What is the iRelaunch Return to Work Conference?

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has over 3.7 million views. 

Tace Heuston is an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) where she serves as the Global Head of the Talent Institute. In this role Tace is instrumental in driving AWM’s people development agenda with a focus on Early Careers, New Hires, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Talent Management and Executive & Organisational Development. 

Tace has been with the firm for more than 30 years, serving in a variety of business and HR roles, including in AM Operations and AM Client Service, and as an AM Learning Partner, before moving into HR as an AWM Talent Advisor and leading the International Talent Institute.

Tace has also made a significant impact leading the firmwide ReEntry Program, which hires and supports diverse talent across the firm. Tace’s deep knowledge of the AWM business and her expertise in Talent is critical as she continues to drive change within the organization.

Tace is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and an accredited European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Executive Coach.

Tace currently lives in Essex, UK with her husband, daughter and son.

Comfortable and confident in building and nurturing relationships with potential and existing partners, Colleen returned to the corporate world with iRelaunch as a Business Development Executive after taking a career break. Her previous roles included President of Globetrotter Properties with Harlem Globetrotters International where she was responsible for all new business development, daily operations, and long-term strategies for this world-renowned sports entertainment brand. 

While on a career break, Colleen led several volunteer community endeavors and consulted on projects, from nonprofit to startup companies, to provide solutions that increased overall productivity and business growth.  A graduate of the University of Illinois with a BS in Biology and Communications, she lives in the Chicagoland area with her family and enjoys travelling, cooking for friends and family and being outdoors with her husband, daughters, and high-energy puppy.

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has over 3.7 million views. 

Elizabeth is a career relauncher with over 15 years of experience designing, implementing and managing programs that drive impact at the intersection of diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, corporate social responsibility, and employee engagement. She is recognized for her strategic planning and execution, project and stakeholder management, and recruiting and training skills. As Managing Director at iRelaunch, Elizabeth plays a key role in the company’s pioneering work, advising progressive and innovative employers on career reentry program options to leverage diverse talent pools.

Elizabeth brings a wealth of personal and professional experience in the career reentry space to iRelaunch. After a 15-year career gap, she relaunched at Oracle without the support of a formal career reentry program. With a focus on the Company’s diversity and inclusion goals, she drew on her personal relaunch experience to define, pilot and expand Oracle’s Career Relaunch Program. Elizabeth was also the architect and manager of Oracle’s global, community-based Corporate Social Responsibility program. She expanded the program to over 25 countries, recruiting and training community leaders around the world.

Elizabeth earned an MBA in Finance from Denver University and a BA in History from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She was trained in Design Thinking techniques by Stanford’s dSchool, and has served as an advisor for ReBoot Accel, a recruiting firm that helps companies hire, advance and empower women. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, Carl, and loves spending time with her two boys, being active outdoors, entertaining friends, and taking road trips.

Blair Bennett is Senior Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition (TA) at PepsiCo. She is responsible for the Global TA Centers of Excellence and overall success of early career, professional and executive hiring globally. Her goal is for talent to recognize PepsiCo as an employer of choice and to create a candidate experience that embodies PepsiCo’s mission to Create More Smiles!

Blair’s vast experience spans across not only recruiting but politics as well. After graduating from The George Washington University, she started a career in political consulting. She transitioned into Talent Acquisition when she joined Korn/Ferry International in 2005. In 2012, Blair joined Walmart’s in-house Executive Recruiting team. Blair joined PepsiCo in the Fall of 2019 and loves working with such a passionate and dedicated TA team while feeling at home being with a company that puts values at the center of decision making. And, she enjoys the incredible beverage and snacks portfolio that bring smiles to millions of consumers every day! Her personal favorites are any flavor Bubly and Baked Cheetos.

In her free time, Blair loves to snuggle with her two Wheaten Terriers (Liberty & Justice) andplay golf with her husband Tom.

