Caregiving Support: The Hidden Driver of Workforce Well-Being

Bridget Bearden is Director of Member Growth and Strategic Partnerships and member of the leadership team at the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). She helps to establish new strategic partnerships, expand membership, execute proprietary survey research, and contribute to EBRI’s in-person events. Her current research projects include EBRI’s biannual Spending in Retirement Survey, and examining benefits that can improve women’s financial security, like on-demand pay, long-term care, and caregiving. She has two decades of experience in developing research and thought leadership in retirement and investing. She has a Ph.D. and MS in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an MBA in Finance from Suffolk University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.

John C. Bowe, CEBS, is Director of Benefits at Johns Hopkins Health System. John is a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 25 years’ experience in strategic benefit plan strategy, design and administration.  As Director of Benefits for Johns Hopkins Health System, he is the leader responsible for all health and welfare, time off, leave and ancillary benefits for its 34,000 employees.  These employees support 3 academic medical centers and 3 community hospitals located in Maryland, District of Columbia and Florida.  He uses strategic vision and operational excellence to provide harmonized and equitable benefit plans and programs for the dedicated workforce of one of the nation’s leading health systems. 

Prior to his work with Johns Hopkins and another large, multi-state health system, John worked for one of the nation’s largest Human Resources consulting firms, in both corporate Human Resources and consulting roles.  He graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Health Policy and Administration. He is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and is an active member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

Dr. Elizabeth Myers is responsible for advancing thought leadership and research at Bright Horizons, where she utilizes strategic insights and original research to inform workforce solutions. In her role, she partners with current and prospective clients on a wide range of initiatives—including consulting engagements, investment impact studies, needs assessments, surveys, focus groups, and custom research projects.

In addition to client-facing work, Elizabeth leads Bright Horizons’ thought leadership research, exploring critical topics such as generational workforce needs, employee motivation and engagement, burnout, and workforce sustainability. 

Elizabeth brings over a decade of experience across the for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors, with a strong foundation in education and human development and translating complex research into actionable insights. Her academic research has been published in more than a dozen peer-reviewed journals, and her work at Bright Horizons has supported leading organizations including Adobe, PepsiCo, Houston Methodist, JM Huber, UCSF, and WVU Medicine.

She holds a PhD in Human Development and Child Study from Tufts University, an M.Ed. from Cambridge College, and a B.S. in Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.