Amy Schabacker Dufrane, Ed.D., SPHR, CAE, is CEO of HRCI® — HR Certification Institute and the founder and CEO of HRSI — HR Standards Institute; these two organizations are the world’s premier certifying and learning organizations for the human resources profession. She is responsible for driving and disrupting the conversations on building high-performing, strategic HR teams and organizations. Dr. Dufrane has dedicated her career to innovating human capital strategies for progressive organizations. Under her leadership, HRCI acts as the international secretariat for setting Global HR standards through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Technical Committee (TC) 260. In her role at HRCI, Dr. Dufrane leads the enterprise as it helps companies, and their employees, navigate the demands of the modern-day workplace through certification, learning and training programs aligned with the highest international standards. Prior to joining HRCI in 2011, Dr. Dufrane spent two decades working as a human resources executive in the public, regulatory, private and education sectors.
Recognizing that today’s organizations exist amidst constantly shifting technologies, environments and laws, Dr. Dufrane develops and delivers agile and actionable resources and thought leadership for the HR and business community. She is the co-founder and creator of the Alchemizing HR webinar and summit series, the co-author of the book Alchemizing HR: Your Formula for the New Era and the facilitator, author and motivator behind The Rise of HR: The Future of Work with 73 HR thought leaders, including Dave Ulrich. Dr. Dufrane has a doctorate in education from The George Washington University, an MBA and MA from Marymount University, and a BS from Hood College. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources® (SPHR®) certification from HRCI and a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives, The Center for Association Leadership.
An accomplished business leader and celebrated industry voice, Dr. Dufrane’s recent honors include the Human Resource Executive magazine Top 100 HR Tech Influencers, Global Impact Award of Distinction from the Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness, Globee® Award for Women in Business, Inspiring Leaders Award from Inspiring Workplaces and ISA Business of the Year from ISA. Dr. Dufrane is a frequent public speaker who champions human capital investment as a core component of corporate strategy, appearing on global stages and in popular publications.
She serves on the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, the Board of the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, the Board of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) and as a member of the Economic Club and the CEO Roundtable.