Advisory Board - HR Tech Connect Summit

An analyst specializing in actionable insights, Ben keeps tabs on key trends in talent acquisition, learning, and workforce technologies. Through primary research and deep analysis, he keeps today’s business leaders in touch with important conversations and emerging trends in the rapidly changing world of talent. Ben has spent the last few years profiling some of the world’s best and brightest companies and the innovations in both technology and strategy that have made them successful.

Previously an HCM Analyst at another industry firm, Ben started his career as an in-the-trenches HR leader. The blend of analyst and practitioner experience is used to inform his research and advice on how technology providers can reach their target audience best. Ben has spoken to audiences around the globe and his work has been featured in a number of high profile publications.

Ben runs the We’re Only Human Podcast, a show that focuses on the intersection of people and technology in the workplace. Additionally, he is the founder of upstartHR, a website created in 2009 to help improve human resources, one HR professional at a time. His site has helped more than one million readers since its inception.

Currently I'm the Talent Board president and a board member responsible for the Candidate Experience Awards worldwide. Founded in 2011, it’s the first nonprofit research organization focused on the elevation and promotion of a quality candidate experience with industry benchmarks that highlight accountability, fairness and business impact. I also host the popular Talent Board #TheCandEs Shop Talk podcast that covers recruiting and candidate experience.

I'm an HCI certified Talent Acquisition Strategist (TAS) and Human Capital Strategist with 20 years of domain expertise in the human resource and talent acquisition industry and related technology marketplace. I've been a prolific "HR business" blogger and writer since 2004 and my first business book on career management titled Tech Job Hunt Handbook was released in December 2012 from Apress. I hold a B.A. in Psychology from San Jose State University.

I'm also the current chair of the City of Santa Cruz Commission for the Prevention of Violence (CPVAW), with a mission to end sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence in the City of Santa Cruz through prevention, programs, and public policy. An avid reader, a grateful father and husband, I write regularly about responsible parenting and personal leadership at GetOffTheGround.blogspot.com.