Barry Gale

Barry has more than 35 years of experience in the Human Resources field including roles in the Financial Services, Legal Services, and Hospitality industries. He assumed the role of Chief Human Resources Officer at Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston) in 2013. As CHRO, Barry is responsible for the overall leadership, vision, strategic direction, and oversight for all the Bank’s human resources activities and operations, facilities management and administration and the Bank’s diversity and inclusion efforts. In his role, Barry provides advice and guidance on strategic and business initiatives to the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership. .

He serves on various FHLBank Boston committees, including the executive leadership team, providing invaluable guidance by leveraging his expertise, insight, and collaborative approach. Barry also serves as a member of the FHLBank Systems Human Resources Officer and Diversity & Inclusion Groups. .

Throughout his career, Barry has focused on being a valued business partner. He has extensive domestic and international experience working in the Financial Services, Online Publishing, and Professional Services industries where he has delivered effective performance consulting, influenced decision making and contributed to driving business results in complex environments. .

Barry is recognized for his commercial orientation, a customer centric focus, and exceptional relationship building skills that deliver organizational results. Barry earned his B.S. in Management from the University of Massachusetts.

Carlos Echalar

Carlos Echalar is an accomplished business and human resources executive with more than 20 years of experience leading business operation and strategy, talent management, compensation, organizational development and delivery for global professional services, engineering and technology firms. .

Echalar currently serves as Chief HR Officer (CHRO) for CDM Smith Inc. a global Engineering and Construction firm. Echalar provides operational and strategic leadership and guidance; linking talent and organizational strategies aligned with the go-to-market business execution. Advising at all levels of business and Board of Directors on organizational transformation, strengthening capabilities and enhancing human capital programs. .

Previously, Echalar served as CHRO for MICROS Systems Inc., in addition, Echalar served as Vice President and CHRO, for the CSC’s Global Commercial Group. Prior to CSC, he served as CHRO for ManTech International, where he led transformation of the Company’s operations and lines of business, delivering notable industry-leading sustainable business growth. He has also served as a global HR and business executive for other corporations including: SAIC, Titan, American Management Systems, and Litton Industries. .

He earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, Smith School of Business and a BS in industrial/organizational psychology from Old Dominion University. Echalar has led and served as a president and executive board member on national and regional professional associations. Echalar is also a speaker on business and human capital topics globally.

Scarlett Abraham Clarke

Scarlett Abraham Clarke was most recently the Vice President and Chief Officer of Culture and Inclusion at Commonwealth Financial. Prior to Commonwealth, she was the Senior Director of D&I at Bright Horizons. Scarlett’s passion for HR began after she graduated college and worked for a staffing agency. In her current role, At Commonwealth, Scarlett was responsible for aligning business objectives with employees and management. She served as a consultant and strategic partner to leaders and collaborates with department managers to help fairly implement policies and to assist with coaching employees and supporting their development.

Scarlett is passionate about retaining good talent and often facilitates trainings geared towards employee development. In addition to the support that employees receive from their direct supervisor or local leadership team, she assisted employees with successfully resolving questions and concerns that arose.

One area of focus for Scarlett was partnering with the business to focus on the company culture and develop Diversity and Inclusion strategies and initiatives that grew and strengthened the overall organization. She is an champion of employees and a change agent committed to providing an overall positive employee experience.

Scarlett holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from Suffolk University. She and her family live in Hyde Park, MA.

Zaranique Watson

Zaranique Watson is the Director of Human Resources Partnership and Special Projects at Point32Health. Prior to joining Point32Health, Zaranique oversaw the Human Capital Management function at Income Management and Research (IR+M), a privately-owned fixed income investment management firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Zaranique served as Chief Human Resources Officer at DotHouse Health and in a leadership capacity at Lifestance Health, Steward Healthcare, and the Veterans Affairs – New England Healthcare System. .

Zaranique is a founding executive board member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources – New England Chapter. Zaranique also served as a governing board member at the Massachusetts Health Connector. Zaranique is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by the Human Resources Certification Institute and is a Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management. She is dedicated to leading and developing overall organizational strategies, developing and maintaining a positive organizational culture, evaluating and optimizing newly developed processes to increase efficiency and reducing attrition while maintaining an employment system that is as fair and consistent as possible.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Amanda Bailey

Amanda Bailey joined BU as the Vice President for Human Resources in August 2021. Prior to her role at BU, Amanda served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Brown University and held the roles of Associate Vice President and Acting Chief of Staff at Morehouse College. She brings nearly thirty years of professional experience in human resources and has held senior human resources leadership positions over the past two decades at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. .

