62 sessions

10:00 AM CST - Saturday, Nov 14

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov 14
    Saturday, Nov 14
    Visit Registration to pick up your badge.
    • Saturday, Nov 1410:00 AM - 6:00 PM CST

7:00 AM CST - Sunday, Nov 15

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Sunday, Nov 15
    7:00 a.m. Sunday, Nov 15
    Visit Registration to pick up your badge.
    • Sunday, Nov 157:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST

12:00 PM CST - Sunday, Nov 15

  • Preconference Workshop
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Sunday, Nov 15
    12:00 p.m. Sunday, Nov 15

    Additional fee and registration required

     

    HR professionals and leaders must balance employee trust, legal risks, compliance, and business goals in their daily decisions. Federal mandates require employers to be accountable for both current and previous practices implemented in the workplace. Employers must anticipate the consequences of choices, but this is often challenging to learn in real time. This workshop helps close the gap in second and third-order learning.

     

    This workshop blends instructional moments with scenario-based group work, supported by a BLUEPRINT for Inclusion & Diversity decision log that captures key choices and downstream impacts. The Decision Point is a simulation that allows participants, in small working groups, to experience real-world trade-offs firsthand. Participants can even opt in to role-aligned tracks to strengthen relevance to their day-to-day decisions. Join this pre-conference workshop for your chance to engage in an experiential learning activity while making peer connections.

     

    Learning Objectives

    • Identify key inclusion, compliance, and legal risk considerations in workplace scenarios
    • Apply role-specific decision-making frameworks to complex situations
    • Evaluate the short- and long-term impacts (second- and third-order effects) of decisions
    • Differentiate between low-risk and high-risk response options in real-time scenarios
    • Collaborate with peers to analyze tradeoffs and arrive at informed decisions

    , VP, Workforce Analytics & Compliance Strategy, DCI Consulting Group, Inc.

    • Sunday, Nov 1512:30 PM - 5:00 PM CST

5:00 PM CST - Sunday, Nov 15

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Sunday, Nov 15
    5:00 p.m. Sunday, Nov 15
    Join your fellow attendees and mingle with solution providers during a fun evening of networking and entertainment as we kick off our time together in Music City!
    • Sunday, Nov 155:30 PM - 7:00 PM CST
  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Sunday, Nov 15
    5:00 p.m. Sunday, Nov 15
    Commemorate and make the most of your experience by visiting the SHRM Store, your go-to destination for premium HR resources and exclusive conference merchandise. Explore bestselling books, enhance your wardrobe, renew your SHRM membership, and discover practical solutions for your organization. Don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of conference-only offers and bring back a piece of ATW for yourself and your team members who could not attend.
    • Sunday, Nov 155:30 PM - 7:00 PM CST

7:00 AM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Monday, Nov 16
    7:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Visit Registration to pick up your badge.
    • Monday, Nov 167:00 AM - 5:30 PM CST
  • Meal Times
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Monday, Nov 16
    7:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Start the day off right with breakfast alongside your BLUEPRINT for I&D colleagues.
    • Monday, Nov 167:30 AM - 9:00 AM CST

8:00 AM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    8:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    8:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Commemorate and make the most of your experience by visiting the SHRM Store, your go-to destination for premium HR resources and exclusive conference merchandise. Explore bestselling books, enhance your wardrobe, renew your SHRM membership, and discover practical solutions for your organization. Don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of conference-only offers and bring back a piece of ATW for yourself and your team members who could not attend.
    • Monday, Nov 168:00 AM - 4:15 PM CST

9:00 AM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Plenary Session
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    9:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16

    BLUEPRINT for I&D 2026 opens in Nashville with a keynote from two of the nation's leading voices on law, inclusion, and belonging: Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and David Glasgow, the Meltzer Center's founding Executive Director and an Adjunct Professor at NYU School of Law. Co-authors of Say the Right Thing and How Equality Wins, they have become essential guides for organizations navigating the legal and cultural crosscurrents reshaping workplace inclusion. Yoshino and Glasgow will frame today's compliance landscape — including the implications of Ames v. Ohio and a shifting federal posture — and offer a clear-eyed view of what legally sound, effective inclusion work looks like now.

    , Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law, Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

    , Founding Executive Director, Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

    • Monday, Nov 169:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST

10:00 AM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Find the right business solutions with our diverse line-up of exhibitors and sponsors and continue to connect with your peers throughout the day during All Things Work Marketplace open hours.
    • Monday, Nov 1610:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST
  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    As you make your way to your next session, stop by the All Things Work Marketplace to connect with solutions providers or grab a refreshment to keep you energized for a morning of learning!
    • Monday, Nov 1610:00 AM - 10:30 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Defend and expand inclusion investment with a CFO-grade business case.
    Build the psychological safety every other inclusion practice depends on.
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Belonging has become one of the most cited and most abused terms in workplace inclusion, and the research base has moved much faster than the practice has caught up. This session brings the empirical view. We will distinguish the interventions that produce durable engagement and retention outcomes from the ones that produce photo opportunities, and will show attendees what research and collaborators' work suggests about where to invest inclusion budget in 2026 and 2027. This is a research session designed for senior HR practitioners who need to translate academic findings into operational decisions, and who need to defend those decisions to skeptical executive stakeholders. Attendees leave with a decision framework grounded in evidence rather than intuition.

    , Assistant Professor of Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

    • Monday, Nov 1610:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Broadening the Workforce Funnel
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Understand how disruptive demographics will impact the post Covid-19 world of business—and society more generally.
    Identify strategies to navigate potentially adverse effect of gale force demographic wind gusts
    Gain knowledge of the policy domains where advocacy is needed to ensure business competitiveness in a global marketplace where the new normal is “certain-uncertainty.”
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Seven powerful demographic trends—analogous to gale force wind gusts in an adverse weather event—constitute potentially powerful disruptors of business and commerce in the years ahead. Four of the gale force demographic disruptors—slowing total and foreign-born population growth, white population loss, and declining fertility—have evolved over the past several decades. Th remaining three—deaths of despair, involuntary retirements, and declining labor force participation—are rooted in recent crises that have created a major demographic depression in the U.S. Failure to address these forces has enormous implications for talent recruitment, development, and retention, prime drivers of U.S. business competitiveness in an ever-changing and increasingly diverse global marketplace.

    , William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    • Monday, Nov 1610:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
  • Roundtable Discussion
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    When the goal is building inclusive teams that work well together, perform at a high level, and exemplify your organizational values, it is important to go beyond acronyms and ask hard questions. This discussion will ask (and offer some answers to) What actually drives Inclusion? What feels right for our organization? And, Is it possible to value people and avoid the negative backlash that seems so prevalent currently?

    , National Director of Client Training, Ogletree Deakins

    • Monday, Nov 1610:30 AM - 11:15 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Recognize Early Warning Signs and Legal Risks: Identify patterns, triggers, and compliance protocols to anticipate and mitigate potential legal or reputational crises.
    Develop Effective Crisis Management Strategies: Build proactive plans, including scenario planning, rapid response teams, and post-crisis review mechanisms to ensure organizational readiness.
    Enhance Leadership and Communication During Crises: Foster resilient leadership behaviors, transparent communication, stakeholder engagement, and media response to protect reputation and accountability.
    Show on Catalog
    10:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    This session addresses the critical intersection of legal compliance, reputational risk, and leadership preparedness when workplace issues escalate into crises. Designed for executives, HR leaders, and diversity professionals, it provides actionable frameworks to anticipate, respond, and recover from high-stakes incidents that threaten organizational integrity and trust.

