Next-Gen Readiness: Navigating Culture, Competence, and Capability for Public Impact

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.

Michelle Clark serves as the Executive Director of Federal Alliances and Strategic Growth at Cornerstone, 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.

Hannah Jenarine is a dynamic speaker, instructional designer, and workplace strategist dedicated to helping organizations attract, engage, and retain Generation Z talent. With nearly a decade of experience in public speaking, training development, and community advocacy, she empowers businesses to bridge generational gaps, foster inclusive workplaces, and enhance communication.

Starting as a keynote speaker in high school, Hannah expanded her expertise by creating YouTube content, authoring workbooks, and developing training programs tailored to modern workforce challenges. Her passion lies in equipping Gen Z professionals for career success while helping employers adapt to this evolving generation’s expectations.

Jeffrey Vargas is a leadership and development professional who loves empowering people and has devoted his professional life to helping companies and government agencies cultivate talent and unleash leadership potential.

In 2018 he founded Generationology LLC, a Colorado based Future-of-Work leadership and professional development consulting firm that helps small, medium-sized, and large organizations build their workforce capacity, improve their collaborative intelligence, and develop leaders.

Gerome Q. Banks is a seasoned public sector leader and scholar-practitioner with deep expertise in federal strategic talent management and leader development. He currently serves as the Program Director for the aspiring senior executive training program at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Professional Development Chair for the Senior Executives Association, and Board Member-at-Large for The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Professional and Organizational Development. With a doctorate in education and a passion for purpose-driven leadership, Dr. Banks is committed to building programs that strengthen leadership capacity across government. He is also a dedicated husband and father, U.S. Army Reserve officer, Rotarian, and lifelong advocate for accountable public service.

Alex Snider is the Program Manager for the White House Leadership Development Program at the General Service Administration and a contributing writer for Psychology Today. Previously, he led strategy for the President’s Management Agenda, helping shape how the government improves service and trust through cross-agency collaboration.

Alex spent the first decade of his career at the U.S. Department of State, working on anti-corruption, democracy, counterterrorism, and Africa policy. He holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He’s also worked in the World Bank, US Mission to the UN, and for Senator Chris Murphy.

He writes about mindfulness, urgency culture, and the emotional life of public service on Substack Slow Mindfulness—you can subscribe here to follow his latest posts.

A certified meditation and authentic relating instructor in-training, Alex leads weekly gatherings in Washington, DC, and co-founded Mindful Fed, a cross-government mindfulness community.