People Strategy is Business Strategy, A Board Governance Imperative

Overview

Traditionally Boards have concentrated their oversight on CEO succession and C-Suite leadership, delegating broader talent management responsibilities to senior executives. However It is having the right people with the right skill sets driving the company strategy that delivers the financials. In today's world talent needs to be a critical Board governance focus more than just a C-suite review. This September 16, 2025 program discusses the need for Boards to rethink their role in overseeing the development, retention and strategic alignment of workforce capabilities, in an era defined by AI, hybrid work, and demographic shifts. It explores how Boards can expand their oversight of talent strategy governance without overstepping into operational execution.

Agenda

4:00-5:00 PM  Networking
4:00-4:30 PM  An optional member orientation will be held  during the networking for new, prospective, and returning members - all are welcome
5:00-6:00 PM  Program

Parking

Parking is available directly underneath the office building. Attendees will be responsible for paying their own parking fee.  The parking garage can be accessed between 16^th and 17^th on Chestnut Pl (1673 Chestnut Pl). There is a sign above the garage entrance that says 1601 Parking. There are elevators on each parking level. Take those elevators to the first floor. Go through the lobby to the second set of elevators and take it to the 5^th floor.  Someone will be available to greet you and guide you to the event location.

Registration

$30 PDA Members
$60 Non Members

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Panelists

Lori Frasier Founder & Principal BrightPath Workforce Strategies

Lori Frasier is a seasoned strategy and human resources executive helping C-level leaders lead powerfully during uncertainty and change.

Lori serves on the boards of Orion First Financial and the Colorado Technology Association (Policy Committee), and previously served for a decade on the board of Commuting Solutions, a transportation infrastructure nonprofit, including multiple committee roles and a term as Board Chair. She also has prior board service with the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (Governance & Nominating Committee, Executive Committee) and has Capitol Hill lobbying experience representing both private and public entity interests. 

Career Highlights: Before founding BrightPath Workforce Strategies, Lori served as Chief People Officer, Americas, for Pax8 — a billion-dollar cloud technology company. Prior roles include Chief People Officer for Enavate and CPI Card Solutions. Lori spent the majority of the past 20 years as a C-suite executive at KeyBank Equipment Finance, where she held roles including SVP of Strategic Services and SVP of HR & Administration, working closely with executive teams and boards of directors. In addition to corporate leadership, Lori has served on both private and nonprofit boards, driving vision-aligned progress through collaborative leadership.

Experience & Approach: With over 30 years of experience leading strategic planning and business execution, Lori combines practical alignment tools with deep business insight to help organizations achieve breakthrough performance. She has partnered with national and global companies across various stages of growth and transformation, building long-term relationships that help leaders succeed in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Education: 

• Master of Business Administration, University of Denver
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of Colorado

John Kelley Chair & Executive Director  CereHealth

John Kelley is Chair & Executive Director of CereHealth, a leading healthcare artificial intelligence medical analytics company headquartered in Colorado. Previously, John served as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDATA Corp, a leading provider of storage networking, software & network consulting solutions. McDATA was acquired by Brocade, Inc. (now Broadcom) in early 2007. Prior to joining McDATA, he served as EVP of Networks at Qwest Communications from July 2000 to January 2001 after Qwest acquired US West in 2000. At US West from 1995 to 2000, John held several executive level positions. Those leadership positions included President of Wholesale Markets, SVP & GM of Large Business Customers & Engineering Designed Services, as well as President of US West Federal Systems. Before his employment at US West, John was an Area President for Mead Corporation from 1991 to 1994 and VP/GM of their Industrial Products Division in 1995. He has held senior leadership positions at NBI Corp., Alcatel/Friden and Xerox Corp.

John has been a member of four public company board of directors: McDATA (NASDAQ), Polycom (NASDAQ), Emulex (NYSE), Captaris (NYSE). His private company board work has included Aztek Networks, Stored IQ, Circadence, 3 Leaf Networks, and Qooco (Beijing). He has participated at the board level with several local and national non-profits. Most recently, he has been a key contributor to two organizations who develop, train and coach high potential women executives in pursuit of board of director positions.

John holds a B.S. in business management from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Served in the US Army from 1970 to 1972. He studied electrical engineering and played varsity baseball at the University of Missouri, Columbia from 1967 to 1970. He has completed various Executive Leadership Programs including Stanford Law School’s NACD program in Law, Economics, & Business. John was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at Heidelberg University in Ohio after delivering the 2010 Commencement speech to the graduates of that University.

Chris Schmidt Managing Partner Colorado Marketplace at Deloitte

Chris Schmidt is the Managing Partner of Deloitte’s Denver office. He is responsible for driving client and business growth, facilitating cross-business teaming, and further enhancing Deloitte’s strategic positioning in the Denver market. A growth-oriented partner, Chris most recently served as the Global Lead Consulting Partner for a global oil and gas supermajor for six years. He has held various roles of increasing responsibility within the consulting function and leading account teams. He services as the Lead Client Service Partner for several of Deloitte’s strategic clients in the Denver marketplace.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Colorado Business Roundtable, Junior Achievement, and the Colorado State University School of Business Global Leadership Council. He is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and University of Colorado with a Master’s in Business Administration. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Moderator

Sally Sommers Global Employment and Labor Consultant and Board Member SMS Advisors and PDA Colorado Chapter

Sally Sommers heads up SMS Advisors, a global employment consulting firm which focuses on advising companies on executive transitions, global expansions and restructurings and M&A. She is a Founding Board member and Program Committee Co-Chair of the Private Directors Association, Colorado Chapter. She holds a board of trustee position with The Iliff School of Theology and serves on the Executive and Trustee Affairs Committees

Previously she was the Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Employment, Labor, Compensation, and Benefits for The Western Union Company. In this global, C-Suite role, she advised the Board of Directors, CEOs, and executive management at The Western Union Company on human capital management (HCM) matters, global expansions, compliance and risk management matters, and M&A for 13,000 employees in 59 countries. She also served on the ethics and risk committees.

Before joining The Western Union Company, Sally was Executive Corporate Counsel/Advisor to the Board of Directors and executive management at First Data Corporation responsible for global employment, labor, compensation, and benefits matters for 32,000 employees in 57 countries. Ms. Sommers began her career at Chevron Corporation in the Land Department negotiating U.S. oil and gas deals. She later served as corporate counsel at Chevron’s coal subsidiary, providing a full range of general corporate and U.S. employment and labor legal advice.

Sally has a Juris Doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in English, from the University of Notre Dame. She is a member of the State Bars of Colorado and Missouri.

Thank you to our Event Host

Thank you to our Chapter Sponsors

Thank you to our National Sponsors

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