Cedric Layton is the Global ReEntry Program Co-Ordinator at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and is part of the Asset & Wealth Management Talent Institution organization. He works with Senior Leaders, DE&I Partners, SWAT Recruiting Team, Talent & Learning ReEntry Program Team, Communication & Website Teams and external partners to project end to end the ReEntry program, to include creating project plans, timelines, budget plans, data analytics on hiring, retention, promotions, communications, coordinating websites changes and creating presentations materials. As Program Co-Ordinator for the Global ReEntry Program, he also partners with communications, marketing, and media teams to organize, structure and manage the communication strategy for the program including internal communications, external communications, branding, website, testimonials and articles. Cedric joined J.P. Morgan in 2008. Prior to joining the Asset & Wealth Management line of business in March of 2020, he partnered with supervisors, managers, and Executive Level Management in different organizations within the Consumer & Community Banking line of business to monitor workflow movement, confirm established controls, ensure SLA compliance, and report on employee performance. Cedric’s passion for helping people led to his current role with the firm. His ability to work with and mentor young adults was channeled into his role as Year Up Program Sponsor for the Home Lending division of the Consumer & Community Banking line of business. While serving in the role, Cedric was presented with the Urban Empowerment Award by the Year Up Program Team in recognition of his dedication to their mission to close the opportunity divide. He also led a team composed of members from the Dallas/Fort Worth Location Leadership Team at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co to being recognized by Year Up with the Corporate Champion Award. Cedric attributes much of his career success to his professionalism, work ethic, and the support received from leaders and colleagues within the firm. Cedric holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Arts & Science from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Hobbies & Interests: Cedric enjoys working out, reading fiction novels, biking, spending time with family.

Alice Avellanet is Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the Depository Trust and Clearing Center (DTCC). DTCC is the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry. As part of the Diverse Talent Management and Advancement team at DTCC, Alice is responsible for leading the development and oversight of the organization’s Employee Resource Groups and our Diverse Targeted Development Programs, each of which play a critical role in the D&I strategy, focusing on workforce engagement, inclusion and belonging.

The Diverse Talent Management and Advancement department is focused solely on recruitment and retention of experienced diverse talent, working in partnership with Human Resources (HR). Both businesses are dedicated to managing DTCC’s human capital initiatives, sustaining a work environment that promotes excellent performance across the organization and developing and retaining a global workforce that contributes to DTCC's strategy and business imperatives.

Prior to joining DTCC in 2019, Alice progressed through multiple positions with S&P Global and McGraw-Hill including Media Relations Associate, Mentoring Program Manager and Senior Lead for Diversity & Inclusion. While working with S&P Global, Alice became a founding member of The Conference Board’s Women’s Leadership Council and served as a member of their D&I Leadership Council as well. During a break between roles in the corporate sector, Alice became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in Essex County, NJ.

Alice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University and a Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Certification from Seattle Central College. She also currently serves on the Anti-Violence Project of NYC’s Associate Board of Directors.

I’m delighted to be part of the IRelaunch community. Over the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of coaching dozens of relaunchers and I’m always thrilled to see them step back into the workplace with renewed confidence.

I believe we are all works in progress and that each one of us is meant to continue growing and stretching ourselves, personally and professionally. I founded Bright Evolution Leadership Coaching, LLC with the goal of helping my clients evolve into the next, better version of themselves. In my work with relaunchers, I have guided my clients to be intentional about their return-to-work strategy and to be authentic to who they are – coaching them to own their professional path and their career break.

For the last 20 years, I’ve worked with MBA students and business leaders from all industries and sectors, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. I’ve worked at three graduate schools of business and spent the last 15 years at the MIT Sloan School of Management, most recently serving as the Director of Alumni Career Services. In this role, I coached over 2,000 business students and executives (including relaunchers), helping them successfully navigate leadership challenges and critical transition points in their careers.

In addition to my private coaching practice, I am honored to teach as a Fellow with the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and coach on career platforms The Muse and Landit. I am a recommended Executive Coach at MIT, Columbia Business School and Stanford GSB.

My Education and Certifications include:

• B.A. in Journalism & Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Ed.M from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education

• Executive Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute

• PCC with the International Coaching Federation

• Assessments: Certification in Gallup Clifton Strengths, MBTI, and Positive Intelligence

You can find out more about me at nextevolutioncoach.com

Carla joins iRelaunch after her second career break in the role of Business Development Executive. She has worked in London, Frankfurt, and the U.S., and her previous roles include positions in equity sales at Morgan Stanley and business controls at Bank of America. During her first career break to raise her family, she participated in Bank of America’s Returning Talent Program and was hired to a full-time role. When her family relocated from London to the New York area, Carla took another career break while actively volunteering at her alma maters and children’s schools.

