The reimagined HR Summit conference was held on October 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th, and was a great opportunity for current students, alumni from the IOHRM program, and local professionals to network and collaborate with practitioners in engaging virtual sessions on important topics and emerging trends in the human resources field.
The program would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all our presenters. Valerie Oswalt, Elizabeth A. Campbell, and Lisa Cristantiello of Campbell Snacks were the headliners of the conference with It’s not easy, but you can get there: How to have impactful conversations about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Attendees learned the importance of being transparent and creating psychological safety to help bring about positive change in their organizations. On day two, Dr. JP Jameson of Appalachian State University led Surviving and thriving in the new normal: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and what we can do about it where attendees learned the importance of reinforcing a self-care culture; techniques to identify burnout and distress; and practical implications of implementing job rotation systems, increasing availability of supervision and consultation; improving organizational communication and evaluation; and providing consistency in scheduling and expectations about availability. On day three, Dr. Shawn Bergman of Appalachian State University and Annie Jankura of KeyBank led Misunderstanding and misinformation: Why it is happening and how to combat it where attendees identified sources of misinformation in their organizations and brainstormed strategies to identify and reinforce information that is factual, useful, valuable, and pertinent. On the final day, a team of IOHRM alumni (Dr. Bergman’s Dream Team) consisting of Evea Stuart of HD Supply, Stephanie Jeffer of Mansfield Energy, Jennifer Cline of TIAA, Elma Lloyd of Equitable Life Insurance, Cynthia Miller of Carolina West Wireless, and Stacey Hussey of Buckeye Fire Equipment Company led The “workplace” post COVID-19? Exploring the new normal in organizations. Having this panel discussion with leaders in multiple industries, attendees were able to develop a greater understanding of major long-term changes in the physical and cultural business environment, potential recruiting and training adaptations, and methods to provide increased support to their employees. IOHRM faculty Dr. Shawn Bergman provided guidance and overview of the session’s events, along with a few jokes!
We also would like to thank all the behind the scenes work of second year IOHRM students Catherine Meyer, Nicolas Simard, Shamin Jamadar, Austin Melzer, Taylor Lundy, and Greg Vass. Additionally, we would like to thank all corporate sponsors and partners of the event: Campbell’s Snacks, Equitable Life Insurance, ATI, KeyBank, Mansfield Energy, TIAA, HD Supply, Carolina West Wireless, Buckeye Fire Equipment Company, Catawba Valley SHRM, USI, and Aloric.
HR Summit presentations
The Four HR Summit Presentation Flyers