Our Leadership

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

Chair, Executive Compensation Committee Worldwide Board of Trustees

President and Chief Executive Officer SHRM

With nearly 325,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 235 million workers and families globally.

Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers, and the workplace. Recently named one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s Capital by the Washingtonian Magazine, he is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, “Ask HR.”

Mr. Taylor's career spans over 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive and CEO. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/Interactive Corp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm, Compass Group USA, and most recently, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which delivers a forward-thinking vision and data-driven strategies for leaders to implement a foundational reset of all things work. Immediately upon its release in September 2021, RESET was in the top three of the Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books. 

He served as chairman of the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and as a member of the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board during the Trump Administration. He is a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees, Independent Director of the Flores & Associates corporate board and a member of the corporate boards of Guild Education and XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO).

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) named Mr. Taylor as one of its 2023 Trailblazers in Gender Equity and Diversity; the Academy of Management awarded him the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award in 2020; and CEO Update named him the 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C.