Vanessa Alzate is the Owner and CEO of Kirkpatrick Partners and Founder and CEO of Anchored Training. She received a BA in both Communications & Political Science from Rutgers University, and an MS in Corporate & Organizational Communication from Northeastern University. For over fifteen years, she has consulted with many organizations of varying sizes in industries ranging from life sciences to the federal government/DOD to develop employee development strategies tailored to their needs to drive performance and improve culture.

Vanessa believes that we can honor legacy, and explore innovations. Her testament to this belief is her acquisition of Kirkpatrick Partners in 2023, thus becoming the next steward of the Kirkpatrick Model. She believes that evaluation is the foundation for organizational performance and is excited to usher in a new era for the Kirkpatrick Model.

Vanessa is committed to helping everyone become the best versions of themselves. She is an advocate for empowering women and increasing belonging. In her spare time, she can be found driving her two daughters everywhere from school to the soccer field encouraging them to dream big.

Sally Bloomfield—BPharm, PhD, HonFRSPH—is Chairperson of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH). IFH works to raise awareness of the importance of hygiene in home and everyday life settings; developing and promoting hygiene practice based on scientific principles—which includes promoting understanding of issues such as the Hygiene Hypothesis and Antimicrobial Resistance.  In 2013 she was awarded the Rudolf Schulke Foundation Medal for outstanding contributions to hygiene.

Sally was an Honorary Professor at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2003-2019) and, Senior Lecturer at Kings College London (1972-1997).  She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. She has published over 120 papers on infection prevention, hygiene and antimicrobial agents.

Lorri Freifeld is the editor/publisher of Training magazine, the leading business publication for learning and development and HR professionals. Working in the corporate training industry for the last 17 years, Lorri writes and presents on a number of topics, including talent management, training technology, and leadership development. In addition to overseeing the print and online content, she spearheads two awards programs: the Training APEX Awards (which recognize excellence in employer-provided learning and development) and Emerging Training Leaders Awards (which recognize professionals in the training industry for 2 to 10 years who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, business acumen, and training instincts). A writer/editor for the last 30-plus years, Lorri has held editing positions at a variety of publications, including Chief Executive Magazine, License! Global, GCI, and EyeWear. She holds a Master’s degree in journalism from New York University.

Robert W. Powitz is Principal Forensic Sanitarian,
R. W. Powitz & Associates, P.C.,
Old Saybrook, CT.

He received his undergraduate education from the State University of New York and the University of Georgia. He holds an M.P.H. and Ph.D. degree in environmental health, epidemiology, and environmental microbiology
from the University of Minnesota.

Formally trained as an Institutional Sanitarian, Bob is currently a Forensic Sanitarian in private practice. He served as state Sanitarian and municipal Health Officer in New Jersey and Connecticut. He holds licenses as a Sanitarian in several states and has been nationally registered for 54 years. He was the Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Associate Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and served as Biological Safety Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture at the
Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

For over thirty-five years he wrote regularly appearing columns and articles on food safety, current environmental health issues, field instrumentation and institutional environmental health practice. He does frequent speaking tours for governmental agencies, industry, and professional organizations.

Bob is the recipient of the three highest honors conferred to a sanitarian: The National Environmental Health Association’s Walter S. Mangold Award; NSF International’s Walter F. Snyder Award; and the American Academy of Sanitarians’ Davis Calvin Wagner Award. He is a Diplomate Laureate in the American Academy of Sanitarians and a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology.

Henry L. (Roddy) Roediger, III is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated with a BA in Psychology from Washington & Lee University (1969) and received his PhD from Yale University (1973) in cognitive psychology. He previously taught at Purdue University, the University of Toronto, and Rice University. Roediger’s research has centered on human learning and memory, and he has published over 350 articles and chapters on various aspects of remembering. He also co-authored four books and has co-edited ten more. Roediger served as President of the Association of Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Psychology, the Psychonomic Society and several other associations of psychologists. He was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation and honorary doctorates from Purdue University and Southern Illinois University. Roediger has also received the Howard Crosby Warren Medal from the Society of Experimental Psychologists, the John P. McGovern Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the William James Fellow Award from the Association of Psychological Science, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science, and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr. is a well-known microbiologist with more than 40 years of experience in the field of Clinical and Medical Microbiology. He was the Director of Clinical Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology at Tisch Hospital, New York University Langone Medical Center, and is currently Professor of Microbiology and Pathology at the New York University School of Medicine and also at the NYU College of Dentistry. He is a member of numerous respected scientific societies and did his graduate studies at the New York University, where he was awarded a M.S. degree in 1974 and his Ph.D. in 1977 under the mentorship in Microbiology of Dr Guenther Stotzky.

Dr. Tierno has acted as a consultant to the office of Attorney General of the New York State, the Department of Health of the City of New York, the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, and the College of American Pathologists. Dr. Tierno was a member of the NYC’s Task force on Bioterrorism & currently is a member of the NYC Medical Reserve Corps. Dr. Tierno has been recognized extensively for his numerous contributions to the medical / scientific community. In 1986, he was bestowed the honor of Knighthood by The Sovereign Military and Hospitaler Order of Saint John Jerusalem, Knight of Malta for his work on Toxic Shock Syndrome. Since 1977 to the present, he has been recognized as a biographee in consecutive editions to date of “Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who in the World; and Who’s Who in Science and Medicine” for his work in the field of Microbiology. In 2005 he was awarded the Il Leone de San Marco Award for lifetime achievement in Science & Medicine.

Dr. Tierno is Co-founder and President of the “Foundation for Scientific Research in the Public Interest” (a non-profit organization) whose primary objective is to fund scientific research for the public welfare and for which the usual and traditional sources of support are unavailable or encumbered, and he served as Chairman of the Environmental Commission of Norwood, New Jersey for 15 years. Dr. Tierno is the U.S. representative to the Global Hygiene Council headquartered in London. His broad expertise in the area of the environmental and medical microbiology and microbial ecology has resulted in numerous appearances on TV news, documentary, and investigative reports. He has appeared on both local, network and cable television shows such as 20/20, Oprah, Montel, Primetime, Dateline, Nightline, Today, Good Morning America, Tyra Banks, Dr. Oz, Nate Burkas, CNN, Katie, Chris Cuomo CNN, etc.

Gene Woodard retired from the University of Washington where he served as Director of the Building Services Department (BSD), which oversees Custodial Services and UW Recycling. The UW was one of the first higher education institutions to use Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM) to validate cleaning procedures within its facility. BSD was recognized by American School and University magazine and the Healthy Schools Campaign for the Grand Green Cleaning Award in 2007 and 2014, as well as the Co-Grand award in 2010. Gene is a Master Registered Executive Housekeeper (MREH) and a former member of the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA). Gene served as President of the IEHA from 2000-2002.  He has participated in various committees with the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), and APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities. He currently serves on the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges Steering Committee in an ex-officio capacity.  He is a speaker and writer on custodial and leadership topics. Gene served on the Advisory Board for Facility Cleaning Decisions magazine and was also a contributing writer for Executive Housekeeping Today and currently for Facility Cleaning Decisions magazine. He received the University of Washington David B. Thorud Leadership Award in 2020 and a University of Washington Husky Green award in 2017.  He also received the William D. Joyner Achievement Award from IEHA in 2012.  Gene recently retired on November 1,2021 and looks forward to staying active in the cleaning industry.