The Institute for HR Mastery is a performance center within Employers Resource Association dedicated to developing excellence in Human Resources and the HR professional.
Please be on the lookout for specific development tracks and select HR Professional Development courses.
Maureen is an HR professional with 10+ years of experience in Human Resources. Throughout her career she has held roles that include HR Business Partner, Learning & Development Manager, and Corporate Manager of Talent Development.
Maureen earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Wright State University with a dual major in Human Resources and Business Management. She also earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Findlay. Aside from holding a SHRM-CP, Maureen is also a certified facilitator for Franklin Covey and Everything DiSC.
“Throughout her career Maureen has worked for both mid-size companies as well as large international corporations. She was also an entrepreneur for over a decade before focusing specifically on the field of HR. Her passion is finding HR solutions for companies of all sizes and adding value through strategic HR partnerships.”
Dan Dugan is a Strategic Sales leader with over 15 years of Marketing Solutions experience in the Media industry. Dan comes to ERA from a background with both Gannett/USA Today Marketing Solutions and Lee Enterprises. While there Dan honed his craft of partnering with HR leaders throughout their Digital transformation by providing them with data driven recruitment marketing strategies while enhancing their employment brand.
He has been a keynote speaker at many local Digital marketing seminars and has assisted in creating and organizing the Cincinnati Enquirerannual Top Workplaces initiative. Dan is involved in many local volunteer organizationsand is very active in both St. Dominic and Our Lady of Victory Parishes. Dan and his wife Jen have 4 sons and reside in Delhi Township.
Terri joined ERA as Compensation Consultant to build out our Compensation Center of Excellence. She has over 20 years of experience working in all aspects of compensation. Terri’s specialties include incentive compensation design, sales compensation, executive compensation and international compensation. Terri has worked in the investment management, sales and marketing, healthcare and telecommunications fields.
Christine Halliday, PHR, brings over 10 years of experience in the Human Resources field in areas of expertise including talent acquisition and retention, business development and solutions, employee engagement, client engagement, team building, mentoring and leadership.
She specializes in recruitment and has worked with organizations ranging from small and mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 companies in the east and mid-Atlantic regions to provide niche and high-volume recruitment.
Matt Deavy has spent his career working as a training expert with multiple organizations. Some of the qualities that differentiate Matt as a consultant and a trainer are his engaging and active style along with his ability to effectively communicate and connect with all levels of an organization. His areas of expertise include Leadership Training, Sales Training, and Effective Communication. Matt has lead training for logistics companies in the Cincinnati area and served as a trainer for Gateway Community and Technical College. Matt obtained his Master’s Degree in Education from Xavier University, specializing in Human Resource Development after completing his Bachelors of Arts at Northern Kentucky University.
Tonya is a Human Resources Professional with over 20 years of strategic experience working in both public and private sectors. Her public sector focus has been in education and transportation. Her private sector focus has been in advanced materials, technology and manufacturing supporting global organizations. Her areas of expertise include but are not limited to HRIS implementation, legal compliance and employment law, leadership development, employee relations, compensation, performance management, employee engagement and grant development. As a consultant with ERA, her focus is on affirmative action plan compliance and employee engagement. She holds a B.S. in Human Resources from Wright State University.
Susan Sterritt Meyer, SHRM-SCP, recently returned to the Association with new perspectives following five years teaching and consulting experience in Europe. Susan served our members from 2008-2011 as a Learning and Development Consultant, and held the post of Director of the Educational Services Department from 1993-1999 during which time she developed the Department’s core training materials. She is well versed in the learning needs and preferences of our members.
Considered by many to be “the best facilitator they’ve ever experienced,” Susan has “the rare ability to capture interest and stir emotion while engaging the brain to make continued learning a treat.” She bolsters her exceptional instructional skills with decades of solid business, training and HR expertise gleaned from leadership posts in major corporations in manufacturing, healthcare, broadcasting, and service industries. Susan earned her Master’s degree in Human Resource Development and B.S. degrees in psychology and social sciences. She holds multiple certifications and has been published multiple times. She is also a featured speaker at national and local conventions.
