OPENING KEYNOTE
Dr. Andy Brantley, President and CEO of CUPA-HR
Program: Navigating Uncertainty: The New Norm for Higher Education Leaders
About Andy: Dr. Andy Brantley has served as CUPA-HR’s president and chief executive officer since July 2005.
Before joining CUPA-HR, he worked for 17 years in campus leadership roles including associate vice president and chief human resources officer at the University of Georgia, director of human resources at Davidson College, and director of human resources at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Andy received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Business Administration, and Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia.
Andy currently serves on the Washington Higher Education Secretariat steering committee and in September of 2025, he completed a four-year term as the Secretariat’s representative to the American Council on Education Board of Directors. He serving in the second of a four-year term on the EDUCAUSE board of directors.
Andy is a frequent keynote and workshop presenter at meetings across the country.
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Dave Zamansky, Colby-Sawyer College
About Dave: For more than 30 years, Dave Zamansky has been helping people discover the power of connection, leadership, and community. As the Director of Residential Education at Colby-Sawyer College, Dave has dedicated his career to developing leaders, building thriving communities, and creating environments where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.
Beyond campus, Dave is a nationally recognized leadership speaker and facilitator with SPEAK Educators and Fun Enterprises, delivering engaging keynote presentations and interactive workshops for colleges and universities, K-12 schools, conferences, and organizations across the country. His programs blend meaningful storytelling, experiential learning, humor, and practical leadership strategies that participants can immediately apply in their work and lives.
Dave’s passion for leadership was sparked as a Resident Assistant at the University of New Hampshire and took on new purpose through LeaderShape, where he discovered the transformational power of leading with integrity and building communities around a shared vision. Those experiences continue to shape his work today, inspiring others to lead with courage, authenticity, and a healthy disregard for the impossible.
Known for his energy, creativity, and ability to connect with any audience, Dave doesn’t simply deliver presentations. He creates experiences. Through interactive activities, memorable stories, thoughtful reflection, and just the right amount of laughter, he helps people build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively, and discover what’s possible when they work together.
When you invite Dave to speak, you’re not just bringing in a presenter. You’re partnering with someone who genuinely cares about your people, your goals, and the experience they have together.
And somehow, when Dave walks out of the room, it has more energy than when he walked in.
Brittany Duffy
Program: Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Adapting Your Leadership Style to Meet Employee Needs While Maintaining Accountability
About Brittany: Brittany serves as the head of Human Resources for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education (EOE), bringing more than 15 years of HR experience across manufacturing, public education, and higher education. After joining the Commonwealth in 2018 and a brief tenure with a New Hampshire school district, she returned to EOE in July 2023.
A true HR operations generalist, Brittany oversees all facets of human resources, including talent acquisition, employee and labor relations, payroll and benefits administration, compliance, workforce analytics, and organizational effectiveness. Her leadership philosophy centers on adaptability, recognizing that effective management requires meeting employees where they are and tailoring approaches to support individual success while maintaining accountability.
Brittany believes that education, communication, and trust are the cornerstones of a healthy workplace culture and effective leadership. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, kayaking, roller skating, and snowboarding.
Claire Gruenfelder, New England College
Program: The Application of Stay Interviews at New England College
About Claire: Claire serves as the Director of Human Resources at New England College and brings more than 25 years of experience in the field. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of West London in the United Kingdom.
Claire currently serves as the President of the Northern New England – CUPA-HR Chapter which recently was awarded the 2026 CUPA-HR Chapter Excellence Award.
She resides in Concord, NH, with her teenage daughter, Charlie, and their pitbull, Pacey.
Marty Munger, Work Ethos
Program: Anchored in Purpose
With a background in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and more than a decade in recruiting, hiring, and organizational consulting, Marty teaches the concepts of Work Intelligence Index® and Work Style DNA™ — her proprietary IP — helping leaders understand the capacities people bring to work and how those capacities shape collaboration, decision-making, and execution. She also teaches on the topic of purpose, helping people recognize that purpose is often already showing up in their everyday lives — and learning how to pay attention to the moments, patterns, and experiences that reveal what matters most
Dr. Jacqueline Bichsel, AVP of Research at CUPA-HR
Program: How [Insert Your Institution Name Here] Can Become an Employer of Choice
About Jacqueline: Dr. Jacqueline Bichsel is Associate Vice President of Research at CUPA-HR.
Jackie received her PhD in cognitive psychology at the University of Alabama and has been doing research in higher education for more than two decades as both a faculty member and nonprofit researcher.
Jackie leads an outstanding research team who continue to take CUPA-HR research in new and exciting directions. They maintain one of the largest workforce databases in existence; collecting, analyzing, and reporting on salaries, benefits, retention, pay equity, and the landscape of the higher ed workforce.
