Summit Agenda

Download the 2025 Agenda

2026 program details will be announced soon

This year’s program will continue to advance employer-led talent strategies and measurable impact through leading insights, practical working sessions, and cross-sector dialogue. Sessions will build on the Network’s year-round focus areas: AI readiness, purpose-driven workplaces, upskilling, new pathways into high-growth sectors, and more.

While we prepare for the 2026 Summit, explore the full program and speaker lineup from 2025 — where business and talent leaders gathered in Deer Valley, Utah, for two days of collaboration, real-time problem-solving, and experiential learning.

November 12, 2025

Welcome Remarks and Opening Keynote

8:30 - 9:30 AM

Welcome Remarks from Ryan Stowers, Senior Vice President, Stand Together, and Executive Director, Charles Koch Foundation.

Human Potential, Untapped: A Conversation with Larry Miller and Ken Oliver

  • What does it take to unlock the full potential of individuals who are too often overlooked in today’s talent marketplace? In this fireside chat, Larry Miller, Chairman of Nike’s Jordan Brand, former President of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Founder of JUMP, will sit down with Ken Oliver, President of JUMP, for a candid conversation about building inclusive pathways that work—for people, employers, and communities. Larry’s personal journey from incarceration to growing a $4 billion global brand offers a rare perspective on both the barriers people face and the systems that can help them thrive.

Cohort Meeting #1

9:30 - 10:15 AM

Meet your cohort and turn your biggest wins and challenges into fuel for collective problem-solving.

Learning Sessions I

10:30 - 11:30 AM

    • Flipping the Switch: Unlocking Careers for 80 Million People with Criminal Records – Speakers: Matt Joyce, Founder and Partner of Envoy, and Tynecia Walker, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Komatsu. Unpack why traditional background screening practices in the U.S. often fall short of accurately assessing risk—and how your organization can take a more equitable approach. You’ll explore the history of background checks and how they exclude qualified talent without improving security. Then, learn how to refine your screening process to focus on evidence-based risk factors, reducing bias, and opening doors to a broader, stronger talent pool.

    • From Insight to Impact: Measuring Skills-First Success – Speaker: Terry Hollingshead, Director of Learning and Advisory Services at Grads of Life and Marcus Felder, Managing Director and Head of Career Pathways, Blackstone. As you adopt skills-first talent strategies, how can you tell what’s working—and what isn’t? In this session, you’ll explore a practical framework for measuring the impact of skills-first practices. Through hands-on workshopping, you’ll tailor the approach to your organization’s goals and context.

    • Reskill, Retain, ReNEW: Financing Solutions for Talent Pipelines – Speakers: Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University (WGU); Tracy Palandjian, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Finance; Jeannie Virden, Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, Central Health. Discover how innovative finance models can help your organization address critical workforce shortages and upskill employees in the age of AI-driven disruption. Learn from the ReNEW Fund, which removes financial barriers to education for low- and moderate-income individuals pursuing careers as nurses. You’ll brainstorm in small groups how to adapt similar models to your own industries and workforce needs.

    • Disability Inclusion at Work: Scaling What Works in Hiring and Retention – Speakers: Keely Cat Wells, CEO of Making Space & Making Space Media, and Donna Bungard, Director of Accessibility, Indeed. Explore how to build structures that support disability inclusion and skills-first hiring to strengthen recruitment through retention. This interactive session will help you examine what’s working and what’s not within your company’s own systems and leave with tangible strategies to address complex inclusion challenges.

    • Leveraging Purpose to Attract and Retain Talent – Speaker: Ed O’Boyle, Gallup’s Global Practice Leader; Michael Horn, Future of Education Podcast. Explore hot-off-the-press data from Gallup’s Power of Purpose study, revealing how purpose influences employee engagement, well-being, and retention. But data is only the beginning; this session will equip you to translate findings into action. In an interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to cultivate purpose—for yourself, your team, and your organization—and create workplaces that attract top talent and help people thrive.

Field Trips

11:30 AM - 3:30 PM

    • The Other Side Village: A Human-First Approach to Ending Chronic Homelessness – Preston Cochrane, CEO, The Other Side Village. Experience an innovative community reimagining rehabilitation and talent development. During this experiential visit, you’ll engage directly with program graduates and staff to learn how their social enterprise model provides pathways to gainful employment in retail, food service, and hospitality for individuals impacted by incarceration, homelessness, and addiction—creating strong talent pipelines for oftenoverlooked talent pools.

    • Stadler Rail U.S.: Building Talent Pipelines Through Youth Apprenticeship – Martin Ritter, CEO, Stadler Rail, U.S. TThis immersive exchange offers a behind-the-scenes look at Stadler Rail U.S.’s advanced manufacturing youth apprenticeship program, featuring interactive facility tours, meaningful speed networking with youth apprentices, and collaborative reflections designed to spark cross-industry inspiration.

