JOHN LUKE SPITLER

John Luke Spitler is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive, speaker and author with over 25 years of experience serving companies across nearly every sector in the development of their culture and talent strategies. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer for The Encompass Group, a leading People Optimization firm based in Dallas, Texas.  John Luke is often referred to as the “story collector,” and is passionate about understanding the background and history of the leaders and organizations he works with to help them positively shape their future. His emphasis on those details brings a unique collaborative experience to his clients. More than simply doing business, John Luke sees organizational transformation as a way to positively impact the future of employment and is passionate about helping leaders create purpose-driven companies. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.  In addition to his responsibilities at The Encompass Group, he is also dedicated to multiple non-profit organizations serving on various boards. John Luke enjoys traveling the world and creating new experiences with his wife Courtney and their 4 children.

DR. TONY BRIDWELL

 Dr. Tony Bridwell is an organizational behaviorist with 25-plus years of experience working with global organizations related to employee experience and culture. As Chief Talent Officer for The Encompass Group, a people optimization company, he leads the Firm’s organizational consulting practice and serves as Practice Leader of the E3 Leadership Academy. Most recently, Dr. Bridwell led the award-winning People Group function of the global tax and technology firm Ryan, LLC as their Chief People Officer. Before his role at Ryan, he was the Chief People Officer for Brinker International and a Senior Partner with the global culture consultancy Culture Partners. 

Tony is an accomplished author of seven books, an international speaker, having presented in 44 countries, and a sought-after consultant and advisor specializing in purpose and culture. Dr. Bridwell was selected as the 2015 HR Executive of the Year by Dallas HR (the local SHRM affiliate), won the 2015 Strategic Leadership Award from Strategic Excellence HR, and was most recently recognized as a 2022 top 50 HR Professional by OnCon Icon Awards. 

Dr. Bridwell's academic journey is as diverse as his professional one, with studies in architecture, theology, and business culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Business, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, and a Doctorate in Organizational Intelligence. His commitment to education extends to his role as an adjunct professor at SMU in Dallas, where he teaches MBA students Executive Leadership. Beyond academia, he is deeply involved in various organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the board of directors for Southwest Transplant Alliance. His personal commitment to organ donation, as a living organ donor, is a testament to his belief in the power of purpose and the potential to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. 

ROBERT RICH, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Robert Rich is Vice President of Transformational Consulting at The Encompass Group, where he works with executive teams to align leadership, culture, and organizational systems in ways that drive sustainable performance. His work focuses on helping organizations translate strategic ambition into the structures, behaviors, and leadership practices that produce measurable results.

Robert partners with senior leaders on executive development, organizational design, culture alignment, and HR transformation, and advises organizations navigating periods of significant change, including mergers, acquisitions, and organizational restructuring. His work often centers on helping leadership teams align people strategy and HR infrastructure to support integration, scalability, and long term enterprise value.

He is a frequent speaker on leadership, culture, and the evolving role of HR in business strategy, and was recently recognized as DallasHR’s 2025 Consultant of the Year. Robert earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Texas and holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.