Alex Salas is a transformational HR executive with over 20 years of experience spanning Fortune 100 companies and public-sector organizations. As President of NYC SHRM, SHRM’s first and one of its largest chapters, he has spearheaded innovative programming and strategic partnerships that serve thousands of HR professionals since taking the helm in 2024. In recognition of his volunteer leadership, he was honored as 2025 Volunteer Leader of the Year by the SHRM New York State Council.

Currently serving as Assistant Chief People Officer for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA), Alex orchestrates HR operations across high-profile venues and regional assets. Previously, as AVP for the Federal Farm Credit Bank, he delivered enterprise wide HR system implementations, redesigned performance management frameworks, and championed compensation equity initiatives. His diverse career foundation includes strategic HR roles at UNITE HERE, Audemars Piguet, and AXA Equitable.

Recognized for HR excellence (including the NYC SHRM Award for HR Excellence), with media features and frequent guest lectures in the NYC area, he holds certifications including SHRM-SCP, the SHRM Executive Network certificate, and a Business Communication Certificate from Cornell University. Known for leading with empathy and authenticity, Alex remains deeply committed to elevating both the HR profession and the community in the greater NYC area.

Ken Meyer has been a member of New York City SHRM for over 20 years and has served on the Board of Directors since 2016.

He is currently the Principal at KWM HR Consulting LLC, a consulting firm providing organizations with a wide range of services including Management Coaching, Employee Coaching, Labor Relations Support, Workplace Investigations, Training and Leadership Development, Human Resources Strategic Planning and Human Resources Operational Support.

Ken has had a 40+ year career with key roles in healthcare organizations in both For-Profit and Not-for-Profit settings such as William F. Ryan Community Health Center, Community Healthcare Network, Aptium Oncology, Inc., Hebrew Home at Riverdale, Strang Cancer Prevention Center, Kingsboro Medical Group, St. Joseph’s Services for Children and Families, Professional Resources of New York, and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

He is a graduate of Cornell University/Bernard M. Baruch College with a Master of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations (MSILR, Major Concentration in Human Resource Management), and Herbert H. Lehman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (BA, Major Concentration in Business Management).

Ken is certified as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) through the Society for Human Resource Management and he is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute.

In addition to his volunteer role at New York City SHRM, Ken also serves as the Special Initiatives Director for the SHRM New York State Council.

Arisa Lawrence is the Human Resources Generalist at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC. Arisa specializes in attorney and legal staff recruitment.

She has previously worked at prominent law firms such as WilmerHale, Pryor Cashman, and Milbank. SHRM member since 2022.

Harrison J. Newman is VP of Communications for NYC SHRM and host of the Talk HR podcast, where he explores trends in employee benefits and workforce strategy.

As Senior Vice President and Benefits Consultant at Corporate Synergies, he brings over 16 years of experience helping organizations design benefits programs that attract talent, reinforce culture, and manage healthcare costs. Harrison has spoken at SHRM24, SHRM25, and EBN’s Benefits at Work conference, and has been featured on multiple industry podcasts.

He’s also a published thought leader with over 20 articles across a variety of HR and benefits publications. He lives on Long Island with his wife and three children.

Zachary Ranes is a dedicated HR professional and MBA candidate at Rutgers University who currently serves as a Senior Human Resources Generalist at Compass Group.

Known for blending empathy with data-driven insights, Zachary enjoys building people-first strategies that influence culture, reduce risk, and keep organizations compliant across federal, state, and city levels.

Beyond the workplace, Zachary is a mountain biking enthusiast who values environments free from toxicity, both on the trails and in the office.

Passionate about positioning HR as a true strategic partner, Zachary thrives on presenting business cases that connect people practices to operational excellence, all while ensuring fairness and clear expectations for employees at every level.

Samantha is an employee benefits consultant with Marsh McLennan agency. She prides herself on being an advocate for Women’s Wellness and helping clients identify creative strategies for their Benefit Programs.

She has been a dedicated member of NYC SHRM for over five years and co-hosts the Talk HR NYC SHRM Podcast.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their toddler son, and is soon welcoming another baby boy to her family.

Cassandra Walker is a strategic HR leader and Recruitment Sourcing Enablement Manager at American Express, where she drives enterprise-wide sourcing strategies and innovative recruitment solutions.

With 15+ years of experience, she is recognized for building inclusive talent pipelines, and enabling recruiters with tools and insights that elevate performance. Cassandra is an Elite Certified Recruitment Expert with multiple advanced recruitment credentials.

A frequent speaker and thought leader, Cassandra shares insights on talent trends, employee engagement, and the future of work.

William is using his professional experiences in Human Resource Management and academic training in Human and Organizational Learning to work with MBA students at New York Institute of Technology, where he is Director of the Program.

Additionally, he is a volunteer Board member at NYC SHRM. His specific area of responsibility is as VP of the Programming Committee, which manages the vetting and scheduling of the Chapter’s many events (excluding the Biannual Conference).

Tracey Thompson is a highly accomplished compassionate HR executive with a passion for optimizing talent acquisition, management, and employee engagement strategies to drive productivity and employee satisfaction.

With a diverse background spanning various industries, including Start-Ups, Accounting/Professional Services, PR/Communications, Construction and Education/Non-Profit, Tracey has consistently delivered strategic value to organizations by bridging the gap between HR and business.

