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Allison Johnson is a member of FWHR, SHRM and World at Work. She has held several board and committee positions within the community. She has over fifteen years of experience in HR and provides strategic leadership expertise within all facets of HR including talent acquisition, HR Operations, HR Systems, Total Rewards, Mergers and Acquisitions and much more.

She received her M.B.A. from University of Texas at Arlington and her B.S. in Social Science from Texas Wesleyan. She has several HR certifications and is a current volunteer and former FW HR Board Member. She currently works as a Global HR Director at Enovis, a leading medical technology company located in Lewisville, Texas.

Chris Antone grew up on the South shore of Long Island, New York, where his first job was delivering a newspaper named “NewsDay”.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra University where he studied labor and employment law under Law School Dean  and  labor arbitrator Eric Schmertz. 

In 1979, Chris began his legal career with the Jackson Lewis law firm in New York City. He then spent 10 years practicing with the Firm’s Atlanta office. In 1994, Chris opened and managed  the Firm’s Dallas office --- for 25 years.

Chris is now Of Counsel to Kilgore and Kilgore, primarily a plaintiff-focused employment law firm. He represents corporate executives, middle-level management, and staff employees in all areas of employment law. 

Craig Woodcook has over 16 years of legal experience and 25 years of business experience in the food and beverage industry and is currently chief legal officer, corporate secretary, director, and executive vice president of Ben E. Keith Company.

Craig has a BA and MS-Econometrics from UNT, a JD from Texas Wesleyan School of Law, and an LLM from SMU. He is currently an adjunct professor at Texas A&M School of Law.

Henry Talavera’s experience representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, along with his prior experience as a federal government attorney, enables him to handle complex issues for clients. 

Henry has a broad-based, comprehensive practice that involves all areas of employee  benefits law related to benefit programs and arrangements for employees, directors, and  independent contractors. His extensive experience includes guidance relating to public,  private, and tax-exempt employers on the design, implementation, and administration of  all types of welfare plans and tax-qualified retirement plans, including defined benefit and  plans intended to qualify under sections 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

You can download her full bio here: henry-talavera-c.pdf

Julia Gannaway is a partner in the law firm of Ross | Gannaway | Clifton, PLLC. Her practice is dedicated largely to employment in the public sector, and the firm represents only employers. She advises clients on matters relating to employer investigations and public safety disciplinary actions in Chapter 143 settings and non-Chapter 143 cities; matters relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act and Texas law regarding clients before Federal and State courts, administrative hearings for civil service and TCOLE, and in EEOC/DOL investigations.

Julia is a 1991 graduate of Texas A&M with an economics degree and obtained her J.D. from the University of Houston in 1994. Julia worked as an Assistant City Attorney in Odessa and Bryan before transitioning to private practice. She is a member of the Texas City Attorney’s Association and the Texas Bar College. Julia currently serves on the Forth Worth HR Board of Directors as Legal and Legislative Director. She also is a regular participant and speaker for various employer organizations around Texas.

Meredith VanderWilt is a member of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice at Polsinelli. She has been working in employee benefits since 2007. She focuses her practice on a variety of employee benefits matters, including the design and implementation of qualified plans, health and welfare plans, and non-qualified  ompensation arrangements, as well as compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA and PPACA.

Meredith also counsels a wide range of clients, including investors, investment funds,  investment companies, fund managers (including registered investment advisers), private  money managers and other institutional investors relating to the impact of ERISA and  certain Internal Revenue Code requirements on such investments.

Dr. Robyn Short is the founder and CEO of Workplace Peace Institute, an organization development consulting and research firm that brings peace and dignity to the workplace. She works as an organization development consultant, peace-building trainer, mediator, racial equity coach, and restorative justice facilitator. She is the founder and publisher of GoodMedia Press, an independent book publisher that’s mission is to promote peace and social justice through books and other media. Dr. Short is the founder and board chair of the Peace & Conciliation Project, a 501(c)(3) organization that brings communities together to address and repair the harm of racial injustice. She is an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University in the Master of Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution program, Department of Law, Justice and Society at Lipscomb University, and Master of Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University. She has authored four books on peace building. 

Rodney Klein has over sixteen years of experience as an EEO trainer and presenter with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as owner of Rodney Klein EEO Training. He is a recognized authority in federal EEO law and is a sought-after speaker and trainer across Texas.

He regularly educates groups on workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also trains audiences on addressing workplace  ehavior, creating civil cultures, understanding and reducing microaggressions, and minimizing unconscious bias in decision making. He coaches organizational leaders on how to re-think EEO in ways that better equip them to navigate the challenges brought on by an ever-changing social landscape. Rodney believes that understanding EEO both legally and culturally is the key in creating productive, efficient and ultimately inspired workforces.