Joe DeLoss is a serial social entrepreneur focused on building transformational brands for transformational people. He has spent the last decade building profitable businesses providing employment opportunities for men and women affected by incarceration, homelessness, or other complex symptoms of poverty.

His most recent success, Hot Chicken Takeover, is a fast-casual restaurant chain taking over the Midwest. The business has earned critical acclaim as a break out brand in the segment and has created hundreds of meaningful work opportunities in the region.

Joe’s passion for sustainable change has also created inextricable value for the businesses he’s built and advised. Hot Chicken Takeover boasts retention rates three times it’s industry, creating continuity for the team and guests alike. The key? Joe designed HR processes that deeply invest in his team’s development, something uncharacteristic of most entry-level work environments. From matched savings programs to professional development to financial planning and beyond, Joe believes investments in a person’s personal stability yield professional success.

Joe’s dedication to fair-chance hiring, social entrepreneurship, and vulnerable leadership has allowed him to impact the lives of thousands of people. As Joe continues to build, he is sharing his story with national audiences across the country – including The Today Show, Forbes, Harvard Business School, Politico, the Rachael Ray Show and more.

Joe has also served as an adjunct instructor at the Fisher College of Business and the John Glenn School of Public Affairs and has maintained seats on several boards.

Jill Penrose is the Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Communications at The J. M. Smucker Company, with responsibility for human capital across the Company.  She has been with Smucker for 14 years and has also served as the Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Organization Development.

Jill graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. degree in Organization Communications and from Washington University in St. Louis with an M.B.A.  She joined Smucker in 2004 and previously worked as a Management Consultant with both PricewaterhouseCoopers and Towers Perrin, specializing in Acquisitions & Divestitures, Organization & HR, and Change Management.

Jill is a graduate of Case Western Reserve’s Leadership Deep Dive program and a graduate of Leadership Akron - a community leadership program. 

Jill and her husband, Michael, have two sons, Mitchell and Spencer.

Dr. Erin E. Makarius is an Associate Professor of Human Resources in the Management Department of the College of Business Administration at the University of Akron. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Dr. Makarius has several years of experience in human resources and management, including working at and consulting with a variety of companies in the financial, insurance, and consumer products industries. Her research interests include boundary spanning in the form of technological, international, and organizational boundaries, with emphasis on the role of relationships and reputation in these processes. Her work has been widely published in journals such as Organization Science and Harvard Business Review, among others. She is active in professional organizations and sits on the executive board of the regional Society of Human Resource Management and the Careers Division of the Academy of Management.