2025 Spring Professional Development Conference

Spring Professional Development Conference

A Day in the Life of HR: Adapting and Succeeding

Friday, April 25th, 2025 from 7:30 AM- 4:15 PM at IU-13 Training Center

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AGENDA:  Downloadable Spring Conference Agenda

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Session #1: Clear, Concise, and Confident Communication

Keynote Speaker: Christina Butler

Session Description: Discover the secrets to Clear, Concise, and Confident Communication in today’s fast-paced world. Join Emmy-nominated journalist Christina Butler for an engaging, interactive session designed to enhance your communication skills. Learn effective strategies to ensure your message resonates with employees, colleagues, and clients alike, elevating your impact in every conversation.

Learning Objectives – As a result of attending this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Come across as confident and authentic when delivering a message
2. Use simple acronyms to help them speak well on the spot
3. Proactively handle questions and pushback in communication
4. Amplify their credibility with word choice and use body language to their advantage to enhance tone and message

About the Speaker: Christina Butler is a clear, concise, and confident communication expert. Having spent two decades working as an Emmy-nominated television anchor and reporter, she instinctively connects with her audiences and brings the same level of energy to her programs as she did to breaking news. Christina’s updated and innovative perspective illustrates a well-known fact: those who speak well, do well. She has shared communication strategies with hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations around the globe and is an international keynote speaker, but her favorite place to be is right here at home in Lancaster County.

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Session #2: Information Security for the HR Professional: Strategies for Implementing Effective Workforce Policies and Practices

Speaker: Don Geiter

Session Description: This presentation will equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to enhance your organization’s information security policies and best practices. It will cover key cybersecurity program elements, including regulatory compliance, data classification, access management, acceptable use, and incident response. As an HR professional, you will learn how to foster a security-conscious workforce culture and mitigate risks through effective policy implementation, training, and oversight.

Learning Objectives – As a result of attending this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Understand common cybersecurity threats and attacks, applicable laws and regulations, and information classifications and controls
2. Determine and communicate organizational security controls, including personnel security and access management, and acceptable use of IT resources
3. Plan for cyber incident reporting and response, service provider risk management, and customer data protection

About the Speaker: Donald R. Geiter, J.D., M.S.L. is a partner of the law firm Barley Snyder, Lancaster office. Don is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (U.S.) (CIPP/US) and Manager (CIPM), serves as the firm’s Chief Privacy Officer, and leads the firm’s Cybersecurity Service Team. He also is a member of the firm’s Technology Committee.

Don is a frequent speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, with recent presentations given to the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Corporate Counsel, PA Manufacturers’ Association, and the World Trade Center-Harrisburg. Don has also authored the publication titled “Corporate Officer and Board of Director Oversight of Cyber-Risk,” a tool he has used to train executives on risk mitigation in the area of cybersecurity.

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Session #3: Panel Discussion: Managing a Hybrid Workforce

Panelists: Heather Valudes, Stephane Smith, and Vanessa Philbert
Facilitator: Janet McNally

Session Description: Hybrid work arrangements can provide employers with flexibility to meet their team’s needs and therefore influence retention. You’ll hear from three local leaders who are managing hybrid workforces as they share their experiences, challenges, and strategies for creating a flexible work environment. From maintaining company culture to leveraging technology and ensuring productivity, you’ll gain insights regarding planning for, supporting, and enhancing hybrid work models within your organization.

Learning Objectives– As a result of attending this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Gain insight into proven strategies that are working within each organization
2. Plan to manage performance and expectations in a hybrid work environment
3. Navigate the challenges of a hybrid workforce
4. Discover emerging trends and how HR can shape policies for success

Meet the Panelists:

Heather Valudes became the President & CEO of the Lancaster Chamber in June 2022. She joined the Chamber in 2011 and was previously the Vice President, and prior to that, Community Impact/Advocacy Director. During her tenure, she has led efforts around significant pieces of legislation, represented the Chamber and business interests, and led the Chamber to four-star accreditation from the US Chamber. She has responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the Chamber’s strategic plan to positively impact over 1,300 business members and the Lancaster community.

