Keynote Speakers ::

"Strategic Diversity"
Speaker: Scott Cawood
As an internationally recognized speaker and expert on workplace issues, Scott has consulted and presented to audiences throughout the world on topics relevant to creating a sustainable and profitable business. Scott is named one of the National Society of Human Resources (SHRM) “Top Ten” speakers and is a frequently interviewed for current trends in the workplace. (more)

"The People Thing"
Speaker: Vince Orza
As our trek progresses we hope to explore diversity in a way that goes beyond compliance, beyond "appreciating" diversity, and beyond "leveraging" diversity to discover the fundamental, and strategic, value of diversity and HR's role in blazing the trail. (more)

TBA
Speaker: V.Burns Hargis
Burns Hargis is Vice Chairman of Bank of Oklahoma, N.A. He is a graduate of Oklahoma City's John Marshall High School and holds degrees in accounting from O.S.U. and in law from O.U. (more)

Concurrent Speakers ::

"Internet Applications & the OFCCP"
Speaker: Phyllis Jackson
Explanation of federal regulations regarding the new definition of an Internet Applicant and discussion of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance audit procedures. (more)  

"What are your looking for? Writing Effective Job Descriptions"
Speaker: Glenda Owen
Well-written job descriptions clearly outline job duties and expectations.  Learn why they are needed; what should be in a job description; what you need to do before you write them.(more)

"Employer Assisted Housing Incentive"
Speaker: Dena Sherrill
The Employer Assisted Housing Incentive helps attract and retain a good workforce. It provides HR professionals with technical assistance in the development of employer assisted housing programs to assist their employees in purchasing a home. (more) 

"New Areas of Discrimination Exposure for Employers"
Speaker: Gayle Barrett

Discussion and analysis of recent United States Supreme Court and other federal court cases that have expanded the basis for discrimination claims against employers. An HR professional needs to be aware of the potential liability of his/her employer so that he/she can develop policies and procedures that will protect and/or defend against discrimination claims. (more)

"Putting Strategic HR Management to Work"
Speaker: Nathan Whatley
Nathan Whatley's practice is focused on the representation of management in all phases of litigation before federal and state courts, regulatory, and administrative agencies and in arbitration matters. He also handles litigation matters involving the enforcement of non-competition and confidentiality agreements, breach of employment contracts, handbook and personal policy violations, wage and hour disputes, and other issues arising out of employer/employee relationships. (more)

"The FMLA & ADA: "What have they done to us lately?"
Speaker: Randall Snapp

Description of recent developments in the law interpreting the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act, together with practical tips to avoid liability under these Acts. The presentation will educate HR professionals on the status of the FMLA and ADA so that they may correctly apply such laws to their workplace and employers. (more)

"A New Mandate for Human Resources - A Call for Change"
Speaker: Kathleen McComber
Should we do away with human resources? Abolish the department and those providing that function? This debate arises out of serious and widespread doubts about HR’s contribution to organizational performance. It is often ineffective, incompetent, and costly;  Dave Ulrich use the words “it is value sapping.” Indeed, if HR were to remain configured as it is today in many organizations the answer would be a resounding YES!…abolish the thing! (more)

"Benefits of a Powerful Memory"
Speaker: Ron White
Memory expert Ron White has appeared on FOX, CBS and The Discovery Channel. He has broken Guiness World Records for memory retention and authored 10 audio program on human development (2 with Zig Ziglar!) Ron has taught his memory seminar all over the United States and Canada. In 2005, he spoke in Singapore and Malaysia as he brought his memory techniques to southeast Asia! (more)

"Gender Discrimination: The Evolution Continues"
Speaker: Tony Puckett
Harassment law under Title VII expanded considerable in recent years beyond garden variety sexual harassment. The area now includes protection for same sex harassment, sexual stereotyping, sexual favoritism and sexual orientation. Several new cases have discussed these developments in the last two years. (more)

"Benefits of Workers Compensation Investigations"
Speaker: Ryan Byrd
HR professionals deal directly with the employees involved in a workers compensation claim. Any information which can assist them and give them negotiating power to clear the claim is extremely beneficial. (more)

"Balanced Scorecard for HR - Driving Organizational
Performance from the Bottom Up"
Speaker: Ron Cisneros
Participants will gain a basic understanding of the Balanced Scorecard concept organizationally. The program will specifically discuss organizational strategic objectives for HR departments and learn how to design a personal performance plan for employee linked to those objectives. (more)

"Oklahoma's Smartest Employers are Saving Money… Are you?"
Speaker: Belen Burkhalter
Belen has a Ph.D. in Occupational Education Studies with minor in Human Resource and Adult Education, Oklahoma State University, May 2006. Research interests: Gender studies, International vocational rehabilitation, Cultural diversity in workforce development. (more)

"Improving Morale through Communication with Employees"
Speaker: Carolyn Shockey
Improving morale is the goal of all employers. After an employee survey in 2000, Norman Regional Hospital began an aggressive follow-up to issues raised on the survey. Through these follow-up activities, in six months the comparison score was increased from the 14 percentile to the 68 percentile and in two year to the 99 percentile. This program will present multiple ways to improve communication with employees leading to increase morale of the staff. (more)

