Mike Fanelli

Michael Fanelli is a Senior expert in Compensation and HR Technology with US and international experience.  Mike’s background in Finance & Accounting, coupled with his 17 years’ deep experience as a highly versatile Reward, Compensation, HR Systems expert, gives him a depth and breadth of knowledge that is only surpassed by his EQ and ability to get along with just about everyone!

Mike lends his expertise to a variety of projects from small compensation benchmarking and salary surveys, through to large change management and system implementation projects in HR and compensation systems. Michael is passionate about supporting clients in maximizing their compensation philosophies and partnering with them in providing fair and equitable total rewards using data, financial metrics and analytics to achieve optimized reward structures, incentives, cleaner data and sustainable policies.

He has an MBA from Pepperdine University, as well as a BBA from Texas Christian University. His expertise has touched industries from Banking and Global Delivery to Shopping Centers, Entertainment, Technology, Advertising and Healthcare. From Start-ups guiding in Incentives, Merit, and Bonus Plans, to companies of 20,000 employees implementing new compensations structures and philosophies.

He lives in Pasadena, California with his wife and two college aged children, is an avid sports fan, and volunteers as the Treasurer for a not-for-profit organization. Michael is a seasoned tennis player and an advanced certified soccer coach who “strives to maintain a sense of humor in the face of crushing deadlines,” with which anyone familiar with compensation can easily identify!'

Stephanie Garcia

Stephanie Garcia is a senior human resources coordinator with experience across large and small organizations, as an HR operations team member.

Stephanie is passionate about learning and growing and supporting clients in doing the same. She is a team player and can multitask with anything that is given to her. She is passionate about building our clients frameworks for success whether it be through processes, procedures, payroll, policies, systems or tools.

Stephanie graduated from California State University of Northridge with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. In her free time, she enjoys Pilates classes and hiking. Stephanie is fascinated with different cultures and enjoys learning about the beauty of diversity in cultures around her.  As a foodie, Stephanie loves spending time enjoying meals with her family and friends. She is fully bilingual English-Spanish and only leaves the side of her fur baby and new puppy in order to travel the world.

Karen Hennessy-Coles

Karen has a passion for building incredible cultures and increasing employee performance, allowing the business to excel and employees to be happy and fulfilled in their work. As a true HR generalist with experience in the full employee lifecycle, she has a proven track record of working on both strategic and operational initiatives.

Working with a diverse range of industries in different business phases including Environmental, Food & Spirits, Gaming, Media, Beauty, Defense, Karen has the ability to quickly adapt her approach to deliver the best solution for that specific business to achieve the desired business outcome.

Karen has an MSc in Human Resources Management from Portsmouth University (UK), a Coaching Diploma from the Coaching Academy, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of People and Development. Qualified in psychometrics with experience using a range of tools for individual and team development.

A Brit whose been enjoying the blue skies and ocean in LA for the past five years, with a sense of adventure and a belief that work and life should be both rewarding and fun.

The line from the poem by Erin Hanson ‘What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly’, resonates strongly with Karen as she feels that life is for living and sometimes we fall but that makes our time flying even more magical.

Laurie Knight

Laurie is a highly seasoned, "hands-on" Human Resources professional with extensive Media and Entertainment industry experience, as well as animation, marketing, retail, manufacturing and non-profit.. Laurie builds strong, collaborative, compliant HR functions with a focus on the “people operations”. She elevates HR teams to emphasize service and builds organizations by enhancing company culture and the work experience.

Laurie is SPHR and SHRM-SCP certified obtaining her professional designation in Human Resources Management from UCLA.  Laurie served as an instructor at the HR Academy of LA Valley College for over 10 years.

She leads exam prep classes for HR Professionals and is committed to helping others learn and grow in their positions and careers, by providing mentoring and networking opportunities.

In her free time, Laurie is “tia/aunt/auntie” to humans and 4 legged critters, enjoys camping (yes, in a tent!) and travel, and finds her “zen” spending time with her horse, Dakota.

