Our Sponsors
2010 committees
steering | programming | sponsorship
steering committee
Nicole Sakowitz, SPHR
Steering Committee Co-Chair, GVFHRA
Nicole Sakowitz, Human Resources Business Partner Consultant and 2009 Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year, is a human resources professional with over 20 years of global experience, positively impacting business results through HR strategies and solutions. As a human capital consultant working predominantly at pharmaceutical and high technology businesses, she works full-time on strategic projects to bring about meaningful change. Her specialty is helping to implement key initiatives to assist organizations in successfully meeting high priority business objectives.
Nicole is known for developing creative and eye-catching materials and tools to help clarify and define processes and align roles and responsibilities. She is adept at leveraging company talent and suppliers to keep costs low. Her work often begins by increasing sponsorship through leadership steering committees, and then preparing change, communication, and training plans that introduce and subsequently reinforce new processes. She’s impacted organizations such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth (now Pfizer), Endo and AMETEK.
Nicole finds time to keep current in her profession by interacting with other human resources leaders at SHRM, chapter and Philadelphia Human Resources Planning Society (PHRPS) sponsored learning events. She shares her knowledge and experience through the Greater Valley Forge HR Association (GVFHRA) where she is active on the Professional Certification Committee. She also teaches HR Development to PHR and SPHR candidates twice a year.
Nicole was Co-Chair of the 2009 Delaware Valley HR Partnership Summit, which exceeded all its goals in a difficult economic climate. In 2008, she was the Summit’s Program Co-Chair.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Biology and Anthropology, she went on to earn her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.
Salonia Brown, MBA
Steering Committee Co-Chair & Financial Committee Co-Chair, PSHRM
Salonia currently works in Revenue Cycle Management at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a seasoned finance professional with over 9 years experience in a variety of roles and industries. Prior to on-boarding with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as an Executive Administrative Fellow, Salonia served as the Operational Risk Manager for The Bank of New York Mellon for the Philadelphia region which included Remittance Processing, Collections and Disbursements and the Private Wealth Center. Salonia currently sits on the board of Philadelphia SHRM as the Vice President of Finance. He not only respects, but also values the field of Human Resources and contributions of HR Professionals alike. He is thrilled at the opportunity to co-chair this year’s DVHRP Summit. Salonia attended The Pennsylvania State University and received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Business Administration and a Master's of Business Administration concentrating in Business Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University. In addition to SHRM, some of his affiliations include the National Association of Health Services Executives and American College of Healthcare Executives.
David Benglian
Financial Committee Co-Chair,
GVFHRA
David Benglian is the Executive Director of the Academy of Risk Management at Saint Joseph’s University, where he also teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in Finance and Accounting.Prior to joining Saint Joseph’s, David spent 30 years in the Financial Services industry and held key positions in Finance, Operations, Process Reengineering, and Marketing.
David is also the Deputy Athletic Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the President Elect for the Greater Valley Forge Human Resource Association. He has served as a volunteer mentor for “Time for Teens” and on the advisory boards of the James Shuler Memorial Gym in West Philadelphia and the Joe Frazier Gym in North Philadelphia where he has helped with community outreach programs. David earned a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, and an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Jan Burgh
Programming Committee Co-Chair,
GVFHRA/ PSHRM
Janice Burgh is a Human Resources professional with over 25 years of experience, who has had a rich and varied corporate experience. She was recruited in 1986 to be the Director of Human Resources for North America, to build a Human Resources department on this side of the Atlantic for the British designer, Laura Ashley. From there she went to AT&T Capital Corporation, where, as Vice President of Human Resources, she was responsible for providing strategic human resources to eleven business units and 5,000 people around the globe. She was Director of Human Resources for the Americas for a division of Tyco Plastics, where she managed HR for the United States, Mexico and Central America.
Since 2006, Janice has been an HR consultant working in a variety of industries and utilizing her experience to provide strategic HR solutions to both large and small enterprises. One of her favorite roles is partnering with the leadership of social service agencies and other not for profits, who often cannot afford a fulltime senior HR executive. There she can design and facilitate training, coach and mentor, execute process improvement, and enjoy the full diversity of the profession she loves.
Jan studied in Denmark, Spain, Puerto Rico and the United States. She graduated from Queens College and did her graduate work at New York University. She lives in Yardley, PA with her husband, daughter, and granddog-Harley.
Tanya Roberts-Graham
Programming Committee Co-Chairs,
PSHRM
Tanya Roberts-Graham is the Manager of Broad Based Compensation at Independence Blue Cross (IBC), the Philadelphia region’s largest health insurer. Prior to IBC, she spent a number of years with CIGNA Corporation in various capacities, specifically in compensation, HR generalists’ roles and diversity. While attending Temple, Tanya was a consultant to both Drexel and Hahnemann during their merger. Tanya has held various leadership positions including VP of HR for a Collections Company, HR Business Leader, Operations and Manager of Talent Acquisition at IBC.
Tanya earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Cheyney University and a Master of Science degree in Human Resources from Temple University.
Tanya was selected to participate in the Urban League of Philadelphia’s Urban Leadership Forum, Class of 2010, Philadelphia’s first leadership program designed to train and develop professionals of color in a forum promoting effective leadership in all sectors of society. Also, she recently completed the United Way Young Leaders Program Board Orientation Program. Tanya is the owner of “Sweet T’s Goodies”, a dessert company, is an Advisor to several youth organizations and a supporter of “I’m Free”, an organization that assists women and children affected by domestic violence.
Mikal Harden
Sponsorship Committee Co-Chair,
PSHRM
Mikal is an Executive Recruiter at Attolon Partners LLC and has been with the firm since 2008. She is responsible for the identification, recruitment, and placement of the area’s financial leaders. She has a broad network in the Philadelphia region and maintains strong relationships with the area’s top companies, often as an extension of the HR Department throughout the hiring process.
