Colleen R. Billiot is a citizen of the United Houma Nation and serves as the Public Education Coordinator for the American Indian College Fund. She received a bachelor’s from Tulane University in international relations and master’s in conflict resolution from Georgetown University. Colleen had worked at every level of government before switching to the nonprofit sector and has been in the public relations field for 8 years. She served as the first Communications Specialist for the Administration for Native Americans. Colleen has also provided emergency communications and support during natural disasters and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana and Texas. She leads several cultural preservation and reclamation projects for her people, notably the Houma Language Project and Tasso Time. Colleen occasionally participates in speaking engagements on a range of topics such as Houma history in Louisiana, Indigenous cultural revival, and the need to go beyond land acknowledgements.
Eric served in the Army National Guard for 19 years. During his time in service he spent 8 years as an enlisted Solider and 11 as an Officer. He rose to the rank of Captain finishing his career in November 2021 as an Airborne Logistics Commander where his unit was responsible for supporting special operations units in the field. Eric is a graduate from the following Army schools: Officer Candidate, Logistics Officer, Captain’s Career Course, Airborne, Air Assault, and Pathfinder. Eric is also a combat Veteran serving in the Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaign in 2006, where he worked with local Iraqi Police forces to fight against insurgency in the streets of Ramadi.
Eric currently serves as the National Co-Chair for Valor, Liberty Mutual’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) dedicated to Veterans, current service members, spouse/partners, and allies. Eric’s work on this team has included supporting Veteran/Current Service member hiring initiatives, creating a robust mentorship program, elevating current service member benefits, and being a trusted advisor to Senior Leadership on military current events. Eric has been featured on “Veteran on the Move” podcast, Worklife.com news article on how remote work impacts Veterans, Benefitsnews.com on how Liberty Mutual’s ERG is supporting Veterans, and more. Eric began his insurance career with a degree in Risk Management & Insurance from Ball State University in 2006.
Upon returning from Combat in 2007, Eric began selling insurance with Nationwide and later State Farm. After obtaining his MBA, Eric went on to work for Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2011, where he continues to work today! Eric has held 8 roles during tenure at Liberty Mutual from front line adjuster and manager, to a more home office Director type of role that he currently holds today. Eric contributes his longevity with the company to not only his career progression and infinity for the work he does for the company and our policyholders, but the ability to help create and lead our Valor ERG.
Andrea Bighead is the project integrator for the System Integration, Test & Evaluation team for the Future Air Dominance Family of Systems program. She is a tribal member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
Andrea supports the Future Air Dominance Family of Systems, System Test, Integration, & Evaluation (SIT&E) team by organizing teamwork loads and working with leadership to ensure the team goals are met. She is the Virtual Native American Caucus (NAC) chair, one of Northrop Grumman’s Employee Resource Groups (ERG).
Andrea started her career at the Northrop Grumman Corporation as an administrative assistant in 2016. She joined the program integration team (PIT) in 2019 and has supported multiple programs. Most recently she supports the Future Air Dominance Family of Systems program where she continues to be a pivotal force with the team integration.
Prairie Bighorn-Blount, an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe and raised on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana, has forged an impressive path of leadership and community service. Her journey began with a bachelor’s degree in business from Rocky Mountain College, followed by a master’s in business administration from the University of Montana. Post-education, Prairie served at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. There, she administered contracts for Native American communities across the U.S., securing over $5 million for indigenous economic development and contributing to federal review panels. Returning to her roots, Prairie served as the Comptroller for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, managing $34 million in federal funding and ensuring timely audits. Recognized for her leadership, Prairie received the 2011 National Center for American Indian Economic Development’s 40 Under 40 Award. She now sits on the board of directors for the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology and contributes as a panelist for MIT Solve’s Indigenous Communities Fellowship program. Currently, Prairie serves as the Executive Director of the American Indigenous Business Leader’s organization, championing the cause of increased American Indian representation in business and entrepreneurship, and continuing her legacy of community development.
Haley Kalmbach is a Senior Software Engineer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. She has been an employee at Liberty Mutual for over 4 years, where she has worked on different internally facing applications. Most recently, she has worked on the creation of the Digital Accessibility Center as part of the DEI initiative.
As the work becomes increasingly more digital, this application was created to provide technical support for ALL employees to ensure they can be successful in their roles. The application was built to be completely accessible, so everyone would be able to use the site.
Haley has a passion for designing and developing applications with an “accessible first” mindset. She believes inclusive design is something that all engineers can incorporate into their development process. It is important to spread awareness around this issue and make sure other engineers know what tools exist to improve the digital accessibility for all.
As a Software Engineer with Liberty Mutual, Jamie has just completed two years with the company. She considers herself fortunate to have begun her career working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) technology, as it allowed her to develop meaningful work from the get go, and learn early on how impactful to ALL users it is to develop with accessibility as a top priority. Earlier this year Jamie worked as a Product Owner, partnering with stakeholders on DEI initiatives. She and her team have recently inherited several large internally facing applications, impacting over 40,000 users, which has enabled them to apply their accessibility knowledge in a large scale way – shifting these applications to better align with the core values of Liberty Mutual.
AJ Eckstein is a passionate and influential Gen Z advocate, renowned for his insightful contributions to workplace discourse, particularly centered on Gen Z.
AJ’s expertise lies in challenging stereotypes surrounding Gen Z, notably the misconception of their work preferences. His background is impressive:
1. He holds the title of “Gen Z Career Expert,” highlighted by his contributions to major publications and partnerships with LinkedIn Learning and UCLA.
2. As a Gen Z representative, AJ offers a unique and authentic perspective on our generation’s needs and behaviors.
3. With a wealth of experience in both writing and speaking, he has established himself as a go-to authority on Gen Z and the future of work.
A consultant, speaker, and coach serving as a strategist and thought partner to business leaders around the globe, focusing on human centered work experiences.
My current role at EAB is in Talent Operations and Strategy, works with both human resources business partnership and learning and development teams with a central Talent perspective across the employee lifecycle.
A founding partner at PPL MGT, an HR Solutions consulting firm, where I specialize in facilitating behavior change to drive impact for individuals and teams.
In my spare time, I volunteer as a board member, as a National Advisor to ATD chapter leaders across the country, and at a makerspace as a Textile Steward to promote learning and creation.
Experienced and accomplished leader in the health and wellness industry known for effectively guiding individuals and organizations towards improved functioning. Demonstrates exceptional facilitation and influencing skills, adept at cultivating strong relations with key partners. Extensive experience in individual and corporate consultative sales. Challenges the notion of work/life balance by equipping individuals with essential life tools to achieve overall balance in all areas of their lives.
Vanessa is global Leader with over 15 years of experience delivering key strategic initiatives in operational excellence, digital transformation and change management. She is results driven, an insurance expert and an ERG leader with proven strengths in problem solving and enhancing relationships with C-Level stakeholders in complex and ambiguous environments.
Vanessa’s key achievements include creating an inclusive environment while implementing global best practices leveraging Lean and Agile methodologies, most recently leading a technology team delivering key IT capabilities for a Product Journey in the United States and Liberty Mutual’s International operations.
Vanessa holds an MBA from Questrom School of Business from Boston University and just finished an Advance Executive Certificate at MIT’s Sloan School of Business. Originally from Lima, Peru. Vanessa is now based in Boston, MA , married to a Brazilian and enjoys spending time with her two kids.