Bettina Schaller

Board Member, ASF

SVP, Group Public Affairs, The Adecco Group

Young Leader 2011

She is President of the World Employment Confederation (WEC), the voice of private employment services. She is also Vice-Chair of the Business@OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee, Co-Chair of the B20 Future of Work, Skills and Mobility Task Force, a Member of the B20 International Advocacy Caucus as well as a Steering Group Member on the World Economic Forum (WEF) "Center for New Economy and Society" and a Steering Group Member of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN). Bettina is a 2011 Young Leader and Board Member of the American Swiss Foundation (ASF). Bettina is a Founding Member of "The Boardroom" launched in 2021, a Swiss initiative aimed at driving Board Diversity and developing the pipeline of Future Women Leaders. Since 2017, Bettina has been named a "Staffing 100 Europe Influencer" and into the International 50 of the "Global Power 100 - Women in Staffing". Since 2022, Bettina has been named into the Latin America 25 Top Leaders in Staffing.

The Honorable Suzi LeVine

Former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland & Liechtenstein

Ambassador LeVine, currently a policy mentor at Brown University and a lecturer at the University of Washington, has over 30 years of experience leading organizations across the public and private sectors. She started her career at Microsoft and Expedia and is now a board director for Publicis Groupe. She also serves on several advisory and non-profit boards addressing systemic equity gaps. Starting with her work as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein where she spearheaded the effort to bring the Swiss model of apprenticeship to the United States, she developed landmark programs promoting DEI and catalyzed innovative workforce systems such as apprenticeship and paid family and medical leave. Most recently, she was the USDOL’s Employment & Training Administration Acting Assistant Secretary and, prior to that, WA State’s Commissioner for the Employment Security Department, helping both navigate huge pandemic challenges. 

Ryan Gensler

Executive Vice President

CareerWise USA

YL 2017

Ryan Gensler is the Executive Vice President of CareerWise USA, working to create a more equitable and inclusive economy by expanding modern youth apprenticeship across the US. After his time as Marketing Manager and Director of Community Engagement for Intertech Plastics, Ryan was contracted by the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance to build work-based learning programs across Colorado. This led Ryan to manage the startup of CareerWise Colorado, a systemic approach to youth apprenticeships, akin to the Swiss VET System. Additionally, he helped build Governor Hickenlooper’s Business Experiential Learning (BEL) Commission and organized the Governor’s apprenticeship delegation to Switzerland. After helping run a gubernatorial campaign, Ryan went on to consult with various nonprofit and government organizations on workforce development initiatives, including raising over $4M for the Colorado Workforce Development Council to upskill retail workers and developing a 20-state network focused on skills in the digital economy, before returning to CareerWise to lead national growth efforts. Since rejoining CareerWise he has built a technical assistance and expansion division called CareerWise USA, supported the launch of CareerWise youth apprenticeship programs in New York City, Buffalo, Indiana, Michigan, and Washington D.C., and provides technical assistance to communities across the country. He received his bachelor’s in entrepreneurial management and marketing from Creighton University and was the first recipient of the Creighton Entrepreneurial Student Leader of the Year Award. Ryan is on the board of directors for Vanguard Classical School in Aurora, CO and serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Denver CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) ensuring children in the welfare system have a voice.

Larry Grob

Board Member, ASF

A dual Swiss-American, Larry Grob joined the ASF Board of Directors in 2023. He was most recently President and Director of the Friends of Switzerland, Inc. (FOSI). Larry was honored to lead the non-profit organization in fostering friendship, interest, and understanding between the people of the U.S. and Switzerland. Established in the 1960's, FOSI awarded distinguished academics, businesspeople, diplomats, artists, and scientists with its annual Julius Adams Stratton Prize for Intercultural Achievement. The organization also sponsored the annual Stratton Fellowship grants, helping underwrite Swiss and American young professionals in their cross-cultural studies or work, and a Stammtisch Speaker Series. Professionally speaking, Larry was EVP, Director of the Health Science Communications group of Hill Holliday and President of Lowe Grob Health & Science, both Interpublic Group agencies. His communications career began when he founded, with his wife Ellen Touart-Grob, Grob Health & Science, a multi-practice bio/medtech and healthcare agency, beginning in New York and then moving to the Boston area. Larry’s creative career has evolved into a ‘second act’ as a fine artist. Larry paints landscapes and has exhibited in a number of galleries and other arts venues in New England. As an Alpine enthusiast, his Swiss paintings are, of course, among his favorites.

Melanie Harrington

Director of External Strategies, Inclusive Experiences and Technology at Amazon

Melanie Harrington serves as the Director of External Strategies for Amazon’s Inclusive eXperiences and Technology business. Her team’s mission is to prepare Amazon for predictable global DEI social, policy, and judicial issues and build relationships with social justice and human rights organizations that are closet to the issues impacting Amazon’s customers, employees and communities. Melanie spent more than 23 years in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leading broad scale efforts designed to foster environments that build diverse talent pipelines; increase talent engagement; facilitate inclusive and belonging cultures; and build strong, strategic partnerships. She has advanced the field of DEI as a lawyer, leader of a diversity management think tank, leader of an economic development organization, consultant, and adjunct professor. She was an expert panelist for the 2016, 2017 and 2021 versions of the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks and serves on the board of The Centre for Global Inclusion. She was a contributing writer for the Diversity Management Handbook, edited by Dr. Deborah Plummer and is a frequent speaker on economic development and DEI topics. Previously, she served as the Senior Director for Affiliate Organizational Management, Equity and Inclusion team for the Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives department of ACLU National. Prior to joining the ACLU, she served as the first President and CEO of Vibrant Pittsburgh, a nonprofit economic development organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was established by regional leadership to attract, retain and grow a diverse region. Before joining Vibrant Pittsburgh, Melanie served as the President of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. ("AIMD"), a national nonprofit diversity think tank founded by Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. and based in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to AIMD, Melanie served as the General Counsel for D.J. Miller & Associates, Inc. (DJMA), a national management consulting firm that specialized in advising federal, state and local government agencies on Equal Opportunity programs, practices and policies. Melanie has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law.

Shauna Hoekstra

Assistant Vice President, HR Business Partner for Vectra Bank in Colorado

Shauna Hoekstra is Assistant Vice President and Human Resource Partner for Vectra Bank Colorado. She provides talent and organizational development support for the Corporate Real Estate, Commercial Banking, Finance, Treasury Management and Marketing divisions of the Bank. Hoekstra partners with senior leaders to deliver talent acquisition, retention, and engagement solutions to the organization; harnessing the power of one of their most valuable assets–their people. She is dedicated to influencing a strong corporate culture that promotes continuous business growth by empowering and motivating employees to realize their full potential and bring their best to the job at hand. Hoekstra has more than 15 years of Banking experience, over 10 of which have been in Human Resources, serving in roles such as Instructional Designer and Talent Management Consultant. In her current role as Human Resource Business Partner, she serves multiple internal committees focusing on corporate giving, employee impact, and financial literacy. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Family Star Montessori, whose mission is to aid low-income families in breaking systematic barriers to allow children and caregivers to reach their fullest potential. Hoekstra holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder.