Summit and Master Class Summary Schedule
Here is an overview of the agenda and topics at the 2026 People at Work Summit.
You will find more detailed descriptions of the plenaries, concurrent sessions, and Master Classes below.
Thursday, October 15: (People at Work Summit, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm): Parkway Ballroom
- 8:00 - 8:30 am: Seating, Networking, and Continental Breakfast
- 8:30 - 8:50 am: Welcome
- 8:50 - 9:05 am: Plenary Session Burst Session- The Math Behind Performance: The Multiplicative Power of Belief (Shawn Bergman)
- 9:05 - 10:00 am: Plenary Session- What a Journey: Where We Are and Where We Are Going with AI (Paul Carney)
- 10:00 - 10:15 am: Break
- 10:15 - 11:10 am: Plenary Session- Future-Focused, Present-Grounded: Leading with Vision in Times of Uncertainty (Vonda Huss)
- 11:10 - 11:25 am: Morning Coffee Break
- 11:25 am - 12:20 pm: Morning Concurrent Sessions
- Flattened and Stretched: Leadership in Lean Organizations (Hannah Costello)
- The First Expedition: Early Career Lessons for Business Professionals (Ian Head, Firzana Syazania, & Cody Rusher)
- Creating an Internal Coaching Culture: Insights from Real-World Implementation (Tracey Cammock)
- 12:20 - 1:15 pm: Networking Lunch
- 1:15 - 2:10 pm: Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
- Recruit Your Replacement: A Repeatable Hiring System that Outlasts You! (Mark Wojcik)
- People at Work: Coaching Conversations that Create Accountability (Beth Buck)
- 2:10 - 2:25 pm: Break
- 2:25 - 3:20 pm: Plenary Session- The Changing Landscape: Practical Employment Law Trends Every Business Professional Must Know in 2026 (Michael Morrison, Bryan Holbrook, & Jacqui Bergman)
- 3:20 - 3:35 pm: Afternoon Coffee and Snack Break
- 3:35 - 4:30 pm: Plenary Session - Wellbeing and Welldoing: A Neurobehavioral Guide to Wellness at Work (Tim Ludwig)
- 4:30 - 5:00 pm: Summit Wrap-Up
Friday, October 16 (Concurrent Master Classes, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm): Second Floor Peacock Hall
- The Workplace AI Workbench: A Practical Lab for Building, Testing, and Proving AI Use Cases (Paul Carney, Shawn Bergman, & Jamie Da Costa)
- Getting to the Root of Workplace Challenges: A Practical Framework for Diagnosing and Solving Organizational Challenges (Leslie Speas)
- Employment Law Updates 2026: Q&A Workshop (Bryan Holbrook)
2026 People at Work Summit and Master Class Detailed Schedule
Thursday, October 15: (People at Work Summit, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm): Parkway Ballroom
8:00 - 8:30 am: Seating and Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 8:50 am: Welcome
- Dr. Tim Ludwig (Summit emcee)
- Dr. Tim Huelsman (IOHRM program director)
- Dr. Brooke Burrows (Summit co-host)
8:50 - 9:05 am: Plenary Session Burst Session- The Math Behind Performance: The Power of Belief
Presenter: Shawn Bergman
All of us face daily obstacles that require us to tackle unfamiliar problems, learn new things, and stretch beyond what we think we are capable of doing. This daunting everyday chore of navigating new challenges frequently creates doubt and uncertainty, which ultimately negatively impacts our performance. This session will explore the role belief plays in how people approach challenges and uncertainty. Drawing on research from psychology and organizational science, this session offers a fresh spin on the traditional performance formula, showing how belief can strengthen motivation, expand capability, and shape environments to encourage growth and achievement. Attendees will discover why belief is often the hidden factor behind performance and leave with practical, evidence-based strategies for building self-belief, inspiring belief in others, and creating workplace cultures where people confidently take on challenges and transform effort into meaningful results.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the redefined performance formula and how behavior, motivation, capability, and environment interconnect.
- Explore how belief acts as a catalyst to boost motivation, enhance capability, and shape the environment.
- Learn practical techniques to foster self-belief and inspire belief in others to unlock their full capabilities and drive improved performance.
