Pamela Acuff, Senior Management Consultant, Acuff Consulting
Pamela is the principle of Acuff Consulting. Over the course of more than twenty-five years, she has worked with many organizations and boards of directors, in a variety of industries. Prior to acquiring a management consulting practice in 2002, she held executive human resource management positions, primarily in healthcare and banking. She has also taught business and management courses part-time at the university level for over twenty years. Her clients range from large international corporations to small not-for-profit companies, professional associations and practices. She holds a bachelor?s degree from Gonzaga University, and a MBA from the University of Nebraska?Omaha.
Robert E. O'Conner, Jr., J.D., private practice
Mr. O'Connor is in private practice at O'Connor & Associates, focusing primarily on employment and civil trial work. He received his J.D. degree in 1974 from Creighton University. He has represented unions and individuals before courts and administrative bodies throughout the Midwest. His trial practice includes the largest reported Nebraska jury verdict in a libel case. Mr. O'Connor serves as Regional Counsel for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) representing pilots in FAA administrative matters, and other issues. Mr. O'Connor was President of the Nebraska State Bar Association from October 2001 to October 2002. He was the head of the NSBA Task Force studying Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for Nebraska lawyers. Mr. O'Connor is a member of the Nebraska Association of Trial Lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Tom Pauldine, HR Consultant
Tom Pauldine has 30 years of HR experience and has held HR leadership positions at Conoco, Wells Fargo, Starbucks Coffee and First Data. He is currently Vice President of Human Resources for Green Plains Renewable Energy, based in Omaha. Tom has a degree in Labor Relations from Cornell university. He has held specialist positions in the past in Compensation, Recruiting/Staffing and Organizational Development. Tom also has extensive international experience, with assignments in South America, Asia and Europe.
Gretchen Finke Patras, President, GFP & Company, Inc.
Since 1988, Gretchen has been President of GFP & Company, Inc., a firm providing corporate training services and performance improvement consultation. Gretchen has a bachelor degree in behavioral psychology and a masters degree in business management. With over 20 years of real-world experience, she has worked in a variety of industries and managed the training function in a Fortune 500 company prior to starting her own company. Gretchen?s areas of specialty include leadership development, customer service, adult learning and instructional design. She frequently holds leadership positions with Boards of Directors, and firmly believes that ?volunteers make a difference."
Ann Gillespie, Corporate Training Manager, Zurich Corporation
Ann is an experienced coach, facilitator, trainer, and expert in performance improvement and has been with Zurich Insurance Company for the past 11 years. She provides many seminars in the community on human resource issues, management and communication skills. Ann has been a faculty member for Creighton University?s Human Resource Certification Program for the past 10 years; and is an adjunct professor with Bellevue University in Human Resource Management for the past 15 years. Ann earned her master's in Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and devotes her energy to training and teaching. A former high school communications teacher, Ann knows the importance of education and training to sustain personal excellence.
Gordon Parry, HR Consultant
Gordon Parry has over 20 years experience working for global organizations in the area of Human Capital. He is the founder and president of Aristotle Group, a firm dedicated to leveraging human capital at the individual, group, and organization level. He has broad and deep expertise across all areas of human resources. His experience includes leading the human element of organization growth through acquisition, merger, spin-off, and initial public offering. Prior to establishing the Aristotle Group, Gordon served as a senior executive with First Data Corporation (NYSE: FDC), Western Union (NYSE:WU), American Express (NYSE:AXP), and the American Red Cross.
Bob Foley, Director of Benefits, Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
Robert Foley, director of employee benefit programs, is responsible for managing the corporate benefits, health services and wellness functions for Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Mr. Foley oversees benefits administration for 5,000 employees and 2,500 retirees. The company?s pension and 401(k) plan assets exceed $800 million, and the benefit plan expense exceeds $126 million. Previously, he was the human resources manager for the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and the benefits manager for Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Foley earned a master?s degree in business from Creighton University and a master?s degree in banking from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is a certified employee benefit specialist (CEBS), a senior professional in human resources (SPHR) and a certified compensation professional (CCP).
Ray Weinberg, Metaphrases Solutions, Inc.
Raymond B. Weinberg, SPHR, CCP, is a respected human resource practitioner, academic, researcher, author, consultant and speaker with over thirty-five years of experience in the field. He serves on the graduate faculties of four universities and takes an active role in both his profession and his community. He has served on the Boards of the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SPHR) Foundation. At HRCI, he was responsible for examination item development as National Examination Development Director, President and later as a Consultant. He is currently District Director for the Nebraska SHRM State Council.