The 2023 HRD Summit was a student-led event highlighting the University of Arkansas’ Human Resource and Workforce Development online program that provides instruction for students and alumni and facilitates opportunities to connect with recruiters and area HRD professionals in their organizations. This one-day free event was held both in-person and virtually and offered multiple keynote speakers, concurrent sessions, a panel discussion and doctoral presentations.
The 2023 event schedule (PDF) details the time slots and topics of the following specialists as well as other programming.
Keynote Speaker: Noble Kumawu, OD Institute, Ghana
Noble Kumawu is a psychologist with a post-graduate specialization as an Organization Development [OD] Consultant, having pursued his education at Birkbeck College, London University; East London University, Stratford, United Kingdom; Gestalt Institute of Ohio, Cleveland; and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He divides his time between Africa and Europe, undertaking relevant Facilitation, Organizational Development and Management Development Consultancy, Training and Research assignments, or strengthening the capacity of local consultants to do so. Noble is president of the OD Institute, Ghana, and supervises the training of OD practitioners and change leaders to earn a post-graduate diploma or master’s degree in Organization Development.
Topic: Strategic Planning Intervention for Multiple Organisations: The Case of HBHN, Ghana, West-Africa
Most Organisation Development practitioners are no strangers to helping a client to develop a strategic plan. What is not common is to facilitate the exercise for more than one organization at a time under one roof. In his delivery, Kumawu will share with the audience the objectives of the contract signed with the sponsor, what strategic planning is, his model for developing a strategic plan, how he approached the assignment and validated it, and finally, lessons he learned from the assignment.
Keynote Speaker: Jacqueline Stavros, D.M.
Jacqueline Stavros, D.M., passion is working with others to create purpose and meaningful results for positive change. She is recognized for her creation of SOAR, a positive approach to strategic thinking, planning, and leading. Stavros has over 30 years of leadership, strategy, strategic planning, organization development and change management, marketing, and international experience. She is a professor in the College of Business and Information Technology at Lawrence Technological University. Stavros has co-authored seven books, 25 book chapters and 50 articles. She earned her Doctorate in Management at Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Topic: Coaching to SOAR: The Power of Questions
Have you ever thought about how communication impacts … productivity? engagements? Relationships? Culture?
The presentation will answer:
· What is a right question?
· What is humanistic AI?
· What is the power of generativity?
· How can your questions help others to SOAR?
Keynote Speaker: Tojo Thatchenkery, Ph.D
Tojo Thatchenkery, Ph.D., is featured as one of the leading change thinkers in the Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Thatchenkery is the author of over a dozen books and one hundred articles. One of them, Appreciative Intelligence: Seeing the Mighty Oak in the Acorn was a Harvard Business Review recommended book. In another book, Making the Invisible Visible Thatchenkery introduced the concept of quiet leadership as a key driver for innovation in organizations. He has also written books on appreciative inquiry, knowledge management, sustainable development, social capital, organizational development, postmodernism, and information technology and economic development. Thatchenkery has over twenty-five years of experience in teaching at various Public Policy, MBA, Organization Development, and executive development programs in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
Topic: Appreciative Intelligence®: Develop Leadership, Transform Difficult Conversations and Discover Common Ground
Appreciative Intelligence® is the ability to see the generative potential in any situation and to actualize it. It is a leadership skill set that will enable you to step into conflict mindfully and transform difficult conversations into positive outcomes. By improving your Appreciative Intelligence®, you will expand your abilities to reframe conflict situations and help move affected parties to a common ground. While challenging projects and difficult conversations will always be there, your approach to dealing with them will be more mindful, transforming conflict into opportunities to create better understanding, gain mutual respect, and create shared goals.
Presenter: Aynur Charkasova, Ph.D.
Aynur Charkasova, Ph.D., is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Human Resource and Workforce Development in the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders at the University of Arkansas. Her major research interests lie in the area of human resource development/management, adult education, and skilled immigrants in the STEM workforce. Charkasova additionally serves as the Editor-In-Chief Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development (2020 – Present). Her teaching interests include International HRD, Program Evaluation, Adult Learning and Development, Employment Law, Human Resources Development and Management, and Adult Learning and Strategies.
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Workforce Education and Development
M.S., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Workforce Education and Development
B.A., Azerbaijan University of Languages, Higher Education
Topic: Research Skills/Data Gathering
Research skills are valued by employers in all industries and are beneficial to employees in all types of positions. This session will focus on improving research skills and will include useful tips such as selecting a research topic, conducting a literature review, gathering data, and communicating research results to various audiences.
Matthew Gosney, Ed.D.
Matthew W. Gosney, Ed.D., serves as Vice-President, Organizational Development & Learning Services for UCHealth, a nationally recognized, nonprofit healthcare system with an operating revenue of $5.4 billion and a workforce of more than 28,000 people. Dr. Gosney joined UCHealth in August 2016 and is responsible for talent management strategy, development, retention culture, and learning for the system. Under Gosney’s leadership, UCHealth is focused on knowing, growing, and moving strategically-aligned talent in a way that provides equitable opportunities and moves the organization forward. He is a trusted advisor to the C-Suite, partnering in a broad range of Human Resources initiatives designed to champion culture in a way that aligns with UCHealth’s values. His work has also had a particular focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, specifically in helping to develop and implement an impactful DE&I strategy for the organization. He is also a graduate of UARK’s HRWD Doctoral program.
