Fall 2020 Speakers

Mental Health Speaker and Trainer
David Woods Bartley

Like most people, David Woods Bartley has seen his fair share of successes and setbacks; from directing a nationally recognized nonprofit to battling a life-threatening mental illness. But over the last seven years, David has successfully navigated from the isolation of mental “hellness” to the inclusive space of mental wellness.

Currently, David is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the International Association for Youth Mental Health, the National Storytelling Network’s Healing Story Alliance, and Active Minds.

David holds certifications in Mental Health First Aid for Adults and Youth, SafeTALK (Suicide Awareness for Everyone), and is a national trainer for the groundbreaking suicide prevention technique known as QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer).

David has been invited to speak before a wide range of domestic and international audiences, giving keynote speeches and leading workshops on a variety of aspects of mental health, including suicide awareness and prevention, the power of connection to create hope, and the use of language as a tool for healing.

In addition to giving a TEDx talk in the fall of 2018, David has been invited to present to organizations such as the United States Food and Drug Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, Novartis, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Lyft, Sutter Health, Vision Service Plan, the University of Connecticut, the California Northstate School of Medicine, UC Davis, Sacramento State, William Jessup University, along with various faith denominations, law enforcement agencies and community organizations at the local, state and national level.

David’s goal for each speech and workshop is the same: to shed light on the issue of mental illness, teach people how to leverage curiosity to overcome our fears and use connection to create hope.

​

Sr. Director, Human Insights and HCM Evangelism
Ultimate Software

Jarik Conrad, EdD, SPHR, SHRM–SCP leads the Human Insights and HCM Evangelism group at Ultimate Software, where he works to help organizations put their people first. Immediately prior to joining Ultimate, he led The Conrad Consulting Group, where he served as an executive coach, keynote speaker and management consultant. He has held Human Resources leadership roles in the private, public and non-profit sectors. He has also been a research collaborator with the Mayo Clinic.

Jarik earned two Master’s degrees from Cornell and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of North Florida. He holds certifications in intercultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, plant-based nutrition, personal training and weight management. He is an award-winning author and sought after speaker in the areas of leadership, health & wellness, emotional intelligence (EI), and diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEIB).

​

Attorney
BrownWinick Law Firm

Elizabeth A. Coonan is a member of BrownWinick and serves as Chair of BrownWinick’s
Employment Law practice group. She represents clients across a variety of industries from technology to manufacturing to agriculture and partners with employers of all sizes to find solutions to their workforce-related challenges. She works in the areas of employment, workers’ compensation and business immigration law and assists employers with complex medical return to work situations, policy development and enforcement, restrictive covenants, business visas and compliance with immigration laws, litigation and workers’ compensation strategy and conducts trainings on topics including drug testing, harassment and FMLA.

Elizabeth also counsels clients regarding discipline and termination situations and compliance with local, state and federal employment and civil rights laws and regulations. She represents clients in proceedings in front of various courts and administrative bodies including the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation. Elizabeth also assists clients in dispute resolution using alternate forums and is a certified mediator. She also serves as an independent investigator for harassment and other claims.

She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Iowa State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. She is also a member of the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and the Polk County Bar Association. She is an editor of the Iowa Human Resource Manual, has been recognized by Chambers USA® for her work in Labor & Employment law, has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® for her work in Workers’ Compensation law and Super Lawyers® in the area of Labor
and Employment Law on the management side. 

Elizabeth’s community work is focused on mental health and advocating for improved conditions for women and girls across the State of Iowa. She serves as the Chair of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and as a member of the Board for the Iowa Department of Human Rights. She is also a member of the Drake University Law School Board of Counselors, the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center Board of Directors, a member of the House of Mercy Board of Directors and a member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Talent Development Board. She also serves on the Iowa Center for Economic Success Strategic Advisory Committee.

Elizabeth received her B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in International Studies from Miami University and received her J.D, with honors,. from Drake University Law School, with honors, where she was an editor of the Drake University Journal of Agricultural Law and served on the Moot Court Board. She is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa and the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining BrownWinick in 2005, she practiced exclusively as a litigator with an insurance defense law firm.