“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” – John Wayne

Bob Shanes

Bob is a Leader with over 20 years of experience building, training, and leading high performing teams. His successful track record of developing and executing strategies while cultivating strong, long-term relationships with global partners, stakeholders and clients, has built Bob’s reputation as a valuable business asset, and sought after business leader to multiple industries. Bob’s background demonstrates consistent and significant business growth, including his most recent achievement during his company acquisition. Bob has mentored and coached individuals and teams to help them find their unique voice and achieve their potential. Passionate about doing what he loves, Bob designed a platform that enables business professionals to achieve growth and sustainable impact. 

He hails from Chicago and after spending 10 years in New York City, he settled in sunny Los Angeles with his family. When Bob is not jamming with his rock band, or chasing his 2 children around, he can be found investing time in helping young professionals reach their potential.

Bob believes that everyone has a unique story worth sharing and enabling people to express their stories is his ultimate source of joy.

Natalie Spiro

Natalie is an Organization Development Psychologist with an MBA from a prestigious University in South Africa. She has previously held Learning and Organizational Development positions in top global firms within the financial services and hospitality industries.  Natalie has personally facilitated interactive programs for multiple thousands of attendees to clients from every sector — Technology, Health, Government, Transportation, Hospitality, Education, Finance, Media, Retail and Telecommunications. She has close ties with some of the most powerful brands in the world including Google, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Microsoft, Johnson's and Disney.

Natalie is also a certified Integrative Life-Coach, a Strozzi Institute Embodied Leadership Practitioner, and a Gallup certified Executive Strengths Coach, which proves foundational in her approach to instructional design and facilitation.  She delivers cutting edge experiential design, development and facilitation, offering clients highly interactive and engaging programming that impacts individuals and teams in a myriad of arenas including communications, leadership, trust, breakthrough conversations, and Gallup Clifton Strengths coaching and design.

Her African sensibilities ultimately connected her back to her passion for engaging and inspiring people to make a difference in their lives, in their organizations and on the planet.

Natalie’s superpower is a Curator of magical Experiences. Her professional passion is unlocking client’s abilities to step into the best humans they can possibly be. Her motto is, “if you want to run fast, run alone, if you want to run far, run together”.

Elizabeth Sitton

Elizabeth Sitton has been developing organizations for over 20 years as both an in-house practitioner an external consultant. She is an expert in shaping organizational culture and has been successful in a wide range of industries: entertainment, marketing, healthcare, technology and aviation as well as multiple entrepreneurial ventures. Her demonstrated track record has hinged on her ability to create customized and practical approaches that get positive, measurable, and sustainable results.She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and a Masters in Organization Development. Her motto is Culture evolves anyway so better to influence it consciously and use it to realize your strategy.

Michelle Armoni

Michelle is a global HR executive strategist and human cheerleader with over 25+ years of experience. She works closely with her clients to elevate the human experience individually, amongst teams, and between executives. Now more than ever connection matters. She believes that inciting the skills and passion of the company’s talent while leveraging the true character strengths of its people, elevates satisfaction and bottom line results. Michelle works with the VIA Character Strengths Assessment and the Facet5 suite of organizational insight tools.
Michelle has been a consultant for over 15 years with extensive experience in organizational development, communication strategy, and work process improvement. Her focus driven strategy helps to maximize the efficiency of operations, the productivity of the company’s talent and the quality of product output.
Michelle is a full resource executive with a passion for the human experience. Michelle earned a certificate in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters of Science in Organizational Development from Johns Hopkins University, a certificate in Human Resources from Loyola Marymount University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a Minor in Personnel, from Syracuse University. Michelle also holds a certification as a Mediator through the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Michelle is a founding board member of Unatti Foundation, a nonprofit that provides comprehensive lifeskill programs for girls in Nepal who come from truly vulnerable situations. Michelle also provides coaching for those on LinkedIn with passion and interest for the field of Human Resources as well as a contributing member of Currnt.

Michelle fully agrees with Jim Carey that “You can fail at something you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.” Michelle lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two boys.

