Navigating New H-1B Policy: Implications for Employers and Talent Strategy

Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary for SHRM.

As a member of the executive team for the world’s largest human resources trade association, and 4th largest trade association in the world, Emily M. Dickens leads SHRM’s efforts across multiple critical areas of strategic and operational importance. In addition to guiding SHRM’s advocacy and policy initiatives, she oversees government affairs, global policy, legal affairs, and the SHRM Foundation — the 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of SHRM. Dickens plays a pivotal role in aligning these functions to advance SHRM’s mission of creating better workplaces for a better world while driving organizational effectiveness and impact.

Through her leadership of SHRM’s Advocacy Team — the “A-Team” — comprising nearly 30,000 active HR professionals across the United States, Dickens ensures the HR profession remains at the forefront of advancing workplace policy. A sought-after expert on workplace issues and business leadership, her insights have been featured in CBS News, NBC News, AP News, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg Law, Crain's Business, Marketplace, WTOP, Yahoo Finance, HR Brew, and HR Dive. She has also testified before Congress and the EEOC on AI, gender bias, and paid leave.

Dickens represents SHRM on the boards of several influential organizations to amplify SHRM’s voice in global, national, and local business and labor policy discussions. These include the B20 Brazil Women in Business Action Council (Co-Chair); USCIB-United States Council for International Business (Governance Committee); The Bryce Harlow Foundation; Skill-Up; and the National Foundation for Women Legislators.

Chenai is the Senior Director of Government Affairs at SHRM, the world’s largest HR association, representing nearly 340,000 members across 180 countries and impacting the lives of 362 million workers and their families. In this role, Chenai provides day-to-day oversight of SHRM’s Government Affairs team and leads the organization’s global policy and workplace immigration initiatives. She also supports SHRM’s efforts in workplace governance (labor relations policy) and regulatory affairs. Chenai brings extensive experience in global advocacy, U.S. public policy, regulatory and legislative affairs, law, and compliance. Prior to joining SHRM, she served as Senior Director of Government Relations & Deputy Counsel at Melwood, a $115M+ nonprofit dedicated to empowering children, youth, and adults with disabilities to live, work, and play where and how they choose.

Chenai volunteers her time to serving mission-focused organization's Boards of Directors for the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) Foundation, a designated organization serving as the voice of U.S. businesses before the United Nations, the National Immigration Forum, U.S. organization that advocates for the value of immigrants and immigration to our nation, GGEM Farming a $5M social enterprise on fair market access based in Malawi; Lawyers for Good Governance, providing legal counsel on business and family immigration; and the Zimbabwean Nurses Association of America, providing corporate governance counsel. Chenai is a West Virginia State University and Liberty University School of law graduate and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc.

Betsy serves as Senior Counsel based in BAL’s Tysons office, where she focuses on account management and casework. She is also a member of BAL’s Government Strategies team. Before joining BAL, Betsy served for three years at the White House as deputy assistant to the president for immigration, where she drove the implementation of the president’s domestic immigration policy agenda. In this role, she worked across White House offices and with various departments and agencies to develop and implement policies on employment-based and family-sponsored immigration, work authorization, humanitarian programs and more. Prior to this position, Betsy served as chief counsel and counsel for the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship in the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, working with committee leaders and staff to develop and execute the Democratic majority’s legislative agenda, including the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. She also drafted and solicited support for original legislation, including measures to facilitate STEM immigration, create a visa pathway for founders of startup companies and reform the U.S. immigration court system.

Betsy’s private sector work includes 10 years in various roles with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, including director of government relations, where she directed the association's administrative and legislative advocacy efforts, with a focus on immigration benefits and employment-based immigration. She began her career as an attorney at a full-service law firm in San Francisco, where she represented and advised individual clients and companies with respect to all matters involving immigration and naturalization.

Carmita serves as a liaison to Fragomen’s partners around the world, managing consistent client service excellence in delivery of the firm’s global mobility capabilities. She uses her deep understanding of immigration law to develop and implement holistic plans to ensure a seamless employee experience across jurisdictions, manage risk and ensure compliance. As a member of Fragomen’s Global Executive Committee, Carmita helps set the firm’s strategic vision and philosophy, manage its worldwide operations and ensure it remains progressive, agile, efficient, innovative and consistent across all its jurisdictions. She also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which provides guidance and makes recommendations to actively enhance diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the firm.