How ERGs & Manager Communications Lead to Positive Change

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and '90s trivia night.

Karianne Michelle has spent two decades supporting C-level leaders and their teams — as a brand strategist for global companies such as State Farm, GE, Abbott, Proctor & Gamble, and Hewlett-Packard, and as a well-being expert helping some of the fastest-growing startups and Fortune-level organizations across the U.S., London, and Africa as they unlock greater self-awareness. As a Qigong and iRest Yoga Nidra meditation instructor, Reiki master, classically trained vocalist, and sound bath recording artist, Michelle has crafted and conducted wellness programming for leading employer teams including Boston Consulting Group, Indeed, Stripe, Reddit, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Yelp, and Lululemon. By giving participants the tools to care for their spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs, she guides them toward setting firmer boundaries, breaking negative patterns, and fostering more open-mindedness. Michelle’s innovative approach to integrating work and well-being is paving the way for a new era of corporate culture — one that values not only the bottom line but also the holistic wellness of its people, improving employee morale and productivity. A pioneer in wellness programs that fuse meditation and sound bath healing into corporate cultures, her latest album, Dreamscapes: A Sound Bath Journey, is available on streaming platforms worldwide.

Megan Mulka is AVP, Total Rewards, Well-being Programs at Lincoln Financial Group.  Mulka is an enterprising, forward-thinking and insightful, Total Rewards Executive with in-depth experience in total rewards strategies, benefit packages and well-being programs.  She is a conceptual thinker who is able to drive the development, implementation and successful execution of well-being programs for diverse employee needs and interests with a proven track record of ensuring well-being programs are continuously optimized. She has previously held positions at Villanova University, Pfizer, AMETEK and Willis Towers Watson.

Tara Davis is Director of Staff Well-Being and Engagement at the American Psychological Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C. In this role, she strategically produces programs, activities and communications that energize employees and connect their work to the organization’s mission, increase satisfaction and fulfillment in the workplace, and grow staff commitment to the organization. With more than a decade of experience utilizing research and measurement to cultivate employees to embrace healthier, more meaningful lives at work, Davis is a thought leader in employee well-being, psychologically healthy workplaces, employee engagement, internal communications and meaningful experience design. Davis has shared her expertise with National Public Radio, American Society of Association Executives, Grant Professionals Association, Furman University, Fundraising HayDay podcast, and D.C. Public Schools, among other organizations. In 2014, The Washington Post awarded the APA a Top Workplace Award, In 2018, Davis was awarded a Thoth Award from the Public Relations Society of America and the Raymond D. Fowler Award, the most prestigious employee honor at APA.