2025 HR Tomorrow Speakers

Reema Batnagar joined Pixar Animation Studios in February 2019 as Vice President, Human  Resources. In her role, Batnagar is responsible for leading Pixar’s People Team, which includes talent acquisition, leadership/organizational development, total rewards, and employee relations. Batnagar brings over 20 years of HR experience to the job. Prior to Pixar, Batnagar worked at Sony  Interactive Entertainment as Head of HR for Sales & Marketing, where she led learning and  development and talent management. She has also held a variety of senior HR leadership and  organizational development roles at VMware, Adobe, and Intuit. 

Growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, Batnagar holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and  psychology from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in human resources and organizational development from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Batnagar currently resides in San Carlos, CA. 

Lucrecia Borgonovo is the Chief Talent and Organizational Effectiveness Officer for Mastercard. In her role, Lucrecia is responsible for developing and executing an integrated talent, leadership, culture, engagement, and organizational strategy in support of Mastercard's business goals. This key role aligns workforce strategies and ensures the right talent, skills, and supporting capabilities are in place to enable Mastercard for ongoing evolution and continued success as an employer of choice and globally recognized brand.

Under Lucrecia’s leadership, the Talent and Organizational Effectiveness Center of Excellence ‘connects employees to priceless opportunities so both employees and Mastercard can reach their full potential.’ Her team establishes industry leading practices for attracting, developing, and retaining the best people in addition to future proofing Mastercard’s business and supporting teams in delivering the best work of their careers.  

With 20 years of global experience, Lucrecia has worked for global brands across multiple sectors and industries from financial services to apparel to pharmaceuticals. She previously held leadership positions at Nike and Bristol-Myers Squibb, blending global, regional and market roles as an HR business partner and in Centers of Excellence. Lucrecia has a strong track record of driving transformation and change, building organizations and teams, and developing innovative people solutions.
Lucrecia has a bachelor’s from the Universidad del Salvador and a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Originally from Buenos Aires, Lucrecia lives in Manhattan with her partner Peter and Vizsla puppy Loopy.  

She is a member of the Young People’s Chorus of NYC’s Board of Trustees, an internationally renowned youth chorus that provides children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance. 

Anita Adjei-Wiafe joined the Minnesota Vikings in September 2021 where she oversees HR processes within the organization, including recruiting, talent and culture engagement, performance & compensation management and policy formulation and compliance. Anita's HR career began in the Minnesota Army Nation Guard where she served in the guard for 10 years. She feels fortunate to have had the ability to work in various HR roles in different industries such as banking, retail, senior living, and health care services.

Anita earned her master’s degree in HR from St Mary’s University in Minneapolis and her HR undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is also involved as a member of the African American Leadership Council and Vice President of Black Sports Professionals (BSP), Twin Cities Chapter. 

Christine Esckilsen is the chief human capital officer at Piper Sandler. She sits on the firm’s leadership team and oversees human capital, marketing and communications, meetings and events, community relations, travel and real estate. She focuses on strategic initiatives, including acquisitions, and works to further organizational effectiveness, employee development and the firm’s overall culture. Esckilsen also serves as the in-house employment lawyer. She is a member of the firm’s diversity and inclusion council.

Christine worked as in-house counsel for Piper Sandler prior to the firm's spin-off from U.S. Bancorp in 2003. From 1995 to 2002, Esckilsen was in private practice at Littler Mendelson in California. Esckilsen has served on the board of directors of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis since January of 2016. She is currently a chair of the governance committee. Additionally, she served on the board of directors for MAP for Nonprofits from 2010 to 2015 and chaired the board in 2015.

She received a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Michigan State University and a Juris doctorate from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the bar associations of the states of California and Minnesota.

Eric Levenhagen is Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President of Flight Operations at Sun Country. Prior to being named CHRO in 2022, he served as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer. Levenhagen joined Sun Country in 2016 as General Counsel. Prior to that, Levenhagen was Assistant General Counsel at Landmark Aviation, an aviation services company, and before that, a practicing corporate attorney. He was an adjunct professor of business law and ethics at Belhaven University from 2010-2016. Before practicing law, Levenhagen served in marketing and finance roles at several companies including Northwest Airlines. He received his BS degree from Texas Christian University and his JD from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

In this role, he oversees Enterprise Learning and Sales Training for the three Agricultural Businesses at Land O’Lakes. Gary is a seasoned professional in Learning & Talent Development, with expertise in learning strategy, he is also a facilitator, instructional designer, and business leader. He has designed and facilitated numerous development programs, including leadership, sales training, performance management, coaching skills for managers, and executive presence and presentation skills. 

