Leadership Beyond Management

Justin Ponder is a professor who teaches courses on ethnic studies, African-American studies, and ethnic minority literature. He has been published in numerous journals and books on the issue of race and identity politics, exploring ways to bridge the gap between who we are and who we must become to achieve a more equitable world for others.

He has helped organizations and leaders consider connections between the historical past, the social present, and a more just future. He knows how to masterfully weave the academic with the practical and the political with the personal so people can better appreciate the complexity of the issues while finding clarity about their responsibilities. In his work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, he is known for his ability to teach difficult lessons in gentle ways that combine heartbreak and humor to inspire hope.

Justin has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Lisa leverages decades of corporate and consulting experience to educate, counsel, and coach managers, executives, and leadership teams in the science and art of leadership and organizational culture. As a program director, instructor, and coach at the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development, Lisa advises to the rich leadership content within the Executive Leadership and Transition to Executive Management certificate programs.

Her background includes a range of human resources, leadership development, culture, and change experience, most recently from Baxter Healthcare and Hewitt Associates. Lisa has earned an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University, and both a Masters in Liberal Arts and a Certificate in Leadership from the University of Chicago. She is also a certified consultant with Human Synergistics, International. Her most important challenge is championing change in the public school where she is on the board of education.

Artell has extensive experience in human resources management, advising and focusing on overall people strategy, talent management/development, and compensation/benefits. He has led transformative projects across all aspects of HR work globally, including talent development, generalist services, operations, technology, and global sourcing.

Artell is Principal and Managing Director of WatchWorks Management Consulting LLC. Previously, Artell was HR Senior Vice-President for Strategy, Technology & Operations at Aon plc, a $12B global insurance brokerage and HR consultancy. Artell also served as CHRO at Aon Hewitt, a 25,000-employee, $4B subsidiary of Aon plc. He retired from Aon plc in December 2013.

Prior to Aon plc, Artell was HR Vice President, Business Process Outsourcing at Hewitt Associates, Vice President of Training & Communications at Fidelity Investments, Retail Investor Services, and Senior HR Specialist at ExxonMobil.

Artell earned his Master of Public Administration degree from Brigham Young University Graduate School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science also from BYU.

Steve is adjunct faculty for the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development. Prior to this role, Steve served as the president and executive director of the Center for five years.

Formerly, Steve was chief learning officer and vice president of talent management for Baxter. Prior to this position, Steve was the senior vice president of human resources at Hewitt Associates for seven years, with responsibility for all aspects of human resources for the international consulting and outsourcing firm, and he was Hewitt’s chief learning officer for three years.

Before joining Hewitt, Steve was with the Bank of Montreal’s Institute for Learning, where he was the faculty head for leadership and change management. He also held training and management development positions at CVS Caremark and BMO Harris Bank.

Steve has an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. from the University of Iowa, both in economics.

Susan has experience in organizational development working with large multinational companies. Her focus is matrix organizations and how to navigate and influence cross-functionally in these organizations.

Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, Susan worked for Baxter and two pharmaceutical companies. She also held an adjunct faculty role at Northwestern University teaching a leadership and change course as part of a master's in medical informatics, as well as a leadership and strategy course.

Susan is the author of Master the Matrix: 7 Essentials for Getting Things Done in Complex Organizations and The Cross Functional Influence Playbook. She has a B.A. from Central Michigan University and an M.A. from Indiana University.