Topic: Strategic Talent Management
Strategic Talent Management is the implementation of integrated strategies or systems designed to increase workplace productivity by developing improved processes for attracting, developing, retaining, and utilizing people with the required skills and aptitude to meet current and future business needs (SHRM Glossary.) In simpler terms, it is the ability to know, grow, and move the right talent for an organization’s unique strategy and mission. This session will explore the integrated talent management strategy work that has occurred over the past 6+ years at UCHealth, a 29,000-employee academic healthcare system headquartered in Aurora, CO. Participants will learn of the blueprint UCHealth used to develop and implement its strategic talent management strategy, and how it is measuring its success.
Speaker: Judith Tavano, M.A., SHRM-SCP
Judith Tavano, M.A., SHRM-SCP, is a long-time HR professional who sometimes calls herself a generational anthropologist because she is so fascinated with the behaviors of the people who inhabit the generations – especially in the workplace. Tavano developed this fascination while practicing and teaching HR for the past 40+ years. Tavano is a frequently requested speaker on generational issues, a current ‘boomerang’ talent development specialist at the University of Arkansas, a small business owner, a veterans-in-the-workplace advocate, a former director of professional development and instructor at the University of Arkansas, a compulsive knitter, and crazy dog-parent. Tavano holds a B.A./M.A. from Simmons University, Boston, MA., and the international designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP) from the Society for Human Resource Management.
Topic: Training a Multi-Generational Workforce
What? With all that has happened to the world of work since the Pandemic, we are still worrying about training requirements by generation? You bet we are! Work styles, preferences, and competencies still vary by generation. This has not changed. Though the Pandemic has been an equal opportunity disrupter across all generations, it has disrupted each generation in specific ways – ways that inform us (if we pay attention) to best train, develop, and retain each generation in the workplace. Join Tavano, a longtime generational theorist, as she reveals the generational workforce needs for a post-Pandemic world.
Speaker: Alex Cawthon
Alex Cawthon is a proud U of A Alum and served as the President of the HR Management Association during her senior year. Cawthon’s passion is helping people grow using the core values of simplicity, understanding, and courage. In her role at Tyson Foods, she has the privilege of helping connect business strategy to a holistic talent strategy, focusing on Leadership Development. Throughout Cawthon’s career, she has had the opportunity to work within multiple Fortune 500 organizations in HR Business Partnership, Leadership Development, Talent Management, and Total Rewards roles.
Topic: Linking Business Goals to Talent Management: A Tyson Case Study
Tyson Foods is in the midst of an exciting HR transformation, becoming an even more critical catalyst for business success. This session will cover how Tyson Foods is connecting its business goals to a robust talent management strategy, enabling continuous improvement. The session will dive into the details of that talent management strategy, such as goal setting, performance management, assessing individual potential, succession planning, and creating a development strategy. It will be a jam-packed 45-minute session!
Presenter: Sara Bishop
Sara Bishop is Founder and Principal Consultant at Orchid Communications and Executive in Residence in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas. Bishop’s work focuses on building narrative strategies for organizations working towards positive social change. As a consultant for nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and higher educational institutions, Bishop helps clients maximize their brand awareness, connect with diverse audiences, and drive social impact with authentic and aspirational stories that often involve difficult conversations about race and wealth.
Topic: DEI and Personal Storytelling” “Harnessing Narrative to Create Cultures of Purpose and Belonging”
Culture plays a powerful role in our personal and professional journeys. Yet, we’re only just beginning to understand how narrative — as the basis for culture — can be harnessed to shape spaces of purpose and belonging — for ourselves, our organizations, and our communities.
In this session, participants will learn how to develop a narrative mindset that listens to the prevailing culture inside and outside their organization and harnesses that culture to be effective advocates and champions for diversity, equity, and inclusion. During our time together, participants will learn the essential components of this mindset and apply narrative strategies to practical opportunities and challenges encountered in the workplace. Leaders who know how narrative works and how to discover and harness it for more diverse and inclusive environments can successfully steer themselves and others toward a shared vision of the future.
Presenter: Cassie Hartaway, MHRM, SHRM-CP, ACC
Cassie Hartaway is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-CP) and Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation. In her twenty-five-year professional career, she has served in a variety of capacities, including Corporate Recruiting, HR Management, Staff Training, and Leadership Development. Hartaway holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Arkansas State University and a Master of Arts in HR Management from Webster University.
Topic: Leading Virtually
The ways of work have changed! Leadership in today’s workplace requires skills for leading team members down the hall, across the nation, and often around the globe. During this session, participants will be introduced to three foundations for building community with remote teams: communicating effectively while working remotely, building trusting relationships, and keeping team members and goals visible and in focus.