A policy is a piece of paper until it takes on meaning and significance in organizations and, most importantly, in employees’ lived experiences.  How can HR leaders roll out policies that are contentious in the eyes of some and life-changing in the eyes of others? 

Ned Godwin is the head of benefit operations at TIAA. In this role, Ned’s key responsibilities include strategic direction and operational oversight of all benefits related functions including health, insurance, wellness, work/life programs and leave benefits.  He also oversees the day to day operations of TIAA’s retirement program.

Since joining TIAA in 2006, Ned has held a variety of management roles in HR including the startup of the HR Shared Services team, TIAA’s first HR call center and case management system.  Ned was also key in transforming TIAA’s onsite medical clinic strategy into what it is today with 4 onsite locations, a pharmacy, multiple fitness centers and onsite health coaches and behavioral counselors.

Prior to joining TIAA, Ned held various positions in client implementation and product management for organizations like PwC and Mellon Financial.  His background includes project management, sales, RFP response, knowledge exchange and operations.  He started his career in health plan administration as an intern for the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance.  

Ned holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Carolina State University and a certificate in Global Benefits Management from the  International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

Cara Stein is Chief Talent Officer and Senior Vice President for NBCUniversal, a newly created position that she was appointed to in June 2011. She is responsible for talent management, including hiring staff and executive development.

Since joining the company, she has been a trailblazer in how the company hires, trains and retains talent throughout NBCUniversal. Stein and team have developed a series of unique leadership experiences for executives at all levels of the company.

Under Stein’s leadership, the NBCUniversal Talent Lab was created with the purpose of creating a more strategic, well-informed and engaged workforce. She has also modernized the traditional employee survey and performance feedback process at the company. Stein’s currently re-imagining the early career development programs, including the premier Page Program, NBCUniversal’s longest running franchise.

Stein is currently working on a company-wide initiative to maintain and nurture an inclusive environment for women across the entire NBCUniversal Portfolio. Stein spearheads the NBCUniversal women's initiative, HERE SHE CAN, focused on respect, equity and opportunity for women at all stages of their career at NBCUniversal. In addition, Stein oversees a company-wide DEI initiative, MEET THE MOMENT, which focuses on education and awareness.

Prior to her work at NBCUniversal, Stein served as partner and television packaging agent at WME, a worldwide leader in the talent representation industry. Stein represented numerous well-known writers and producers for both late night and prime time television series. She also represented actors who built their own production companies, most notably Whoopi Goldberg. Stein also oversaw operations and human resources for the WME New York office during her 25 years at WME and its predecessor, the William Morris Agency, which represented some of the most well-known entertainers of the 20th century. Stein served on the Board of Directors at WMA and subsequently was a senior partner at WME. Widely known and highly regarded for identifying talent and developing careers, Stein has been named by The Hollywood Reporter in its Women in Entertainment Power 100.

Born and raised in Huntington, N.Y., Stein is a graduate of Grinnell College, and she is married to Dr. Barry Rosenfeld, a forensic psychologist and professor at Fordham University. They reside in Manhattan with their three daughters; Jane, Kate, and Anna.

For more than two decades, Kristy Kade has dauntlessly advocated for the health and rights of women and girls around the world. In roles stretching from local organizer to global CEO, Kristy has sparked both policy and social changes in communities and companies across six continents. Furthermore, her work has helped revolutionize how business is conducted within the social impact sector. As co-chair of the global What Women Want campaign, she turned the once radical notion of “asking women” into standard operating procedure for multiple, leading corporations, governments, non-profits, philanthropic foundations, and UN agencies. For every dollar spent asking and advocating what women want, the campaign saw a $212 return on public and private investment in women’s self-identified priorities. Kristy subsequently founded the World We Want project to further expand and embed the practice across issues, populations, and sectors. Kristy has served as a senior advisor to a host of public health and social justice organizations and alliances, such as the Gates Foundation; Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health; Special Olympics; UNICEF; UNFPA; UN Women; Women’s Business Collaborative; World Economic Forum Women’s and Girl’s Health Initiative; and W7.

Of the changes Kristy has pursued throughout her life and career, she believes those made within the workplace are among the most powerful. As a collaborative leader of teams, departments, and organizations—both large and small—Krisy has transformed behaviors, processes, and structures to make them better places to work for women, and ultimately better at what they do. A highly skilled strategist and facilitator, Kristy is now committed to helping other organizations and leaders enhance their culture and impact. People spend most of their time at work. We remake work, we remake the world. 

Asha Hope is the Head and VP, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and will drive sustainable change by infusing DE&I in Bayer’s business processes. In her role, she works to ensure Bayer develops, retains and attracts talent, supports an inclusive workplace and tracks and shares progress in DE&I focus areas. 

 Asha joined Bayer in May 2023 and serves as a member of the U.S. Country Leadership Team, the North America HR Leadership Team and the Global Talent and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team. She is a dynamic, solutions-driven, results-oriented leader who has helped global companies build diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Following her passion and purpose, Asha transformed her engineering background into a career in Human Resources, where she leveraged her strategic solution mindset to benefit a broader constituency. She joined Bayer from DoorDash, where she served as the Global Head of DE&I, developing global strategies to support a more diverse and inclusive organization. She created the company’s first DE&I commitments geared toward improving representation across all levels of the organization by 2025. She successfully integrated DE&I into core people and business processes along the employee lifecycle and added a data-driven model for DE&I to the company’s career site. 

Prior to DoorDash, she served as the Global Head of DE&I for the International Consumer Business at Amazon, and held leadership positions at Macy’s and Coca-Cola, working closely with leaders, business resource groups, diversity councils and outside organizations to make an impact at the companies and the communities in which they operate.

Asha earned a Masters of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employee Relations at Pennsylvania State University, a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology at Alabama A&M University.

Asha is a native of East St. Louis, IL. In her personal time, she enjoys traveling, listening to live music, attending live sporting events and spending time with her husband Silas and daughter Sydni.