9:05 - 10:00 am: Plenary Session - What a Journey: Where We Are and Where We Are Going with AI
Presenter: Paul Carney
AI has moved from workplace curiosity to workplace reality. This plenary session will explore where the business world has been, where it stands today, and how AI is fundamentally reshaping the future of work for professionals, teams, and organizational leaders. Participants will learn that AI adoption is not just a technological shift, but a mindset and work-habit reset that requires comfort, confidence, competence, and sound human judgment. This session will help all business professionals, HR practitioners, and leaders reframe AI from a tool for automation into an Intelligence Multiplier that builds capability, improves decisions, and strengthens employee confidence. Attendees will discover practical ways to move their organizations from scattered, random AI dabbling to responsible, repeatable AI fluency that scales capability, improves strategic decision-making, and drives measurable business outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe why AI adoption is a mindset and behavior shift, not just a technology rollout.
- Recognize the organizational implications of AI adoption, including employee confidence, change readiness, skill development, responsible use, and human judgment.
- Reframe AI value beyond automation and efficiency by using “Return on Intelligence” to connect AI use to outcomes customers and leaders care about.
10:00 - 10:15 am: Break
10:15 - 11:10 am: Future-Focused, Present-Grounded: Leading with Vision in Times of Uncertainty
Presenter: Vonda Huss
Change has always been present in society, organizations, and advancement. Yet, in today's environment, we experience an unprecedented pace of transformation, driven by technological advances, evolving workforce expectations, and global interconnectedness. As a result, the future can often feel difficult to predict, and the challenges of leadership have never been greater.
This plenary session explores how leaders can chart a course into the unknown, anticipate emerging trends, and respond to uncertainty with purpose. Attendees will gain practical tools for balancing long-term vision with immediate action, guiding their teams with clarity, adaptability, and a steady hand, even when the path forward is not fully defined. Participants will also learn strategies for building trust, fostering resilience, and inspiring confidence during times of change.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how to identify emerging trends and future signals, even in uncertain environments.
- Discover techniques for communicating both possibilities and uncertainties with transparency and confidence.
- Gain practical approaches for balancing future forecasting with present-moment leadership.
11:10 - 11:25 am: Morning Coffee Break
11:25 am - 12:20 pm: Morning Concurrent Sessions
Flattened and Stretched: Leadership in Lean Organizations
Presenter: Hannah Costello
Organizations are increasingly flattening structures, reducing layers, and delaying backfills. But what does this mean for team performance, manager effectiveness, and employee development? This session brings together diverse perspectives to explore the tradeoffs of lean leadership models. From cost efficiency and agility to burnout, capability gaps, and stalled development, panelists will debate what’s gained, what’s lost, and how organizations can better support leaders operating in stretched systems. Attendees will leave with methods to assess leadership capacity within their current structures, practical ideas for creating meaningful career growth when traditional promotion pathways are limited, and strategies for redesigning roles to improve efficiency in flatter organizations without simply increasing leaders' workloads.
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate the trade-offs inherent in lean leadership models, specifically analyzing the balance between operational agility and risks such as burnout and capability gaps.
- Assess current leadership capacity within lean organizational structures to identify hidden constraints on manager effectiveness and team performance.
- Design strategic role adjustments and growth pathways that foster employee development and operational efficiency without increasing leader workload.
The First Expedition: Early Career Lessons for Business Professionals
Presenters: Ian Head, Firzana Syazania, and Cody Rusher
Career pathing as an early professional can sometimes feel overwhelming, with what seems like an unlimited number of pathways for long-term career growth. This session will provide insights and practical strategies to navigate the early stages of a career from a panel of professionals who have taken different routes, including career pivots, exposure to different industries, and leadership roles. Through an interactive discussion, attendees will evaluate career opportunities, identify experiences that accelerate growth toward their goals, avoid common early-career mistakes, and make more intentional career decisions. The panel will discuss their different approaches to their career journeys, things to keep in mind for career development, and tips for navigating the evolving job market to meet personal development goals. Attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in a Q&A session, allowing them to ask more focused questions about their career journeys and gain actionable insights from the panel’s experiences.
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize how different career paths and early professional experiences can influence future development.
- Explore perspectives on assessing potential employers, leaders, and career opportunities aligned with long-term professional development goals.
- Identify the skills, experiences, and leadership opportunities that can accelerate growth and prepare individuals for future career opportunities.
- Recognize common early-career challenges and how to apply practical strategies to overcome them.
Creating an Internal Coaching Culture: Insights from Real-World Implementation
Presenter: Tracey Cammock
This interactive workshop explores key principles and strategies for building a thriving organizational coaching culture. Through a case study, uncover how one organization successfully implemented coaching to drive transformation, enhance collaboration, and empower teams.
Attendees gain practical insights, learn about real-world challenges, and walk away with actionable steps to create and sustain a coaching culture that fosters growth and innovation. This session will provide valuable tools for long-term success.
Learning Objectives:
- Hear the journey of an International Coaching Federation Impact award-winning organization.
