In this panel discussion we will hear from a Director of Human Resources, an Agile industry leader and an entrepreneur on how performance appraisals can provide the right incentives for high performance Agile teams.

About the speakers:

Alex Brown is the Chief Operating Officer of Scrum Inc. He has deep experience in Agile/Lean management methods, organizational transformation and business strategy. Alex has expertise in helping executive leadership and working teams collaborate effectively through common goals and metrics. He is actively involved in adapting the Scrum methodology beyond its traditional home in software development into other creative team environments. Prior to joining Scrum Inc., Alex was a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group, where he led more than twenty projects to improve competitive positioning and transform fortune 100 companies to leaner and more agile operations.

Ryan Hagan has started four companies. Most recently he helped lead the software development division of Webmail.us through an acquisition by Rackspace Hosting, and was recognized as one of the top managers at Rackspace. He is now moving to lead another organization, CCS / Qualtrax, through a period of fast growth. Ryan graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, and has a passion for leadership and HR.

Beth Abarca is currently the HR Director for Independent Living, Inc, and Independent Home Care, Inc and Co-Founder of Abarca-Collins Communications, LLC. She is a business oriented human resources generalist whose clients have included Avon Products, Inc., Roche Consumer Health, IAC/InterActiveCorp, University of Phoenix, and Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union. Beth holds a dual MBA in Human Resources Management and Finance from Pace University and a bachelor’s degree in management from the State University of New York at Albany.