddie Mac to be a leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion, including founding an LGBTQ+ Enterprise Initiatives committee focused on partnering with HR and DEI to foster LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusion in the company. In addition, Katie championed Freddie Mac’s first-ever non-binary and bisexual+ programs, establishing employee-sharing spaces for these underrepresented groups. In 2021, Katie produced Freddie Mac’s first-ever “State of LGBTQ+ Housing Summit,” gathering industry leaders to share their work in equitable housing for the LGBTQ+ community. Outside of the BRG, Katie has experience in technology development, project management, operations, marketing, and communications. They received their B.A. in Communication Studies and Opera Performance from James Madison University.
Jerry Won is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator and host who has worked with some of the world’s most recognized brands in corporate and higher education. He speaks on a variety of topics including authentic storytelling, personal branding, creator economy, and the Asian American experience in the workplace.
He is the Founder & CEO of Just Like Media, an Asian American storytelling company whose award-winning podcast brands Dear Asian Americans, MBAsians, The Janchi Show and Asian Podcast Network have partnered with McDonald’s, Focus Features and the US Census
Prior, he was a Senior Strategy Consultant at Accenture and sales leader at start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. Jerry has a BS from USC Marshall and an MBA from Michigan Ross, where he served as President of the Student Government Association. He currently serves on the Marshall Volunteer Leadership Council and the Michigan Ross Sanger Leadership Center Advisory Board. Along with his wife Kyung and his two children, Jerry lives in Southern California.
Kaela (she/they pronouns) is currently the Associate Director of Advisory at Seramount, focused on the Employee Resource Group (ERG) advisory offerings, providing advice and resources to organizations executing ERG strategies.
Before coming to Seramount, Kaela drove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices at various organizations, including Assured Partners, Wawa, and Aramark, which included ERG strategy-building, ERG leadership upskilling, aligning objectives to the business, and executive leadership engagement. Prior to specializing in DE&I, Kaela’s background centered around critical HR functions, such as talent management, organizational development/change, HR systems/analytics, communications, and employee engagement. They also served as an ERG leader during their time in HR roles.
Kaela has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership with a focus in Human Resources from Northeastern University and is an alum of Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. They hold a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) certification from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Kaela is also an active member of the local Philadelphia community and holds board and operational leadership roles with Philly SHRM, Making Worlds Bookstore and Social Center, and cinéSPEAK. Kaela is also an active thought leader and frequently contributes their insights on panel discussions, workshops, and conferences.
They were nominated as an HR Rising Star in 2020 by the Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year Awards and named one of Philadelphia’s Top 40 Connectors and Keepers by Leadership Philadelphia in their 2021 class. True to their passion, Kaela loves to travel to new cities and explore new foodie dishes to learn more about the cultures of others. They also geek out on sci-fi and space travel and can easily get lost in a good book, movie, or TV show.
Lis Rakanovic is an IT Audit and Compliance Lead, where she is responsible for managing and supporting internal audits, external and regulatory inspections, and compliance related activities that impact Information Research – Business Technology Solutions (IR BTS) globally.
Lis is a Chemical Engineer by training, and holds a Master of Science in Regulatory Compliance and Quality Systems, from Northwestern University. Lis began her career at AbbVie in 2014 as part of the Post-Market QA team that prepared for Duodopa launch in the U.S. Lis pivoted her path into the Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) in 2019 and was responsible for developing compliance metrics for Executive Leadership, Board of Directors and other key stakeholders.
Lis is currently the Global Chair of AbbVie’s Asian Leadership Network (ALN) and is responsible for leading, developing, and executing the ALN’s short- and long-term strategies aligned with the enterprise Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI) mission and vision. She manages 50+ volunteer leaders and leads the organization of more than 4,400 members. Lis has been a member of all the seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) since joining AbbVie in 2014, she led the first AbbVie Eid event in 2016, and partnered with EEDI to launch the Diversity Calendar at AbbVie. Lis is passionate about representation and fosters safe and inviting environments in which diverse perspectives are shared, so that everyone feels valued. Lis has collaborated with companies such as Odyssey Impact to promote cultural competency and inclusion across AbbVie. Lis was recognized for her EEDI contributions in the inaugural Legal and OEC Outstanding IMPACT Award in 2021.
René leads Prudential’s global employee community engagement strategy and a portfolio of grants and programs that strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations. This includes volunteer activities under the PruCARES brand, a board service program to place Prudential leaders on boards of nonprofit organizations, pro-bono consulting projects and the company’s disaster relief and recovery efforts. He is also leading an evaluation and learning process to measure the social and business impact of Prudential’s philanthropic endeavors. Rene also manages a portfolio of grants to promote inclusive communities and improve pathways to quality jobs for individuals facing multiple barriers. Rene developed and launched a unique nonprofit board service program focusing on emerging leaders of diverse background as part of Prudential’s diversity & inclusion and talent management strategies. Prior to this role, René was a Relationship Manager working with business units and corporate functions to develop strategies that bring the full power of Prudential to address social needs and meet business objectives. René started his career at Prudential almost 21 years ago as a program officer with The Prudential Foundation where he managed the youth development, civic leadership, capacity building and business alignment portfolios. During this time, he developed the company’s first international philanthropic strategy, developed a disaster relief framework and co-created and implemented a board service program targeting leaders of diverse background.
Before joining Prudential, René worked in his native Puerto Rico in a community development initiative working in public housing projects. He was also the executive director of a multi-service nonprofit organization in Newark. René has served in a number of nonprofit boards and advisory councils, and currently represents Prudential on the Council of NJ Grantmakers board.
Rene holds a BA and MPA from Rutgers University in Newark and is currently a Part Time Lecturer at Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