Susan’s presentations are lively with solid examples and inspiring messages, and offer a depth of content unparalleled in other learning venues.
Rebecca Jacobs has been an employment law attorney since 1997 and a lecturer at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business since 2006. As a litigation attorney, Rebecca defended employers against claims under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, and Ohio laws. She tried cases in federal and state courts and handled charges before the EEOC and OCRC. She is passionate about helping companies attempt to avoid litigation in the first place through compliance and training. To this end, she recently developed customized employee training programs on harassment prevention and bystander intervention. She has conducted webinars relating to FMLA, ADA, and the impact of marijuana legalization on the workplace. In January, 2019, Columbus CEO magazine quoted Rebecca in “Employment Law: Making it Official with Love Contracts.”
As an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Management and Human Resources at the Fisher College of Business, Rebecca teaches the “Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law” class. In this role, she ensures that students pursuing their Masters in Human Resource Management understand the employment laws which impact their workforces.
Rebecca holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is admitted to practice law in Ohio and licensed (inactive) in California. Rebecca was named an “Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star” in Law and Politics magazine in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. She is also a graduate of the 2008 Leadership Columbus class and currently serves as president of the Ridgewood Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization.
Michael T. Denisoff is an expert in the disciplines of strategy and business, organizational effectiveness, training and development, executive coaching and human resource excellence. As President and CEO of Employers Resource Association, he is focused on continually listening to the voice of the members, delivering the most relevant & potent services and ensuring that ERA is a Center of Excellence for Human Resources.
Michael has worked as a consultant with organizations across a wide range of industries, including retail, telecommunications, technology, healthcare and service-related fields. Previous clients include NASA, Honda, Home Depot, Parke Davis and IBM. Michael is also regularly retained as an executive coach by CEOs and other high-level corporate executives. He has succeeded in a variety of leadership roles within organizations including head of Talent for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, VP of Talent Management and Organizational Development for Luxottica and Senior Manager of Organizational Development and Learning for Neutrogena. Michael began his career with the Covey Leadership Center, headed by Stephen Covey, the renowned author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
Michael received his master’s in business administration from Loyola Marymount University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of its 1988 national championship football team. Michael is a multi-disciplinarian also well-versed in philosophy, music, athletics, improvisational comedy, social issues and primitive living.
As an ERA HR & Compliance Consultant, Melissa works with members to address a wide range of HR issues. She supports ERA members by working ERA’s hotline, facilitating monthly roundtables, creating member legal alerts, training, and handling special projects such as HR check-ups, I-9 audits, HR policy and employee handbook reviews.
Melissa has 8 years of HR experience. Most recently, Melissa was an HR Consultant for Equitas Health (leading healthcare provider for LGBTQIA+ organization in Ohio), where she provided HR-related support to over 500 employees, full cycle recruiting, organizational restructuring, internal and external audits, employee relations, payroll, onboarding, leave management and credentialing.
Her areas of expertise include but are not limited to auditing, diversity and inclusion initiatives, leave management, policy/procedure development, implementation of HR related software, training and training materials, as well as general HR issues.
Melissa earned her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Keller Graduate School of Management and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University. Melissa is also a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Matt Stein is responsible for service and growth of ERA’s member organizations in the region. Matt joined ERA with over 15 years of consulting experience helping HR professionals with benefit selection and communication. He has an MBA from Franklin University.
Mrs. Johnson is a results-oriented human resources professional with 20+ years of human resource experience.
Over the years, she has held various positions within HR with progressively increasing responsibilities. These positions include, Regional HR Manager, Director of Human Resources and Global Vice President of Human Resources. The scope of her expertise includes privately held small and mid-sized companies as well as publicly traded international organizations in a diverse field of industries ranging from financial services and hospitality to medical device and education.