Gary’s professional experience spans learning development strategy design, sales management, diversity & inclusion, and the recruitment and development of highly successful teams. He has extensive national and global experience in industries such as beauty, retail, food ingredients, and financial services. His diverse background includes corporate and field roles at companies like Saks Fifth Avenue, Cargill, Estée Lauder Companies, American Advisors Group, and Rodan + Fields. 

As an experienced Talent Development professional, Gary has led talent review and succession planning processes for several companies and clients. In his most recent role, he was responsible for creating and implementing the corporate learning and talent development strategy, which included developing professional development, coaching, and leadership programs in collaboration with regional and local learning leaders. 

Gary has strong roots in agriculture, having grown up on a farm in rural Iowa. He holds a Master of Education degree in Human Resource Development and Adult Learning Theory from the University of Minnesota. Gary, his husband Richard, and their pets currently reside in Shoreview, Minnesota. In his free time, Gary enjoys yoga, reading, and traveling. 

As the Senior Director of Digital Transformation at Microsoft, Lee focuses on HR technology, strategy, and architecture in general and AI innovation in particular. Lee began his career at Microsoft in 1995 and has since led numerous high-impact HR programs and technology solution initiatives. He has expertise in total talent management, future of work envisioning, global workforce policy, hybrid workplace strategy, building and operating global programs, driving large scale change management, and transforming customer relationsships. Lee received a bachelor's degree in business management from Central Washington University and holds a number of HR certifications. 

Devin Rojina is the Total Rewards Communications Specialist at APi Group where she leads the well-being program, manages well-being vendor partnerships and develops total rewards communications for APi Group and its operating companies.  Devin has played a key role in shaping APi’s well-being initiatives, leading efforts such as the implementation of Headspace and creating annual open enrollment communications to engage and support team members. Her passion for supporting team member well-being is reflected in the impactful programs and resources she helps bring to life.

Jen is a people-first total rewards executive with expertise in developing innovative strategies that support team member growth, drive organizational transformation, and attract, retain, and motivate top talent. As Vice President of Total Rewards and People Services at APi Group, Jen leads global efforts spanning Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, HR Systems, People Analytics, and HR Shared Services for over 29,000 team members. She is deeply committed to advancing mental well-being in the workplace through tailored programs and sustainable support systems for team members globally.

Luke manages US health benefits for APi Group, and has implemented Accolade, Coupe, Sword, and many other solutions designed to enhance teammate physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.  He has worked in the health benefit space for over 15 years.  Luke work with a small but mighty team to manage over a dozen vendors, all aligned with APi’s value of becoming the #1 people first public company in the world.

Natalie Jorgenson is a passionate change leader with expertise in organizational effectiveness and driving large-scale transformations across diverse, cross-cultural teams. After a successful consulting career advising global companies in industries like financial services, food and beverage, and consumer products, she transitioned to Director of Organizational Effectiveness at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), where she supports the Finance and Strategy and Global Business Services functions. At ELC, Natalie has led complex transformation and culture initiatives, developed engaging talent management and development programs, and served as an HR Business Partner. With a Bachelor of Science in International Health from Georgetown University and growing up in Africa and the Middle East, in a home with U.S. and European traditions, she brings a global perspective to change management, empowering teams to thrive in today’s dynamic, multicultural business world.

Tommy Wehry is a dynamic change leader specializing in organizational transformation, communication, and strategic alignment. With deep expertise in Finance and Strategy, he has successfully led change initiatives impacting thousands of employees and supporting various key functions across the globe. At The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), Tommy is currently half of a dynamic duo driving Finance & Strategy transformation efforts, helping teams navigate complexity while fostering engagement and resilience. His background spans change management, communications, and talent development, strongly focusing on building cultures that embrace innovation and continuous improvement.