    , Founder & CEO, Mitchell + Mintner

    • Monday, Nov 1610:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST

11:00 AM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Meal Times
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    11:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Time to pick up your lunch and meet with solution partners and fellow attendees. Enjoy the opportunity to eat and network in the All Things Wokr Marketplace.
    • Monday, Nov 1611:30 AM - 1:00 PM CST

1:00 PM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Manage the fastest-rising accommodation categories with policies that scale.
    Reduce federal enforcement risk without retreating from inclusion practice.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Religious accommodation is the fastest-rising employee-relations category in the country, and it is the one most employers are least prepared to address. This session brings decades of practice at the intersection of faith, workplace, and civil rights law to the Employee Experience track. We will walk attendees through the accommodation landscape in 2026 (dress, prayer, scheduling, dietary practice, expression), the case law shaping employer obligations after Groff v. DeJoy, and the day-to-day practices that turn accommodation from a compliance burden into a durable employee experience advantage. Expect real scripts, not slogans: guidance for managers that hold up, policies that scale across a multinational footprint, and a framework for handling the harder cases before they escalate. Attendees leave with a religious accommodation diagnostic, a manager playbook, and a clearer read on their own institutional exposure.

    , Chief Executive Officer, Tanenbaum

    • Monday, Nov 161:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Convert inclusion into a board-reportable governance discipline.
    Defend and expand inclusion investment with a CFO-grade business case.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    The organizations navigating the current environment most effectively are the ones that stopped treating inclusion, sustainability, and ESG as separate governance conversations. This session walks attendees through PwC's own approach to integrating I&D into a durable, board-defensible governance model. This is a systems-level session for senior HR, legal, and strategy leaders who need to defend inclusion oversight to boards, investors, and regulators simultaneously. Russell will show attendees the reporting cadence, the materiality assessments, and the governance architecture that make inclusion outcomes travel alongside sustainability and ESG metrics under one durable framework. Attendees leave with a governance blueprint they can adapt to their own board and audit-committee structures.
    • Monday, Nov 161:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Use a practical Listen–Respond–Reinforce framework to recognize warning signs, navigate sensitive employee-relations moments, and turn individual incidents into stronger workplace practices.
    Participants will practice language for acknowledging impact, setting clear expectations, protecting privacy, and supporting repair without avoiding accountability or escalating unnecessarily.
    The session will also move beyond individual incidents to examine how HR can assess psychological safety over time through employee voice, issue-resolution patterns, inclusion sentiment, and manager behavior.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Trust is built or lost in the moments when an employee raises something inconvenient, sensitive, or difficult to resolve. Psychological safety means employees trust that they can raise concerns, acknowledge mistakes, ask for help, and speak up without being dismissed, or feeling disproportionately penalized. For HR, LGBTQ+ employee experiences can reveal just how strong or fragile that trust really is. What happens when an employee reports repeated misgendering? A manager dismisses an identity-related concern as not workplace relevant? Confidentiality is breached during a coming-out or workplace transition process?

    , Senior Learning and Development Manager, Out & Equal

    • Monday, Nov 161:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Broadening the Workforce Funnel
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Implement structured career-readiness, Career Technical Education (CTE), and mentorship frameworks that re-engage rural youth and opportunity youth into high-demand career pathways.
    Design collaborative college-preparation models between employers, local community colleges, and four-year institutions to deliver localized skill training.
    Identify existing options and growth industries suited for rural expansion or remote integration, including agribusiness, advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and renewable energy.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16

    For decades, rural communities across America faced severe economic disruption as global trade shifts, NAFTA, and agricultural mechanization led industries to exit small towns between the 1980s and early 2000s. As corporate investment and venture capital concentrated heavily inside metropolitan tech corridors, rural communities were systematically left out of national workforce development initiatives, higher education pipelines, and modern career-readiness infrastructure.

    Today, HR leaders face unprecedented talent shortages, while significant percentages of rural youth and young adults remain disconnected from postsecondary education or formal employment.