Rachel Andreoli
Program: Better at People: Practical Tools for Coaching Managers Through People Problems
About Rachel: Rachel Andreoli is the owner of Andreoli Strategies, a training firm that teaches how to be human together. She helps teams spend less time dealing with managing friction and more time doing work that matters. Her work is shaped by a degree in Communication and over 20 years behind the barber chair.
Rachel brings a practical, relatable approach to every room she’s in. She is a human mom, a dog mom, a coffee snob and head over heels for the little village on a lake she calls home.
Ashley Lomma & Kim Kenney-Rockwal, MBA, SPHR
Program: Beyond Welcome: Transforming Onboarding into a Strategic Advantage
About Ashley: Ashley serves as Recruiting Manager at Smith College, where she leads the Talent Acquisition team and supports recruiting, hiring, and onboarding strategies across the institution. Since joining Smith, she has played a key role in the development of the college’s Talent Acquisition function, including the creation of the team in 2021 and the continued evolution of practices focused on inclusive hiring, candidate experience, and effective partnerships with hiring managers and search committees.
Ashley brings experience across higher education, healthcare, nonprofit, and manufacturing environments and is passionate about creating thoughtful, people-centered experiences throughout the talent lifecycle. Her work includes advancing Smith’s C.A.R.E. (Cultivating a Remarkable Experience) approach to candidate experience and strengthening recruiting and onboarding practices.
Ashley presented at the 2023 CUPA-HR Annual Conference, was a member of the 2024–25 CUPA Ignite cohort, and has since served as a volunteer mentor for two incoming Ignite cohorts. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Nichols College.
About Kim: Kim is a bestselling author, executive coach, and leadership development expert focused on helping leaders cultivate self-awareness, strengthen emotional intelligence, and lead with greater confidence and purpose. She is the author of the bestselling book, Unapologetic on Purpose: The Inside-Out Approach to Impactful Leadership.
Currently serving as Assistant Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Smith College, Kim leads talent acquisition strategy and spearheads institution-wide leadership development efforts focused on strengthening leadership capacity and creating a more intentional employee experience. Prior to her work at Smith, she was a tenured faculty member in the Business Division, giving her a unique perspective on leadership, learning, and organizational development.
With more than 30 years of human resources experience spanning four industries, Kim brings extensive expertise in talent strategy, leadership development, coaching, and employee experience. She is a certified Gallup® Strengths Coach and Master Practitioner in MBTI® and EQ-i 2.0/EQ-i 360.
Toni Runci, Blue Lion,LLC
Program: Managing Different Minds: Practical Strategies for Supporting Neurodivergent Employees and Managers
About Toni: Toni Runci is a business owner, HR strategist, and workforce expert with nearly two decades of experience helping organizations solve the people and operational challenges that come with running a business.
As Principal of Analytics & Business Intelligence at BlueLion, the HR consulting firm she co-founded in 2018, Toni works with employers across New England on workforce strategy, leadership, compliance, organizational growth, and operational effectiveness.
Known for making HR practical, approachable, and refreshingly free of corporate jargon, Toni combines real-world business experience, data, humor, and honest conversations to give leaders tools they can actually use. Her experience spans healthcare, construction, manufacturing, technology, automotive, hospitality, and professional services.
Toni holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern New Hampshire University and professional credentials through SHRM and HRCI. Her work has been recognized with honors including the 2026 New Hampshire Union Leader 40 Under Forty, NH Business Reviews 2026 Top Women Lead Businesses, 2026 Best Places to Work, and 2026 Top 5 Businesses to Watch.
Meaghan Jalbert, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT
Program: The Plot Twist in HR: Using Case Studies to Challenge Assumptions and Strengthen Decision-Making
About Meaghan: Meaghan Jalbert is a Human Resources Business Partner at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, where she partners with leadership to drive strategic HR initiatives across talent management, employee relations, organizational effectiveness, compensation, and workforce planning.
With more than a decade of experience spanning student affairs and human resources, she is passionate about helping organizations build strong workplace cultures and developing leaders to navigate complex people challenges.
Meaghan currently serves as the President-Elect of the Southern New England CUPA-HR Board, where she is dedicated to advancing the HR profession through collaboration, leadership, and professional development.
Outside of work, she is the proud mom of two energetic young boys who keep her busy and remind her daily of the importance of balancing career, family, and a good sense of humor.
Victoria Patenaude, Executive Voice and Communication Coach
Program: Why Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect in High-Stakes Moments
About Victoria: Victoria Patenaude is an executive voice and communication coach for international professionals working in North America.
She holds a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Columbia University (2010), as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from McGill University (2007).
In addition to coaching, Victoria speaks about high-stakes and cross-cultural communication. Her work has taken her to audiences at DisruptHR, Desjardins, and CUPA-HR NNE, among others, and her TEDx talk on cross-cultural connection has reached over 38,000 people.