Opening Keynote

“There’s not one individual, whether they are a contract worker or full-time employee, that doesn’t want to feel valued. You’re going to have to supply the value one way or the other, in order to get the best work out of them, and benefits oftentimes is the signal, the big message to do that.”
 
Scott Cawood
Employee Benefit News, May 7, 2019

Scott Cawood is President and CEO of WorldatWork, a nonprofit association serving compensation and total rewards professionals world-wide. WorldatWork members design and deliver total rewards programs to cultivate engaged, effective workforces through education and certification, advocacy, research and more. In his keynote session, Scott focuses on HR's big moment as employees return to work after the disruption caused by the global pandemic. 

Friday Morning Keynote

"Creating a vibrant, diverse and inclusive culture that solicits and values the talents and contributions of all people and that celebrates diversity across identity and circumstances requires that we examine ourselves through an entirely new lens that seeks to expose and eliminate both the known and “hidden in plain sight”, structural inequities that persist in all institutions. It is not lofty platitudes on a wall. It is action – because action is the only thing that will lead to meaningful change and a lasting impact." 

Traci O'Neal Ellis

Traci O’Neal Ellis, CHRO and Chief Equity Officer at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, is a Chicagoland attorney and frequent speaker on equity, law, politics and radically inclusive leadership. In her session, Traci offers her take on the missing key ingredient in most organizational efforts. Her perspective as an attorney and HR executive will provide insight into the effects of a robust diversity and inclusion strategy.