Dr. Alice Waagen — The chairwoman and inspiration behind the group is Alice Waagen, Ph.D. (pictured here) is president and founder of WORKFORCE LEARNING LLC., a leadership development company that since 1997 has provided managers and C-level executives with the skills and knowledge they need to build a more productive work environment. Since earning a BS in Art Education from the New York State College at Buffalo, and MS and Ph.D. degrees in Art Education from the Pennsylvania State University, Alice has conducted hundreds of workshops and training classes at many of the country’s top Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies in the Washington, DC area. In just the last three years, more than 55 leaders from 20 regional organizations have graduated from her unique leadership development workshop series. Giving back to the community is incredibly important to Alice, who currently serves on the District Training Committee for Boys Scouts of America and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Human Resources Leadership Forum and Habitat for Humanity, Northern VA. Contact Alice by email.
Cornelia Gamlem — The CFO of Habitat Women Who Build is Cornelia Gamlem, president of the GEMS Group Ltd., a management consulting firm that offers Human Resources solutions. She consults with a wide range of clients on topics related to HR initiatives, business effectiveness and compliance, sexual harassment, employee relations, affirmative action compliance, and workplace diversity. With over 30 years of business and Human Resource experience, she served in a senior HR leadership role in a Fortune 500 company where she designed, and managed corporate-wide policies, programs and initiatives, and best human resources and employment practices. An active volunteer with the Society for Human Resource Management, she has held a number of leadership positions, including serving on its Board of Directors in 2000 and 2001. Cornelia received a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento. She is certified as Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Contact Cornelia.
Hope Katz Gibbs — The group’s PR gal is Northern Virginia freelance writer Hope Katz Gibbs, who has been a newspaper and magazine reporter since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. After studying for her master’s degree in educational leadership at The George Washington University, she launched her freelance writing business in 1993. In 2008, Hope founded Inkandescent Public Relations, a PR / publications / media relations / marketing firm that helps small businesses get the visibility they need. Along with her award-winning team, she creates high-end marketing materials, writes and edits press releases, newsletters, and white papers, and works closely with reporters to help get the word out about her clients. Hope also plans and organizes events, co-writes and ghostwrites books, and maintains her clients’ websites so they are up-to-date and provide an accurate, impressive image. Contact Hope.
Barbara Mitchell — Chief organizer and get-it-one gal is Barbara Mitchell, a human resources and organization development consultant who is widely known as an expert in the areas of recruitment and retention. She has experience in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors and has consulted to a variety of organizations around the world. She served in senior human resources leadership positions with Marriott International and several technology firms in the Washington DC area before co-founding the Millennium Group International, LLC (TMG) in 1998, which she sold in 2008. Barbara recently served on the Society of Human Resource Management as a Special Expert Panel on Consulting and Outsourcing in recognition of her expertise and long service to the HR profession. Barbara is a graduate of North Park University, Chicago, IL, with a degree in history and political science and has taken graduate level courses at UCLA. Contact Barbara.