Her areas of expertise include but are not limited to recruitment and selection, mergers and acquisitions, policy/procedure development, design and implementation of performance management programs, selection and implementation of HR systems, management training/coaching as well as general HR issues. Her emphasis is on aligning HR strategy with organizational strategy.
Mrs. Johnson earned both her Master’s degree in Labor and Employment Relations and her Bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Cincinnati. She is certified as a senior professional in human resources (SPHR, SHRM-SCP) and is a member of the Society of Human Resources. She is also a certified MBTI practitioner.
Lori Hall manages the HR Consulting function for ERA’s Columbus market. Lori served our members from 2006 to 2013 as Manager, HR Consulting Services, and continues that role now, providing business solutions to members, ranging from Affirmative Action Plan Management, Employee Engagement Surveys, 360-Degree Survey Feedback, and a wide range of additional HR business solutions. During her time away, she spent 5 years teaching and consulting at a Fortune 26 global organization. She is a published author, a certified Mediator and Coach, and has over 20 years of experience as an effective facilitator. Lori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Human Resource Management and holds certifications from Development Dimensions International, Columbus Mediation Services, and MBTI.
Lindsay is the Marketing Coordinator for the Association. She is responsible for creating content and marketing campaigns. In addition to this she assists in planning and managing events, conferences, and meetings. She has several years of work experience in retail, customer service, and office type roles. Lindsay prides herself on her outgoing, contagious personality, dedication, creative mindset, and strong communication skills.
Jill Langhals serves as the compensation consultant for ERA, assisting members with market and internal equity reviews, building and updating salary structures, creating bonus plans, and various other issues related to total rewards. Jill joined ERA in May 2021. Prior to that she worked for companies ranging in size from 10 employees to 60,000 and in both the private and public sectors. She has over 18 years of experience, spanning many different industries, including manufacturing and health care. In addition to specializing in compensation, Jill has also held HR generalist roles. This gives her a greater perspective on balancing the desires of the employees with the needs of the business. Jill earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Findlay and is a member of the Columbus Compensation Association.
Jeff is responsible for conducting, analyzing and compiling more than 20 annual wage, policy, practices and employee benefit surveys for members. He also assists members conducting custom surveys used to benchmark their compensation and/or benefits information to similar organizations within their industry.
His experience working with Fortune 500 companies as well as small to medium sized organizations in the Market Research and Human Resource fields allows him to assist members with the custom survey process, including the creation of insightful and actionable analytical reports connecting data to industry norms and trends that impact the bottom line. Jeff received his master’s degree from Xavier University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kentucky.
Diana Small is a Human Resources Leader with 30 years of progressive HR experience. Her passion for HR has allowed her to lead HR teams, set strategic HR visions and deliver HR outcomes for organizations in both the public and private sectors. Diana has held HR partnership and leadership positions in the Financial Services, Insurance, Manufacturing, Airline, Public Utilities, IT and Specialty Pharmacy industries.
Diana obtained both her Masters Degree in Labor and Employment Relations and her Bachelors Degree in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati. Diana is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR, SHRM-SCP), and is a member of the Greater Cincinnati HR Association (GCHRA), Greater Cincinnati Association of Training & Development (ATD) where she most recently served on the Executive Advisory Board, SHRM, and serves on the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board (SWORWIB). Diana also enjoys mentoring up-and-coming HR professionals as she shares her knowledge and passion for HR.
Additional past involvement in the community includes being an alumni of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce WeLead Class 10, West Chester / Liberty Township Leadership 21, Urban League African American Leadership Development and the YMCA Black Achievers.
Chelsea is the Training Coordinator for the Association’s Cincinnati office. She is responsible for the setup and breakdown of all the training rooms, which includes the compilation of all text materials. Chelsea also handles training registrations and questions about program content. She works extensively on the association’s training catalogs and is responsible for various marketing materials. She is also responsible for coordinating room rentals. Chelsea earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Miami University. Her experience includes six years as a childcare teacher and one year as an Assistant Director.
