Our authorsThe Top HR and Government experts

Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan served as a full-time consultant to presidential cabinet officers in two White House administrations and was an aide to several U.S. Senators. He also headed global communication at Campbell Soup Company. He’s the award-winning, bestselling author of CHANGE-friendly LEADERSHIP.

With more than 20 years of experience in municipal governments in Alberta and Ontario, Simon Farbrother has dedicated his career to building strong Canadian cities. Simon has served as Edmonton’s City Manager since January 2010, leading the civic administration through a time of tremendous growth and transformation in the city. Simon has championed public service as a career of choice through his work with professional associations in the municipal planning and municipal government sectors. He served as President of the Canadian Institute of Planners in 1999 and as President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators in 2007. In September 2013 he will begin a term as President of the International City/County Managers Association.

Don Maruska founded and was CEO of three Silicon Valley companies and venture investor in startups that became public companies. He's now a Master Certified Coach and author of How Great Decisions Get Made with Foreword by Margaret Wheatley (American Management Association, 2004) and co-author with Jay Perry of Take Charge of Your Talent: Three Keys to Thriving in Your Career, Organization, and Life with Foreword by Jim Kouzes (Berrett-Koehler 2013) serving high-growth firms and Fortune 500 companies. He earned his BA magna cum laude from Harvard and his MBA and JD from Stanford and previously led projects for McKinsey & Company.

Chuck Brooks serves as the Vice President for Government Relations and Marketing at Sutherland Government Solutions. He is also Chairman of CompTIA's New and Emerging Technologies Committee, Cybersecurity Market of the Year (Cybersecurity Excellence Awards), and on the advisory board of several companies and organizations. Brooks served at the Department of Homeland Security as the first director of legislative affairs for the Science and Technology Directorate. He also spent six years on Capitol Hill as a senior adviser to the late Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.). He has an MA from the University of Chicago and a BA from DePauw University. Please follow him on Twitter @ChuckDBrooks and on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckbrooks

G. M. Cox, a veteran chief of police of 32 years, brings the full spectrum of policing, managerial, and leadership experience to the role of leading a modern police agency. Overall, he has over 40 years of law enforcement experience starting as a law enforcement specialist in the United States Air Force. Upon his honorable separation from the USAF after 6 years of service, he entered Sam Houston State University and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement and Police Science. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and Alpha Chi. G. M. became a patrol deputy for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department (Texas) and was assigned to serve in the city of Oak Ridge North, Texas. After 18 months in this role, he was hired as the first chief of police for Oak Ridge North with only 30 days to create a fully functional and staffed law enforcement agency. Along with his education, his experience as an assistant shift supervisor, records manager and crime prevention specialist with the Air Force, G. M.’s patrol experience as a deputy made him uniquely qualified to head this city’s first police department. While performing duties as the chief of a small suburban police agency, G. M. earned his Master of Science degree from Sam Houston State University in Criminal Justice Management. His graduate paper, “Career Path Development in Small Law Enforcement Agencies” was published in the Texas Police Journal. This would prove to be the first of many articles published by G. M. in not only the Texas Police Journal, but also in the Texas Police Chief. G. M. served a short period as a city administrator and director of police services for Oak Ridge North before leaving for the Chief’s position in Lamesa, Texas. While there, G. M. attended the 165th Session (1991) of the FBI National Academy. He also started the long journey of achieving the coveted designation as a graduate of the Leadership Command College (LCC) of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. After leaving Lamesa, he found himself in the middle of a community in crisis as the Chief in Corsicana, Texas. While in Corsicana, he was instrumental in the creation of the motorcycle, bike, Neighborhood Policing, Crime Interdiction, K9, and mounted units. He also was the founder of the 100 Club of Corsicana-Navarro County and the Corsicana Crime Commission. G.M. served as the President of the Texas Police Chiefs’ Association (2005-06) and was the first Chairman of the TPCA’s charity foundation. He served five years as the Texas Municipal League board member representing the TPCA. He was chosen as the Officer of the Year for 1996 and 1997 by the Navarro County Peace Officers’ Association. G. M. has also served as a board member of the YMCA in Corsicana and Chairman of both the Advisory Board for the Navarro College Regional Police Academy and Criminal Justice Curriculum committee. G. M. is also a court qualified mediator. He is a licensed law enforcement instructor and security inspector, with a Master Peace Officer certificate, issued by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education. G. M. was also a senior active Rotarian in the Corsicana Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Besides his law enforcement duties, he has been an adjunct faculty member of several colleges including Howard College, Navarro College, Texas A & M University – Commerce and The University of Texas at Arlington. Most recently, Dr. Cox taught a graduate course in theoretical criminology and an undergraduate course in security systems in the spring semester of UTA. In 2003, G. M. was admitted to the graduate school at the University of Texas-Arlington in the School of Urban and Public Affairs to pursue his PhD in public administration. Dr. Cox, aka Dr. Chief, graduated in 2011 with a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Administration from UTA. His dissertation, Crisis in Police Recruitment: Public Service Motivation and Changes in Generational Preferences is the basis for work he is currently doing with the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, LEMIT, in its Texas Police Chiefs Leadership Series and 2nd in Command training programs. He is also working with the Leadership Command College of LEMIT in the area of emerging issues in law enforcement and policing. After over 15 years as the chief of Corsicana, G. M. retired from Corsicana on October 1, 2008. As of October 13, 2008, G. M. became the third full-time chief of police for the City of Murphy (Texas) where he is still serving as Dr. Chief.

