Claudia St. John is president of Affinity HR Group.

A frequent public speaker who is quoted often in national and industry press, Claudia is a regular contributor to numerous print and electronic publications on the topic of human resources.  Her professional passion is in engagement, team development and workplace communication.  Claudia is also the author of Transforming Teams – Tips for Improving Collaboration and Building Trust, a “#1 Hot New Release” on Amazon.com

Claudia holds an undergraduate degree in employee benefits and labor relations from The American University and a master’s degree in business and public administration from The George Washington University, and numerous HR and behavorial science certifications.

Lisa Ritchie has over 15 years’ experience in recruiting, sales and management. She spent over 13 years in the staffing industry, holding such positions as Staff Recruiter, Sales Manager, and Branch Manager. During her tenure as Branch Manager for Adecco, a global outplacement and temporary staffing agency, she led recruiting efforts for companies of all shapes and sizes, including large financial institutions and regional call center operations facilities. Having also been a small business owner, Lisa understands the unique staffing and recruitment issues faced by small businesses.

Lisa holds a BBA from James Madison University and is based in Richmond, Virginia.

Paige McAllister has nearly 20 years of HR experience both as in external and internal HR roles with a focus on compliance, employee relations, training and HR strategic initiatives. As an HR Manager at McGladrey, she worked with the partners and managers on matters involving recruiting, discipline, terminations, and legal requirements as well as assisting employees with issues such as on-boarding, leaves of absence, and reimbursement/benefit availability. During her 7 years with Oasis Outsourcing, Paige assisted thousands of clients of all sizes in different industries across all 50 states.

Paige earned her MBA in General Business from Florida Atlantic University and her BA in Psychology from Auburn University. Paige has held her SPHR certification since January 2009, having previously held her PHR since June 2003. She has held her SHRM-SCP since January 2015.

Susan Palé is Affinity HR Group’s Vice President for Compensation. She has extensive experience in the development of customized compensation, performance management, and total rewards programs. She has worked as an independent consultant for 14 years creating programs designed for small and mid-sized businesses in such diverse industries such as manufacturing, technology, financial services, and healthcare. Programs and services offered include market pricing for specific positions, incentive plan design, and design and implementation of salary structures and performance management systems.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Susan served as the Director of Compensation and Benefits and Assistant Vice President for Human Resources for a large financial services organization. She is recognized as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) by World at Work (formerly the American Compensation Association).