Carolyn joined ERA in October 2007 as a Human Resources Consultant in our Cincinnati office. She worked in-house as Senior Corporate Counsel and then as a legal consultant with a large corporation for nearly 10 years with experience in a broad range of HR issues including hiring, discipline, firing, discrimination, litigation management, harassment and wage and hour. Carolyn’s primary focus with ERA includes affirmative action plans, employee engagement surveys, back-up hotline assistance, handbook review and HR training. Carolyn has a B.A. and J.D. from University of Toledo and is licensed to practice law in Ohio and Kentucky.
April is responsible for the accounting, payroll, benefits, financial and office support functions including the management of all administrative functions and supervision of the office support personnel at the Association. She also coordinates and monitors the operational needs of the Cincinnati office.
April has served in a number of capacities at ERA. She joined ERA in 2001 as the receptionist and quickly moved to the position of training assistant. She was then promoted to Administrative Assistant and served as Training Coordinator prior to her current role. These various positions have given April a complete knowledge of the various departments at ERA and thoroughly prepared her for her current position of Director, Administration.
Amanda Mosteller is a Talent Development leader with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Amanda comes to ERA from a global IT services organization where she honed her craft at bringing Talent Development programs and initiatives into the digital age. Amanda’s experience ranges from individual and executive career coaching to learning program development from the ground up. Most recently Amanda has focused her own knowledge and skill growth in Organizational Development work as well as embracing the ways technology can alter how adults learn.
With over 10 years of diverse experience in Human Resources operations, Kanika is a results-driven leader who focuses on talent acquisition, training & development, employee retention, employee relations, performance management, policies/procedures, disciplinary action, termination practices and other solutions that help companies operate at their full potential.
Kanika is most experienced as a Human Resources leader in the fields of education, healthcare, non-profit organizations and start-up companies/organizations.
Kanika holds a Bachelors degree in Human Service Management and a Masters degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Health and Human Services.
Tammi Cross has earned multiple professional certifications, including SHRM-SCP (Sr Certified Professional from Society of HR Management), SPHR (Sr Professional in HR), CCP (Certified Compensation Professional). She is also an alum from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management. Tammi has worked throughout Ohio for over 20 years and has HR management, generalist, and compensation experience in various industries including retail, distribution/fulfillment, manufacturing, reverse logistics, marketing, finance, and automotive. She is passionate about what she does and committed to excellence with experience leading large organizational-wide high-profile projects. Tammi is detail-oriented, results-driven, and serves as a trusted advisor with the highest level of integrity and work ethic – and a pleasure to have in the office, keeping the workday fun!
Jayne has more than 20+ years experience in human resources and business management in a variety of industries including but not limited to manufacturing, wholesale/retail, social services, healthcare (acute care, consumer and pharmaceuticals testing), financial lending, distribution and logistics. As a Recruiter, Jayne has been responsible for identifying talent for a variety of positions locally as well as across the US. Talent searches include but are not limited to Non-profit Private and Public positions, Engineering, Human Resources, Banking, Sales (Telemarketing) and Machinists. Jayne utilizes online media as well as referral services to cultivate strong candidates to provide to hiring Managers and Human Resources Generalists.
Debbie Wheaton is an experienced HR Business Partner with experience in aligning HR strategies with company goals to achieve desired results. She has experience in managing employees and has experience in all areas of HR including recruitment and onboarding, policy and process development and implementation, performance management, legal compliance, employee relations, benefits, and retirement plan administration and experience in Accounting with budgeting, month end close, audits, and other accounting functions. She has implemented and transition several HRIS and Payroll systems for organization. She is excited to develop and work with employees to create strong work environments.Debbie received her Bachelor in Business Administration from West Virginia University and currently holds a SHRM-CP certification and is actively pursuing her certification in coaching.