Sheela Abdi

Sheela is a highly adaptable, charismatic professional with a diverse professional background in Administration, Human Resources, Operations, and Facilities Management. She prides herself on being a truly driven, passionate and inspired advisor with a genuine approachability and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sheela is a highly skilled Human Resources Business Partner with extensive experience in creative environments, such as entertainment and music in particular.

Her proven ability to support corporate goals with comprehensive people management strategies, spans all facets of HR operations, including talent acquisition, benefits, compensation, employee relations, organizational development, conflict resolution, relocation programs, change management, performance management and company culture.
She ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and serves as a senior partner to executive teams. She has a BSc Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

Sheela enjoys supporting clients in cutting edge industries. She run marathons, dives from planes and lives and breathes music as one of her biggest passions.

Sharon Salmon

Sharon is a dynamic Human Resources leader working out of New York.

Sharon strategically leads the structural buildouts of human resources, finance and operational functions of organizations. She ensures that day-to-day office activities run smoothly, and promotes a unique, fun, and collaborative office culture, but also ensures that her clients are legally compliant, strong in talent management, and have a steady foundation in organizational development for future success.

Sharon is an expert in engaging employees and utilizing their specific skill set, background, and expertise to create an exceptional company culture.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from the University of San Francisco, over twelve years of experience in business administration management, human resources and employee engagement.

Sharon is passionate about traveling, and contends that she has “never met a stranger”. She is an explorer at heart, loves learning about new cultures and meeting new people along the way!

Seth Santoro

Seth is a bold, enthusiastic, “do whatever it takes” multi-lingual human resources and operations professional. Seth has experience across industry lines including consumer goods, start-ups, media and entertainment companies, manufacturing, insurance, professional services and many more.

Seth cares deeply about social action, civil rights, health, and human rights. In fact, his ultimate career goal is to become CEO of a Media/Corporate Giving organization in which the focus is on helping families, encouraging self-confidence, and praising authenticity in individuals on a global level. Seth holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Performing Arts & Languages and is certified in Empowerment Coaching from the International Coach Federation. Seth is also a public and motivational speaker. His vision is to inspire the world, one by one, to smile from the inside. He is a firm believer in the mantra “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

Michaela Humby

Michaela is a compensation, benefits, global HR professional with 15 years of experience boosting corporate performance for FTSE 250 & Fortune 1000 companies including Google and Citigroup. She has worked in many countries and cities, her favorite being Barcelona, and she led the European compensation function for Air Products & Chemicals Inc for several years.

Her position with Google gives her a unique insight into SEO and when she isn’t working with Peoplescape clients she can be found shaping our social media presence and design.

Michaela recently acquired PHRca certification, specializing in Californian labor legislation,  has an MBA from Henley Management College, Oxford, a Bachelors degree in Business Studies from Kingston University, London and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD).

Originally from the UK, her delightful accent and calm organized approach ensures projects are handled smoothly and efficiently with a personal touch. Her motto would be “success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it” – Maya Angelou

Glennis Siverson

Glennis provides creativity, reliability, and expertise in human resources awesomeness.

She has headed up roles such as Head of HR and Talent Acquisition Director in creative industries, established internet lifestyle sites and startups.

Glennis is also a top-notch recruiter, having hired 175 people in six months, and has partnered with corporate giants such as Facebook, NetZero, and Paramount Pictures. She has solid knowledge and experience in HR Analytics, HR Information Systems and is Peoplescape’s resident survey expert.

Glennis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from South Dakota State University, as well as the coveted Senior PHR and several other human resources certificates.

Glennis is highly emotionally intelligent, with a warm and friendly approach that instantly puts people at ease.

Glennis loves to travel, is a wonderful photographer, dabbles in the arts, science and technology, and is “proud to be a nerd!”

Caryl Porte Laborde

Caryl is a Human Resources generalist with a solid track record in progressive organizations. She has hands-on experience in various industries and workforces ranging from biotechnology research , creative, design  to mobile technology .

Caryl is passionate about enhancing the employee experience from talent acquisition, employee engagement, culture, and organizational well-being. She is a highly adaptable and approachable team member and excels as a quick-study. As part of the Peoplescape team, Caryl contributes as a researcher, recruiter and HR blogger.

