Stephanie Bryson

General Dynamics NASSCO, Vice President of Human Resources

Stephanie (Steph) Bryson has more than 28 years of Human Resources experience with General Dynamics across multiple business units and locations. She moved to San Diego to become General Dynamics NASSCO’s Vice President of Human Resources in September 2022. NASSCO has been designing, building, and repairing ships since 1960. Today, the company conducts work in four ports in the United States and around the world.

Steph holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and a Certified Human Resources Leader designation. Steph has a passion for collaborative leadership and helping HR professionals to stay relevant in business. Proud mama of two strong women and spouse to a veteran of the Canadian military, in her free time she enjoys swimming and discovering the many outdoor wonders of the San Diego region.

Maritza Diaz

ITJ USA, CEO

Maritza Diaz, with more than 25 years of leadership in the tech and software engineering sectors, is renowned for her expertise in digital transformation and agile methodologies. As the current CEO of ITJ, Maritza leverages the region’s digital talent to serve life sciences companies. Her efforts have resulted in the creation of over 1,000 jobs, propelling ITJ into Inc. Magazine’s top 18% of rapidly growing US companies. In addition to her role at ITJ, she currently serves on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Shaun Paluczak, PHR

Taylor Guitars, Vice President of Human Resources

Shaun Paluczak is the Vice President of Human Resources at Taylor Guitars, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium acoustic and electric guitars. In her role, Mrs. Paluczak retains global responsibility for talent acquisition and development, workplace safety and health, and total compensation for over 1000 employees, world-wide. She has been an integral strategic partner in Taylor Guitars global expansion; including the start-up of Taylor’s European distribution center in Amsterdam, where she quickly adapted and learned employment law for seven European countries. Recently she played a significant role in the setup and hiring for Taylor’s Japan sales and distribution center; learning employment law for yet another country. In 2021 Mrs. Paluczak helped lead the implementation and education surrounding Taylor Guitars becoming a 100% employee owned company. In her tenure with Taylor, she has improved company practices around talent selection and development, from entry level workforce to Senior Leadership. She is responsible for ensuring organizational policies and practices support a culture that is high-performing, collaborative, and one of mutual respect amongst team members.

Prior to joining Taylor Guitars, Mrs. Paluczak got her start in HR working for Wild Oats Markets, wherein she gained experience in multi-state HR management as well as a merger/acquisition. She has received numerous awards for HR excellence including the HR Professional of the Year from the San Diego Business Journal in 2011. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Indiana University, is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

Danene Brown

San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges, Regional Consortium Chair

Dr. Danene Brown is the Regional Consortium Chair for the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges. She represents the Career Education programs at the 10 regional community colleges: Cuyamaca College, Grossmont College, Imperial Valley College, MiraCosta College, Palomar College, San Diego City College, San Diego Continuing Education, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College, and Southwestern College. Dr. Brown has over 25 years of experience working in the California Community College system spanning multiple San Diego community colleges. During her career, she has served in various administrative positions overseeing workforce development and career education programs. Her positions included: Dean of the School of Business & Technology, Instructional Dean of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Interim Dean of the School of Social & Behavior Science and Multicultural Studies, and Associate Dean of Teacher Education & International Education.

In addition to these roles, Dr. Brown has served as the Chair for the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges’ Workforce Development Council and has participated in the planning and implementation of the State’s Strong Workforce Program initiative, which has created an infrastructure to support Career programs to better serve students at the local and regional levels. She has collaborated with regional Economic Development Corporations, K-12 schools, and the Offices of Education for San Diego and Imperial Counties to develop and implement workforce development programs. D. Brown has a doctorate in Leadership Studies from University of San Diego, a Masters of Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.