As the Founder and CHRO of The HR Offices of Tracey Thompson, LLC, Tracey is known for her compassionate leadership and has demonstrated expertise in promoting HR practices and objectives to create employee-oriented, high-performance cultures focused on quality, productivity, and goal attainment.

By developing companies’ core values, building an open-door policy, and securing significant reductions in staffing costs, Tracey has fostered positive work environments and cultures of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Tracey’s areas of expertise include strategic HR operations management, identifying systems and processes gaps, employee engagement and satisfaction, policies and procedure development, talent acquisition and retention, diversity, equity and inclusion, human capital management and organization transformation.

Tracey holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from New School University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the State University of New York, College at Oswego. She has completed studies in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Human Resources, and Organizational Development.

Tracey is also a Certified Executive, Leadership, Life and Organizational Development Coach and serves on the boards of several Human Resources organizations in New York City.

Known for her compassionate leadership along with her extensive experience, strategic mindset, and dedication to fostering positive work environments, Tracey Thompson is committed to delivering exceptional value as an HR executive and driving organizational success.

www.TheHROfficesOfTraceyThompsonLLC.com

Edwidge Constant is the HR Manager at Barst & Mukamal LLP, where she oversees human resources and operations initiatives including benefits, vendor management, performance management, and employee engagement.

She began her career in Oil and Gas before moving into Human Resources in healthcare, later transitioning into the legal services sector. Edwidge earned her BA in Business Administration and Psychology from Oral Roberts University and has held PHR certification since 2020.

She has been an active NYC SHRM volunteer, serving as Co-Chair of Volunteer Engagement, Vice President of Sponsorship, and now Chair of Membership.

She is passionate about building meaningful connections and fostering collaboration across the HR community in New York City.

Kara Yates is a Senior HR Consultant at Justworks, where she partners with growing businesses to build practical and scalable HR practices.

She brings deep expertise in human resources, people management, and workplace culture, and has served for several years on the NYC SHRM Leadership Council, where she is in her inaugural year as a board member.

Kara also contributes on the Website Committee and serves as Co-Chair of the Programming Committee.

Elyse Warner-Lyons is the Senior Director of Benefits overseeing areas of benefits administration, compliance and wellness at the American Museum of Natural History.

She has over 20 years of experience in various areas of HR and her industry expertise includes legal services, nonprofit and union environments.

Elyse serves on the NYC SHRM Chapter Board of Directors and Leadership Council as the Chair of the Not-for-Profit SIG; sits on the HR Advisory Board for Plan Source, a benefits and human capital technology company; Steering Committee member and Chair of Benefits Talks of the NYC HR Culturals Group; and an alumni member of Chief, a network focused on connecting and supporting women leaders.

She earned an AS in Public Administration and a BA Political Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Graduate Studies in HR Benefits and Compensation from Cornell University; and completed the SHRM HR Management Certificate program at Fordham University, with designation of HIPAA Compliance Certification. SHRM member since 2005.

Ryan McAllister (He/Him) currently serves as the Director of People at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of NYC.

Hailing from St. Louis, Ryan received his BA in Communications from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and MS in Higher Education from Illinois State University.

Prior to working in HR, he began his career in student leadership programs in higher education before transitioning to non-profit work in 2016.

Ryan’s past NYC SHRM leadership roles include VP of Conferences (2024–2025), VP of Finance/Treasurer (2023–2024) and Assistant Treasurer (2021–2023).

Andrea Goldman is an attorney who has stepped outside of a purely legal role to work in Human Resources because she loves the people part of it.

She is the Director of Human Resources at the Community Service Society of New York. Andrea is often asked if she misses practicing law and her answer is a resounding “No” because there is so much law in HR!

Andrea has been a very involved member of NYC SHRM for many years. Currently, she serves on the Leadership Council as Chair of the Executive Network, a group of the highest level of Human Resource Professionals after transitioning from the Co-Chair position.

Committed to paying it forward, Andrea also served as Co-Chair of the Mentoring SIG for many years in a program that pairs junior HR professionals with senior HR professionals to help them on their career paths.

Serving on the Board of Directors of NYC SHRM provides Andrea with the opportunity to help shape the future of the Human Resource profession in NYC for which she is very excited and humbled.

Debi Gewirtz is a Managing Director and the Head of Human Resources for Aetos Alternatives Management. Prior to joining Aetos in 2014, Debi was the Human Resources Manager and Office Manager for the Millburn Corporation.

Prior to the Millburn Corporation, Debi was a Human Resources Associate at GoldenSource Corporation and Swiss American Securities.

Earlier in her career, Debi was a Legal Recruitment Assistant at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Debi graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and she also holds her SHRM-SCP and PHR Certifications.

Arnum Wapples Jr., MBA is a Corporate Benefits Advisor with a background in banking, finance, and business consulting.

He partners with HR leaders and insurance brokers to deliver innovative employee benefits through LegalShield and IDShield, helping organizations reduce employee stress and enhance workplace well-being.

Known for his engaging training and public speaking, Arnum equips professionals with practical strategies to support their people and strengthen organizational culture.

A natural super connector, he thrives on bringing good people together, fostering collaboration within NYC SHRM, and creating opportunities that empower HR professionals to build healthier, more resilient workplaces.

Fredo Alban is a people leader and community builder dedicated to advancing the HR profession. At NYC SHRM, he focuses on creating opportunities for members to connect and foster lasting professional relationships.

Growing up in New York City shaped his belief in the power of diverse perspectives and the importance of strong communities.

He is committed to people-first practices that help individuals grow and organizations thrive.