Amanda is a board member of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, the American Research Universities’ Human Resource Institute, the New England HR Association, and Skills for Rhode Island’s Future. She frequently participates in panel discussions addressing human resources trends and key considerations for the future of work and redefining the workplace environment and culture. .

Amanda has been featured in several publications and recognized as an influencer in HR in 2023 by Who’s Who in America for Top Executives, INC Magazine for Top HR Business Leaders in 2023, Making Boston University Resemble Boston by Vision Magazine, and Top 10 Influential Business Leaders in 2022 by CIOViews. Amanda remains an active member of SHRM, the Boston HR Council, many other CHRO Roundtable groups, and she previously served on the board of the SHRM-Brevard County chapter. Prior to joining the education industry, Amanda held HR positions at private and public organizations such as American Express and the National Labor Relations Board. When available, Amanda enjoys volunteering at local food banks and mentoring first-gen students in high school. .

Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations from the University of Rhode Island and has an additional certification in labor relations in education.

Maia Germain

Maia leads Trinity’s strategic people initiatives and the growing People Operations team during a time of significant growth for the organization. She is responsible for supporting Trinity’s global workforce through the creation of a positive experience for team members across all aspects of the employee lifecycle. Prior to Trinity, Maia was the SVP, Head of People & Culture at Collette, where she led the rebuilding of the workforce and their experience coming out of the pandemic. Prior to Collette, Maia’s background includes more than 15 years in HR Leadership roles at State Street Corporation, where she led transformations designed to improve employee development, culture, work-life, diversity & inclusion, and community engagement. Maia pioneered several global innovation programs focused on the adoption of significant changes to how, when and where work was done, including the design and implementations of a modern approach to global learning, and a strategic approach to flexible work. Maia graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and is a graduate from the Center for Collaborative Leadership at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Maia served on the board of directors of Bottom Line (MA) for three terms and has participated ten times as a rider in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. You can often find Maia outdoors photographing nature, cycling, and spending time at the ocean with her three boys.

Lisa Kelly-Croswell

Lisa Kelly-Croswell is senior vice president and chief human resources officer at BMC Health System. She oversees human resources (HR), occupational health, and volunteer services and leads organizational growth strategies for the system. Prior to joining BMC in 2013, Lisa held a wide range of HR leadership roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Nitromed, Inc., CIGNA, Monsanto, and Frito-Lay. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and a Master of Arts in labor and industrial relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She currently serves on the board of directors for two public biotech companies and several non-profit organizations.

Charu Manocha

Charu is an accomplished HR executive with over 25 years of global experience in multiple industries. She is Chief Human Resources Officer at SmartPak LLC, where she is responsible to build the function and position the company for sustainable growth. As a close partner to the CEO and the executive leadership team, she focuses on all elements of the organization related to people. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) of SmartPak, she plays a major role in shaping the organization's future by leading people-focused initiatives and championing the culture. Charu has delivered transformative results in a broad array of markets by bringing the voice of the stakeholders to drive sustainable growth. She elevates the HR function and has demonstrated expertise in leading HR in substantial Fortune 100s. She also brings deep change leadership competency that were developed through progressive responsibilities in different geographies, high growth start-ups, large scale transformations, mergers, acquisitions, and private equity restructuring business environments. She is an enabler of performance and is passionate about creating opportunities for employees to thrive, contribute and grow. Most recently, Charu held the position of Chief People Officer for GreenLight Biosciences in Lexington, Massachusetts. Charu led all aspects of GreenLight’s Human Resources and employee experience function with the goal of delivering innovative and efficient people programs. She also served as Group Vice President of Talent Strategies for Bright Horizons Family Solutions, where she played a critical role in defining the human capital agenda to support the company strategy. Prior to Bright Horizons, she was VP of Human Resources at iRobot, where she is credited for partnering with the leaders to deliver cultural transformation and global growth that resulted in doubling the size of the company. Charu has also led talent and HR functions at Keurig Green Mountain, Dana Holding Corporation, Delphi Automotive Systems, and General Motors.