- Learn about the impact creating a coaching culture can make.
- Discover implementation strategies to build a coaching culture in your organization.
12:20 - 1:15 pm: Networking Lunch
1:15 - 2:10 pm: Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Recruit Your Replacement: A Repeatable Hiring System That Outlasts You!
Presenter: Mark Wojcik
Hiring is hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Does this look familiar: Human Resources teams crossing their fingers that a vacancy doesn’t pop up unexpectedly. Hiring managers waiting until a role is desperate to act or leaning on gut instinct for selecting candidates. Leaders wanting the best talent at the lowest cost, yesterday. Bottom line, most small and mid-sized businesses feel the pain when it comes to hiring…
This session breaks down five key methods to separate businesses who consistently hire well from those who are constantly scrambling to fill seats. Drawing on 15 years of hiring experience from hourly jobs to six-figure executive searches, this interactive workshop bridges the gap between Human Resources and management with a repeatable framework that can be put to work immediately.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the five core disciplines of effective hiring.
- Build a defined role and candidate profile before opening a search.
- Apply a structured activity to protect hiring time from competing priorities.
- Develop a routine for candidate sourcing.
- Gain confidence in interviews and candidate selection.
Creating an Internal Coaching Culture: Insights from Real-World Implementation
Presenter: Tracey Cammock
This interactive workshop explores key principles and strategies for building a thriving organizational coaching culture. Through a case study, uncover how one organization successfully implemented coaching to drive transformation, enhance collaboration, and empower teams.
Attendees gain practical insights, learn about real-world challenges, and walk away with actionable steps to create and sustain a coaching culture that fosters growth and innovation. This session will provide valuable tools for long-term success.
Learning Objectives:
- Hear the journey of an International Coaching Federation Impact award-winning organization.
- Learn about the impact creating a coaching culture can make.
- Discover implementation strategies to build a coaching culture in your organization.
2:10 - 2:25 pm: Break
2:25 - 3:20 pm: Plenary Session - The Changing Landscape: Practical Employment Law Trends Every Business Professional Must Know in 2026
Presenters: Michael Morrison, Bryan Holbrook, and Jacqui Bergman
Given the business impact of recent changes in employment law in the United States, keeping up with the legal landscape is no longer just a back-end compliance task—it is something that every human resources practitioner, business professional, and organizational leader needs to know.
This plenary session breaks down the shifting 2026 legal landscape and provides some practical interpretations of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) new National Enforcement Plan and its latest changing guidance. Rather than reciting statute updates, the presenters will spotlight the top regulatory trends observed throughout 2026 and translate them into a practical playbook for daily business operations. Attendees will explore what these shifts could mean for their teams, what the EEOC may do next, and how to apply these updates to their organizations. Following opening insights from the expert panel, an interactive Q&A session will give participants the opportunity to get direct, actionable answers to their most pressing workplace compliance questions.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the core enforcement priorities in the EEOC's new National Enforcement Plan and explain how they can affect day-to-day personnel decisions across all departments.
- Implement best practices for lawful Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies that suit organizations of small, medium, or large size.
- Anticipate possible upcoming regulatory changes and enforcement trends to keep teams and leadership proactively aligned, compliant, and future-ready.
3:20 - 3:35 pm: Afternoon Coffee and Snack Break
3:35 - 4:30 pm: Plenary Session - Wellbeing and Welldoing: A Neurobehavioral Guide to Wellness at Work
Presenter: Tim Ludwig
As emerging technologies, shifting expectations, and rapid organizational changes continue to challenge the workplace, business professionals and HR leaders face a critical question: how do we anchor our workforce in purpose while protecting their psychological and physical vitality? Too often, workplace wellness is treated as a passive state of mind—an elusive luxury left up to the individual. This plenary session reframes wellness not just as a state of being, but as an active discipline of doing. Drawing from neuroscience and behavioral science, this session bridges the gap between our internal neurology and external work environments. Attendees will discover that because wellness is governed by behavior, we can design work environments that reinforce and condition it. Instead of relying on superficial perks, we can create physical, cultural, and psychological environments that intentionally reinforce health, reduce agitation, and encourage sustainable engagement. Learn how to move past temporary fixes and transform your workplace into a purposeful, behavioral conduit for wellness.
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate between stress-induced and wellness-driven behaviors, and explain how each interacts with human neurology to affect employee health and performance.
- Analyze existing workplace environments and structures to identify behavioral barriers that trigger chronic stress or agitation in teams.
- Design and implement evidence-based environmental changes that will reinforce wellness habits and collaboration.