    This panel addresses how employers, two-year community colleges, and four-year universities can intentionally re-engage rural communities.

    Panelists will examine the historical factors behind rural economic departure, outline actionable options available today, and identify high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, supply chain logistics, and clean energy that can successfully locate in or near rural regions.

    , William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    , Program Officer, Golden LEAF Foundation

    , Interim Associate Provost & Dean, The School of Graduate Studies at North Carolina Central University

    , CHRO, SHRM

    • Monday, Nov 161:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

2:00 PM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Grab a refreshment in the All Things Work Marketplace and see what else our exhibitors are serving up! Then, make your way to the session of your choosing.
    • Monday, Nov 162:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    AI Impacts & Opportunities for Inclusion
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a cornerstone of modern talent acquisition, recruiters and HR professionals must navigate a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest state-level developments in AI employment law and their implications for candidate selection. We'll explore how AI tools—while promising greater efficiency and effectiveness—can also introduce risks of algorithmic bias and non-compliance. Through examples, we'll discuss how organizations can proactively audit and refine their AI-driven hiring practices to ensure fairness, transparency, and legal defensibility.

    , VP, Workforce Analytics & Compliance Strategy, DCI Consulting Group, Inc.

    • Monday, Nov 162:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Evaluate jurisdictional risks and compliance challenges when implementing I&D strategies globally and in the U.S.
    Utilize a decision-making framework to determine the optimal balance between global standardization and local adaptation of inclusion initiatives.
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Global organizations must navigate the complexities of implementing inclusion and diversity (I&D) strategies across multiple jurisdictions, balancing the need for consistency with local adaptation. This session equips senior HR leaders with a practical framework for managing the widening gap between U.S. and international I&D practices, focusing on jurisdictional risk assessment, decision-making criteria for global versus local approaches, and operational shifts expected in high-exposure markets by 2026. Attendees will leave with actionable guidance on standardizing, localizing, and protecting global talent strategies amid evolving compliance requirements, ready to present to their HR leadership teams.

    , Global Head of Inclusion, UCB Inc.

    • Monday, Nov 162:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST
  • Roundtable Discussion
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    So, your organization has a strong culture, and cares about people, but you don’t have a huge training budget. No worries! This discussion will focus on how many organizations have achieved diversity, and inclusion without a massive financial investment. The focus will be on high-impact strategies that pay off big, even with a small budget.

    , National Director of Client Training, Ogletree Deakins

    • Monday, Nov 162:30 PM - 3:15 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Explore the organizational factors that shape women’s decisions to stay, leave, or seek alternative career paths, and how these experiences influence leadership pipelines and business performance.
    Leave with data-driven insights and practical strategies to improve retention, build more resilient leadership pipelines, reduce the costly loss of experienced talent, and accelerate progress toward gender equity.
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Organizations have invested heavily in recruiting women, yet too many continue to lose experienced talent during the critical mid-career years. This is the very stage where future leaders are developed. This “missing middle” or leaky leadership pipeline represents more than a gender equity challenge; it is a costly business problem that affects retention, succession planning, institutional knowledge, and long-term organizational performance. Drawing on the Center for Women in Business’s latest research, this session examines one of today’s most pressing workforce challenges: why organizations are losing experienced women during the critical mid-career years and what leaders can do to retain them.

    , Research Associate, Rutgers Business School

    • Monday, Nov 162:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST

3:00 PM CST - Monday, Nov 16

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    3:00 p.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Cap off the first official day of BLUEPRINT with a stop in the All Things Work Marketplace! Meet solutions providers, connect with your fellow attendees, and make the most of your time in Nashville!
    • Monday, Nov 163:30 PM - 4:00 PM CST

7:00 AM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    7:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Visit Registration to pick up your badge.
    • Tuesday, Nov 177:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST
  • Meal Times
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    7:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Start the day off right with breakfast alongside your BLUEPRINT for I&D colleagues.
    • Tuesday, Nov 177:30 AM - 9:00 AM CST

