After an extensive review of all applications, the Nominating Committee has selected the four candidates below for nomination as a slate to help CXPA achieve its multi-year objectives. Learn more about these nominees and their vision for the future of CXPA.

Gökhan Kara, CCXP
Customer Experience Manager
Enerjisa
Istanbul, Turkey
Gökhan is the founder of CXPA Istanbul Network, which won both "Most Innovative CX Day Event" and "Best Emerging Network" in its first year. Gökhan is passionate about advancing the CX community in Turkey, Europe and beyond, serving as a judge for several international CX Awards programs, and connecting with more than 4,000 individuals on LinkedIn. He has distinguished himself as the first and only CCXP in Turkey and is a 2019 CXPA Impact Award Winner. As a CX practitioner, Gökhan has experience in the telecom, banking and energy sectors. His vision for Board service is to help CXPA reach more people globally by empowering members to share CXPA’s value.

Michelle Morris, CCXP
Customer Experience Design Partner
Verizon
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Michelle is a long-time CXPA member, a winner of both a 2014 CXPA Impact Award and a 2015 CXPA Innovation Award, a session leader and an accomplished mentor of several CXPA members. In addition to CXPA, Michelle has been a speaker for the Forrester CX Council. Her professional works have been referenced in more than 20 Forrester and XM Institute/Temkin research pieces, including a featured Forrester case study in May 2019. Michelle’s vision for Board service includes helping CXPA not only grow membership and engagement but also working to enhance the CXPA’s involvement with universities and business schools.

Amy Shioji, CCXP
Vice President, Customer Experience & Insights (Head of Customer Experience)
Strategic Education, Inc.
Reston, Virginia, USA
Amy is an active CXPA volunteer, having served as a CXPA mentor and on various CXPA volunteer groups, including a measurement task force and CCXP advisory board. Most recently, she has led the "Making the Most of Your CCXP" sub-committee and helped produce the ‘Taking the Next Step in Your CX Career’ webinar for CX Day 2019. Amy is a strong believer in the CCXP and makes it a point to include language and requirements around CCXP certification for open job requisitions around CX, strategy, planning, and enablement-related organizational roles.
Amy is keenly interested in CX and organizational strategy, particularly in regard to data strategy, governance, and AI. Her vision for Board service includes a focus on ensuring that CX professionals and the CX profession remain relevant and continue to serve as a value-add to organizations. In addition to keeping a pulse on how CX professionals lead and implement data and AI-enabled experiences, Amy sees tremendous opportunity for the CXPA to partner with colleges and universities to advance CX and the CCXP certification. Amy notes that her position as a leader within a company focused on helping adult students advance their careers and improve their lives provides a perfect complement to her near-endless passion for CX and CXPA.

Kathy van de Laar, CCXP
Partner
EarlyBridge BV
Amsterdam, Nederland
Support and advocacy for CXPA:
Kathy initiated the CXPA network group in the Netherlands, working with a team to actively recruit additional team members and CXPA members. Kathy was the first CCXP in the Netherlands and continues to work as an informal coach for people interested in preparing for the CCXP exam. As a result, the Netherlands has a high concentration of CCXPs. She is also engaged with two business schools in the Netherlands, delivers in-company programs where she promotes the CXPA and CCXP, and has served as a CXPA mentor. Kathy brings an understanding of the needs of the non-US/international community and the experience to create a more balanced, international organization. Kathy would like to play a role in growing the CXPA international membership by making interactions with members and future members more engaging, easier to execute and simpler to understand.