Doreen Nichols

Formerly Head of Talent and HR Business Partnering at Amylyx, Doreen had primary responsibility of leading the Human Resources Business Partner function for the US and Canada. She partnered with a diverse and talented employee population across Amylyx to develop and implement forward-thinking talent practices, plan and direct employee engagement strategies, sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, and execute initiatives that supported Amylyx’s vision, mission, values, and business objectives.

Doreen brings more than 25 years of global human resources experience in both big brand corporations and early-stage start-ups. Previously, Doreen led teams in outstanding companies and institutions such as Eversource Energy, Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, Staples Inc., LensCrafters, and Tulane University. She is recognized as a thought leader in global diversity and inclusion initiatives, operations, acquisitions, divestitures, talent strategy, and performance management. Doreen holds a BS in Human Resources Management from DeVry University, Certificate in Human Resources from Bentley, and both the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.

In her spare time, Doreen is a make-up artist, and competitive tennis player on the USTA and Central Massachusetts Indoor Tennis Association teams. She enjoys traveling, recreational cooking and spending time with her family.

Lisa Reilly

Lisa is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at PTC. She is responsible for leading the global People organization. With nearly 30 years in HR, Lisa brings a wealth of HR leadership experience from the technology, telecommunications, and consulting sectors. She is passionate about advancing the business through strategic HR consulting, organizational effectiveness, and employee engagement. .

Lisa joined PTC in June 2020 as Senior Vice President, Global HR Business Partners. Throughout her time at PTC, she has focused on HR transformation and building a strategic HR business partner function to support the changing needs of the business. An influential voice in the business, Lisa serves as a trusted advisor and thoughtful partner in the organization using her keen ability to align organization structure, leadership, and talent to the business strategy. .

Prior to PTC, Lisa was a global HR leader at Cisco Systems, where she led HR for the Customer Experience Global Delivery Centers, an organization of more than 7,000 engineers. Lisa has also held HR leadership roles at Motorola, G+J Publishing, and Text100 PR.

Cynthia Ring

Throughout her thirty-year career in Business and Human Resources, Cynthia has served as a trusted visionary, coach, mentor and thought partner to the executive team. As Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Care New England Health System, her focus remains unwavering on fostering connections and delivering tangible business outcomes. She is passionate about building highly engaged and values-focused organizations and is recognized as a motivational leader committed to collaboration, customer solutions, the employee experience and empowering others to achieve business results. Helping organizations through successful business turnarounds, managing through growth & change and achieving a collaborative, results-driven culture is her specialty. Under her leadership, Harvard Pilgrim celebrated seven straight years of achieving a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign and Corporate Equity Index; ‘Best Places to Work’ designation, and was one of the first organizations in MA to sign onto the Wage Compact; an entity focused on transparency in wage equity. .

Cynthia's unwavering commitment to both professional development and community impact is evidenced by her active board memberships. Additionally, her expertise is complemented by an MBA from Bryant University and a BA from Framingham State College. She holds professional credentials as a Lean-Green Belt and ACC-ICF Credentialed Coach, showcasing her commitment to continual growth and excellence. .

As a thought leader, Cynthia's contributions extend to publications such as "Ensuring Equity in the Digital Age " and "Beyond ROI: Measuring the Value of Well-Being Programs. " Her professional recognition includes the Bob Gatti Mentor of the Year Award and the HR Leadership Excellence Award from HRLF.

Bob Selle

Bob Selle SPHR/SCP. A retail veteran for 25 years. Bob Selle’s first 10 years were on the business side at well known retailers, Kmart and Kohl's. His past 15 years have been leading HR teams. Bob’s award winning leadership style has brought a progressive approach to human resources at OSJL for the last 8 years. He and his team are continually driving a consistent associate experience throughout the organization. Fostering a positive, inclusive culture and promoting associate well-being are at the forefront of their efforts.