8:00 AM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Attendee Services
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    8:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    8:00 a.m. Monday, Nov 16
    Monday, Nov 16
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Commemorate and make the most of your experience by visiting the SHRM Store, your go-to destination for premium HR resources and exclusive conference merchandise. Explore bestselling books, enhance your wardrobe, renew your SHRM membership, and discover practical solutions for your organization. Don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of conference-only offers and bring back a piece of ATW for yourself and your team members who could not attend.
    • Tuesday, Nov 178:00 AM - 4:15 PM CST

9:00 AM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Plenary Session
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Stay tuned for details!
    • Tuesday, Nov 179:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST

10:00 AM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Find the right business solutions with our diverse line-up of exhibitors and sponsors and continue to connect with your peers throughout the day during All Things Work Marketplace open hours.
    • Tuesday, Nov 1710:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST
  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    As you make your way to your next session, stop by the All Things Work Marketplace to connect with solutions providers or grab a refreshment to keep you energized for a morning of learning!
    • Tuesday, Nov 1710:00 AM - 10:30 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    AI Impacts & Opportunities for Inclusion
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Distinguish where AI is being adopted with explicit inclusion intent versus incidental effect, and identify which of these categories best describes their own organization's current AI use.
    Compare worker and HR professional perspectives on AI and bias — including where organizations' AI governance policies do and don't address inclusion — to identify blind spots between stated policy and lived experience.
    Evaluate the bias-mitigation approaches most associated with employee confidence and develop a plan for closing the gap between what their organization currently does and what would build trust.
    Show on Catalog
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    AI is often seen as either a new source of hidden bias or a shortcut to fairer outcomes. The reality is that adoption, bias mitigation, and governance all play a key role in whether or not AI works to improve inclusion outcomes. This session examines where AI is actually being used with inclusion in mind, where workers and HR professionals diverge sharply in how much they trust AI versus human judgment to be fair, and how often organizations' AI policies are silent on inclusion even when a policy exists. Additionally, the session explores which mitigation approaches organizations report using — and which ones respondents say would actually build their confidence — including a candid account of where the evidence points to real progress and where it points to unresolved risk.

    , VP, Thought Leadership, SHRM

    • Tuesday, Nov 1710:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    Intermediate
    Employee Engagement & Retention
    Talent Acquisition
    Workforce Management
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Gain a basic understanding of Deaf Culture and how it pertains to the workplace.
    Break down barriers in communication with Deaf and Hard of Hearing applicants and employees.
    Create an inclusive work environment
    Show on Catalog
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    A comprehensive and relevant exploration of Deaf Culture, equipping participants with the knowledge to effectively interact with Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. Attendees will learn about techniques that help bridge communication gaps, practical accommodations and strategies to create a more supportive workplace, and explore ways to foster an inclusive workplace that values diversity and promotes equal opportunities for all employees.

    , Compliance Manager, Pinellas County Office of Human Rights

    , Manager, Recruitment, SAG-AFTRA

    • Tuesday, Nov 1710:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Broadening the Workforce Funnel
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Rebuild the talent funnel around demographic and labor-market reality.
    Defend and expand inclusion investment with a CFO-grade business case.
    Show on Catalog
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    In healthcare, the workforce pipeline and the patient-equity mission are two sides of the same strategy. Avonia Richardson-Miller, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, unpacks how one of the largest health networks in the Northeast builds a clinical and administrative talent pipeline that maps directly to the communities it serves. Richardson-Miller will walk attendees through pipeline design, community partnerships, credentialing pathways, and the specific operational moves that connect workforce composition to patient outcomes. This is a session for HR leaders in healthcare, in regulated industries, and in any organization where the workforce is not separable from the customer or community it serves. Attendees leave with a translatable pipeline framework and a stronger case for pipeline investment in front of finance and operations leadership.
    • Tuesday, Nov 1710:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST

