Immigration and shifting workplace demographics are reshaping the labor market and creating new opportunities and challenges for organizations. With a new presidential administration, immigration rules may be in flux for the foreseeable future, directly impacting the workforce in a variety of industries. As board directors, understanding what trends may be coming is crucial for guiding strategic workforce decisions and fostering organizational resilience. This SVDX webinar will provide board members with a comprehensive overview of how immigration policies and demographic shifts impact talent acquisition, workforce diversity, and business sustainability.
SPEAKERS
Torey Carter-Conneen
Since 2020, Torey Carter-Conneen has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the 16,000-member professional association that represents landscape architects in the U.S. His primary objective and vision since joining is to elevate the profession of landscape architecture in all communities. Committed to advancing the organization to reach its full potential, he led the development of ASLA’s “2030 Vision,” which affirms the association’s focus on raising awareness of the interaction of people and the environment, thereby better positioning ASLA to take on such challenges as climate change and social equity. Torey feels passionately about amplifying the story of landscape architecture because of its benefits to people, communities, and the environment. He advocates for the profession through strategic coalition partners, large media platforms, and discussing key issues on domestic and international panels. In the short time since he started, the Library of Congress now archives all ASLA Professional Award winners. Torey enjoys collaborating with ASLA members and helping them promote the work they do.
Prior to joining ASLA, Torey served as Chief Operating Officer of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He also previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Center for American Progress (CAP) and as COO and later Acting President and CEO at the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute. Torey received degrees in economics and accounting from George Mason University, and an MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Torey and his husband Mike are fathers to two amazing children, Drew and Aiden.
Ryan McConnell
Ryan McConnell is a former federal prosecutor in Houston who serves as a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 clients and startups in industries ranging from advertising to energy around the globe. Ryan has conducted hundreds of investigations, tried numerous cases to juries, advised boards, CEOs, and GCs on their most difficult decisions, and created bespoke governance for the world’s largest companies. Ryan worked as a partner at three international law firms before opening his own firm focused on governance and investigations. He has taught courses at the University of Houston Law Center and regularly speaks at conferences around the U.S. on risk-based compliance programs. Ryan previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Louisiana and Houston and was also involved in training Department of Justice (DOJ) federal prosecutors at the DOJ National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
Kelley Steven-Waiss
Kelley Steven-Waiss serves as Founder & Executive Chairman of Hitch Works Inc. Kelley founded and commercialized Hitch while she was the Chief Innovation Officer and Human Resources Officer at HERE Technologies. She has more than 25 years of executive management and consulting experience in human resources, change management and corporate communications. Prior to HERE Technologies, Steven-Waiss was executive vice president, chief human resources officer, for Extreme Networks, Inc., and was responsible for the company’s global human capital strategies. She is on the board of FormFactor, Inc., the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Her most recent book, Valley Girls: Lessons from Female Founders in the Silicon Valley and Beyond, was published in March 2024.
F. Daniel Siciliano, moderator
Dan Siciliano is a successful technology CEO-founder and entrepreneur, as well as Vice Chair of the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and a recognized expert in corporate strategy and governance, capital financial markets, executive compensation, and technological disruption (including fintech, AI and cybersecurity). He is currently Chairman of SVDX, board member of the Latino Corporate Directors Education Foundation, chair-elect of the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, and a fellow at Stanford University.