Founder
SixtyFiveEightyFive Consulting

Melynda DeCarlo, formerly of The Meyvn Group, is a former National and Regional Training Director. She is an Organizational Development Specialist and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification (SPHR) through SHRM. As a certified coach she is committed to expanding capacity and promoting growth in individuals, teams and organizations. Her approach is practical, dynamic and interactive. Melynda gives clients the benefit of nearly 20 years’ experience in providing the time, talent and tactical planning necessary to move from strategy to execution. She is an Operational Strategist, a Master Facilitator and a Custom Design Trainer. Her clients include many Fortune 500 companies.

Founder and CEO
Melia Dunn Consulting LLC – Inclusion Embraced

I have a vivid memory from childhood.  I was watching TV and one of those ads came on… “for the price of a cup of coffee a day, you could save a life.”  As you might be guessing, the life was that of a young girl in rural Africa.  The seed of my subconscious “white savior complex” was planted.  

That seed was nurtured through youth as my family volunteered in the community and contributed to programs for “those less fortunate.”  Following college, I pursued a career in non-profit leadership working in both human services and arts organizations.  My desire to do good in the world was a driver in all decisions… especially the decision  to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Albania.  

So much of this story makes me proud. 

But… there’s another side to it.

Living oversees set me on the journey of my own cultural awareness, revealing that good intentions alone are not enough to create change. In fact, my good intentions prevented me from seeing the assumptions, biases and internalized dominance I held.  The work of consciously shedding my savior complex and building the necessary resilience to combat all the fragility of my myriad social privilege has not been easy.  And being perfectly honest, my work is not over.  It is an on-going. life-long process.  Gloria Steinem has been quoted, “The truth will set you free, but it will piss you off first.”  Ooo, can I attest to that!

My desire to do good remains a driver in all my decisions.

It’s why I am committed to working with you… to help you move beyond the guilt and shame that comes as we move to unlearn the well-intended, yet damaging, behaviors we’ve been taught.  It’s why I embrace the discomfort of imperfection and messing up.  It’s why, no matter the magnitude of the task, I accept my role in dismantling systems of privilege and marginalization.  Because what lives on the other side is the development of socially just organizations and communities where everyone belongs, where businesses thrive and where our collective impact makes the world that much better. 

Credentials

• 15+ years experience in non-profit leadership including fundraising and development, program management and strategic planning. 

• 5 years: Anti-bias Education Director, ADL offices in San Francisco CA and Phoenix, AZ.​

• WPC Co-chair 2020

• Founding member of FUEL Scottsdale

• Year-long Certification from Dr. Kathy Obear’s The Center for Transformation and Change.

• 2 years: Service in Peace Corps Albania, Community and Organizational Development Volunteer.

• 6 years: Service on the Tempe Leadership Board of Directors.

• Graduate of Penn State University… “We Are!”  Interpersonal Communications and Conflict Resolution

Non-traditional Credentials

• Lover of travel, across the neighborhood or across the globe, there’s always something new to discover

• “geeks out” on all things social justice-related.

• Avid binger of podcasts, audiobooks and streaming TV.

• Sucker for “Old School Hip Hop” and most any music that makes me feel like dancing.

• Ready and willing to help guide you and your team to bring equity, diversity and inclusion to the heart of your organization.

Clinical Director
EFR Employee & Family Resources

Shannon is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and holds her master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa. Shannon has worked in mental health for over 15 years, serving adults, couples, and families. Shannon has experience treating a number of mental health issues including: depression, bipolar disorder, stress management, relationship issues, and trauma, but has clinical interest and training around the treatment of anxiety disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

My clinical approach is strengths-based and non-judgmental. I tailor my therapy interventions for each client, but often uses mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral, and acceptance and commitment therapy techniques. I like to work with people of all ages, but specialize in adults, couples, and adolescents.

Training Development Advisor
MidAmerican Energy Company

Denise Forney is a “Teacher, Trainer, Edu-tainer” with over twenty-five years of progressive management and training expertise, leading training efforts for several companies in the central Iowa region. She has developed and facilitated courses for both domestic and international audiences, and appreciates the diversity of the customers she has served.

Denise holds a Masters of Science Degree in Adult Education/Training and Development from Drake University. She is an active member of Association of Talent Development (ATD), presenting for Central Iowa’s Career Development Days and the ATD International Conference.

In addition to her training talents in the classroom, Denise is an accomplished guitarist, teacher, singer and songwriter. She lives in West Des Moines with her husband, John and three children: Rachel, Kaitlyn and Jacob. She has released several musical CDs with her family and enjoys performing in the community.

