Power of the Pivot: Success Strategies for Personal and Professional Growth

Mika Cross is an award-winning, transformational workplace expert with over 25 years of experience in the federal government and private industry. Driven by a vision of innovation, flexibility, and collaboration, Mika excels in enabling high-performing teams to achieve mission-focused results through a lens of organizational health and performance.

As an Army veteran and human capital expert, Mika brings unique insights into workforce challenges and opportunities. She is renowned for leading groundbreaking human capital policies and innovative workplace programs across the U.S. Intelligence Community, federal government, and private industry. Mika has designed award-winning workplace programs for various federal agencies to navigate the Future-of-Work and previously served as Vice President of Employer Engagement at the fully remote company, FlexJobs.

She is a respected keynote speaker, trainer, and adviser, offering practical solutions for organizations to improve employee engagement, productivity, performance, and healthy work cultures that drive exceptional results. She has testified multiple times as an expert witness on the Future of Federal Work before Congress on governmental work issues and provided expert insights and policy recommendations at national hearings.

MAs SBR’s Director of Government and Public Affairs, Mr. Briefel provides legislative and organizational representation to clients of the firm’s government affairs practice, including serving as Director of Policy & Outreach of the Senior Executives Association.

Mr. Briefel is frequently quoted in the media discussing legislative and executive actions impacting the functioning of the federal workforce and efficiency of the federal government. These media engagements include regular interviews with the Washington Post, CNN, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BNA, PBS, Federal News Network, Government Executive, Federal Times, E&E News, FCW, and Government Matters TV.

He is a frequent speaker at trainings, conferences, and events. He has designed and managed a variety of professional development events, including the Presidential Rank Awards (PRA) Leadership Summit. The PRA Leadership Summit attracts over 500 federal and industry executives annually for panel discussions on the future of federal work and human capital management. Briefel coordinates the conversations with federal leaders, plans the panel discussions, and arranges sponsorship and development opportunities through the Summit.

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.

Jenny Mattingley oversees the strategic direction for the Partnership’s government affairs and advocacy efforts focused on improving and modernizing government management and services for the public. Jenny comes to the Partnership and the Government Affairs team with a passion for supporting federal public servants through policies and programs that provide the tools needed to meet their missions. Jenny has been working to make government better in a variety of roles prior to joining the Partnership. She served in the executive branch at OMB focusing on hiring reform efforts and the workforce priority of the President’s Management Agenda, spent several years consulting with good government organizations, served as the executive director of the Performance Improvement Council and the founding director of the White House Leadership Development Program, and spent many years overseeing policy for the Senior Executives Association. Given all the incredible current and former federal employees (including family members!) that Jenny has collaborated with and learned from over the years, she has too many favorites to name and thanks all of them for their service and commitment.

COL Kris Saling is a recognized expert in talent management and data-driven decision-making within the U.S. Army. As a leader in workforce innovation, she has spearheaded initiatives to modernize talent strategies, leverage data analytics, and build high-performing expert teams. With deep expertise in assessment, retention, and human capital transformation, COL Saling is a sought-after speaker and thought leader, shaping the future of military and civilian workforce management.

Deadra Welcome is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Concerning Learning LLC., where she elevated workplace culture by focusing on team cohesion, and leadership development. Using a unique blend of instructional design, facilitation, and coaching techniques, Deadra creates tailored solutions for improved organizational performance. Using her 27 years of federal government service and nearly 30 years in the culture of performance industry, she strived to make learning extraordinary and create thriving cultures where everyone belongs and thrives.