San Francisco HR Star Conference Thursday, September 10, 2026 Speaker Information Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH is the Managing Principal of Employment Practices Specialists LLC and holds a simple approach to employment practices: be proactive. Using her employment law background, coupled with her sound knowledge of human resources practices, Allison provides proactive risk management services aimed at helping companies both prevent and resolve employment claims. She is a frequent speaker on employment law and human resources topics at national conferences related to human resources and diversity. Allison specializes in delivering customized in-house training programs to companies of all sizes, serving a wide variety of industries. Her clients include: Chiquita Brands, SanDisk, Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Sharp Hospital, and Portola Pharmaceuticals. Her expertise also includes delivering one-on-one sensitivity training to executives, managers and employees concerning harassment, discrimination, and disciplinary and/or behavioral issues as well as conducting workplace investigations, providing expert witness assistance and other HR consulting. Allison is a member of the State Bar of California and holds an AWI-CH credential. Shari Dunn is Managing Director, Gallagher Compensation & Rewards Consulting and has a long and varied background in compensation management. She has worked both internally as a manager and as a consultant with such firms as McKinsey & Co., Deloitte, Boise Cascade and Bank of America. She later founded CompAnalysis, a San Francisco Bay Area consultancy dedicated to helping employers make successful compensation decisions. Prior to being acquired by Gallagher in 2010, CompAnalysis had grown to become a leading independent compensation management consulting firm, specializing in broad-based pay plans. Now she and her staff at Gallagher work with both non-profit and for-profit employers to develop and maintain executive and broad-based compensation plans, as well as incentive pay approaches, for employers across the U.S. Shari has a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and is the former President of what then was the 5,000 + member Northern California Human Resources Association (NCHRA). In 2022 she was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Consulting Excellence from Consulting Magazine. Lauraine Bifulco is the President & CEO of Vantaggio HR - an HR management and outsourcing firm that serves the HR needs of small and large companies across a wide variety of industries. With over 35 years of HR experience and a strong passion for HR and training, Lauraine leads her team at Vantaggio HR to deliver high-level HR consulting services to companies across the U.S. with a boutique and customized approach to each client’s unique HR requirements. Lauraine has been a regular speaker at the SHRM National Conference for over 13 years as well as at the CAHR/PIHRA conference and numerous other HR groups around the country. She is often asked to co-present with prominent employment attorneys and is recognized as an industry expert in compliance issues. Ms. Bifulco is a founding member of one of the Orange County chapters of WPO (Women Presidents' Organization) and has served for many years on the board of the California Small Business Association where she also chairs a committee on labor issues. Lauraine received her Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and conducted her graduate-level studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. Dave Collins is the Founder & CEO of Oak and Reeds - a corporate training firm dedicated to using the tools of improvisation to train clients on everyday soft skills. Dave is an award-winning improvisor, speaker and corporate strategist with over a decade of experience performing and coaching improv. Along with his teammates, Dave won the National Collegiate Improv Tournament. He has headlined shows across the United States and individually has coached hundreds of students and professionals in the art and practice of applied improvisation. Prior to founding Oak and Reeds, he worked as a change management expert at AECOM. As part of AECOM's workplace strategy team, Dave helped clients to examine the relationship between workspace and productivity, enabling people to break old habits and embrace change. Dave holds a B.A. in Communication and Economics from Northwestern University with a specialization in Team Leadership. Leena Mendoza, M.S. is the visionary force behind Intentional Leadership based in San Jose and the Co-Founder of CobleTree, where her expertise in executive coaching and leadership development sets her apart. Leena specializes in preparing leaders to position and posture themselves for high-impact roles - helping them elevate their brand, establish authority and align with strategic partners for long-term success. Her strategic acumen lies in crafting solutions that not only align with clients’ business goals but also accelerate growth and profitability. By integrating analytical thinking with effective communication and a keen ability to solve problems, Leena provides high-performing leaders with the tools they need to manage with excellence. Leena is dedicated to fostering a culture of intentional leadership, continuous growth and ethical business practices. Her work unlocks pivotal opportunities for organizations and leaders alike. Through her coaching and consulting she builds leaders who are ready to make an enduring impact. Leena has been certified with the International Coaching Federation, ATD Project Management, John Maxwell Leadership Trainer, DISC Assessment, Positive Intelligence Coach and the El Puente Institute. In addition, she was honored as the Latina Business Woman of the Year and is President-elect of NAWBO Silicon Valley. Christopher Boucher, Esq., AWI-CH, CLRM, SHRM-SCP is a Founding Attorney at Boucher Law and a Keynote Speaker. Christopher’s practice focuses on labor and employment law. His expertise includes representing employers in a union environment, including labor negotiations, and the meaning and application of labor contract provisions. He also serves as trusted counsel to employers throughout California regarding workplace investigations, employee discipline, grievance issues, reasonable accommodation issues and other labor and employment law matters. In addition, his clients value his practical HR experience. Prior to entering private practice, Christopher spent over a decade as a seasoned human resources executive with a broad spectrum of experience, including municipalities, public utilities, aviation, maritime, special districts, K-12 as well as higher education. Most notably, Christopher served as the Director of Human Resources for the Port of Oakland from 2014 to 2018. As an experienced workplace investigator, Christopher holds the Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder credential, in addition to serving as part-time faculty for the Association’s Training Institute for Workplace Investigators. Christopher has been featured as a “Top Five Rising Stars” by Human Resource Executive magazine, and has received many prominent recognitions for his accomplishments as an attorney, including America’s Top 50 Lawyers, MyLegalWin's Top 10 Employment Attorneys and Top Lawyer by the American Institute of Legal Advocates. Christopher earned his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the Abraham Lincoln University School of Law. In addition, he received a professional certificate