Program
The 2024 Symposium will include dynamic keynote and closing sessions, 9 additional breakout sessions, and a high-impact CHRO panel. The full day conference will include plenty of time for networking with colleagues and sponsors, as we connect and learn from some of the best in our region and beyond.
Stay tuned for full program details.
Check out the 2023 Session information, as we prepare for the 2024 Symposium.
Conference Agenda
8:10am Event Kick-Off
8:25am CHRO Panel
9:30am Break
9:45am Breakout Sessions
10:45am Break
11:00am Keynote Speaker
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Breakout Sessions
2:00pm Break
2:15pm Breakout Sessions
3:15pm Break
3:30pm Closing Session
4:30pm Event Ends
4:30pm-6:30pm Emerging Leaders Networking Happy Hour
Session Descriptions
Future Proof Your Workforce Now: 5 Strategies to Upskill Your Talent
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
Does your workforce currently have the skills to compete in the digital world of tomorrow? The world economic forum reported in the next five years that that 85 million jobs will be gone due to automation, but 97 million jobs will be created. Companies need to respond and implement upskilling and reskilling initiatives in order remain competitive in this fast-paced digital technology world.
During this dynamic, interactive session we’ll cover the following ways you can future proof your workforce:
- Learn the basics of upskilling and reskilling and the critical differences and applications
- Learn how to identify and create a robust skills taxonomy to determine skill gaps as well as metrics to track your progress
- Learn how to create and use a “holistic skills profile” for employees that determine their career path and career fulfillment
- Learn how to build an infrastructure to analyze employee skills gaps and quickly serve up opportunities for training and development
- Learn how to create a culture of joint responsibility and accountability that lead to employee retention and fulfillment
CHRO Panel - 8:25am - 9:30am
CHRO Panel
Moderator Charity Hughes
Panelists Peter Adebi, Erin Bushnell, Melissa Sims and Colleen Stratton
Moderator Charity Hughes
Panelists Peter Adebi, Erin Bushnell, Melissa Sims and Colleen Stratton
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
Do you want to know what some of the top HR leaders from our region are doing to adjust and enhance their organization’s talent strategies? Join us for a thought-provoking panel conversation to explore the events of the past year and impact of current topics from electoral concerns to the shifting labor market. These leaders will share their experience and perspectives on the talent ecosystems and the most relevant levers for today’s employees. Attendees will hear how the panelists dealt with the challenges within their organization and learn innovative ways they were addressed. Lastly the panelists will discuss their outlook for the future of work in the area.
Key Takeaways
- Learning from leading CHROs on how they have overcome business challenges associated with the pandemic
- Obtain knowledge on the impact these strategies had on their companies
- Use the knowledge to incorporate strategies in their organizations for the future
- Understand the implications for HR organizations in the Philadelphia region
Breakout Session 1 – 9:45am-10:45am
Future Proof Your Workforce Now: 5 Strategies to Upskill Your Talent
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
Does your workforce currently have the skills to compete in the digital world of tomorrow? The world economic forum reported in the next five years that that 85 million jobs will be gone due to automation, but 97 million jobs will be created. Companies need to respond and implement upskilling and reskilling initiatives in order remain competitive in this fast-paced digital technology world.
During this dynamic, interactive session we’ll cover the following ways you can future proof your workforce:
- Learn the basics of upskilling and reskilling and the critical differences and applications
- Learn how to identify and create a robust skills taxonomy to determine skill gaps as well as metrics to track your progress
- Learn how to create and use a “holistic skills profile” for employees that determine their career path and career fulfillment
- Learn how to build an infrastructure to analyze employee skills gaps and quickly serve up opportunities for training and development
- Learn how to create a culture of joint responsibility and accountability that lead to employee retention and fulfillment
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Driving Sustaining Change
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
We are living in a world where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) are at the forefront. The impact Diversity, Equity &Inclusion will have across the Business Landscape will continue to grow. You have to take a holistic approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion ensuring it is embedding throughout the lifeline of the organization. You also must embed diversity and inclusion throughout the life cycle of the employee. When you work to do both, you will create a competitive advantage for the organization.
