AGENDA

Get ready for a one-of-a-kind Disney experience at SPARK HR 2025! We’re taking the magic to Epcot for an evening of incredible food, dazzling entertainment, and unforgettable moments.

Our excursion starts with a gorgeous dinner in Epcot’s France Pavilion, where you’ll enjoy exquisite cuisine in a beautiful, moonlit Parisian setting. Afterward, we’ll serve drinks and host the Disney dessert buffet while you enjoy our private waterfront viewing of the spectacular Disney fireworks show, Luminous: The Symphony of Us, from the scenic Terrace des Fleurs on the Rue de Paris.

Note: Buses will start loading around 6:45 pm.

Make the most out of your SPARK HR experience! The event concierge is available to answer your questions, assist with technical issues, and offer session suggestions.

Start your morning off right with breakfast and networking opportunities.

Speaker: Sarah Devereaux

Leadership Coach and Advisor, Human Capital Institute (HCI)

Kick off the day two of SPARK HR 2025 with speaker sessions!

General Session

Speaker: Chrissy Roth-Francis, Ph.D.

Director of Talent Development, LinkedIn

New manager onboarding is much more than an email, a workshop, or a check-the-box activity. It's a critical process and development program that sets the stage for the new manager and their team for years to come. In this session, Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis will draw from her extensive experiences in academia and the tech industry to provide actionable insights and strategies. Attendees will learn how to better prepare new managers to drive impact and results, ensuring a smooth transition and long-term success.

In this session you will:

• Understand established human development theories and current research that support effective onboarding programs.
• Gain inspiration from industry best practices to enhance your company's manager onboarding practices.
• Develop a compelling argument to initiate or improve your new manager onboarding program.

General Session

Speaker: Liz Almeida

Chief Human Resources Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America

In today's dynamic work environment, there is an ever growing list of uncontrollable factors shaping our strategies, but when it comes to culture, leaders are still very much in the driver’s seat. Panasonic Corporation of North America’s Chief Human Resources Officer Liz Almeida will openly share her perspectives on the macro trends impacting employee engagement, retention, and work-life balance and how Panasonic leaders are getting to the heart (and the head) of building the culture required to drive business forward.

In this session, you will learn:

• Macro Trends & Leadership: Insights on major trends affecting employee engagement and how leaders can shape company culture.
• Practical Strategies: Specific strategies be used to build an engaged and enabled culture.
• Employee Engagement: Techniques for effectively engaging employees and fostering loyalty and productivity

Move your body, grab a refreshing drink and chat with some of our sponsors.

General Session

Speaker: Shari Eaton

Chief People Officer, Chobani

A recent Gallup poll shows that, currently, only about 34% of U.S. full and part-time employees were engaged in their work and workplace while nearly 50% remain disengaged.

While cultivating a positive, cohesive culture is an essential piece of the puzzle, prospective employees are looking for more. As employee needs and expectations rapidly evolve in today’s competitive talent market, bridging the engagement gap will be critical to attract and retain.

For Chobani—a company recognized for its people-first principles—the key to maintaining an engaged workforce is investment in every stage of the employee lifecycle. This is done by ensuring employees feel heard, clear career pathways are created, and continuous learning and advancement opportunities are made available from day one and beyond.

Join a fireside chat for a discussion on how today’s employers can bridge the engagement gap by:

• Packing power into onboarding programs to foster connection and create culture carriers
• Using active listening to surface new ideas, identify skill gaps, and provide continuous learning and development opportunities
• Ensuring employees feel the connection between their work and the success of the business

Innovation Sprint

Speaker: Ben Eubanks

Author of Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce, Lighthouse Research & Advisory

How many times have you attended an event, taken pages of notes, and returned to work only to struggle with putting ideas into action? This session breaks that cycle by immersing you in an interactive, fast-paced innovation sprint inspired by the tech world’s approach to solving complex problems.

Through this dynamic experience, you’ll:

• Collaborate with peers to tackle real-world HR challenges, such as employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture.
• Use creative destruction to break old patterns of thinking and generate bold, actionable solutions.

This session is for you if:

• You’re an innovative HR leader looking for a creative outlet to experiment and problem-solve.
• You’re seeking hands-on approaches to inspire fresh ideas and drive results.
• You want to take a break from traditional learning and dive into experiential, practical exercises.

Why It Matters:

Organizations can only grow as far as their leaders are willing to innovate. To create engaged and resilient teams, HR professionals must first embrace innovation in their own practices. Led by Ben Eubanks of Lighthouse Research, this session brings the concept of hackathons to life, offering a step-by-step guide to running sprints in the workplace and applying them to your most pressing challenges.