from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and attended the Harvard Negotiation Institute at Harvard Law School. Amy Sanchez, MBA, PCC is an Executive Coach and Founder of Swim Against the Current, a leadership development firm dedicated to helping high-growth companies strengthen leadership and team effectiveness in preparation for market leadership, a high-value acquisition or an IPO. Amy is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, and she holds an MBA from the University of Southern California. Over her two decades in leadership, she has worked with over 1,000 leaders from companies such as Google, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Bogle Family Vineyards and Stanford University as well as numerous growth-stage companies across a variety of industries. Amy's thought leadership has been featured in top-tier publications like Fast Company, Glassdoor, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global and The CEO Magazine. Brett Ward, CFI® is the Senior Vice President of Client Relations for Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc. (WZ) as well as a speaker, consultant and instructor. Over the span of his career, Brett has led over 925 seminars on interview and interrogation techniques over his 28 year career with WZ. He has also conducted hundreds of investigations throughout the United States for the public and private sectors, law enforcement and government entities. In addition is a frequently requested speaker for the National Retail Federation, American Society of Industrial Security, Eye for Retail – Europe, the International Association of Interviewers as well as multiple labor, employment and human resources conferences like HR Star. Brett's government clients include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of InvestigationsI; U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service; United States Postal Service; Internal Revenue Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Brett began his career in corporate investigations in 1988 with the former May Company. He was promoted to Regional Investigations Director over multiple states in 1996 before accepting a position with WZ in April 1998. Brett runs both the Public and the Private Divisions for WZ, a responsibility that includes over 440 clients and 175 contractual, co-sponsored and open registration programs annually across the globe. Brett graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in Oklahoma City where received a degree in Finance and Business Administration. He currently lives in Cypress, Texas. Nicole Ramirez is a Shareholder and Vice President of Employee Benefits at IMA Financial Group. With a decade of benefits consulting experience, Nicole works with companies made up of 50 to 1,500 employees where she creates long term cost savings strategies centered around employee education, benchmarking and demographic analysis. Nicole works closely with HR professionals to analyze their current plans and to identify their organizational coverage needs. She then leverages her relationships with underwriters to design terms and coverage for total rewards packages. Nicole bridges her knowledge, experience and creativity to help organizations maximize their employee value proposition to increase employee satisfaction and retention. Her clientele represents several industry sectors, including education, nonprofit, manufacturing and social services. Nicole sits on the Board for the National Human Resources Association as the Membership Chairperson. In addition she holds a leadership role with the Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) as the Programs Chair. Nicole has a degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach and served in the United States Air Force. Aaron Robbins is the President and Co-Founder of Intrinsic First, where he helps organizations improve performance, culture and well-being by applying the science of motivation and leadership. Aaron is an executive leader, speaker and organizational consultant with over 20 years of experience across HR, operations and leadership. He is also the developer of ProACTr, an AI-powered leadership conversation practice tool grounded in motivation science. Aaron has held senior leadership roles, including VP of HR and Operations Director, bringing a practitioner’s perspective to evidence-based organizational change. He is a PhD candidate in Organizational Behavior Psychology, holds graduate degrees in Organizational Behavior and Industrial-Organizational Psychology and is SHRM-SCP certified. Lorie Reichel-Howe is the Founder & Lead Trainer of Conversations in the Workplace as well as a professional mediator and a leadership communication coach. She equips managers, teams and business professionals to have “Safe Conversations” – transformative dialogue that uncovers hidden workplace issues. Whether addressing challenging team dynamics, mismanaged expectations, cultural insensitivity or good old-fashioned bad behavior, “Safe Conversations” foster greater innovation, inclusion and collaboration within organizations. With over 20 years of experience in communications, management and training and development, Lorie is passionate about supporting organizations in creating a culture where people love where they work and love the people they work with. Organizations Lorie has supported include Pinterest, SHRM, PIHRA, HR.com, Women in Technology International, Los Angeles Women’s Leadership Conference, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, Santa Clara Superior Court, San Jose State University, Santa Clara County Office of Education among many others. Lorie received her B.A. from Seattle Pacific University and her mediation and conflict coaching certificate from Community Boards in San Francisco. In addition, Lorie has served as adjunct staff with Antioch University. James Palen is a Consultant at TIAA and a ScholarShare 529 representative. A firm believer that education is one of the most valuable treasures we can give to our future generations, James helps organizations to provide education and support for employees looking to save for education through the Scholarshare Workplace Savings Program. Increasingly employers have become interested in the growing need for their employees to support financial issues beyond the paycheck, including benefits, retirement savings and college savings. Doing so connects the company to the employee’s family, reduces employee financial stress and helps foster loyalty and retention. James works diligently with organizations of all sizes and industries to help their employees develop a grounding in financial wellness as well as tax efficient savings strategies and proper education planning. James has a strong background in comprehensive financial planning, but he is now wholly focused on education savings. James holds a degree in Financial Economics from the University of Maine. Braden Albert is the Founder and President of the HR Star Conference and its parent company, Abbington Court Media. A graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Braden began organizing job fairs and trade shows in the mid-1990's. Intrigued by the idea of bringing people together for a shared, learning experience - and impressed by the impact such an experience can provide - Braden organized his first HR Star Conference in 1999. Today the scope of the HR Star Conference includes annual events in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Cleveland, Ohio where he is based. Over 1,725 HR professionals attended an HR Star Conference in 2025.