As a relauncher herself, she is passionate about championing professionals who have taken career breaks and promoting opportunities for them. She holds a B.A. from Georgetown University and a MBA from Columbia Business School.

Sarah Klopfer is the Global Program Leader for Re-Ignite at Johnson & Johnson, the company’s global career reentry program, which is part of J&J’s broader commitment to diversity and inclusion for experienced professionals who have taken a break from their career for two or more years.

Sarah joined J&J through the Experienced Human Resources Leadership Development Program as an intern in 2015 and as a fulltime participant in 2016 where she held roles in Talent Acquisition, MedTech as an HR Business Partner, and Total Rewards Compensation.

Since graduating the program, Sarah has led global programs and projects by collaborating with cross-functional teams, managing risks, driving project adherence, and delivering learning and development solutions within the Global Talent Management organization.

Prior to joining J&J, Sarah worked at Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund for nearly 8 years in roles across the Service Delivery Organization and as a member of the Business Analysis and Data Team.

Sarah graduated from Boston College with a Master’s in Business Administration and received her BA degree in English Literature from Union College.

Alexander Trusty is a member of Talent Attraction working very closely with the Inclusion team to develop strategies and processes for recruiting exceptional diverse talent across all of Moody’s business groups, including Re-Ignite, Moody’s return to work programme in the US, UK and India. In addition to this, Alexander works closely with the firms’ Business Resource Groups and external DEI partners to foster an inclusive working environment where all employees are represented through support and diversity programmes.
Prior to Moody’s, Alexander had an illustrious career as an executive search consultant before shifting his focus toward DEI, working for a global D&I consulting firm called Equality Group. As a consultant, Alexander was responsible for advising Private Equity and Venture Capital firms, focusing on assessing biases within recruitment processes, promotion cycles and leadership structures and addressing key internal imbalances by creating tailored solutions for inclusion.

I have coached and mentored ambitious professionals my entire career. I have also had the opportunity to recruit, hire and manage countless others. But it wasn’t until the boutique consulting firm, where I was a senior executive and worked for 20+ years, was sold, that I had an opportunity to discover my true calling ... as a career coach with a special focus on relaunchers.

I’ve worked with relaunchers who have taken short (1-3 years) and long (15-20 years) career breaks and have found them to be bright, energetic and highly accomplished. Too often they might lack confidence or have an uncertainty of focus that may derail their search. That’s where I can help. Each client is unique; so we will create a customized plan based entirely on your needs. Whether we’re creating a strategy for your search, preparing for an interview or keeping you accountable and focused, the goal is for you to present your best self in all aspects of the job search. While I won’t sugarcoat things, or let you be unrealistic, I will be your sounding board, advisor and biggest cheerleader.

In addition to decades of “on the job” training, I also have an MBA in Finance from DePaul University, a BA in Business Administration from Augustana College (IL), am a Certified Administrator of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory assessments, a Mock Interview Consultant for Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Volunteer Advisor at the Career Resource Center, as well as a frequent speaker on today’s job search and reentering the Workforce.

Learn more about Mary Beth and 2nd Career Consulting

Welcome, everyone, and I’m so excited to meet you! I’m Sara Dickison Taylor, President and Founder of Celebrate Life by Design, LLC. As a certified Executive and Leadership Coach, I have helped countless individuals maximize their life potential and turn their wildest dreams into reality. Whether it be transitioning to a new job after being out of the workforce for years, building your brand, accentuating your leadership team, or rediscovering that missing piece in your soul, get ready for your next adventure.

As a Certified Career and Executive Life Coach with the International Coaching Federation, I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College and am a certified graduate of Coach University. Always the consummate student, I also choose to delve further into my coaching craft with Dr. Martha Beck, renowned New York Times bestselling author and Oprah’s favorite life coach.

I formally served as Co-Chair of the Pediatric Patient Family Advisory Council (PPFAC) at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute and have spoken internationally as an advocate of patient and family-centered care for families, caregivers, and patients. Before my exciting coaching career, I spent almost 20 years as a top recruiter and Vice President for a Boston-based staffing agency helping individuals find the jobs of their dreams.