Prior to joining Attolon, Mikal spent 3 years with MRI, specializing in the contingency placement of support level positions in Philadelphia. During her tenure with MRI, she developed a passion for recruiting and a strong desire to help her clients hire only the best candidates available in the market. Mikal received recognition as Account Executive of the Year during two consecutive years. Before MRI, Mikal spent 6 years with American Golf Corporation, in both sales and operations with courses in NY, NJ, and PA.
Mikal is a graduate of Kutztown University where she earned a BS in Telecommunications, with a concentration in Public Relations. She has also completed several graduate courses towards her Master’s Degree in Electronic Media. She is a member of Philadelphia’s regional chapter of SHRM and can be found at various functions across the city. Mikal is also the co-founder of a local charity, The “Changin’ Lives” Foundation, which hosts many successful events donating all of the proceeds to the Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Leon Singletary, M.S., SPHR
Steering Committee Member,
GVFHRA
Leon Singletary is the principal and founder of First Contact HR - based in Fort Washington, PA - which specializes in employment background screening, substance-abuse testing, verification services and HR consulting.Prior to launching First Contact HR, Leon held HR leadership positions in small emerging to Fortune 50 organizations, including Vice President of Human Resources for BTG International, Inc. and Director of Human Resources at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
He is a national speaker, makes local radio appearances, and conducts monthly seminars, workshops and in-house training programs on various human resource management topics. He serves as an adjunct faculty member for local colleges and universities, and currently lectures a capstone HR management course at Cabrini College. Leon is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources, has an MS degree in Human Resource Development from Villanova University, and a BS degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. He is President of the Greater Valley Forge Human Resource Association and an active board member with the Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Washington Business Alliance. Leon is an active supporter of well known charities and enjoys road biking.
Anita Dombrowski
Steering Committee Member, GVFHRA
Anita is President of the Greater Valley Forge Human Resources Association. She is a Human Resources executive with 20+ years of experience in the legal, manufacturing, and consulting industries. Her comprehensive experience includes talent management, employment law, benefits, compensation, organizational development, employee relations, labor relations, marketing, safety and compliance. Currently, Anita is the HR Liaison/Business Partner for the 15 regional offices of Fox Rothschild LLP, a prestigious Philadelphia based law firm. She was the former HR Director at WolfBlock LLP until its dissolution.
Anita has served as adjunct faculty of Temple University as a Project Manager for the Enterprise Management Consulting (EMC) MBA program of the Fox School of Business. Prior to her law firm experience, Anita worked in the HR consulting arena at MidAtlantic Employers Association (MEA) and in manufacturing at MailWell Envelope, Plummer Precision Optics and Occidental Chemical Corporation. Ms. Dombrowski received her MBA from Rosemont College, Rosemont, PA and her Bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Alvernia College in Reading, PA.
Michael Zaccagni, SPHR
Steering Committee Member,
PSHRM
Michael Zaccagni is Deputy Commissioner for the Philadelphia Streets Department, a diverse organization of over 1800 employees providing services ranging from rubbish and recycling collections to bridge design and construction. As Deputy, Michael is responsible for directing the administrative services division which includes planning, budgeting, human resources and organizational development. He has 25 years of varied experience in human resources management, strategic planning, labor/management relations, work redesign and developing cost reduction strategies.
Michael is an adjunct instructor at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, teaching in the Accelerated Division, a degree completion program designed for the working adults. He also serves on the faculty of Temple University’s Fox School of Business. In addition to his teaching experience, Michael has developed and presented numerous workshops on topics such as leadership, communications, team building, and performance management.
Michael holds a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University, and SPHR certification from HRCI. He is active in several professional organizations and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Will Farkouh, PHR
Steering Committee Member,
PSHRM
Will Farkouh, MSHR, PHR, HR Manager, Pfizer, has over 15 years of professional experience, including 11 years of human resources experience within various corporate and consulting environments at Siemens Medical Solutions, FAO, Inc., Kenexa, ARAMARK. He is currently a HR Manager with Pfizer in Collegeville. His primary areas of expertise are within Talent Acquisition, Project Management, Total Rewards, Employee Relations and HR Metrics & Analytics. He is a certified trainer in Targeted Selection (DDI) and Civil Treatment Series (ELI). He also possesses his Professional Human Resources Certification and holds his Master's Degree in Human Resources Management from Widener University. While completing his graduate degree, he was an Adjunct Instructor at Widener. He is also a guest lecturer for Villanova’s Continuing Studies program for Human Resources Management. This is Will’s fourth year as a member of the DVHRP Summit Planning Committee.
Mindy Geib
University Relations Chair
Mindy Geib has over 15 years of experience in Human Resources in many different industries. As a Human Resource Business Partner for Vertex, Mindy provides support and consulting to Vertex’s leaders in driving business initiatives. She provides leadership and HR expertise regarding new and ongoing HR programs, corporate policy and procedure authorship and interpretation, employment law and compliance, employee performance and employee relations issues, compensation analysis, resource allocation and organization design and restructure. A Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Mindy earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Shippensburg University. She is a National and local member of the Society for Human Resources Management. Mindy was recognized for her outstanding professional achievements when she was named the 2010 Delaware Valley HR Person of the Year.
Carol Tavella
Sponsorship Committee Co-Chair,
GVFHRA
Ross Reinhold
Steering Committee Member,
GVFHRA
Lori Stokes-Powers
Association Mgmt Company,
GVFHRA
Connie Bernard
Association Mgmt Company,
PSHRM