Tom LaForgia is a Master of Public Administration candidate concentrating in nonprofit management and serves as the graduate assistant for the MPA program in the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Seton Hall University. His thesis, Changing Nonprofit Mission Statements: Examining the Nation’s Top Liberal Arts Colleges analyzes the shifting of missions at the nation’s top undergraduate liberal arts institutions toward a professional-orientation and calls for a renewed dedication to the true components of liberal education. Tom has worked in the nonprofit sector for five years in both higher education and public media and has experience in admissions, financial aid, development, and academic program management. For the time being, Tom resides in Northern New Jersey.

Milena Gallo is the resident editor at The Negotiation Experts, with more than five years of experience. Milena has a master’s degree in writing and has been creating and editing online content ever since. She is passionate about clear messaging, helping business professionals continue learning, and the Oxford comma. Milena also loves to write in her free time. A member of a creative writing club, Milena and her friends have authored several science fiction novels, which they hope to one day have published.

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As the Associate Director of Admissions at Florida Polytechnic University, Tonya Chestnut actively recruits students and conducts group tours, in addition to traveling throughout northern and central Florida to meet students and guidance counselors in person. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Keiser University in Lakeland, and has also attended a one-year program on leadership and management at Saint Leo University.

Mike Podesto is a former recruiter and current Founder & CEO of Find My Profession, a leading resume writing and career coaching company. Mike’s career advice has been featured on sites like Inc., Zety, Motherly, Fast Company, and more. His viral posts on employment have been seen by millions on LinkedIn. He’s even been featured in a variety of career-related podcasts such as the Hired podcast Talk Talent to Me, Strong Suit, and Authors Unite. Mike is passionate about helping jobseekers find fulfillment in their careers by breaking down the tedious job search barriers.

Shelly Harrington is an expert in public policy with a focus on raising awareness around public health and societal issues. She works with numerous government agencies to help bring positive change to America.

My name is Sarah Miller and you're catching me at the start of my HR career, writing in some thoughtful way on my blog Whipper Snapper HR and with little thought on my twitter account. Apart from my Social Media shenanigans, I'm a South Australian living and working in Singapore. Previous career aspirations included being a plumber, and being a ferry driver who sang to my passengers on the morning commute. Thankfully, HR seems to be working out well for me.