What HR Doesn't Know About Federal Compliance Rules Could Cost You Millions

Carolynn Johnson, MBA, is President of SHRM CEO Action, a credible, research-based “source of truth” think tank and member community for inclusion and diversity. Before joining SHRM, she served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Editor of Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc), the leading workplace fairness management platform for content comparative benchmarks, and predictive workforce analytics. She led teams of data scientists to build advanced analytics, benchmarking tools, and predictive models measuring inclusion, diversity, and performance. Under her leadership, the Top 50 survey became a catalyst for thought leadership and revenue growth, and she launched the DiversityInc Top 50 Event series in 2009—widely known as the “Oscars of Diversity and Inclusion.” Johnson has testified twice as an expert witness before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. She was named a Distinguished Alumna of Rutgers University (2016) and, in 2022, received an AACSB honor for her research on intersectional workplace issues with a focus on gender—recognizing alumni who demonstrate leadership and societal impact. A CEO Action signatory since 2019, she worked alongside senior leaders at PwC and public-policy partners to help expand the coalition’s reach by engaging executive leaders across client organizations. She completed an executive management fellowship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and earned her MBA from Rutgers Business School. She also holds two MIT certifications in Artificial Intelligence in Business Strategy and Machine Learning and Data Systems. In 2023, she consulted with Wharton to design talent development coursework for undergraduate, MBA, and EMBA students. The creator of the Women of Color and Their Allies Leadership Program, she serves on national nonprofit boards including the Center for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) and is Co-director of the Relationships Across Differences Roundtable within Wharton’s McNulty Leadership Program. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Joanna Colosimo is Vice President of Workforce Analytics and Compliance Strategy at DCI Consulting Group where she provides strategic leadership and oversight for one of the firm’s core lines of business. In this role, Colosimo directs a team of two dozen experts delivering advanced workforce analytics and compliance solutions to help organizations meet complex equal employment opportunity (EEO), pay equity, and affirmative action requirements while aligning compliance strategies with business objectives. With almost 20 years of experience advising federal contractors and Fortune 500 companies, she specializes in developing compliance frameworks that mitigate risk and support organizational growth in various industries and higher-education institutions. Her expertise includes: (1) EEO Barrier Analysis: Conducting comprehensive analyses to identify and address systemic barriers to EEO under a Title VII framework, including reduction-in-force analyses, (2) Affirmative Action & Pay Equity: Guiding clients through evolving federal and state regulations, Section 503 and VEVRAA, compliance program design, and pay transparency and nondiscrimination requirements, and (3) Regulatory Strategy: Advising on OFCCP audits, EEOC and evolving DOJ guidance.

Before joining DCI, Colosimo managed compliance and workforce analytics programs in the private sector. Her expertise includes compliance, audit strategy, executive compensation, and diversity and inclusion. She is also experienced in project management for selection testing, validation, hiring quality, employment assessment, and executive compensation evaluation. She is a recognized industry thought leader and frequent speaker at national conferences such as SHRM, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG), World at Work, and the Institute for Workplace Equality. Most recently, she worked with SHRM on the BLUEPRINT event, co-developing legally compliant, inclusive, and business-focused peer cohorts and strategic roadmaps. She has also served as a strategic planning facilitator for C-Suite EEO, inclusion, and legal practitioner leaders, driving discussions on compliance accountability, inclusion efforts, and overall organizational strategy.  Her work is often published in publications such as JD Supra, Law360, and SHRM news articles. Her leadership reflects a commitment to bridging compliance requirements with actionable workforce analytics, thus enabling clients to achieve both legal integrity and operational excellence.

David Cohen is the Founder and President of DCI Consulting Group, Inc. He provides consulting services to employers and management law firms on human resource risk management strategies in the areas of EEO/affirmative action, systemic compensation statistical analyses, human resources self-audits, and employee selection and test validation. Cohen is the Co-Founder of The Institute for Workplace Equality, a nonprofit employer association that educates federal contractors in complying with their affirmative action and equal employment obligations.