Dean joined Patagonia’s leadership team as Vice President for Human Resources and Shared Services in May 2015. In his role, Dean provides strategic leadership and direction of Patagonia’s global human resources, finance and legal teams. He’s charged with developing initiatives to support Patagonia’s nearly 2,000 employees in carrying out Patagonia’s mission. Broadly, Dean believes a company has a responsibility to support its employees through life and family transitions, as well as invigorate workers to chase their passions inside and outside of work. Before joining Patagonia, Dean was Chief Human Resources Officer with Sears Holdings, Inc. There, he supported more than 220,000 employees in the United States and Asia and partnered directly with more than 30 Business Unit Presidents. He also was chairman of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Foundation. Previously, Dean served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Fossil, Inc., for nine years where he was the top HR officer supporting over 8,000 employees across 23 countries during a period of significant international expansion.

Mike Isaac is a technology reporter for The New York Times, where he covers start-ups and the rise of the "on-demand economy." Previously, he reported on Facebook and Twitter as a Senior Editor at Re/code and AllThingsD, and was a staff writer at WIRED covering Google. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English Literature, he lives in a small Brooklyn apartment with his wife, Sarah, and large Bernese Mountain Dog, Bruna.