Participants will:
- learn how you create a holistic DE&I strategy to drive a more inclusive work environment
- understand the importance of integrated DE&I into the aspects of the business
- learn how to combat the disruption that is occurring as we drive equity across the organization
Neurodiversity Landscape: Understanding Current Practices for Neuroinclusion
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
In this session, you will learn about neurodiversity & inclusion in the workplace. The session will highlight different approaches taken by companies across industries and sizes to create a more neuroinclusive workplace. An interactive component will allow participants to examine their current organization’s policies and practices to identify areas of potential change.
- Participants will understand the concept of neurodiversity
- Participants will better understand how neurodivergent employees and candidates might be impacted by organizational practices
- Participants will identify areas in which they can influence positive change in their organizations
Keynote Session - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Stop Trying, Just Do It!
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
A keynote which is Academic + relatable + practical learnings that people can utilize regardless of their position/title… C-suite, entrepreneur, team member.
Attendees will leave with real life examples and tips of overcoming personal and professional challenges. The talk will be centered around understanding how the human mind works in challenging situations and how through practice, courage and failing forward, anyone can reach their goals.
Marcus will use his professional and personal challenges and triumphs to walk the attendees through how they can achieve more in life and career (recent summiting of Mt. Kilamanjaro). His remarks on your personal 5E’s that drive life and business success: Experience, Education, Environment, EQ, & Execution will give the audience a foundational understanding that will equip them with the knowledge to be confident in their respective journeys and positively impact their productivity to improve the bottom line of their companies. Learning Objectives:
- Self Actualization – revealing purpose in your leadership
- Inspiring employees through authenticity and vision –
- Active listening as an advantage to engaging diverse groups – DEI
- Cheat code to corporate mentorship – name dropping vs name saying
- Using human insight to improve your performance
- 1 simple email that can change your leadership forever
Breakout Session 2 - 1:00pm-2:00pm
Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
Inspired by the best-selling book of the same title, this presentation focuses on harnessing the power of your voice to create the life and career you desire. Award-winning, Certified Professional Career Coach, Joyel Crawford draws on her two decades of experience in career and leadership development to share practical strategies on how to build momentum by using one’s voice to advocate for themselves at any stage of one’s career.
In this presentation, Crawford explores topics like effective negotiation, giving/receiving feedback, and work burnout prevention in a way that inspires audiences to take concerted action to create the career and lives they desire without losing themselves in the process.
Sponsored By:
B.E.A.S.T. MODE: Beating Everyday Annoying Stress Together LEADING DURING TIMES OF CHANGE, CHALLENGE AND CONFUSION
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
Participants will learn how stress can negatively affect our bodies and minds. There will be some explanation around stress and the release of cortisol and the ways it negatively affects people.
Through interactive exercises participants will identify how they respond in stressful situations (much like an organizational change). There will be a staged disruption early on which we will use as a case study for exploratory conversation.
Key Takeaways:
Participants will learn the 4 keys to getting over the obstacle of stress aka change aka drama together. Several components come into play here – participants can be from various companies and various industries. This will be interactive, they will have an opportunity to identify what they consider to be mission critical during times of stress (through an inventory). This will come in handy when it’s time to execute and problem solve.
Strike the Right Chord: The Six Essential “Notes” for Optimizing Team Success
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
What does it mean to strike the right chord?
The Beatles knew what it meant. So did Prince, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Whitney Houston. The Rolling Stones know what it means. Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters and Lady Gaga do as well.
When musicians strike the right chord, they perform in a way that profoundly moves their audience, energizes fellow band members, and uplifts millions of people around the world. But you don’t have to be a musician to strike the right chord at work. Great teams strike the right chord consistently. They understand great performance results from a culture where people want to give their best every day. They recognize that creating and sustaining such a culture – day in and day out – demands constant attention and commitment. And they believe nothing is more important.
In this uniquely entertaining, high-energy session, Dr. Michael Brenner — a leadership consultant, executive coach, educator and professional musician — will discuss 6 essential “notes” teams must play for peak performance. These notes comprise the CHORDS Model: Communication, Harmony, Ownership, Respect, Direction, and Support. When teams play these 6 notes, the resulting groove is unmistakable: engagement soars, trust skyrockets, and productivity surges.
