Joanne (‘Jo’) is an innovative entrepreneur and trailblazer. Her firm, Joanne Rencher & Associates, operates in two practice areas: HR solutions and executive search. She has worked at the C-level for major conglomerates, iconic nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and in developing countries. Her career includes several ‘firsts’: the first Chief Business and Talent Officer for the Girl Scouts; the first Chief People Officer for the American Red Cross in Greater New York; and she was recruited to build the first Global HR Unit, ultimately leading a matrixed team on 4 continents/6 countries for the first public-private partnership to work on a vaccine for the AIDS virus―the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Jo began her career in the financial services industry for a GE Capital bond insurance business where she won several leadership awards. She is the 2016 winner of GetFive’s HR Hero Award for Outstanding Mentorship. She recently hosted a weekly podcast entitled #RealTalk About the Workplace. Jo is the author of Tough As Nails: Finding Your Voice as a Woman in the Workplace, a book that Kirkus Reviews describes as “a useful guide that will aid working women of all ages” and “a well-thought-out career manual.”