11:00 AM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Meal Times
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Time to pick up your lunch and meet with solution partners and fellow attendees. Enjoy the opportunity to eat and network in the All Things Wokr Marketplace.
    • Tuesday, Nov 1711:30 AM - 1:00 PM CST

1:00 PM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Breakout Session
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Defend and expand inclusion investment.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Some of the most durable inclusion practices in the country are now happening without a DEI title on the door. Terrence Jones, former Head of Strategy,Transformation, and Results Management Office at Mercedes-Benz USA, is one of the practitioners who helped operationalize that shift. Jones will unpack how inclusion can be embedded directly into enterprise transformation, leadership accountability, talent strategy, and business execution—rather than depending on a standalone DEI function. Expect specifics: how transformation advocates elevated diverse voices, how metrics created accountability, how performance and incentive structures reinforced transformation outcomes, and how organizations can build inclusion practices durable enough to withstand changing business and regulatory environments.

    , Founder, C Burns Consulting

    • Tuesday, Nov 171:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Build the psychological safety every other inclusion practice depends on.
    Lead cross-difference dialogue that produces actual movement.
    Show on Catalog
    1:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    The familiar phrase, “The king is dead. Long live the king,” signaled the end of one reign and the beginning of another. This provocative session anchors the Day 2 Employee Experience thread, making a similar case for psychological safety: the familiar framing is no longer enough. Drawing on human behavioral science, neuroscience, and decades of study and experience, Dr. Steve Robbins places psychological safety where it belongs: at the intersection of workplace safety, employee well-being, inclusion, and high performance. He shows how overt and subtle interpersonal threats can undermine inclusion, erode belonging, diminish mattering, and leave people constantly “walking on eggshells,” creating a hidden "cognitive tax." When people must use limited cognitive resources to monitor interpersonal danger, interpret ambiguous signals, manage impressions, and protect themselves, fewer brain resources remain for learning, collaboration, problem-solving, and performance—and often less patience, attention, and emotional presence remain for the people waiting for them at home. In short, when psychological safety is low, so is cognitive and task performance. Attendees will learn to distinguish discomfort from danger, challenge from threat, and accountability from humiliation. They will leave with a practical framework to help managers create safer environments, along with evidence-based language for explaining why psychological safety is not comfort or permissiveness, but a necessary condition for well-being, employee engagement, and high performance.

    , Founder, S.L. Robbins and Associates

    • Tuesday, Nov 171:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

2:00 PM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Networking
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Grab a refreshment in the All Things Work Marketplace and see what else our exhibitors are serving up! Then, make your way to the session of your choosing.
    • Tuesday, Nov 172:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Analyze current Civility Index data (2026)to diagnose and benchmark workplace culture challenges.
    Apply effective strategies to reduce bias and polarization, enhancing team cohesion and engagement.
    Lead initiatives that promote belonging and civility, driving sustainable high performance across the organization.
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    As polarization intensifies across society, organizations must prioritize civility, belonging, and high performance to remain resilient and competitive. This session empowers leaders to proactively address bias and foster inclusive cultures, leveraging the latest Civility Index findings (2026) and up-to-date workplace examples. Participants will gain practical insights and frameworks for transforming divisive challenges into opportunities for collaboration and innovation, ensuring teams thrive in complex environments.

