Total Rewards: Finding the Right Mix for Your Organization

Jess Zafarris is an author, content director, editor, journalist, social media engagement strategist and creator. Her 13 years of experience in this space have included such roles as the Director of Content at Ragan Communications, Audience Engagement Director at Adweek, and Content Strategist and Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest and Script Mag. She moderated and emceed at events including Social Media Week and Brandweek, and presented at the Writer’s Digest Conference and State of Social. She is also the author of the etymology books WORDS FROM HELL (Hachette 2023) and ONCE UPON A WORD (Rockridge Press 2020) and an educational social media creator who speaks and creates entertaining content about word origins.

Anniese Lemond is a rewards professional who has spent the last 28+ years designing and implementing broad-based, incentive, and executive compensation programs, policies, and pay strategies for all levels of employee across several industries including telecommunications, banking, higher education, and healthcare. Lemond relocated to Denver in 2021 where she serves, in her current role, as the Senior Director for Compensation at Denver Health Hospital Authority.  Prior to leaving Chicago, Lemond led the compensation functions at NorthShore University Health System (a seven-hospital system on the north shore of Chicago), Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois as well as other senior level compensation roles in corporate America. A native Chicagoan, she obtained bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University and an MBA from Quantic School of business.  She is a mother of two daughters, Sydney, a graduating senior who attends Butler University and Mackenzie, a rising Senior at Denver East High School and two cats Lady and Flapjack. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking and is a member of folkloric dance troupe.

Betsy Rodriguez has served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado since 2018. Her work focuses on supporting the Children’s Colorado’s mission by building teams and employee programs that make it a great place for everyone to work and thrive. She also manages boards, information systems, crises and HR-related communications. Rodriguez spent her entire career in Human Resources, focusing initially on employee benefits and risk management at the University of Colorado and the state of Colorado, culminating in the role of Chief HR Officer for the university system. She has also worked as CHRO and General Officer of the University of Missouri system and as Vice President for Human Resources for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis. With a passion for leadership and professional development, Rodriguez has served on national boards, councils and committees, and as a panelist, presenter, and facilitator at numerous national conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University, and her master's and Ph.D. in psychology, from the University of Missouri.

Jennifer Sanchez is the director of communications and interim assistant vice president at the University of Miami. An energetic leader with 15 years of experience building relationships and creating change through communication, she's responsible for overseeing, supporting, and executing leadership initiatives surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion; recruitment and retention; benefits; and employee engagement. She has conceptualized large-scale media and advertising campaigns, published alongside award-winning journalists, and transformed the way organizations interact with their audiences. In her current role as interim assistant vice president, she collaborates with internal and external communications teams to drive recruitment and retention efforts through brand awareness and engagement.