"Effective Employee Evaluations & Documentation
- Good for HR & Great for Defense of Law Suits"
Speaker: Leonard Court
Leonard Court, Section Chairman. Mr. Court is a graduate of Oklahoma State University (B.A., 1969) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1972) and joined Crowe & Dunlevy Law Firm in 1972. Mr. Court is chairman of the Firm's Labor and Employment Law Section. He is a past Chairman of the Labor and Employment Law SEction of the Oklahoma Bar Association. (more)

"Workers Comp. Update (new cases/law changes)"
Speaker: Madeline Witterholt
This will be a look back at recent cases in the area of workers compensation as well as commentary on the changes on workers’ compensation law. Many HR professionals have responsibilities in the administration of workers compensation programs as well as understanding workers compensation from the ADA perspective. (more)  

"Revealing the X-Factor The Essentials of Personal Leadership"
Speaker: Rhett Laubach
HR is primarily a people business. Leadership is primarily a people business. When HR professionals invest the time to understand their leadership learning, they see remarkable results. Experiencing the Revealing the X-Factor program is high-level leadership learning. (more)

"Integrated Diversity Planning - It's Just Good Business Sense"
Speaker: Alison Anthony
HR Professionals are often called upon to articulate the business case for diversity and to promote diversity initiatives as a business priority by ensuring the organization’s commitment is clear and visible to stakeholders. The ability to do so becomes much easier when HR Professionals can illustrate how the diversity initiatives integrate into business strategy, impact the bottom line, and simply become part of the way we do business. (more)

"Best in Class Recruiting & Hiring Practices"
Speakers: Keith Minnis & Larry Curran
Recruiting and hiring top quality staff doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By implementing effective strategies to find and get new employees on board quickly, HR departments can streamline processes, increase productivity and ensure consistency and compliance. (more)

"Leading to the Beat of a Different Drum"
Speaker: Todd Balcom
In addition to traditional Human Resources functions, HR professionals are now seen as vital figures in managing key challenges and developing and organization’s greatest needs…. it’s people. (more)  

"China… Will it Eat Your Company?"
Speaker: David Woods
More HR professionals are very involved in corporate strategy. They have the ear of the CEO and this information will provide them with the latest thinking in strategies that create growth and neutralize competitive pressures. (more) 

"Maintaining Positive Employer/Employee Relations"
Speaker: Jason Elliott
Jason is a seasoned attorney, practicing primarily in the field of Employment and Labor law. Following his graduation from Washington and Lee University School of Law, Jason provided legal consultation to a variety of diverse corporate clientele at a major Oklahoma City law firm before joining the legal staff at Integris, the largest health care organization in Oklahoma. (more)

"The Prosperity Project"
Speaker: Kris Rush & Lynette Parmley
Prosperity Project voting information is provided to you by Oklahoma's major companies and leading small business. The State Chamber, 52 local chambers of commerce, and important trade associations – The Oklahoma's Bankers, Hospitals, State Medical Association, Farm Bureau, Home Builders, Insurance Agents and many other. (more)

"Future Employment Shock"
Speaker: Jason Elliott
Jason is a seasoned attorney, practicing primarily in the field of Employment and Labor law. Following his graduation from Washington and Lee University School of Law, Jason provided legal consultation to a variety of diverse corporate clientele at a major Oklahoma City law firm before joining the legal staff at Integris, the largest health care organization in Oklahoma. (more)

"ABC's of EEO"
Speaker: Sharron Blalock
HR many times is the individual responsible for responding to an EEOC charge, it is important for the HR Professional to be aware of how EEOC’s mediation program works and how it could benefit the company/organization. (more)

"Emotional Intelligence"
Speaker: Pat Beck
As the pace of workplace increases, and our workplaces make ever greater demands on our cognitive, emotional and physical resources, emotional intelligence continues to emerge as an increasingly important set of skills. Emotional intelligence is not about being nice all the time or being touchy-feely. It's about being aware of feelings, yours and other people's. (more)

"USERRA"
Speaker: Joe Dyer
Director, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor
USERRA Update (more)  

"Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Employment Law"
Speaker: Tim Eisel
The top ten items employers need to know about employment law. This session is designed to give audiences a quick overview of the many employment laws that may affect them. (more)

"Work Keys (CRC)"
Speaker: Kevin Henson
This program will provide and overview to the Oklahoma Governor’s Workforce Development Council initiative to create a portable workforce credential in Oklahoma and explain the use of WorkKeys as an assessment tool used to evaluate applicants for credentials. (more)

"SOX Compliance"
Speaker: Becky Payton
The underlying reason for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act came about as a way to ensure accurate, ethical financial reporting by publicly-held companies.  It is important for all HR professionals to understand the Act’s implications to officers, employees and shareholders. (more)

"Working with Persons with Disabilities"
Speaker: Jason Price
Persons with disabilities, make up 20 per cent of the population and are our nation’s largest growing minority. As the population ages, approximately 40 percent of those over 65 will have a disability. According to the Census Bureau’s 1997 edition of Current Population Reports, there are 54 million Americans with disabilities. (more)

"The Art of Networking"
Speaker: David Woods
More HR professionals are very involved in corporate strategy. They have the ear of the CEO and this information will provide them with the latest thinking in strategies that create growth and neutralize competitive pressures. (more) 

"Beyond Denial: Managing Bias in the Workplace"
Speaker: Beverly Glover
Whether exposed or hidden, bias in the workplace can contaminate the employment policies and practices of an organization potentially resulting in unfair, discriminatory or illegal consequences for a company or its employees. (more)