Walsh College HR Summit

Registration Options:

Attendee: $149
Current Walsh Student: $99
Exhibitors: $1,000 – includes table and 2 attendees
Naming Sponsor: $2,500 – table, name included in all marketing, includes 4 attendees “Walsh College HR Summit presented by ________”
Breakfast Sponsor: $2,000, listed on website, signage at event, includes 2 attendees
Lunch Sponsor: $2,000, listed on website, signage at event, includes 2 attendees
Lanyard Sponsor: $1,500, listed on website, ability to provide company logo lanyard to all attendees, includes 2 attendees

Event Summary:

Join us for an enlightening and transformative experience at the Walsh College HR Summit, held at the prestigious Walsh College in Troy, Michigan. This premier conference gathers HR professionals, industry leaders, and innovative thinkers for a day of knowledge sharing, networking, and professional growth.

Discover the latest trends and best practices in human resources through a series of engaging keynote speeches, interactive panel discussions, and hands-on workshops. Gain insights from expert speakers who will address current challenges and future opportunities in the HR landscape.

Whether you’re an HR executive, manager, or practitioner, the Walsh College HR Summit is your opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, expand your network, and enhance your skills. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a community dedicated to advancing the field of human resources.

We look forward to welcoming you to a day of inspiration, innovation, and invaluable connections at Walsh College.

Speaker Information:

Derek Hilbert | Kingfisher Recruiting

Session: How to use Labor Market Data to your Advantage

Session Summary: Understanding the labor market is a foundational piece of a company’s talent strategy. Understanding how competitive you are will help you build business cases and make strategic decisions to move your company forward.

Nancy Maurer | Sonder Haven Consulting

Session: It Sounded Good on Paper: When Values Meet Real Life

Session Summary: Most people and organizations can name what matters to them. This session is about what happens when those values sound good, but there isn’t clarity on what they look like in everyday life.

Jelani Bransford | Communities First, Inc.

Session: Leaders Without the Labels

Session Summary: Participants will leave with a clear understanding that leadership is defined by behavior, not titles. They will be able to identify informal leaders within their teams, recognize the impact of ownership mindset, emotional intelligence, and repeatable excellence, and commit to at least one intentional action to cultivate leadership in others. The outcome is a stronger, more engaged workplace culture where leadership is seen, supported, and developed at every level.

Sandy Harvey | Exodus Consulting Group

Session: Cracking the Civility Code: Shifting from Toxic to Thriving Workplaces

Session Summary: What if your endless cycle of workplace drama costs your organization over $200,000 annually in lost productivity, turnover, and health claims? Most HR professionals lack both systematic approaches and the positional authority for proactively addressing incivility at all levels beyond vague “be respectful” policies. This session teaches the RESPECT Framework for diagnosing civility breakdowns and provides ways to assess incivility in the workplace and immediately address discourse to enable participants to move from reactive firefighting to proactive culture building.

Mindy Parker | Macomb Community College

Session: Resilience in Action: Tools to Support You and Your Workplace

Session Summary: Resilience is a vital skill in both personal and professional settings. It refers to the capacity to adapt, cope, and recover from stress or adversity. Individuals who are resilient utilize strategies to overcome challenges, learn from experiences, and emerge stronger. Key components of resilience include self-awareness, fostering supportive relationships, and utilizing effective problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles and continue growing.

Jessica Michniacki | DynamicHR

Session: The Missing Piece: What Jigsaw Puzzles Teach Us About Leading Teams

Session Summary: This session explores how the principles of completing a jigsaw puzzle mirror the essential skills of effective team leadership, from recognizing unique talents to creating a unified vision where every piece matters.

Jeff Watt | Real World HR Solutions

Session: Beyond Policies: HR as a Strategic Partner in the Age of AI

Session Summary: HR’s role is evolving faster than ever. While technology and AI are changing how work gets done, the most critical factor in organizational success remains human judgment, culture, and leadership. This session will help HR professionals shift from reactive policy enforcement to strategic influence—guiding business decisions, shaping culture, and enabling leaders to thrive.

Jennifer DuPont | Kelly Education

Session: Owning Your Career in HR: Designing a Development System That Works

Session Summary: Career growth in HR does not happen by default; it requires intentional ownership. This session challenges linear career thinking and helps HR professionals design and drive their development through leading by example, strategic risk-taking, and purposeful experiences.

Tina-Marie Wohlfield | TIMAWO LLC /HRUnite!

Session: Cultivating Your Workforce Management Playbook and Succession Plan

Session Summary: In this session, Tina-Marie will explore the talent management and workforce readiness skills process from a holistic perspective in the evaluation of the current skills (utilized and available) in our current workforce and the skills and talent needed for the future.

Andrea Eimers | Workplace Wellness

Session: From Scattered to Strategic: Driving Engagement in Distributed Teams

Session Summary: As organizations manage remote, hybrid, and multi-site teams, their wellness and engagement initiatives often become fragmented across platforms and communications, overwhelming employees and weakening impact. This session explores how to streamline those efforts into a strategic, integrated system that simplifies the employee experience, strengthens connection, and supports sustainable engagement across distributed teams.

Celeste Ross | Praxis Packaging Solutions

Session: Saying the Hard Things, and Getting Back a Thank You.

Session Summary: In today’s world, fear of reprimand and consequence silences critical conversations—and progress suffers as a result. This session helps HR professionals develop the confidence and skill to move from intent to execution in leading courageous, people-centered conversations. Using a global mindset and practical frameworks, participants will strengthen relationship management while navigating complex organizational challenges with clarity and purpose.

Agenda:

For information on this event, please contact Liz Gawel – egawel@walshcollege.edu