    , Founder, Udarta Consulting LLC

    • Tuesday, Nov 172:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Strategic I&D
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Reframe Inclusion as an organizational philosophy and operating approach that influences how work gets done and connects the human imperative of Inclusion with organizational performance.
    Understand the relationship among Inclusion, Individual and Team Agency and Betterment—how Inclusion creates the conditions for contribution, Agency enables people to act and Betterment directs that action toward improving the work.
    Identify opportunities to improve the everyday interactions that drive organizational performance, enabling people and teams to speak up, contribute different perspectives, solve problems, make better decisions and continuously improve how work gets done. Apply practical principles of Inclusion as the HOW® to engage more of the intelligence, experience and capability already present throughout their organizations.
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Today’s complex, rapidly changing environment requires organizations to tap more of the intelligence, experience, perspectives and capabilities of people throughout the organization. Inclusion as the HOW® moves Inclusion beyond a program or initiative and makes it an organizational philosophy and operating approach—shaping how strategy is developed, decisions are made, problems are solved, meetings are run, and work gets done. This session explores the connection between Inclusion, individual and team agency, continuous Betterment and higher performance. Participants will examine how Inclusion creates the conditions for people to contribute their best work; how agency enables them to act on behalf of their work and the organization; and how Betterment directs that action toward continuously improving the work. The result of this approach is a more inclusive and distributed way of operating in which everyday interactions become opportunities to improve individual, team and organizational performance.

    , CEO, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc.

    , Senior Consultant, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc.

    • Tuesday, Nov 172:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Broadening the Workforce Funnel
    Intermediate
    Corporate Social Responsibility
    Employee Engagement & Retention
    Talent Acquisition
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Identify common hiring barriers that screen out qualified second chance candidates and implement policy changes to broaden the applicant pool.
    Design a second chance hiring program that includes candidate sourcing, onboarding, coaching and retention support in partnership with community-based workforce organizations.
    Understand the business impact of second chance hiring using retention, engagement and productivity metrics to build the internal case for scaling inclusive workforce strategies.
    Show on Catalog
    2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Millions of skilled, motivated workers are shut out of the workforce because of a resume gap, a past mistake, or a life circumstance that does not fit the traditional hiring profile. Second chance hiring flips that script, opening doors for job seekers ready to contribute while giving employers access to a loyal, engaged talent pool. In this session, HR professionals will learn practical strategies to remove hiring barriers, build sustainable second chance programs and partner with community organizations that provide wraparound support for both employees and employers. Attendees will leave with a clear framework to expand inclusive workforces, strengthen retention and drive measurable business results that create lasting benefits for employers, communities, and the economy. Attendees will also hear real-world examples of impact from Better Together's employer partnerships with companies like Chick-fil-A, Publix, FedEx, Disney, AdventHealth and Waste Pro.

    , CEO, Better Together

    • Tuesday, Nov 172:30 PM - 3:30 PM CST

4:00 PM CST - Tuesday, Nov 17

  • Roundtable Discussion
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Show on Catalog
    4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17

    Civility is a discipline. It is what makes hard conversations possible.

    In this interactive roundtable, Rich Tafel takes participants through the working mechanics of facilitating difficult dialogue: political disagreement, identity-based tension, generational friction, and the ordinary moments when a conversation turns. The session runs on practice. Participants bring their own toughest scenarios to the table and leave with facilitation techniques they can use the next day.

    This session builds on the business case for civility explored elsewhere in BLUEPRINT and turns that research into skill.

    , CEO, Public Squared

    • Tuesday, Nov 174:00 PM - 4:45 PM CST
  • Breakout Session
    Employee Experience & Inclusive Cultures
    In Person Session
    Virtual Session
    Show on Catalog
    4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 17
    Tuesday, Nov 17
    Employee Resource Groups have become one of the most contested and most consequential inclusion structures inside modern companies. This invitation-first, safe-space conversation brings together senior HR, ERG executive sponsors, and select Mastercard clients to talk honestly about what ERGs do, what they cost, what they return, and how to keep them legally sound and strategically valuable in the current environment. The session sits inside the Workforce Unifying pillar for a reason: ERGs, done well, are the connective tissue between individual belonging and enterprise culture. Room is configured for candor, not performance. Attendees will leave with a practitioner-level view of how a global brand structures, funds, and measures ERGs, plus a peer network for the harder questions no one wants to ask on the main stage. Attendance is capped and curated.
    • Tuesday, Nov 174:00 PM - 5:00 PM CST