2012 Board of Director Candidates
Sheri Byrd
Sheri Byrd joined Nestlé Purina PetCare in 2008 as a Manager of Relocation Services where she is responsible for policy and program development as well as managing their domestic relocation program.
Prior to joining Nestlé Purina, Sheri served as a Relocation Counselor with SIRVA Relocation. She also has eight years of commercial real estate experience serving as a Senior Associate / Transaction Manager for Colliers Turley Martin Tucker (Cassidy Turley) providing turnkey solutions to Fortune 500 companies looking to rapidly expand across the country.
Sheri received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Fontbonne University. She is a licensed real estate agent in the state of Missouri and currently serves as the Facilities Chair for the 2012 Midwest Relocation Conference and President of the Queen of All Saints, Parish School of Religion (PSR) Advisory Board.
Laura Henneberry
Laura J. Henneberry started in relocation as a closer at a third-party company. Since then, she has held every conceivable position within the industry. Her current duties include client relations, client development, and account management as well as training for both clients and internal employees.
As a member of the initial CRP class of ERC, Laura has also earned her Global Mobility Specialist designation from ERC and in May 2010 received the Senior Global Mobility Specialist designation (SGMS) and the SCRP designation. She is also a certified MAGIC trainer (one of the premiere customer service programs in the country) and holds an Illinois broker real estate license.
Currently, Laura is the secretary-treasurer of the Worldwide ERC Foundation for Workforce Mobility Board of Trustees and is a member of the 2012 National Relocation Conference Program Planning Committee. She has served on Worldwide ERC’s Mobility magazine’s editorial committee as well as the Worldwide ERC US Advisory Council, has been a frequent contributor to Mobility magazine, and has served on the 2009 Global Workforce Fall Symposium Program Planning Committee. She has been both a presenter and a moderator at the ERC conferences. Laura served as President of the Corporate Relocation Council (CRC) in 2006.
Sandy McKinney, CRP, GMS
Vice President, Business Development
Sandy McKinney joined Altair as Vice President of Business Development in 2004. She is based in St. Louis and is responsible for business development in the Midwest territory. She has over twenty-eight years of experience in the relocation industry developing and delivering successful programs.
Background and Professional Experience
Sandy has held positions at SIRVA Relocation, Pinnacle Group Associates, United Van Lines, and Boatmen’s Relocation. Her experience is diverse and covers all aspects of the relocation spectrum. She is a member of the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (WERC) and holds the Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) and Global Mobility Specialist (GMS) designations.
Sandy earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Truman State University. In 2007, Sandy and her 1982 softball teammates were elected into the Truman State University Athletic Hall of Fame. She is active in her community, serving as the 2004/2005 President and 2009/2010 Past President of the Professional Women’s Alliance, the St. Louis affiliate of the National Association of Female Executives. This group holds monthly business meetings with female business leaders from the community as guest speakers. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Lydia’s House, a transitional housing charity for abused women and children. She held the President of the Board of Directors for the St. Louis ERC group and chaired the Midwest Relocation Conference in 2009. She was a panelist at the 2010 MERC conference, 2010 Midwest Relocation Conference and served as the co-chair of the program planning committee for the 2011 Midwest Relocation Conference. She currently serves on the Chicago Relocation Council, CRC as Membership Secretary and is serving as the 2012 Midwest Relocation Conference chair person. Additionally, Sandy has been a volunteer for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization for over five years and works with Beyond Housing for their annual holiday adopt a family campaign.
JOAN OATIS
Title: Administrative Assistant – Corporate Services @ Emerson – 2009-Present In my current role, I’m responsible for the household goods move process at Corporate and act as the liaison between the carrier and Emerson’s corporate employees. When I arrived at Emerson, corporate relocation was a new responsibility and I continue to learn new things every day.
Since joining Emerson in my current role, I have worked closely with Sue Keck in relocation of executives at Corporate and Emerson business units, and have assisted her in policy development regarding global mobility. In 2010 and in tandem with the previous Director, I participated in developing and completing my first RFP process for household goods transportation at Emerson. Prior to working at Emerson, I have worked as an Administrative Assistant, Legal Assistant and Paralegal in a variety of industries for more than 25 years. I am currently a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and have previously volunteered as a reading tutor for the Adult Literacy program through Meramec Community College.
I first joined ERC in 2009 and during my first year assisted at several events.
BA – Business Management with a Minor in Media Communications – Webster University
AAS – Paralegal Studies – St Louis Community College – Meramec
Bradley Shepard
Brad’s experience in the relocation industry spans 15 years. Brad has been with Cartus for the last 11 years, managing both domestic and international sales for numerous Midwestern and Western states. Prior to joining Cartus, Brad worked as Sales anager for The Impact Group in St. Louis managing the Southeastern & Eastern regions. For much of his relocation career Brad has been an active member of St. Louis ERC, other regional groups and ERC and holds the CRP designation. In addition to his relocation sales background, Brad has held positions in marketing, financial services, and commercial property management/development. Brad is a graduate of Spring Hill College and St. Louis University High School. Brad currently lives in the St. Louis area with his wife and three children.
Larry Sontag
My background includes 25+ years of mortgage, finance, real estate and third party relocation industry experience, as well as previously serving 4 years on the STL Regional ERC board. I am a member and have served as a committee member, or panelist, or speaker and/or conducted Webinar’s for one or more of these ERC groups: WERC, STL REG ERC, MARC, Midwest ERC and CRC. I reside in St. Louis County and am very committed to see the STL Regional ERC remain a focused successful leader in the global relocation industry. I am currently employed by Fidelity Residential Solutions, a division of Fidelity National Financial, as VP National Business Development, providing title insurance and home inspection services. Thanks for your support, Larry
