Behavioral Sciences: Future of Work Forum

Mark Jacobsen is a work culture, business and brand strategist with extensive experience in translating behavioral science insights into relevant design solutions. Mark was formerly the co-founder and Creative Director of Centric Brand Anthropology, a design studio that utilizes anthropological insights to create human-centric user experiences. Throughout his career, Jacobsen has worked with many national and international brands including Starbucks Coffee, Eddie Bauer, Restoration Hardware, Mattel, Amazon.com, Microsoft, Best Buy, and Costco.

Dr. John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. He has spent most of his professional life as a private research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. Dr. Medina is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Dr. Brenda Fellow is President & CEO of Fellows Corporate Consortium, LLC; an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, behavioral scientist, social scientist, and data scientist with over eighteen years of senior management consulting in Fortune 100, 200, and 500 corporations. She is an Adjunct Professor at University California, Berkeley –Walter A. Haas School of Business, Management of Organizations Group, where she provides instruction to executive leaders, doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate learners. She is a Visiting Adjunct Professor within major business schools throughout Europe and Asia. Dr. Fellows is a Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Stroke Shield Foundation.

Dr. Linda Wagener has over 25 years of experience in consultation, teaching, administration, and research in human development. A Minnesota native, she received her doctorate in psychology at Clark University. Dr. Wagener is a founding partner of Marigold Associates. She is a consultant in the areas of leadership assessment and development, personal and executive coaching, family dynamics and business solutions. In this capacity she brings a focus on enhanced relational communication and strength based personality dynamics.

Dr. Rick Beaton's involvements have taken him to Hong Kong, England, Germany, and now the USA. He holds a PhD from Cambridge, UK, and has spent a lot of his life exploring the changing nature of corporate identity, leadership and the engagement of people in the workplace within a global context. It is the blend of deep knowledge and expertise, and broad life experience that shapes his practice.

Dr. Charles W. L. Hill is the Hughes M. and Katherine Blake Professor of Strategy and International Business at the Foster School of Business, University of Washington. Professor Hill received his PhD from the University of Manchester in Britain. In addition to the UW he has served on the faculties of the University of Manchester, Texas A&M University, and Michigan State University. He has published over 50 articles peer reviewed academic journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, and Organization Science. His work is widely cited by other academics.

Mitch Shepard is the CEO of HUMiN Inclusion Partners. HUMiN helps enterprise companies leverage the full breadth of their talent by producing a transformational shift in gender and diversity intelligence within their organization. Using her systems thinking background, in combination with her experiential education, Shepard works with companies to identify and solve their gender parity and diversity challenges. She has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor and leader in the space of D&I, partnering with some of the worlds top companies, such as Amazon, Microsoft, FedEx, BDO and Avis Budget Group.

Kirk Cornell is a Business and Industrial Anthropologist (PhD, 2004) with extensive experience in research and consulting for a wide range of companies ranging from start-ups to large corporations such as Ford Motor Company and Wal-Mart. He has worked in a broad spectrum of industries including CPG (consumer packaged goods), retail, pharma, health and wellness, sustainability, automotive, and tech. 

Chris Stevens is an architect and technologist who has vast experience in leading cross-disciplined teams of designers, developers, and strategic consultants to create innovative products and solutions. His role includes conception, experience design, technical architecture and development of interactive media, mobile apps websites and applications for a wide range of clients and projects. Significant work includes the creation of the Sound lab installation for Seattle's MoPOP Museum, the lobby video wall experience for the Microsoft Executive Briefing Center, development of the Serra mixed-reality medical imaging system for Stanford, and creation of the ETHoS machine learning and AI platform.