Every dog has a story. So does every hire.

Steven is the founder and chief strategy officer of College Recruiter, a job search site built on the belief that every student and recent grad deserves a great career, and that it should be easy for employers to hire them. Its customers are mostly Fortune 1,000 companies, government agencies and other employers who hire at scale.

Katrina combines more than two decades in recruitment with her lived experience healing trauma to fix the biggest issue in hiring: human connection. She is a global keynote speaker and the author of three books: The Robot-Proof Recruiter, Reboot Hiring and her memoir, The Damage of Words.

John is a legend in the HR and WorkTech community and an independent analyst for more than 30 years. He works by taking things apart and rebuilding them, and he is researching how demographics, economics and AI will shape the next generation’s workforce. Carlos the Labradoodle is his shadow.

Dr. Akilah A. Bradford is an award-winning HR executive, consultant and educator with more than 20 years of experience building compliant, people-centered workplaces for nonprofits, schools, healthcare organizations and mission-driven businesses. She believes great HR is both strategic and deeply human.

Katee is a global HR executive, speaker and Future of Work strategist who has led HR teams across more than 50 countries. She is the founder of VH Included and co-host of the Inclusive AF podcast, and she lives in Phoenix with her dogs and cats.

Julia has built it, bought it and inherited somebody else’s version of it, hiring at a scale of 110,000 people a year across 130 countries. She advises companies as a fractional TA leader, wrote From Hi to Hired and co-hosts The Missing Manual. She lives in Memphis with her husband Derek and Ellis, who taught her that trust is built in repetition.

Brian does one thing: engineering and technical leadership search. CTOs, VPs of Engineering, Heads of AI, Staff and Principal Engineers. He spent two decades building talent functions inside some of tech’s biggest names before running his own firm. Cam, a 13 breed mix, was his first foster adoption from Bosley’s Place.

Noelle is the founder of Illoominus, a people insights platform that connects HR data so leaders get the full value of their HR tech. She lives in Atlanta with her husband Daniel and Jefe, who is the best boss.

Trish is a talent acquisition leader with more than 30 years connecting great people with meaningful careers. She believes recruiting is equal parts strategy, relationship building and a little bit of controlled chaos. Off the clock, she sings in a classic rock band.

Lisa is a talent acquisition leader with more than 15 years helping organizations solve complex hiring challenges across technology, engineering, consulting, sales and marketing. She advocates for dog rescue and fostering, and she shares her home with rescue pups Titan and Luca.