4:30 - 5:00 pm: People at Work Summit Wrap-Up
Friday, October 16 (Concurrent Master Classes, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm): Second Floor Peacock Hall
The Workplace AI Workbench: A Practical Lab for Building, Testing, and Proving AI Use Cases
Presenters: Paul Carney, Shawn Bergman, & Jamie Da Costa
Organizations are quick to encourage the adoption of generative artificial intelligence in the workplace. Teams are told to leverage new tools to increase productivity, while leaders search for immediate efficiency gains across operations.
Too often, however, professionals jump directly into using AI without a structured approach, clear boundaries, or an overarching strategy. This leads to generic outputs, unmanaged security risks, and scattered, random AI dabbling. Successful AI integration is never just a technology rollout; it is a critical mindset shift and a work-habit reset that requires a systematic method to ensure quality and safety.
Drawing on practical frameworks and operational workflow design, this interactive master class introduces a hands-on, workbench approach to integrating AI strategically across any business function. Participants will step out of the observer's seat and into a practice lab, learning to reframe AI from a basic tool for automation into a powerful Intelligence Multiplier that scales capability and enhances decision-making.
Through live exercise blocks, step-by-step guidance, and real-world application, attendees will systematically build out an operational workflow from scratch. Every participant will leave with a personalized toolkit—including structured prompt templates, safe testing models, and chat contracts—allowing them to immediately drive responsible, repeatable AI fluency within their teams.
Learning Objective:
- Apply the 90/10 rule to map business problems and architect safe, compliance-friendly synthetic scenarios to test AI outputs without exposing sensitive data.
- Construct a structured framework utilizing context, role, intent, and constraints to eliminate generic machine responses.
- Deploy targeted refinement techniques to fine-tune AI outputs for professional, audience-ready communication while maintaining absolute control over the conversation.
- Evaluate high-value workplace use cases to successfully map operational workflow redesigns and human-in-the-loop requirements.
- Formulate customized ROI value statements to translate newly designed AI workflows into strategic, measurable metrics that business leaders and customers care about.
Getting to the Root of Workplace Challenges: A Practical Framework for Diagnosing and Solving Organizational Challenges
Presenter: Leslie Speas
Organizations are quick to respond when workplace challenges arise. Turnover increases. Performance declines. Employees become disengaged. Managers struggle with accountability. Communication breaks down.
Too often, however, organizations jump directly to solutions—launching training programs, rewriting policies, increasing compensation, or implementing new initiatives—without fully understanding the underlying problem. As a result, significant time and resources are spent treating symptoms rather than addressing the root cause.
Drawing on principles of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and practical consulting experience, this interactive session introduces a structured approach to diagnosing workplace challenges before selecting solutions. Participants will learn how to analyze issues through multiple organizational lenses, ask better questions, and identify the factors that truly influence employee behavior and organizational performance.
Through discussion, real-world case studies, and hands-on activities, attendees will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to make more informed decisions, develop more effective interventions, and create lasting organizational improvement.
Learning Objectives:
- Distinguish symptoms from root causes of common workplace challenges.
- Apply a practical diagnostic framework before recommending solutions.
- Analyze workplace issues through multiple organizational lenses, including leadership, culture, systems, communication, motivation, and role clarity.
- Avoid common pitfalls that lead organizations to solve the wrong problem.
- Develop more strategic, evidence-based solutions that improve organizational performance.
Navigating the 2026 Legal Landscape: A Practical Master Class on AI, Compliance, and Employment Law
Presenter: Bryan Holbrook
This interactive master class is designed to empower work professionals and legal teams in the fast-changing employment law landscape of 2026. Attendees are encouraged to bring their most pressing questions and unique challenges to the table. The session will feature facilitated discussions focused on the latest legal developments impacting the workplace. This master class will provide clarity on Artificial Intelligence legal updates and how new technologies influence recruitment and personnel decisions, guidance on evolving EEOC standards, examine Executive Branch developments that may affect compliance strategies, and explore emerging case law. With Q&A segments woven throughout, attendees will walk away with confidence in their understanding of the legal landscape and prepared to navigate upcoming challenges with expert support.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the latest legal developments from the EEOC and the Executive Branch to adjust your organization’s compliance strategies proactively.
- Evaluate the legal implications of using Artificial Intelligence in recruitment, hiring, and other personnel decisions.
- Apply new insights from recent employment law cases and court developments to guide their organizations' policies confidently.
- Identify and address specific compliance challenges within their organizations through interactive, facilitated discussions with a legal expert.
- Develop a clear understanding of the evolving legal landscape to manage risk and make informed decisions confidently.