Ajit Vakharia

Ajit Vakharia is the Founder, CEO, President of the Board of Directors at Flare Education, a 501(c)(3) public charity based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Flare Education's mission is to tackle generational poverty through high school workforce development, and the organization provides students from under-resourced backgrounds with a paid, 36-month workforce development experience to build their capacity to aspire to any and every career. Students build foundation skills, social capital, and a deeper understanding of their professional goals while also interning at top organizations across Greater Boston and earning up to $5,000 each year in stipends and gross income. Ajit is also a Product Advisor at Ampliforce - an Enterprise AI Startup based in Boston, Massachusetts - helping advise on the safe, effective use of AI and digital workers to create value for businesses, upskill front-line staff, and amplify human intelligence. Ajit previously worked as a product manager for a few startups, in management consulting at a boutique strategy firm, and in asset management at a $35B+ AUM growth equity firm. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Josh Varone

Josh Varone is currently the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Centreville Bank and is responsible for the direction of all human resources initiatives including developing and implementing HR programs, policies and procedures that attract and retain the best possible talent to serve the bank. Josh is also responsible for maximizing employee engagement, driving a positive workplace culture and leading the bank’s efforts to be a highly recognized employer of choice. He works closely with other members of the leadership team to provide strategic level support and ensure that Centreville Bank remains a top performing community bank. Josh has 20 years’ experience in human resources. Prior to his role at Centreville Bank he was the Chief Human Resources Officer at Rhode Island Medical Imaging. He also was the Director of Human Resources at AAA Northeast and worked in human resources in various roles at Swarovski. In addition to his current role, Josh also is an adjunct faculty member at Bryant University and serves as a Board Member for Special Olympics Rhode Island. Josh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UMass Dartmouth and a Master of Arts from Providence College. He is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and a member of Northeast HR Association (NEHRA). Josh is designated as a Certified Professional (CP) from SHRM and earned a Professional in Human Resources Certificate (PHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute as well as a Professional Recruiter Certificate (PRC) from AIRS. Josh was also a recipient of the prestigious Bob Gatti Mentor of the Year award in 2022 from NEHRA.

Fred K. Foulkes, DBA

Fred Foulkes, director of the Human Resources Policy Institute at Boston University's School of Management, is one of the most highly respected HR professionals in the country. A distinguished professor and researcher, he also has experience as a human resources practitioner.

Fred received an AB degree from Princeton University and MBA and DBA degrees from Harvard University. He was a member of the Harvard Business School faculty prior to joining the faculty of Boston University, where he teaches courses in human resources management, strategic management and labor and personnel relations.

He is program director of NEHRA's Senior Executive Forum and a senior advisor to the board.

Dave Hennessy

David Hennessy is Senior Vice President, Keystone Partners. In this role, David partners with executives and corporate clients to successfully address their career management and leadership development needs. David joined Keystone in 2000 with over twelve years of experience in management, training and sales. As a certified program leader, he has provided training in communication, leadership and management skills.

David is host of “The Hennessy Report” podcast series – a free flowing conversation with leaders in Human Resources talking about the industry, themselves and their work. “The Hennessy Report” is produced by Keystone Partners in cooperation with NEHRA.

David serves as Vice Chair, Board of Commissioners RMLD (Reading Municipal Light Department), a municipal utility serving 29,000 customers in four towns north of Boston. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University’s Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Daniel B. Klein, Esq.

Daniel Klein is a partner in the Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office. Mr. Klein's practice includes the defense of collective and class actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state laws in federal and state courts. Dan has represented private employers in litigation under the Federal Fair Labor Standards and the Massachusetts wage payment, overtime and tip statutes. He also has conducted wage and hour audits and provided counseling to numerous employers on compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws.

Since 1998, Dan has served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Resource Partnership, a non-profit organization that assists employers in the hiring of individuals with disabilities. He received his B.A. (cum laude) from Colgate University, and his J.D. (cum laude) from Boston College Law School.

Jane Moyer

On October 10, 2023, we lost our dear friend and colleague, Jane Moyer to Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She served on NEHRA’s board from 2019 until her passing.

Jane’s vibrant personality, sharp wit, and boundless generosity endeared her to colleagues and friends alike. Beyond her role as a dedicated HR Executive, her passion for wine and her expertise as a certified sommelier gave many of us the privilege of learning from her firsthand, through her engaging tastings and lively storytelling. Jane's talents didn't end there. Her beautiful singing voice, displayed at a memorable piano bar performance during NEHRA's 2019 Annual Conference, reinforced what a truly gifted person she was.

While ALS may have taken Jane from us physically, her spirit continues to live on in the memories she created and the lives she touched. To honor Jane's legacy, we encourage donations to Compassionate Care ALS, https://ccals.org/ an organization that provided support to she and her wife, Janet, during the final months of her life.

Jane's passing has left a void in our community that can never be filled, but we find solace in the privilege of having been part of her remarkable life. Her warmth, laughter, and generosity will be deeply missed but forever cherished.