Join us for a hands-on, high-energy session that will leave you with actionable strategies to take back to your organization. It’s time to think differently, act boldly, and spark innovation in your workplace.

Grab a bite to eat and chat with your fellow attendees.

Panel Discussion

Speaker: Jasmine Park

Vice President of People, Culture & Inclusion, Indianapolis Colts

Speaker: Jarrett Waddy

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Operations & ERG Development, AAA-The Auto Club Group

Speaker: Kimberly Bedeau

US Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, HelloFresh

Speaker: Danyelle Wright

VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion and Officer, The E.W. Scripps Company

In today’s rapidly shifting social and political climate, DEI initiatives are facing unprecedented challenges. With high-profile organizations scaling back their efforts and broader societal uncertainty surrounding DEI’s future, HR leaders are left grappling with how to navigate this evolving landscape. What does the future hold for DEI? And how can organizations maintain their commitment to inclusive workplaces in the face of change?

Together, we will explore the critical role HR plays in sustaining DEI efforts amid shifting priorities and external pressures. From addressing resistance and maintaining progress to ensuring DEI aligns with organizational goals, this panel session will provide a roadmap for the way forward. Attendees will gain a candid understanding of the current DEI landscape, predictions for the future, and actionable strategies to lead through change.

In this panel, you will learn:

• How to align DEI initiatives with business strategies
• Practical approaches for navigating external pressures and resistance
• Our forecasts of the future of DEI – plus upcoming trends, challenges and opportunities

Innovation Sprint

Speaker: Ben Eubanks

Author of Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce, Lighthouse Research & Advisory

How many times have you attended an event, taken pages of notes, and returned to work only to struggle with putting ideas into action? This session breaks that cycle by immersing you in an interactive, fast-paced innovation sprint inspired by the tech world’s approach to solving complex problems.

Through this dynamic experience, you’ll:

• Collaborate with peers to tackle real-world HR challenges, such as employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture.
• Use creative destruction to break old patterns of thinking and generate bold, actionable solutions.

This session is for you if:

• You’re an innovative HR leader looking for a creative outlet to experiment and problem-solve.
• You’re seeking hands-on approaches to inspire fresh ideas and drive results.
• You want to take a break from traditional learning and dive into experiential, practical exercises.

Why It Matters:

Organizations can only grow as far as their leaders are willing to innovate. To create engaged and resilient teams, HR professionals must first embrace innovation in their own practices. Led by Ben Eubanks of Lighthouse Research, this session brings the concept of hackathons to life, offering a step-by-step guide to running sprints in the workplace and applying them to your most pressing challenges.

Join us for a hands-on, high-energy session that will leave you with actionable strategies to take back to your organization. It’s time to think differently, act boldly, and spark innovation in your workplace.

New room, new ideas to SPARK!

General Session

Speaker: Allison Vendt

Vice President of People Operations, Dropbox

Since 2020, Dropbox has adopted a Virtual First operating model, which we believe to be the working model of the future. Virtual First means that remote work is the primary experience for employees, but in-person connection is also prioritized through regular team gatherings. Through this approach, Dropbox is focusing on how work happens vs where.

The shift to Virtual First required a complete organizational transformation, from the tools and workspaces employees use to how teams collaborate and connect. This transformation has enabled Dropbox to attract, retain, and engage talent at higher rates, underscoring the importance of flexibility and agency in modern work. This also highlights the need for a more intentional approach to collaboration and meaningful connection. Learn how to design a workplace experience that drives better business outcomes, creates a stronger company culture, and fosters a more engaged workforce.

In this panel, you will learn:

• How to apply a human-centered design approach to organizational transformation
• Best practices and frameworks that support effective collaboration
• How to intentionally bring teams together in person to drive business outcomes, rather than mandating a return to the office
• The impact of a flexible work model on attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent

Take a few minutes to stretch, refresh, and network.

General Session

Speaker: Tyrese Manigault

Manager of Employee Engagement, NASCAR

As businesses face evolving challenges, the need to cultivate a resilient, engaged workforce that fuels innovation has never been greater. In this keynote session, Tyrese Manigault reveals a fresh approach to employee engagement—one that aligns purpose, recognition, and growth to spark innovation and drive organizational success.

Through real-life examples and actionable strategies, Tyrese will guide attendees on creating an environment where employees feel empowered to contribute meaningfully to organizational goals.

