Our authorsThe Top HR and Government experts

Salena James works a senior website designer and she is from Melbourne, Australia and graduated from the Victoria University. Her passion is to write about digital marketing technologies and latest educational trends. She provides eLearning consultancy services to various organizations.

Shakena Warren was born and raised in New Jersey. She started pushing at an early age raising her younger sisters. Her mother got swept up into the drug scene in the 1980’s and continues to struggle with her addiction today. Shakena believed young girls without guidance could be lost to the streets. She took the responsibility for her younger sisters and became their role model. In 1994, Shakena graduated from high school and started her freshman year of college. By this time she had 3 sisters, ages 12, 2 and a 1 month old baby. Shakena intentions were to complete a four year degree in Communications but she only completed two and joined the workforce. At this time Shakena placed her focus on ways to stay employable to provide for her sisters. Shakena always had amazing talent for doing hair! She comes from a female dominated family which gave her all the practice she needed. Shakena enrolled in Cosmetology school part-time at night and worked temporary administrative jobs during the day. In 1998, Shakena obtained a NJ State Cosmetology license and worked full time in the salon for a few years. Her income as a hairstylist was profitable but she wanted to become computer savvy to create more opportunities. She was interested in applying for jobs in beauty companies where she could blend her administrative and cosmetology backgrounds. She completed a four month computer applications course. Two years later, she enlisted in United States Navy and provided administrative, personnel and human resource services to military personnel. While stationed overseas, she performed hair services for military and civilian women on the weekends. Shakena met her husband, married and had two children while they were in the Navy. In August of 2008 they opened a beauty supply store/salon in Hagerstown, MD where they resided. A year later, she decided to leave the Navy with an honorable discharge to focus on her family and business. In 2012, Shakena closed the store/salon and completed her Bachelors degree and started pursuing her Masters in Public Relations. As an administrative and beauty professional, Shakena had the opportunity to interact with diverse groups of women. Shakena and many other women had the same story of sacrifice; they put their families first and struggled to rekindle their own personal and professional growth. Shakena motivated and encouraged women because she knew the impact a woman can make on her family and community when she value and love herself. Throughout her travels and interactions in life, she realized women faced the same issues regardless of their ethnic, financial or social status. Shakena started redoing her family and friends resumes to help them get back into the workforce or acquire a better paying job. Not only did they get the job, they regained their confidence and self esteem! Ladies, you can do anything and be anybody you want to be, just keep pushing!

Shannon Burns is a community manager by day and aspiring writer by afternoon, evening, and night. As much as she loves discovering and publishing pieces about unique brands doing worthwhile things while changing the business industry one idea at a time, she also loves binge watching Netflix series with her two dogs even more.

Valerie Alvarado is a graduate student at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy, and is a Human Resources Manager for USC's Office of the Senior Vice President, Administration. Valerie is a Trojan through and through and is proud to be the first in her family to attend college. Obtaining her undergraduate degree in business administration was only the starting point for her career in higher education. After spending seven years working at USC and one year into her graduate program, her passion for education only continues to grow and she can't wait to see her two small children grow up to be Trojans, too.

Sharon McCoy is currently a writer for GovLoop. It's mission is simple: connect government to improve government. GovLoop aims to inspire public sector professionals to better service by acting as the knowledge network for government. Sharon graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in International affairs. As an undergraduate, she studied in Chile and worked as an intern at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. With its ideal location near the U.S.-Mexican border, regionally-based curriculum and numerous opportunities for research and internships, IR/PS was an “excellent choice” for Sharon to prepare for her professional ambitions. After her first year at IR/PS, Sharon accepted a 3-month internship from the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. serving the Front Office of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA). The staff advises the WHA Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretaries on regional policy and management considerations and is responsible for managing the flow of information within the Bureau. Sharon’s was one of the few State Department internships to require a Top Secret security clearance due to the level of exposure this position has to a higher level of personnel and information.

Matt Parks is VP of Product and Strategy at Software Solutions Inc. (SSI). Having worked in the software space for over 10 years, he has a proven track record of driving customer success and organizational growth through innovative product strategies. He also received a Master of Public Administration from Wright State University, giving him a unique perspective on ERP software for local governments.

Meredith Persily is CEO of Aspire@Work, a leadership development firm in Washington D.C. She teaches in American University’s Key Leadership Programs and formerly taught in the Kogod School of Business. She is also a proud member of Generation X.

Valerie Chua is a Content Specialist at Manila Recruitment. We are recognized as the leading recruitment firm in the Philippines for headhunting, executive search, expert, technical, and IT recruitment. We share an unrivaled passion to help your business succeed by understanding your goals, then sourcing and providing you with your number one asset - driven, dedicated, and exceptional people!

Tulsa Welding School was founded in 1949 by two welders who recognized a strong demand for skilled tradesman in their industry. Over 60 years later, TWS has evolved into an educational institution that prepares students for various skilled trade careers with a multitude of specialties and applications. We train our graduates for the skills, knowledge, and the workplace attitudes that are essential when entering the professional world. Graduates who put forth the dedication, commitment to excel, and workplace experience in their welding, HVAC/R or electrical education, have the potential to obtain a lasting and rewarding welding career.

Matthew J. Paese, Ph.D., is Vice President of Succession and C-Suite Services for Development Dimensions International (DDI). Matt’s work has centered on the application of succession, assessment, and development approaches as they apply to boards, CEOs, senior management teams, and leaders across the pipeline. He consults, coaches, speaks, and conducts research around all those topics and more. Audrey B. Smith, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President for Global Talent Diagnostics at DDI. Audrey’s customer-driven innovation and global consulting insights have helped shape DDI’s succession, selection, and development offerings, from the C-suite to the front line. She has been a key strategist and solution architect, encompassing technology-enabled virtual assessments and development aligned to current business challenges. William C. Byham, Ph.D., is Executive Chairman of DDI. He cofounded the company in 1970 and has worked with hundreds of the world’s largest organizations on executive assessment, executive development, and succession management. Bill authored Zapp!® The Lightning of Empowerment, a groundbreaking book that has sold more than 3 million copies. He has coauthored 23 other books, including seminal works on the assessment center method.

TopResume is the largest resume-writing service in the world, and writes and analyzes resumes, CVs, and LinkedIn profiles. Job seekers work directly with professional writers and industry experts to redefine their personal brand and stand out from the crowd during the job-search process. Request a free, confidential resume review, and follow TopResume on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Mayor has a combined 39 years in public safety, municipal government and education. He holds a Bachelor of Science (California State University at Los Angeles) and a Masters Degree in Business Administration (California Polytechnic University at Pomona). Mayor Butts has served as a general manager or assistant general manager of large and complex municipal organizations for the past 27 years.