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The workshop aims to equip leaders and HR professionals with the knowledge and skills to support bereaved employees effectively. Through expert-led discussions, participants will gain insight into the impact of bereavement grief on workplace dynamics, explore best practices for fostering an empathetic and resilient organizational culture, and learn actionable strategies to balance operational needs with compassionate leadership.
Strengthen Leadership Resilience – Explore self-care techniques for managers and leaders to prevent burnout, ensuring they can sustainably support their teams while maintaining their own well-being.
Dr. Diane Bergeron is a social-organizational psychologist with over 15 years of experience. She has expertise in research, executive education and consulting. As Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL; a global nonprofit headquartered in North Carolina, USA), Diane provides thought leadership in exploring new areas of research for CCL.
She currently conducts research and provides subject matter expertise in the following areas: grief and bereavement in the workplace; women’s career advancement and the gendered assessment of workplace helping behaviors; and leader listening behaviors and employee voice. Diane’s research has won awards and has been published in practitioner publications and leading academic journals. She has presented extensively at conferences on her various research initiatives. In her former life, Diane was an associate professor at a research university, worked for a consulting firm in New York City and at Pfizer, Inc., and spent two years volunteering in the Dominican Republic.
In the area of bereavement, she has several scholarly peer-reviewed journal publications and recently presented on this topic at the 2024 annual Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference. She has completed a grief and bereavement certificate course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her doctorate in social-organizational psychology at Columbia University.
Dr. Cassida Jones-Johnson is a seasoned HR professional with 25 years of expertise in Strategic HR, Talent Management, and Executive Coaching. A former banker with Citibank N.A. (Citi) in the UK, she later served as Group Chief HR Officer at GraceKennedy, transforming HR into a strategic function and overseeing operations across multiple regions. She holds a Bachelor’s in Law & Labour Studies, a Master’s in Human Resource Development, and a Doctorate in Human Behaviour, along with executive training from Stanford. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (FCIPD), she has been recognized for her contributions to HR in 2018 and 2021.
Cassida actively serves on corporate and public sector boards, including RJR/Gleaner Communications Group and the Tax Administration of Jamaica. She is also the President of the Human Resource Management Association Jamaica (HRMAJ) and a Council Member of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). As an Independent Executive Consultant, she advises clients across various industries. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys swimming, tennis, singing, and Shotokan karate.
A problem solver, advocate and educator by nature, Dr Peter Weller has integrated his 30+ years as a Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist and his concerns about self care, wellness and social change, to build a career that has spanned psychotherapy, academia (The University of the West Indies – Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago campuses) and the corporate and civil sectors in the Caribbean as a Social and Behaviour Change Consultant.
He is member and a Past President of the Jamaica Psychological Society and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists. He sits on the Council of Presidents and Elders of the Caribbean Alliance of National Psychological Associations (CANPA). He previously Co-Chaired the Disaster Mental Health Committee.
Dr. Weller believes that the demystification and destigmatization of mental health issues and the promotion of Mind Management and Mental Wellness are important components of any development and crisis management initiative. HR professionals should be integrating these strategies and skills into all their interventions.
Marguerite Orane is dedicated to changing the way we live and work so that we do so with joy. She coaches leaders in realizing the value that joy and happiness at work bring to people and profits. With over 30 years in strategy consulting and general management, Marguerite’s commitment is to help leaders and their teams joyfully bring strategy to life to achieve their desired results. She is valued for her insights on leadership, strategy, entrepreneurship and personal growth delivered in her own energetic, joy-filled way as a coach, facilitator, speaker
and her blogs.
Her experience as an entrepreneur, a Harvard MBA, her curiosity about the
mysteries and delights of the world and her daily spiritual grounding through mindfulness meditation are the foundation of this work.
Marguerite is the author of 2 books: “Free and Laughing: Spiritual Insights in Everyday Moments” and “Forget It! What’s the Point? Letting Go and Claiming Joy” and shares her insights on leadership fortnightly at: www.margueriteorane.com/blog
Hope McNish is the Chair and Technical Host for this online workshop. With training in grief counseling from the renowned Dougy Institute, both locally and in Portland, Oregon, USA, Hope brings deep insight and compassion to this important conversation.
A Howard University graduate with a Master of Education degree, Hope is a seasoned Facilitator and Trainer with expertise in Human Resource Development, Strategic Planning, Change Management, and Organizational Development. She has also served as a lecturer at the University College of the Caribbean where she equipped aspiring Human Resource Management professionals with skills in Strategic Human Resource Management, Training and Development, and Facilitation. She is currently a member of the Board of the
International Association of Facilitators.
The Survivors Unlimited grief workshops are an initiative of Healing Journey Retreats, a holistic and wellness event company based in Kingston, Jamaica. Its principal, Lorraine Jones-Lawrence. is a communicator and grief-support facilitator who has been hosting similar events on the island for the past two decades. She is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling and the author of the book, ‘You Gotta Get Up: Surviving the Loss of Your Child.
Join our virtual workshop, Grief in the Workplace: A Guide for Leaders, on March 19, 2025. Learn practical strategies to support employees, build resilience, and foster a compassionate workplace.
Scan the QR code to sign up!
Scan the QR code to sign up!
