Transcript Burrell Group - Twin Cities Black Affinity Network Development Day

1st Annual
Twin Cities Black Affinity Network
Development Day
October 26, 2013
“Development through Collaboration”
Speaker Bios
Kenneth A. Charles
Vice President
Chief Diversity and Chief Staffing Officer
General Mills, Inc.
Ken currently holds the dual titles of Chief Diversity and Chief Staffing Officer. With his team, he is responsible for
attraction, inclusion and retention of talent in every diverse form and generating talent solutions that will provide
winning results for General Mills around the world.
Since January 2009, Ken has held responsibility for the development and execution of General Mills global diversity and
inclusion strategy. He works closely with the CEO and SVP of HR on business and people strategies to create value for
each of the company’s stakeholders. He also has responsibility for General Mills $570 MM Supplier Diversity program.
Previously as Chief Staffing Officer, Ken led U.S. campus and experienced professional recruiting. He was responsible for
development of the GMI employment brand and enhancing relationships with key university and community partners.
Charles joined General Mills in 2000 and was promoted to corporate officer in January, 2008.
He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and a Bachelors of Science in
Business Administration from Duquesne University.
Named one of the Top Executives in Diversity by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2011, Ken currently serves on the
Executive Committee of the Board of the Minneapolis Urban League, and the boards of the National Black MBA
Association, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Threads Dance Project. In 2013, he chaired the UNCF Twin
Cities Masked Ball and currently chairs the Twin Cities UNCF Leadership Council.
Cheryl Burrell
President and CEO
The Burrell Group
A 28 year veteran of Corporate America, Burrell founded the Burrell Group in 2006.
Burrell was the first African American female business director at 3M Company. She
was with 3M for 25 years and Johnson & Johnson Company for 3 years.
She began her career in business to business sales in the industrial sector. She held
many positions of increasing responsibility; including Asia Pacific business
development for 4 years. Burrell also established new global businesses within 3M‟s
industrial sector of the Company and was selected as 3M‟s Global Diversity Officer.
Her passion for entrepreneurial opportunities led her to retire in 2004.
Burrell was raised on the east coast, northern New Jersey. Her passions include
reading, learning, study of Iyengar yoga, travel and food/wine.
Drinal Foster
Minnesota Diversity & Inclusion Council Leader
Vice President
HR Business Partner
Wells Fargo
Drinal Foster is a Human Resources Business Partner for Wells Fargo’s Treasury Management Group. In this role she serves as a
strategy consultant assisting leaders in designing and executing their team member initiatives: talent development, employee
engagement and workforce planning. Before transitioning to Wholesale Banking in 2010, she spent 13 years in Community
Banking Human Resources. Previously she held the position of Recruitment Manager for Minnesota. With more than 18 years of
service at Wells Fargo, Drinal started her career as a teller and later held a variety of positions in human resources. She has
experience in
coaching, project management, HR policy & programs, employee relations, talent development, diversity & inclusion, training,
recruiting and compliance.
Drinal has credentials as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM) and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR). Drinal is a graduate of
Seattle Central College.
Drinal is an active member of the Minnesota Diversity Council and is the chair of the Career Development Series. This accelerated
six-month program supports 350 team members in the Minnesota area helping them in successfully managing their own careers.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, she has lived in Portland, Oregon and currently resides in Northeast Minneapolis. Drinal
enjoys traveling, music, reading, and interior design.
Eric C. Black
Commercial Manager, Bio-based Products
Cargill, Inc.
Eric works for Cargill Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a Commercial Manager. He is responsible for the
Bio-Refinery Product Line, a $300 million in annual revenue business, within Cargill’s Corn Milling N.A.
Business Unit. He leads the tactical and strategic initiatives around new sustainable bio-products that
come from processing carbohydrate feed stocks. He manages co-located customer relationships in
North American, as well as, collaborating with Cargill’s Starch and Sweetener Businesses globally on
potential bio-product opportunities.
Previous to this, Eric was a Business Development Consultant, responsible for strategy, mergers and
acquisitions as part of Cargill’s Food Ingredients & Systems Platform.
He has been with Cargill since 1997 and over the years he has held various roles in operations at
multiple locations; where he was responsible for the management of assets, employees, EH&S,
manufacturing costs, and capital expenditures in corn oil, feed products, and sweeteners.
Eric received his degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri-S&T (Rolla), MO; and a
MBA at the University of St Ambrose, IA
Craig Warren
Senior Director, Employee Services
Best Buy
Craig Warren has been Senior Director, Employee Business Services at Best
Buy, a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and
services, since February 2013. In this capacity, he is responsible for the
delivery of learning, global mobility, talent management, and contract labor
services to 120K+ U.S. employees. Craig joined Best Buy in 2010 as the
Director, Global Business Services Rewards and Employment Practices and
subsequently served as a Director, Transformation. Prior to joining Best Buy,
Craig led the global HR shared services function at Rockwell Automation. His
professional experience also includes stints as a shared services leader at The
Coca-Cola Company, a management consultant with Towers Perrin, and as an
Armor officer in the United States Army. He completed his undergraduate
studies at The Johns Hopkins University and his graduate studies at the
University of Chicago.
Dane K. Mathews
Manager, Digital Media and Advertising
Target
Dane Mathews is a marketing professional with brand marketing,
loyalty, product design and formal P&L experience. Dane joined Target
in 2009 as a merchant buyer responsible for the financial performance
of household commodity, seasonal, toy and electronics categories.
Dane currently is the Manager of Digital Advertising, Digital Media and
Search responsible for Target’s multi-channel digital marketing
strategies.
Dane has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering
from Carnegie Mellon University and a MBA from the Ross School of
Business at the University of Michigan.