Participants will:
- Learn the 6 notes of the CHORDS Model and why they are essential for team success
- Recognize the behaviors associated with each note of the Model
- Understand how to incorporate the 6 notes of the Model into their own team for peak performance
Breakout Session 3 - 2:15pm - 3:15pm
From Reactive to Proactive: Inclusive Communications in HR
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
Organizational cultures committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion feature human resource departments that intentionally design communications that recognize and address the realities of their employees. Understanding how to anticipate, communicate about, and take intentional action around events that disproportionately impact employees from marginalized groups is an often overlooked but essential skill for HR professionals. This session will provide participants with strategies to move from reactive to proactive when addressing events that impact their lives and, therefore, their work.
Participants will learn:
Strategies to be proactive in the creation of HR communications Keys to assess when an HR-related communication (other word) is needed Ensuring that the “human” focus of HR is centered as a key strategy in inclusion
Dear Helga is Back and 2023 Is Going to Be Complicated!
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 HR (General) HRCI Credit
We’ve all said it: “I would write a book, but who would believe these stories are true?” Unfortunately, many of the tales from are far too real! Dear Helga will examine the complicated and topics issues confronting human resources professionals in 2023. While it is far too soon to determine exactly on what Helga will focus, there is little doubt, given the current HR landscape, that the concerns will impact all of us. Designed for Human Resources professionals, this fast-paced 60-minute session will focus on uncommon HR issues and examine practical, business-focused solutions that you can use immediately to solve those problems.
Participants will:
- Understand the complicated HR issues discussed and focus on not only the legal, but also the possible business-focused solutions.
- Appreciate the relevant employment laws implicated by confounding human resources issues.
- Recognize when and how best to approach organizational leadership when complicated issues arise.
How to Transform your HR Data into HR Actions
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
This session is for those smart HR and People leaders who already know using HR data is important, but want to better understand how using HR data can lead to making actions, that will have real impact on the business. With all the hype around buzzwords including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics, it be can overwhelming for HR leaders to know where to start, but this session will help set you on the right path.
On this journey, we will kick things off discussing why your HR role should be viewed as “Product Manager” for the workforce, with the employee being the customer buying and using your “product”. With so much emphasis now on designing the best employee experience possible, thinking of the workforce as your product will help you see why data is so important in building, designing, and optimizing your “workforce product”.
As we begin to discuss the HR data journey, we’ll highlight the current state of HR leaders using data, discuss why it’s important to follow through and actually complete your HR data initiatives, and review the actual reasons why you’re using HR data in the first place. If you don’t have a strong reason why you’re using HR data, and you’re just doing it because it sounds like the right thing to do, you’ll fail before you even start.
We’ll then start to breakdown the stages of making your HR data actionable, why it’s important for you to understand your business in order to make any real impact, and why you should always begin your HR data efforts by trying to solve prioritized and urgent business problems. By solving a real business problem, your chances of
getting executive buy-in and budget for your HR efforts will increase exponentially.
Lastly, we’ll cover a few workforce areas to show examples of the transformation of HR data to HR actions, discuss how the data can point you in the direction of multiple HR actions, and then review the responsibility HR leaders have when it comes to managing sensitive HR data.
If you want to become that data-driven HR leader we know you can become, this session is for you!
Key Takeaways:
- How to move along the four stages of the HR data journey including data, information, insights, and actions.
- Why and how you need to align your HR data strategy with actual business problems.
- How to make a business case with HR data to get budget and buy-in.
Closing Session - 3:30pm - 4:30pm
How to Lead to Change
Approved for 1 SHRM PDC & 1 Business HRCI Credit
Change is inevitable; growth is a choice! Enhance your team’s leadership, communication skills, professionalism, and work/life harmony through change and in spite of change; developing leaders your organization can build with!!! The process of change places us all on the corner of “Bitter” and “Better”; both are a choice and “Bitter” has rarely benefited anyone or any organization! Better your work culture, improve employee interaction, and enjoy fewer headaches as your organization enhances personal leadership, leadership skills, communication skills, and work/life harmony with Andre Young!
Key Takeaways:
- C. – Learn the 3C’s of Change: Constant, Consistent, and Confident!
- H. – Stay humble through change as you learn A Leader’s Two-Way Street!
- A. – Learn the Evolving Formulas to manage the things you CAN control and the things you CANNOT or the formula to prevent and work through Burn-out or Bore-Out!
- N. – Learn how to nurse yourself through change and transition!
- G. – Learn how to grow through change and in spite of change, both professionally and personally, with the most powerful question a leader can ask!
- E. – How to stay excited through change with A Leader Vision & A Leader’s Construction Talk!