Stephane Smith is the Vice President of Workforce Strategies for RKL Virtual Management Solutions. For more than two decades, she has helped employers throughout the U.S. address challenges and implement policies and programs that drive growth and achieve organizational goals. At RKL, she directs the firm’s comprehensive suite of outsourced HR, payroll and compensation services. She leads a team of HR advisors who fill key roles for employers, including payroll processing, compensation analysis, performance management, compliance, recruitment and full outsourcing of the HR function.

Vanessa Philbert is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Lancaster County. She serves on the Board of Directors and as Equity Chair of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania and is Board Chair of Lancaster Equity Community Development Corporation, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Lancaster City Alliance and the Board of Trustees of the Lancaster Chamber. She is also a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and the Grants & Programs Committee at the High Foundation. She received the Lancaster Chamber’s 2022 Athena Award and the YWCA of Lancaster’s 2020 Woman of Achievement Award.

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Session #4: Retention and Benefits

Speakers: Laura Hess, Terri Turner

Session Description: With company financials being watched and analyzed in the current economy, HR professionals are constantly seeking creative budget friendly ways to keep employee satisfaction high, which can then translate to increased employee retention. In this session, you’ll gain knowledge on the variety of retirement plans options available to companies of all sizes. In addition to retirement benefits, you’ll explore how to keep your company competitive in the employer market with financial wellness education, internal recognition programs, and other non-compensation-based initiatives.

Learning Objectives – As a result of attending this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Understand current trends in retirement plans by reviewing case studies regarding plan design changes and campaigns
2. Use financial wellness education to impact employee engagement
3. Discuss and evaluate programs and benefits offered by other HR peers for potential adoption/adaption

About the Speakers: 

Laura Hess, FSA, EA, MAAA, is a Partner and Con Consulting Actuary at Conrad Siegel. Her passion for helping clients establish and maintain attractive retirement programs can also be seen in her work throughout the community. Laura is an expert in all forms of retirement plans and works with many private sector clients of all sizes. She is a noted specialist in working with school districts and institutions of higher education, with special consulting expertise in other postemployment benefits (OPEB) plan valuations. Laura played a key role into growing the firm’s OPEB line to where it is today, working with over 300 school districts in Pennsylvania.

Terri Turner has over 30 years of HR management experience including positions in the entertainment industry, medical offices/billing services, manufacturing, agriculture and is currently at St. Anne’s Retirement Community. She received her education in Business Management from Grace College in Indiana and in 2010 received her SPHR as well as her SHRM-SCP in 2014. In 2017, Terri started TLT HR Consulting, LLC providing a full scope of HR professional services from HR special projects to the complete HR function for small companies. She has a passion for people and the necessary skills to be an advocate for the employee while serving the best interest of the company. She volunteers her time with Lancaster SHRM serving on committees and past roles as Board Member and Treasurer.

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Session #5: Intentionally Building Trust Every Day Through HR

Speaker: Steve Goble

Session Description: Despite the advantages technology brings to the marketplace, people are still required for major decisions, critical thinking, and relationship building – with trust serving as the foundation. In this presentation, you’ll learn about the ‘8 Pillars of Trust’ and how they relate to enhancing your people skills, the positive business results increased trust brings, and provide you with tools you can use immediately to build stronger trust in your organization.

Learning Objectives – As a result of attending this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Use tools to build trust for smarter meetings, including in a virtual world
2. Learn four positive habits to increase capacity and awareness for compassion
3. Engage in trust building through crisis and change

About the Speaker: Steve Goble is the Owner and Chief People Builder of the Goble Group, a talent and leadership development organization serving businesses, non-profits, and teams in Central PA and surrounding areas. He is passionate about growing organizations, helping them solve their people problems across generations and leadership levels, giving them a competitive advantage.

Steve is an author, a Founding Partner of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team, a Trust Edge Certified Partner, and was a “40 Under 40” recipient from the Central Penn Business Journal in 2017. Steve currently resides in Lancaster County, PA with his family, where he serves on the preaching team at Good Shepherd Community Church. With the training he received under John Maxwell, and as owner of the Goble Group for the past 11 years, Steve has hosted and spoken at his own events with audience sizes ranging from five to over 900. This is in addition to speaking at organizations like Rotary, PA State SHRM Conference, FBLA-PBL, and West Shore Young Professionals.

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Approved for 5.25 SHRM and HRCI credits
         

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Ticket sales end: 4/21/2025