Cindi Gilliland, Ph.D.
Founding Principal Investigator, Positive HR Lab | Clinical Full Professor and Director, Masters in Human Resource Management Program, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences | President, Gilliland Consulting
Professor Cindi Gilliland received her Ph.D. in social psychology from Michigan State University in 1992. She is the President of Gilliland Consulting, a management consulting firm with local and international clients of all sizes and across all sectors. She serves on the Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee for CGU and as an Associate in the Worker Wellbeing Lab, as co-Advisor for CGU PIHRA, and as founding Principal Investigator for the Positive Human Resource Management Lab. She is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association, the Academy of Management, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Cindi is also a university award-winning Professor of Practice Emeritus in the Management and Organizations Department of The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona. Cindi has taught 20,000 undergraduate, graduate, and executive students in her 32-year university career. Cindi has served as a University of Arizona Faculty Fellow, Co-Chair of the UA President’s LGBTQ Advisory Council, UA Campus Community Relations Committee member, Eller College Diversity Committee member, Business Advisory Board member for MBA Net Impact and Enactus, Board of Directors member for Child and Family Resources and the Tucson Women’s Business Center; and Faculty Advisor for Wildcats CARE.
Cindi’s professional interests include resilience and well-being, positive human resource management, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has been married to Professor Stephen Gilliland, Ph.D. (also of CGU) for 28 years, and they have two adult children, Austin, 28, an MBA student at London Business School, and Caitlin, 25, a York University psychology student in Toronto, Ontario.
Florencio (Jun) Kabigting, MA, MBA, MSIE, SPHRi
Founding Lab Manager, Positive HR Lab | Adjunct Faculty Member, Masters in Human Resource Management Program, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences | Representative Director & President, HR Central K.K. | Chief Community Officer Emeritus, The Japan HR Society
Academically, Jun holds an MA in Positive Organizational Psychology & Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA from the University of Hawaii, an MS in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Philippines, a Certificate in Preparing Future Faculty from CGU, and a Certificate in HR Studies from Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor and Relations.
Currently, he is a Ph.D. student in Positive Organizational Psychology (co-con in Applied Research & Evaluation) and a Teaching Assistant for Positive HRM and Organizational Behavior classes at CGU. In his first two years at CGU, he used to work as a Career Coach with CGU’s Career Development Office and also served as a two-term DBOS Representative to the Graduate Student Council (2019-2021).
His primary research interest lies in the paradoxical nature of human traits—arguably the basic building blocks of one’s strengths and talents—and how such seemingly contradictory relationships can be used to enhance the human potential to achieve breakthroughs in organizational and individual performance and create a strengths-first workplace enabled by positive psychology, positive leadership, and organizational behavior theories and practices.
Professionally, Jun is a credentialed HR professional and certified positive psychology practitioner with more than 20 years of business-academic experience across the entire HR value chain of recruit, retain, and release. He is an HR generalist, consultant, and business partner with in-depth and practical experience in talent acquisition, strengths-based talent management, leadership development, total rewards, payroll management, performance management, coaching, culture audit, and organizational development, change, and effectiveness. Jun wants to help transform the world of work to enable people and organizations to achieve breakthroughs in performance, profitability, efficiency, and well-being.
He has been a frequent speaker/resource person at various domestic and international HR conferences in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the USA. He passionately believes in advancing the HR agenda through continuing HR education, knowledge sharing, and the use of HR best practices.
Jun is an avid taiko (Japanese drumming) player and swimmer in his free time.
Paola Amaro Alvarez, PHRca, SPHR, ACC
Founding Member, Positive HR Lab | Adjunct Faculty Member, Masters in Human Resource Management Program, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences | VP Human Resources – West Coast, Harbor Distributing, LLC
Paola has worked in the Human Resources field for over 20 years in the Hospitality Industry for companies like Marriott International, Inc., The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, and Montage Hotels and Resorts. She also worked in the Aviation and Aerospace Industry with Esterline Technologies as a Director of Human Resources. Currently, she holds the position of Vice President of Human Resources West Coast for Harbor Distributing, LLC a Division of Reyes Holdings. She’s fluent in both English and Spanish.
She completed her MS in Adult Learning and Human Resources Development from Virginia Tech and BA in Business Administration (Major in HRM) from George Washington University.
Paola is a double-credentialed HR professional and has a Professional and Executive Coach Certification from the College of Executive Coaching, and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation. She also has a Spanish/English Translation Certificate from the Foreign Language Department at George Mason University.
DANA MAYHEW, MPA, PHR-ca, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Founding Member, Positive HR Lab | Adjunct Faculty Member, Masters in Human Resource Management Program, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences | Founder and Principal, TDC Consults
Dana is a human resources (HR) professional, educator, and vibrant public speaker. She is the founder and principal of TDC Consults, an HR consulting firm. Prior to starting her own firm, she was a corporate executive specializing in HRM, labor and employee relations, and training and development.
A long-term PIHRA and SHRM member, Dana is the chair of the Government Advocacy Team. In conjunction with CalSHRM’s Legislative Affairs, the team advocates in Sacramento on behalf of PIHRA’s membership for employment legislation that serves both employers and employees. She is the founder of PIHRA’s highly popular Government Advocacy Team’s Coffee Hour. Dana and her team have interviewed legislators throughout the Southland for over 15 months. These conversations are at once informal, highly informative, and fun. She is a past chair of PIHRA Pasadena and a recipient of the HR Excellence Award PIHRA. Dana is the founder of the HR Roundtable and Book club and the co-founder of the HR Professional Development Program.
A strong advocate of Positive HR, Dana is committed to helping HR professionals in developing their expertise. She started out co-teaching HR and labor relations at USC’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor of HR Management at Claremont Graduate University and instructs for UCLA Extension’s Business, Management, and Legal Programs. Because of her extensive PIHRA experience, she was appointed Student Advisor for the PIHRA Claremont Graduate University.
Dana is a triple-credentialed HR professional. She is a member of ProVisors – Pasadena 1, trusted advisors to the business community. In addition to PIHRA, ProVisors and local universities, she has also presented at the Rotary World Peace Conference. She lives in Altadena with her artist attorney husband and frisky Siberian Huskey.