Caryl graduated Magna cum Laude from UCLA with a Bachelors degree in History. She is a member of the Golden Key National Honour Society and UCLA’s Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.

A self-professed gypsy at heart, Caryl loves to travel, speaks French and Tagalog and travels extensively.

Alexandra McClendon

Alex is an Employee Relations expert with a pragmatic approach to HR consultation. She is adept at making tough calls and effectively communicating difficult messages. She has worked with organizations big and small in a variety of industries. Her specialties in Federal, California, Los Angeles and San Francisco employment laws (i.e., FMLA, FLSA, CFRA, PDL, PFL, CA PSL, ADA, CA AB 1825) make her an asset to any management team.

Alex cares deeply about professional development and teaching supervisors how to be effective people-leaders. Her optimistic attitude and above-and-beyond mentality creates a team culture that thrives on delivering excellence.

Alexandra is a Bilingual Spanish speaker with a B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley and 20+ years of HR experience. She loves running and cooking and watching old Law & Order episodes. Alex is inspired by this Maya Angelou quotation: "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."

Tina Robinson

Tina is on a mission to change how we think and feel about “work.” Her imperative, as a business leader, consultant, coach, facilitator, and teacher, is to empower people to bring their “whole selves” to work - and to help organizations unleash the full potential of these humans.

Tina specializes in strategic HR transformations, talent development initiatives, and executive coaching. She has coached leaders from top organizations, including FOX Corporation, FOX Sports, Disney, Credit Suisse, Lendlease, and the National Wildlife Federation. Tina has launched robust people programs at organizations across industries, including SAP, Spin Master, LRW, and TechStyle Fashion Group.

Tina has coach training from CTI (Coaches Training Institute) and graduated from the University of Virginia (BA) and the University of Michigan (MBA). She has been adjunct faculty at Loyola Marymount University since 2017, teaching undergraduate and graduate business students. Tina adores sharing her passion with diverse audiences, having graced stages at international ATD conferences, LinkedIn’s Talent Connect, Disrupt HR, and Bamboo HR’s global virtual events.

When not reimagining work, Tina watches baking shows (and tests recipes at home), studies astrology, and walks the local beaches. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and pet parrots.

Nathalie Trouillot Lubensky

With more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles at the intersection of media, technology, and entertainment, Nathalie has demonstrated track record of rapidly transforming businesses, creating global diverse and inclusive organizations, boosting both top-line growth and profitability and forging mission-critical partnerships and alliances internally and externally.

Nathalie is very passionate about transforming businesses and organizational culture and believes successful and innovative teams require safe, inclusive and respectful environments that are human-centric by design and practice.

Nathalie coaches individuals and teams to own their power, voice and journey to amplify their potential to active personal professional growth.

She lives by the rule, people first, things second.

James Kinney

James Nicholas Kinney is a bi-coastal HR executive, author, and speaker. Kinney has over 13 years of experience as an in-house practitioner and external consultant.

Kinney has been featured on CNN, NBC Smart Money and NASDAQ Disruptors. Kinney uses neuroscience, emotional intelligence, performance psychology and innovative behavior-based practices to help organizations and people build authentic, high-performing cultures and careers.

Kinney has helped over 30 companies as a consultant and has lead organizations with more than 1000 employees as an in house HR executive.

Belinda Morris

Belinda is Peoplescape’s Founder. She is both a pragmatic and strategic  partner to client leaders, with a deep passion and respect for entrepreneurial environments.  She assists clients reach their goals, hire and retain the people they need and create alignment within their organizations.

As a creative problem solver and thought leader, Belinda loves a challenge and adapts quickly to change. She has honed a unique toolkit to help solve leadership dilemmas through the use of creative thinking that turns the day-to-day into success stories.

Belinda has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology and a Post-Graduate qualification in Business Administration – Human Resources Management. She holds both the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications. She enjoys speaking and contributing to academic institutions, industry groups, and organizational programs.

Belinda lives by Lucille Ball’s motto “to rather regret the things I have done, than those I haven’t” and consciously builds Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements” into her daily life.

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