Haglund is a fifth generation Iowa farmer and co-owns the Boone County-based Hickory Grove Family Farm, where he and his family oversee nearly 500 acres of corn, soybeans, hops, and aquaculture. Haglund, a behavioral health subject matter and systems expert based in Story City, develops and delivers educational trainings on suicide prevention, mental illness, addiction, behavioral health policy and youth development.

Haglund is a motivated and proven leader within the behavioral healthcare field and was recently elected to his second year as the co-chair of the State Medical Assistance Advisory Council. Having recently launched Haglund Consulting, LLC., Haglund believes he can make a difference by doing his part in impacting systems and creating change through educating policy makers, businesses, and communities on the impact of wellness, behavioral healthcare reform, stigma, and related policies.  Haglund regularly provides consultation, education, and guidance on behavioral healthcare system implementation, design, and quality improvement.

Haglund earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa and his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.  Haglund is a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CDAC) and is authorized to deliver numerous nationally recognized evidenced based trainings.

CEO
Proteus, Inc.

Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel has served as the CEO of Proteus, Inc. since August 2019, but has worked with the organization for over seven years. He has over 10 years of nonprofit administration and leadership. Daniel serves as Tri-Chair of the Social Capital within Capital Crossroads, City of Bondurant Planning and Zoning Commission, and is on a variety of other community boards and advisory councils. He has a Doctorate of Education in Leadership from Creighton University, an M.A from the University of Alabama, a B.A. from Grand View University, and an A.A. from Iowa Central Community College.Daniel was awarded the Community Vision Award for Challenging by the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute in 2019. In 2018, Daniel was named the Influencer of the Year at the Young Professionals Connection and Des Moines Register Young Professional of the Year Awards. In 2017, he completed the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute’s Community Leadership Program. Daniel received one of the Des Moines Business Record’s Forty Under 40 awards in 2015 and in 2012, he received the Karen Packer Spirit of Collaboration Award at the Iowa Cancer Summit.

Founder and CEO
Point One Development

From the Great Pyramids of Giza, to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Laila sat wide-eyed as a little girl listening to her father’s stories of traveling to France, Egypt, Australia, Korea and Canada. Her favorite stories were those of her dad growing up in Morocco. Today, she loves to retell some of those stories as well as her own stories spending months overseas with her Moroccan family and her experiences as a Citizen of the Chickasaw tribe while growing up in Oklahoma. The element of story and experience is what marks Laila as a speaker and consultant.

Laila has utilized her drive and innovation to achieve success early in life. Laila served as the 2006 – 2007 Oklahoma FFA State Secretary and a 2008 – 2009 National FFA Vice President. Laila has spoken to well over 100,000 people in over 45 states and across the globe. Laila worked for Syngenta after graduating Texas Tech University with a degree in Agricultural Education. She managed a multi-milliondollar sales territory for Syngenta. Laila sold seed, seed treatment and crop protection chemicals for three years. Her second week in her role was the launch of an integrated Syngenta. She had a front row seat to one of the largest corporate integrations in the agriculture sector to date. This experience, while challenging at times, provided her incredible insight in leadership and corporate culture shift. Laila sold advertising for a short time and taught high school agricultural education for a year. Laila has a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education.

While Laila does have pretty cool heritage, when you meet Laila, make no mistake, you will know that she is an Okie through and through. She is a proud Oklahoman and her story is pretty unique as a Moroccan and Native American southern belle.

Laila uses her unique tapestry of heritage and corporate experience to engage audiences on topics of authentic leadership, authentic relationships and diversity and inclusion.

This southern belle has settled up north in Johnston, Iowa. She met her husband, Kevin (an Iowa native), in 2013. She and Kevin live in the suburbs of Des Moines with their three daughters, Audrie, Ella and Gentrie and two dogs – Wrigley and Willow.

Organizational Culture & Employee Wellbeing
SixtyFiveEightyFive Consulting

Meredith Jinks, formerly of The Meyvn Group, is a relationship builder. With more than a decade of experience connecting clients with solutions, she is a sales superstar who helps businesses meet specific goals and objectives. She honed her skills at national brands such as Gannet and Meredith Corporation, where her strengths included B2B planning and marketing as well as brand management and development. Energetic, approachable, and millennial focused, Meredith draws from her experiences to keep audiences constantly engaged in building real-world solutions.