Conference Welcome: 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.
Morning Keynote: 8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Stop Chasing, Start Creating
The Journey to Meaningful Work and Living Through Mindset, Momentum, and Mastery
Justin Jones-Fosu, CEO, Philanthropist, Author, and Speaker
Through the Meaning Journey Model™ – Mindset, Momentum, and Mastery – Justin will equip attendees with practical tools to move beyond the endless chase and build sustainable rhythms of alignment, resilience, and meaning. Participants will explore mindset shifts that move them from seeking external validation to creating inner alignment, establish daily habits that replace busyness with purpose-driven momentum, and gain tools to sustain resilience even when challenges rise or recognition fades. The journey concludes with each person creating their own #67 – a wise saying crafted as both a personal anchor and a ripple of meaning that extends beyond the room.
1 General HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
General Session: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
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People, Process, and the Power of AI
Preparing HR for the Next Wave of Workplace Transformation
Brent Yax, CEO, Awecomm
As artificial intelligence accelerates across industries, HR teams are uniquely positioned at the intersection of people, process, and emerging technology. This session explores how AI is transforming the HR function today and what leaders must prepare for as advancements continue at a rapid pace.
We’ll begin with the People perspective: how employees are reacting to AI in the workplace, what fears or misconceptions exist, and how HR can guide teams through change with transparency, education, and trust. We’ll discuss job impact concerns, motivation during transformation, and strategies to build a culture that embraces responsible AI adoption.
Next, we’ll examine Process: the practical mechanisms and organizational groundwork required to introduce AI safely and effectively. This includes governance models, policies, regulatory considerations, and the operational systems needed to support AI inside a real workplace environment.
Finally, we’ll dive into AI in HR: the technologies being used today, where they’re delivering the greatest value, and how AI is reshaping key HR functions such as hiring, onboarding, performance management, and employee engagement. We’ll explore what’s coming in the next 5–10 years and how HR leaders can prepare now.
Together, these three perspectives paint a clear roadmap for HR professionals who want to maximize the opportunity of AI while protecting, supporting, and empowering their people.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Morning Breakouts: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
From Policy to Practice: Building a Compliant HR Foundation
Anne-Marie Welch, Member, Clark Hill
Stephanie V. Romeo, Senior Attorney, Clark Hill
Many organizations focused on updating their handbooks last year because of ESTA, but true compliance and consistency go beyond written policies. This session takes a practical look at how to build and enforce the processes and documentation that support your handbook in day-to-day operations. You’ll leave with practical examples to help ensure your policies aren’t just compliant – but work in practice.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Cost Containment: Proven Strategies for Reducing Benefits Spend
Aaron MacDonald, Chief Strategy Officer, Michigan Planners
Rising benefit costs, especially healthcare and pharmacies, are a major challenge for employers. This session explores practical strategies to manage costs without sacrificing value for employees. Learn how organizations are balancing affordability, sustainability, and competitiveness through innovative funding strategies, including self-funding and partial self-funding models. Walk away with actionable insights to slow cost growth, optimize plan design, and maintain high-value benefits while managing financial risk responsibly.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
The Strategic HR Business Partner: From Busy to Business-Critical
Patrice Matejka, Human Resources and Talent Consultant
ASE members often say there is too much noise and not enough impact. This session offers a fresh look at HR business partnering using Dana Gaines Robinson’s Strategic Business Partner model so HRBPs can shift from acting as general service providers to focusing on outcomes that drive results. Patrice will clarify the three types of work (transactional, tactical, and strategic), guide participants through the Needs Hierarchy to move from activity to outcome in a solution-neutral way and show how to identify the true client so time and decisions align with what matters most. Participants will gain a strong foundation, a practical set of questions leaders can use right away, and a simple one-page tool kit that helps convert HR requests into clear business requirements, leaving them with a sharper understanding of the role, a more focused playbook, and language that builds real credibility with the business.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Job Architecture: From Inception to Implementation
Gina Brice, Senior Analyst for Compensation & Systems, AutoLiv
In this session, Gina will explore why organizations should invest their time in job architecture and how it creates clarity, fairness, and consistency across the business. Attendees will learn how building a unified framework for job families, levels, and career paths supports pay equity, improves talent management, strengthens workforce planning, and enables cleaner, more reliable HR data. We’ll also walk through the key components of the process such as global discovery, job alignment, system integration, and change management and discuss the practical challenges and lessons learned when transforming thousands of roles into a cohesive global model.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Afternoon Breakouts: 1:05 p.m. - 2:05 p.m.
Managing the Tough Stuff: Discipline, Investigations, and Terminations
Rebecca Seguin- Skrabucha, Member, Bodman PLLC
Performance issues, investigations, or layoffs arise and organizations often struggle to balance fairness, documentation, and legal compliance. This session provides practical, defensible strategies for handling the most sensitive employment actions while minimizing risk and maintaining organizational integrity.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Mental Health Matters: Creating a Culture of Care and Psychological Safety
Melissa Pardales, LMSW, Director of Account Services, Ulliance, Inc.
Mental health challenges are rising across workplaces, and HR professionals are often the first to feel the impact. This session explores how HR can recognize signs of employee distress, initiate supportive conversations, and balance compassion with performance expectations. We’ll also address the hidden emotional toll on HR teams and why resilience and self-care are essential, not optional. Attendees will leave with practical tools for strengthening organizational well-being, building psychological safety, and supporting their own mental health while leading others.
1 General HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Building a Learning & Development Strategy That Shows Business Success: My Journey at Constellium
Brian Stavola Jr, SHRM-CP, Sr. Training Specialist, Constellium
Discover how one HR leader transformed learning & development from a compliance checkbox into a strategic business driver. Brian Stavola Jr., SHRM-CP, shares practical steps from fixing urgent training gaps to launching global initiatives and proving ROI. Walk away with insights into building trust, aligning with business goals, and making L&D a competitive advantage.
1 Business HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Difficult Conversations: How to Communicate in a Divided World
Justin Jones-Fosu, CEO, Philanthropist, Author, and Speaker
In this interactive workshop, Justin, author of I Respectfully Disagree, shows how disagreement can unite rather than divide, strengthening teams and decision-making. By equipping leaders and employees with tools to navigate tough conversations with curiosity, empathy, and respect, he transforms conflict into connection. When organizations embrace productive disagreement, innovation flourishes, collaboration deepens, and workplace culture thrives.
1 General HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
Afternoon Keynote: 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Dancing Through Discomfort, Change, and the Messy Middle
Anne Bonney, Change Leadership Authority
Change is unavoidable, but navigating it doesn’t have to feel paralyzing. In this high-energy keynote, Change Leadership Authority Anne Bonney delivers practical tools, bold insights, and empowering strategies to help you face uncertainty with confidence and resilience. With humor, relatable stories, and actionable takeaways, Anne will inspire you to embrace the challenges of uncertainty and dance through the discomforts that change brings.
1 General HRCI Credit
1 SHRM Credit
HR Excellence Awards & Reception: 3:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Wrap up the 2026 HR Conference by joining us for the HR Excellence Awards & Reception from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. Enjoy snacks, beer, and wine as you connect with peers and recognize outstanding HR leadership. This event honors the HR Executives of the Year and the Emerging HR Leader, offering a perfect opportunity to congratulate the award winners and network with colleagues from across Michigan’s HR community. View this year's honorees here.
*If you’re attending the HR Conference, your reception ticket is included. To purchase reception tickets only, click here.