In this session, you will learn:

• Continuous Recognition and Innovation: Techniques for embedding regular recognition and creative input to ensure employees feel valued and motivated to contribute.
• Impactful Communication for Trust: Insights on transparent, inspiring communication to build trust, motivate teams, and align everyone with a shared vision.
• Purpose-Driven Teams: Best practices for assembling teams aligned with the organization’s goals, fostering a sense of purpose for long-term success.
• Balancing Digital Tools with a People-First Approach: Strategies to enhance engagement through digital tools without losing the human touch.
• Measurable Business Results from Engagement: Practical insights on translating engagement efforts into clear business metrics that demonstrate impact.

With insights on engagement, innovation and communication, this session provides actionable tools for building a resilient organization where employee engagement propels innovation and drives success. Join us to transform your workplace into a thriving, purpose-driven environment.

Innovation Sprint

Speaker: Ben Eubanks

Author of Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce, Lighthouse Research & Advisory

How many times have you attended an event, taken pages of notes, and returned to work only to struggle with putting ideas into action? This session breaks that cycle by immersing you in an interactive, fast-paced innovation sprint inspired by the tech world’s approach to solving complex problems.

Through this dynamic experience, you’ll:

• Collaborate with peers to tackle real-world HR challenges, such as employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture.
• Use creative destruction to break old patterns of thinking and generate bold, actionable solutions.

This session is for you if:

• You’re an innovative HR leader looking for a creative outlet to experiment and problem-solve.
• You’re seeking hands-on approaches to inspire fresh ideas and drive results.
• You want to take a break from traditional learning and dive into experiential, practical exercises.

Why It Matters:

Organizations can only grow as far as their leaders are willing to innovate. To create engaged and resilient teams, HR professionals must first embrace innovation in their own practices. Led by Ben Eubanks of Lighthouse Research, this session brings the concept of hackathons to life, offering a step-by-step guide to running sprints in the workplace and applying them to your most pressing challenges.

Join us for a hands-on, high-energy session that will leave you with actionable strategies to take back to your organization. It’s time to think differently, act boldly, and spark innovation in your workplace.

More information coming soon!

Make the most out of your SPARK HR experience! The event concierge is available to answer your questions, assist with technical issues, and offer session suggestions.

Start our last day together with breakfast and networking opportunities.

Speaker: Sarah Devereaux

Leadership Coach and Advisor, Human Capital Institute (HCI)

Kick off the final day of SPARK HR 2025!

General Session

Speaker: Reggie Willis

Chief Diversity Officer, Ally Financial Inc.

Most workplaces today include up to four generations – Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and the newest entrants to the work force—Gen Z—under one roof. That’s a lot of differing experiences, opinions and ways of working in one place. Understanding the generational diversity that lives within your own organization can improve creativity, innovation, and stability amongst your teams. Join Reggie Willis, chief diversity officer at Ally Financial, as he walks through how to strengthen those generational relationships at work by embracing unique characteristics and activating your most important asset – your people – to help bridge the gap.

In this session, you will learn:

• Find common ground across generations to foster stronger team dynamics and collaboration.
• Leverage generational differences as a competitive advantage, driving creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.
• Embrace multiple approaches to achieving goals, recognizing that diverse work styles can enhance productivity.
• Strengthen cross-generational interdependence, ensuring knowledge-sharing and mutual respect in the workplace.
• Create a culture of continuous learning, where employees teach and learn from one another to close the generational gap.

Move your body, grab a refreshing drink and chat with some of our sponsors.

General Session

Speaker: Gillian Plummer

Director, Employee Health & Wellness, Quest Diagnostics

In today’s dynamic workplace, fostering a culture of health and well-being is essential for both employee satisfaction and organizational success. This session explores how data-driven insights can transform corporate wellness programs, making them more effective, inclusive, and impactful. Drawing from my experience leading Employee Health & Well-being Programs for 50,000 employees, I will share strategies for using analytics to identify health trends, address employee needs, and measure program outcomes.

However, data alone isn’t enough. Building a culture of wellness requires leadership commitment, engaging initiatives, and fostering a sense of shared purpose. We’ll discuss how to integrate data insights with culture-building efforts to create a supportive, health-focused environment that empowers employees and enhances organizational productivity. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to leverage data and build a culture that prioritizes well-being while driving measurable results.

In this session, you will learn:

• The role of data in designing and evaluating wellness programs.
• Using data and analytics to anticipate health risks and needs.
• Examples of how we improved programs and their effectiveness.

But even with the data, why building a culture of health and well-being should remain your top priority.

General Session

Speaker: Angela Cheng-Cimini

Former CHRO, Harvard Business Publishing

In response to employee demands for improved career and professional development, HBP has designed a comprehensive Career Pathing system that gives employees visibility to the skills needed for internal mobility and helps organizations identify the capabilities required to execute business strategy.

