Presenters

Erica Keswin 

Keswin is a workplace strategist who has worked for the past twenty years with some of the most iconic brands in the world as a consultant, speaker, author, and professional dot-connector. 

Her best-selling book, Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Design a Workplace That’s Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2018. Her next book, Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines Into Workplace Magic will be published by McGraw-Hill in January.

Keswin’s work and insights can be seen in varied media outlets, including Better Homes and Gardens, Business Insider, Conscious Company, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, Mogul, O magazine, Quartz, and Thrive.

Keswin is also founder of the Spaghetti Project, which focuses on relationships at work.

Janette Marx

Chief Executive Officer, Airswift

Marx started with Airswift in 2014 and served as chief operating officer for four years before assuming her present role as chief executive officer. She has a passion for investing in the development of people to help everyone achieve their aspirations. Throughout her career, Marx has championed new initiatives, including diversification strategies, sales and recruitment growth improvements, and operational efficiencies. She has led cutting-edge programs to give her teams a competitive advantage. Before Airswift, Marx served in various leadership roles with the Adecco Group over a 19-year period. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master of business administration degree. Marx is a member of the ASA board of directors.

Kye Mitchell

Chief Operations Officer, Kforce Inc.

Mitchell serves as Kforce’s chief operations officer. Mitchell is responsible for establishing and executing Kforce’s overall strategy to deliver exceptional technology and finance and accounting resources for clients. She leads all sales and delivery teams to deliver value-added solutions that ensure successful partnerships.

She joined Kforce in 2005 through the acquisition of VistaRMS. She was co-founder and president of VistaRMS, which was a national information technology consulting firm that was No. 2 on Inc. magazine’s fastest-growing private companies list in 2001. Mitchell has been in the industry since 1991 and worked for DMR Trecom prior to founding VistaRMS. She is a graduate of Penn State University, where she received a bachelor of arts degree.

Ranjini Poddar

Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Artech LLC

Poddar is chief executive officer and co-founder of Artech LLC, the largest woman-owned information technology staffing firm in the U.S., providing global workforce solutions to more than 80 Fortune 500 and government clients around the world. Through her leadership, Poddar has established a philosophy of client centricity and execution excellence that is instilled in the company’s culture. It is this operational and service delivery direction that has driven Artech to become an $810 million company with a team of more than 10,500 staff and consultants at more than 35 locations in the U.S., India, China, and Canada. Poddar earned a juris doctorate from Yale Law School and a bachelor’s degree in information and computer science from the University of California. Poddar is a member of the ASA board of directors.

Leslie Vickrey

Chief Executive Officer & Founder, ClearEdge Marketing

Vickrey is a marketing expert and business adviser who began her career with McDonald’s Corp. and Junior Achievement. After serving as head of marketing for Spherion’s technology division, Vickrey founded ClearEdge Marketing in 2006. Vickrey is a frequent speaker on diversity and co-founder of ARA, a national organization that seeks to attract, retain, and advance women in technology and leadership. She is a member of the board of directors for Chicago Innovation and a judge for its annual awards program; was recognized by Blue Network as one of Chicago’s most compelling innovators and entrepreneurs; is in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame; and was named one of the Enterprising Women of the Year. Vickrey is a contributor to industry publications such as Recruiting Daily and Entrepreneur.

DeLibra Wesley

Chief Operating Officer, The Delta Cos.

As chief operating officer at the Delta Cos, Wesley serves as leading strategist, developing and implementing plans, policies, and programs that make the agency a powerhouse in the health care staffing industry. Wesley also leads the agency’s diversity council, where she is focused on maintaining a culture of inclusion. She is a member of the Makers District board of directors. Her blog, “Goals With DeLibra,” encourages readers with expert advice on everything from professional development and parenting to wellness and travel. Wesley has received numerous accolades for her excellence in and out of the staffing industry, but she is most proud of being a mother to her two sons.