Barb is degreed in Human Resource Management and earned both her SPHR and SHRM-SCP. She is a respected business leader with solid experience in strategic and tactical best practices in implementing human resource systems designed to enhance profitability and meet business objectives. She has a track record of leading teams and managing projects designed to improve performance, enhance employee ownership, increase employee retention, and reduce benefit costs. Barb has a demonstrated commitment to creating a work environment that reflects fairness, values diversity, balances employee trust with business needs, and utilizes the strengths of human capital to enhance business results.
Mike Ellis is an experienced Human Resource (HR) professional that has successfully built positive and productive relationships within the organizations he has served, and is highly proficient in all of the core areas of HR. Mike graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati and has over 25 years of experience in HR in which he began his career in the areas of Employee and Labor Relations. Mike has enjoyed hearing the “stories” of individuals and gains from the rewarding feeling of linking talented individuals with organizations. Mike recently retired from Messer Construction Co. as the Talent Acquisition Leader responsible for acquiring talented contributors for the organization. Mike has gained experience performing HR within various industries to include Healthcare, Higher Education, Service and Manufacturing just to name a few.
Rian Hill, is a Cincinnati native and HR professional with valuable progressive experience as a Generalist, Director, Business Partner and Labor Relations Specialist in the banking, legal and healthcare industries.
Rian has supported leaders through various HR processes and provided counseling and training to employees to manage performance based issues. Rian has a strong background in full life cycle recruiting and is very passionate about empowering managers and supporting employees in the workplace.
Rian attended The Ohio State University where she majored in Communication. She went on to obtain her Masters of Science in Administration degree in Human Resources Management from the Trinity Washington University in Washington DC.
Lea Anne Broseus is a Human Resource professional with over 20 years’ experience managing teams. She is known for employee development, performance management, sales training, coaching, training creation, design and delivery. Her greatest success is guiding employees to reach new heights through process improvement, collaboration and empowerment. She provides sound support regarding sensitive HR issues and employee development; demonstrating the ability to balance representing management to staff and being an advocate on the staff’s behalf with leadership.
Most of Lea Anne’s career experience is from the financial services industry. She earned a Bachelors of Science Business Administration from The Ohio State University with a double major in Finance and Economics. She currently holds a SHRM-SCP.
James brings over 30 years of human resources experience in the Aviation, Medical Product, and Information Technology business segments with General Electric and Hill-Rom. In addition to supporting engineering, commercial, and technology functions, his deepest areas of expertise are providing HR leadership in P&L and supply chain operations. He is also a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and experience in Lean methodology.
Over the course of his career, he has held roles of increasing responsibility as an HR Business Partner. His focus is in the areas of HR strategy; talent development, including talent management planning, succession, and development action planning; performance management; leadership coaching; talent assessment; and organizational design. In addition, he has extensive experience in change management and culture shaping, and is highly passionate about driving a culture of employee engagement and positive employee relations.
James has a balanced mix of developing and delivering pragmatic HR strategic initiatives to achieve business objectives. He has a customer centric mindset and will jump right into ‘roll-up the selves’ – hands-on execution.
He received his Masters in Business Administration at Xavier University and Bachelor of Science at Cornell University.
Jill Langhals serves as the compensation consultant for ERA, assisting members with market and internal equity reviews, building and updating salary structures, creating bonus plans, and various other issues related to total rewards. Jill joined ERA in May 2021. Prior to that she worked for companies ranging in size from 10 employees to 60,000 and in both the private and public sectors. She has over 18 years of experience, spanning many different industries, including manufacturing and health care. In addition to specializing in compensation, Jill has also held HR generalist roles. This gives her a greater perspective on balancing the desires of the employees with the needs of the business. Jill earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Findlay and is a member of the Columbus Compensation Association.