When I’m not coaching, you can find me laughing and dancing with my forever patient husband, trying to slow down the growth of my two amazing teenagers and enjoying walks with our ever-active golden retrievers. Come and join the ride - I promise you’ll be happy you did!

Learn more about Sara.

Matthew Temple is the Senior Director of Alumni Career & Professional Development for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he manages a team of 11 people who deliver career and executive coaching to 65,000 alumni globally. He has coached clients on a range of career issues including self-assessment, networking, resumes, interviewing, negotiating, and starting/buying a business. Matthew has presented hundreds of career workshops in Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and the Chicago Tribune. Matthew has worked as a Career Coach with Harvard Business School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Matthew has coached senior executives as well as emerging leaders in high potential and leadership development programs. His areas of focus include leadership, building and managing high performing teams, onboarding, communications, and executive presence. He earned an Organizational and Leadership Coaching Certification from Northwestern University. He is certified in the Designing Your Life, DISC, Gallup Strengths, Hogan Assessment, Voices 360, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, and MBTI. Matthew has coached executives on leadership, communications, and management at companies including Amazon, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Facebook, GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever.

Previously, Matthew served as the Director of International Business Development for Ask.com, where he helped establish, manage, and staff joint ventures worth over US$200 million in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He worked in private equity, M&A and corporate finance for Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. He has lived and worked in Asia and Europe. Matthew holds a BA from Harvard University, an MBA in Finance, Marketing and Organizational Behavior from Kellogg School of Management, and an MS in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University.

Learn more about Matthew.

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has over 3.7 million views. 

Judd Cool is an environmental scientist who has worked in mining and mineral processing for 38 years (mostly precious metals). He started as a student intern while attending the University of Utah and took an early retirement in 2018 at the age of 55 to spend time with his ailing father, and assist his mother (living then in Florida which required monthly long-distance visits). After his father’s passing in 2019, he planned to return to work in precious metals consulting after taking some time off for self care. The onset of the pandemic made him rethink his plan. He became deeply concerned with the drought in Utah and the western U.S., and was looking for a change that would position him to learn the realities of the drought situation and how to deal with it. Judd was hired by the Utah Division of Water Rights through the State of Utah Returnship Program. He was encouraged by ShayAnn Baker, director of the program, to concentrate on what he did know from his experience, not what he didn't know, and that would make the difference. Judd enjoys working with (and learning from) the younger peers in his department and sharing his life's experience and dad jokes with them. He has a wife (Cynthia) of 29 years and a 28 year old daughter (Sarah).

Natalie Hood is Relauncher with over ten years of professional experience in the marketing and communications space. Natalie recently joined Eide Bailly, a certified public accounting and business advisory firm, as a Regional Marketing Specialist. She is based in Salt Lake City, UT and leads regional marketing initiatives for offices in four states. Prior to that, she took an eight year career break to focus on the full-time parenting of her 3 children. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the mountains, and cooking.

Marion Viray is currently the Employee Engagement Program Associate on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Community Relations team at Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH). Prior to joining BBH, Marion spent time working at various Higher Education Institutions such as Baruch College, New York University, Pace University and Fordham University spearheading leadership and professional development programs, DEI trainings and corporate partnerships, as well as providing career counseling to undergraduate, graduate and alumni. Additionally, Marion also spent time in the corporate world at Moody’s Corporation, where he was the Diversity Specialist, managing Employee Resource Groups globally and at Bloomberg LP as a full-cycle technical recruiter responsible for the Financial Software Developer full-time and internship roles. Marion lives in Lower Manhattan with his Husband and two daughters, ages eight and twelve. He is an avid tennis player, is passionate about photography and enjoys seeing Broadway shows. Marion holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from New York University and his bachelor’s in psychology from San Diego State University.

Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and Co-founder of iRelaunch, a full-service career reentry company focused on bringing professionals back into the workforce after extended leave. iRelaunch works with employers worldwide to build and expand in-house career reentry programs, produces the iRelaunch Return to Work Conferences, and leads a community of more than 120,000 relaunchers looking to return to work. Cohen, a relauncher herself, hosts the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast and writes regularly for Harvard Business Review. Her TED talk, "How to get back to work after a career break," has over 3.7 million views.