A farm boy from the heart of the Pennsylvania Coal Region, Tommy is a Penn State Musical Theatre alum. He blends down-to-earth pragmatism and analytical thinking with bold creativity to ensure that change experiences remain structured and human-centered while cutting through the noise of constant corporate outreach. His experience includes establishing new operating models in heavily matrixed organizations, supporting global business services (GBS) implementations, and leading high-impact global training, development, and talent programs. Whether designing communications that resonate or streamlining large-scale transformations, Tommy is passionate about making change tangible, relatable, and effective.

Justin Cauley is the Vice President of Transportation Sourcing and Planning at CHS Inc., a role he has held since September 2024. In this capacity, he oversees the strategic transformation and management of transportation sourcing and planning across all transportation modes, including bulk ocean-going vessels, rail, barge, container, and truck. Beginning with CHS in 2014, Justin was initially tasked with the creation and expansion of the company’s container business platform. Under his leadership, the platform grew from handling fewer than 100 containers per month to exporting more than 3,000 containers monthly to global markets. His contributions have significantly elevated CHS's standing in the industry, earning the company recognition from the Journal of Commerce as one of the top container exporters for multiple years.

Other subsequent roles held by Justin include leading the global ocean freight program and the enterprise freight product line. In 2022, Justin took on the lead role for enterprise transportation transformation which ultimately led to the creation of an enterprise transportation function at CHS. Justin holds a Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, with an emphasis in Markets and Management, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Justin, his wife Carly, and four children live in Inver Grove Heights. 
 

Jackie LeFever is a Human Resources Director at CHS Inc., where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the people strategy and driving transformative efforts for the ag retail and transportation leadership teams. Since joining CHS in 2019, Jackie has leveraged her extensive 25-year background in the transportation industry, where she excelled in diverse roles spanning customer service, operations, recruiting, process improvement, and human resources. With her profound industry knowledge, Jackie collaborates closely with business leaders to enhance HR programs and initiatives. Her expertise in process improvement, change leadership, and leadership development is instrumental in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence. 
 

Jackie holds a degree in business management from Northern Michigan University. She and her family reside in the De Pere, WI area, where they are active members of the community.
 

Shannon Horne, the Senior Director of Enterprise and HR Transformation at CHS, Inc, is a seasoned human resources professional on a mission to help organizations transform, grow and deliver on their people strategies. With over 20 years of experience, Shannon has dedicated her time to developing people-centric strategies and leading successful and large-scale change initiatives that drive profitable growth with prioritizing employe well-being through rewards and recognition programs. Her expertise lies in creating innovative HR practices, fostering organizational shifts and ensuring that employees are at the heart of every strategic decision. Shannon’s commitment to delivering a balanced approach between the business and its talent has made her highly successful in her role, leading enterprise transformation efforts and establishing a more mature organizational design and organizational effectiveness capabilities. 

Deborah develops, teaches, and coordinates workplace programs for employers on mental health and mental illnesses in the workplace.   She has over 20 years of experience supporting employer partnerships, including providing training and resources on supporting full-time employees, contract employees and youth internships.  Deborah graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a degree in Psychology and has worked in both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Jackie Boyd is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Best Buy.  She joined Best Buy in 2005 and has held a variety of roles across Human Resources. Currently she is responsible for the HR support and strategy across all customer, channels and services which includes our US retail teams and Geek Squad Services teams. Prior to that she was VP HR, for Best Buy Health and has also held positions leading Enterprise Talent Acquisition and has experience in both the field and at corporate.    

Jackie is a champion of the employee experience and thrives in creating dynamic teams, developing others and is a strategic leader that connects her deep business knowledge with passion for all employees to create an amazing culture.

Jackie has been married for 22 years and is a proud mother of two son’s Bryce (22) and Trey (17) who are both currently in college.

Jen Bailey is an accomplished human resources executive with extensive experience in total rewards and shared services. Currently serving as Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Shared Services at Allina Health. Jen is passionate about women in business, focusing on those preparing for college or their first career step. She contributes to the community as a Board Member and Governance Chair at Mission Animal Hospital, she is also involved with TeamWomen. Academically, Jen holds a Master of Arts in HR-IR from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Quentin Gabor, MD, is a psychiatrist who treats adult patients with anxiety, addictive disorders, mood disorders, psychosis and substance abuse and chemical dependency. He specializes in psychiatric evaluation, psychopharmacology and existential psychotherapy. He sees patients at M Health Fairview Psychiatric Clinic at the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center - West Building. Dr. Gabor is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School.