Personal Brand
Individual Focus
Building Your Personal Brand 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Laura Byars is Senior Director of Human Performance with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She has extensive experience in creating corporate strategies for talent management, workforce planning, and organizational development for organizations of all sizes. Byars owns Talent Strategies, which helps organizations link their organizational strategy to their people strategy. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, teaching the HR and Leadership curriculum in the Weekend and Executive MBA Programs. Prior to her recent entrepreneurial venture, Byars oversaw Talent Management for the Light Vehicle Business Group at ArvinMeritor. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. Laura also earned a Master’s degree in the same discipline from Illinois State University and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.
Julie Fasone Holder is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of JFH Insights LLC. As Senior Vice President at The Dow Chemical Company, she was the Chief Marketing, Sales, And Reputation Officer. She served on Dow’s Management Committee, Sustainability and People operational teams, with executive oversight for Dow’s activities in the United States. In her 34-year career with Dow, Julie held a variety of commercial and functional leadership positions with local, national, and international responsibilities. She served as Dow’s Key Executive for MSU for over five years, providing advocacy within the company for MSU research, recruiting and teaching. She was recognized with the Broad School’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 2008, and earned a B.A. from the Eli Broad College of Business. She has served on the Broad School’s Alumni Association Board of Directors since January 2010.
Bethany Rigg is Associate Director of MBA Career Services Center (MBA-CSC) at the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. She is the primary contact for Weekend MBA program candidates, assisting them to leverage their previous work experience and achieve their desired career aspirations. She integrates educational and career advising programs, organizes group and individual consultations to discuss career search objectives and coaches students to develop customized career plans. Prior to joining the MBA-CSC Rigg worked as a Human Resource Manager with The Affiliated Delta Dental Plans of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Rigg recruited and hired all levels of employees to the company. She collaborated with the company’s compensation specialist to ensure compensation integrity throughout the company and alignment with business strategies, and launched a learning organization initiative.
Tom Thivierge is Human Resources Director for General Motors North America and Global Manufacturing, responsible for human resources support for GM engineering centers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He has extensive experience with GM’s talent management process and was Director of Global Succession Planning, as well as serving as Coordinator for the GM Human Resources Management Committee, and the Automotive Strategy Board. He has a B.A. in History from Yale University, and an MBA in Human Resources from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. He is a member and past chair of the Broad Executive Forum of Detroit Board of Directors and has served on the Broad School’s Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2007.
Tonya Van Order is a Career and Academic Consultant with more than 15 years of recruiting and business development expertise. Most recently she was a member of the career consulting team for Executive and Weekend MBA students at the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. Van Order has twice presented at the National Executive MBA Council conferences. She continues to advise business professionals and industry colleagues at other universities using approaches such as personal brand management training, case study workshops, networking skills and job search strategy coaching. In addition to personal career consulting, Van Order is currently working with MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and Hospital Residency Program directors throughout the state to enhance the professional development of physicians. She completed an MBA at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
