Community Conversations with Cornerstone: Thriving Through Transitions

Mika J. Cross, best known as a Federal Workplace Expert, is a widely acclaimed speaker, strategist, and innovator specializing in interdisciplinary expertise among the areas of global workplace initiatives, culture change, strategic communications, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion and the future of work. She has served more than two decades as a career civil servant with assignments throughout the United States Intelligence Community, Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture (among others) before working with the fully remote company, FlexJobs as the Vice President of Employer Engagement. She is also a proud veteran of the United States Army, having served as both an enlisted soldier and commissioned officer, and is the CEO/founder of Strategy@Work, LLC.

Mika was a regular guest on the nationally broadcast TV show, Government Matters, and contributes regularly to a video series with GovLoop entitled “Management Minutes with Mika.”

She has led government-wide projects affecting culture and process change, serving on the Telework Advisory Board for OPM and working on special projects with the National Security Council. Her work resulted in winning numerous awards and accolades for the Department of Agriculture’s Worklife and Wellness Programs – including USDA being named on the Forbes 500 Best American Workplace rankings.

Mika is a trusted resource for national policymakers and government leaders, having testified multiple times as an expert witness before Congressional Oversight and Reform Committees. She has appeared as an expert witness at multiple hearings on the Future of Federal Work.

Mika also volunteers her time with the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Senior Executives Association (SEA) and the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC) Digital Transformation Work Group/Workforce Transformation Team.

Nicole Evans joined A3 Consulting LLC as Chief Strategy Officer in 2025. Before joining A3, she dedicated over 20 years to public service, most recently as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In that role, she oversaw more than $9 billion in annual procurement spend and 700 acquisition professionals, and served as Treasury’s key spokesperson on matters involving procurement and contracting, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer, Suspension and Debarment Official, and Senior Accountable Official for Domestic Sourcing.

Before her time at the Treasury, Nicole was the Senior Procurement Executive of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and held executive positions with the Office of Personnel Management and the National Background Investigations Bureau. She began her federal career as a Contract Specialist at the U.S. Department of Education, where she progressed through various procurement-related roles before being appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2017. Throughout her career, Nicole has focused on organizational development, team building, and mentoring leaders, which she considers some of the most rewarding aspects of her work.

Nicole holds a degree from Ithaca College and a Key Executive Graduate Certificate in Leadership from American University. She resides in Maryland, where she and her husband are focused on guiding their two daughters through the transition to college and beyond.

Michelle Clark serves as the Executive Director of Federal Alliances and Strategic Growth at Cornerstone OnDemand, leveraging nearly three decades of leadership across corporate, non-profit, and government sectors. Recognized for her innovative approach, people-first leadership style, and measurable impact, Michelle has earned a reputation as a transformative leader.

She previously served as Health Programs Business Development Executive at SAIC—a leading U.S. government technology provider—and as Founder and CEO of M3J Management, LLC, a brand management and marketing consulting firm. Michelle also honed her expertise as Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Management Concepts, a premier provider of professional development and human capital solutions for the public sector.

Notably, she was Executive Director of the African American Federal Executive Association, advocating for African Americans to ascend into senior government ranks. Her ability to inspire teams is captured in a colleague’s words: “Michelle may be the most personally influential manager I’ve worked for, always pushing her team to achieve more than they believed they could.”

Outside of work, Michelle volunteers with organizations such as 131 and Counting and the Tigerlily Foundation. She is a proud Gold Plus Life Member of Blacks in Government and a Diamond Life Member of Federally Employed Women, demonstrating her dedication to equality and representation.

A distinguished alumna of The Wardlaw-Hartridge School (2024 honoree), Michelle also holds a BA and an MS from American University. She contributed to Leading Through the Pandemic: Unconventional Wisdom from Heartfelt Leaders, offering insights on balancing a thriving career with family responsibilities.

With 25 years of high-level leadership in the federal government), Ms. Love Rutledge brings unparalleled expertise in organizational development, strategic planning, and executive coaching. Known for her ability to foster innovative, high-performing work environments, She is a member of the senior executive service, an Associate Certified Coach through the international Coaching Federation and hosts the FedUpward Podcast, a show for federal employees to find resources and information to learn, get promoted and network.

Love holds a Master's of Science in Defense Resource Management from the National Defense University, a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University, and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance from American University.

Michelle Amante currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Programs for the Partnership for Public Service. In this role, she overseas our Public Service Leadership Institute and works with agencies to research and find solutions to challenging human capital issues such as employee engagement, workforce planning and talent recruitment and development.

Before coming to the Partnership, Michelle served as the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and worked in public sector consulting for Deloitte in their Labor and Workforce practice. She has deep experience in project management, business process transformation and employee engagement.

Michelle has Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and History from Syracuse University and a Master’s of Public Administration from the George Washington University.

Dr. Russell Robinson is a Program Director and Professorial Lecturer within American University’s School of Public Administration (SPA). In these roles, he is the Director of the newly created Key Undergraduate Leadership Certificate Program. In addition, Russell teaches graduate- and certificate-level leadership and public administration within SPA and the Key Executive Leadership Program. Prior to joining American University, Russell spent over twenty years as a civil servant within the US Federal Government developing and delivering training solutions focusing on leadership and improving the workforce experience.

In addition, Russell is the Founder of Amplified Research and Consulting, LLC (Amplified Research), which focuses on research, analysis and consulting solutions regarding employee engagement, voice and silence, and talent management. Russell does organizational assessments, focus groups and culture-building coaching services.

Russell received his Doctor of Education (EdD) degree in Human Organizational Learning from George Washington University. He received a Master’s in Public Administration from American University’s Key Program, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Dayton.