In this presentation, Angela Cheng-Cimini will share her organization's journey to building this framework as well as a take-home blueprint to devising a full career pathing model of your own.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to gain executive support for the work
• Step-by-process for developing the framework
• Learnings from implementation
• How this framework supports and amplifies talent acquisition, learning and development, and succession planning.

Stretch and grab a little snack before the next session.

General Session

Speaker: Colleen Earl

Corporate Director, Enterprise Performance Management & Culture, Lockheed Martin

As part of our ongoing mission solutions approach in serving our customers, Lockheed Martin is evolving from strong business area cultural frameworks to a unified OneLM Culture to support both our 21st Century Security® (21CS) vision and our business and digital transformation.

OneLM Culture is an enterprise initiative that uses common language to create a unified behavioral framework that describes the mindsets and behaviors of how we want employees to think and act and the expectations we have for working better together moving forward. We believe OneLM Culture, combined with our Lockheed Martin Values, and our Full Spectrum Leadership model will drive further enterprise collaboration, speed, innovation, employee experience, and ensure that those we serve always stay Ahead of Ready.

In this presentation, LM Corporate HR Director Colleen Earl will walk you through some of the lessons learned on this multi-year journey to create a unified culture framework across multiple business areas and how the corporation will measure success moving forward.

In this session, you will learn:

• Lessons from real world example of large-scale cultural change management effort
• How to create buy-in across different groups and utilize executive champions/sponsors
• How to create consistent experiences for your employees with culture by weaving into the flow of work through learning and development, recruiting, performance management, surveys, and more
• Effective ways to communicate to different stakeholders and personas
• How to baseline progress using employee engagement surveys and measure success moving forward

General Session

Speaker: Jeremy Browder

Director of Employee & Workplace Experience, Coinbase

As organizations adopt distributed workforce models, ensuring employees feel engaged and connected across diverse geographies has become a critical priority. With team members spanning 16 countries, the Employee & Workplace Experience team has developed innovative approaches to foster collaboration and connection—whether employees are working from an office, coworking space, or home.

In this presentation, Jeremy Browder will share how his team designs Employee Experience Programs, operates workplaces, and crafts office spaces to meet the unique needs of a distributed workforce. By integrating top-down initiatives with grassroots, employee-driven efforts, they’ve created scalable solutions that empower employees to stay engaged while meeting organizational goals. Through a real estate lens, Jeremy will also explore how physical spaces are strategically designed to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person collaboration, creating meaningful touchpoints for connection.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to design Employee Experience Programs that address the needs of a distributed workforce.
• Best practices for operating workplaces and hosting events that strengthen global team connections.
• Insights into creating office spaces that support collaboration and flexibility in a distributed model.
• Data-driven examples of how these efforts drive productivity, retention, and connection.

Discover how a thoughtful approach to employee experience and workplace design can transform engagement in a distributed workforce, ensuring employees feel supported, connected, and empowered to thrive.

New room, new ideas to SPARK!

Innovation Sprint

Speaker: Ben Eubanks

Author of Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce, Lighthouse Research & Advisory

Throughout the event, participants have tackled real workplace challenges in our Innovation Sprints, generating fresh, practical solutions to today’s toughest HR and business problems. In this session, our Ben Eubanks from Lighthouse Research will unveil the key issues explored and present the most impactful solutions developed by the teams. Whether you participated in the sprints or not, this session will provide invaluable insights and actionable ideas you can take back to your organization.

General Session

Speaker: Matthew Duncan

Head of Future Work Thought Leadership, Microsoft

The Work Trend Index indicates that employees are struggling with digital debt. According to the research, 68% of employees find the pace of work overwhelming. Additionally, 60% of their work time is spent on emails and chats, while only 40% is dedicated to creating. AI has the potential to address these challenges and enhance human capabilities. As HR leaders stand at the forefront of the AI revolution, they hold the unique responsibility—and opportunity—to shape how AI integrates into the workplace, balancing technological innovation with human-centered principles. Matthew will share a groundbreaking journey of reimagining how work culture can be shaped, organizations restructured, and the human experience improved.

In this session, you will learn:

• The latest research on AI's impact on work
• How AI can function as a personal assistant, team member, and agent
• Lessons from AI-native organizations
• How to create an AI blueprint for your organization and people

Speaker: Sarah Devereaux

Leadership Coach and Advisor, Human Capital Institute (HCI)

Join us as we close out SPARK HR 2025.