Learning Sessions II

12:35 - 2:05 PM

    • From Data to Action: Building a Regional Employer Collaborative – Speakers: Ben Gerig, Director of Workforce Pathways at Colorado Succeeds; Jeanie Kelley, Vice President of Human Resources at RK Industries; and Niki DaSilva, Senior Director of Programs and Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Step inside a live simulation of the launch of an employer-led regional talent collaborative using the Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) framework. Learn from best-in-class regional partnerships, engage in a live employer convening, and experience how industry leaders validate labor market demand in real time. You’ll leave with actionable steps to champion regional talent transformation.

    • Hiring Blindspots: Uncovering Internal Practices That Knock Out Qualified Talent – Speakers: Liana Bran, Senior Director of Community and Employment Strategies, Cara Collective; Clare Healy, Consultant, University of Chicago Medicine; and Sarah Klebo, Director of Human Resources, Fitness Formula Clubs. Participate in a dynamic simulation illustrating how hiring processes unintentionally exclude capable workers—and the first steps you can take to change that. You’ll then reexamine your own talent practices from the job seeker’s perspective, identifying opportunities to make your hiring more inclusive.

    • The AI Talent Pivot: Strategic Workforce Design to Unleash Human Potential – Speakers: Lauren Pasquarella Daley, Associate Vice President, Employer and Workforce Solutions Practice, Jobs for the Future (JFF); Alison Lands, Vice President, Employer and Workforce Solutions Practice, Jobs for the Future (JFF); Rebecca Hinds, Head of the Work AI Institute, Glean; and Gordon Ritchie, Work Ontology Architect, Reejig. Discover how AI is transforming workforce planning, from predicting talent needs to reskilling and deployment. Through interactive dialogue and peer-to-peer learning, identify where AI will shift roles and skills, explore reskilling strategies, and prioritize actions that unlock human potential at scale.

    • Reimagining Gen Z at Work – Speakers: Deb Bubb, Co-Founder, The Institute for Moral Imagination (TIMI); Brent Stringham, Franchisee, McDonald’s; Elena Téllez, General Manager, McDonald’s; and Keith Yamashita, Co-Founder, The Institute for Moral Imagination (TIMI). Gen Z talent aren’t just looking for jobs—they’re seeking purpose, growth, and belonging. In this interactive session, you’ll explore the workplace through Gen Z’s eyes and learn how a “forever skills” model—Dream it, Design it, Do it—can help them and their employers create meaningful, high-impact career paths that also deliver business value. Together, we’ll reimagine what it takes to build workplaces where Gen Z can explore, contribute, and thrive.

    • Getting Started with Skills: Applying Skills-First Resources in Your Organization – Speakers: Erik Leiden, Managing Director of Workforce Strategies, The Burning Glass Institute, and Marcus Felder, Managing Director and Head of Career Pathways, Blackstone. Learn about the key benefits and barriers to rolling out skills in your organization. Participate in collaborative planning on how you can leverage skills-first resources to make your skills journey easier and more aligned with what will help workers carry their skills across employers.

Learning Sessions III

2:20 - 3:20 PM

    • Increasing Internal Mobility in HighPerformance, Future-Ready Organizations – Speaker: Kevin Martin, Chief Research Officer, Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). Dig into research-backed strategies to unlocking internal talent mobility and building a culture of growth. Tackle common challenges like talent hoarding, skill development through gigs, and measuring mobility’s impact. You’ll workshop replicable solutions that strengthen adaptability and help your workforce thrive through change.

    • From Setbacks to Sign-Off: Launching & Implementing Inclusive Talent Programs – Speakers: Harris Rollinger, Senior Program Manager for Hidden Talent and Early Careers at KeHE Distributors; Mark Tapy, Talent Management Director, Pinnacol Assurance; and Wes Parham, Vice President of Public Affairs, Pinnacol Assurance. Experience an interactive case study exploring how Pinnacol Assurance and KeHE Distributors navigated challenges and failures to successfully pitch, secure buy-in, and implement apprenticeships and the Hidden Talent program. From inception to implementation, you’ll reflect on the challenges of implementing your own talent initiative. Hear directly from Pinnacol and KeHE leaders about their spectacular fails, what worked, what they would change, and best practices and considerations.

    • Upskilling from Within: Growing Our Own Surgical Techs – Speakers: Heather Brace, Chief People Officer, Intermountain Health; Mary Anne Douglas, Associate Vice President (AVP) of Surgical Services, Intermountain Health; and MJ Moreno, Certified Surgical Technologist. Explore how Intermountain Health tackled a critical workforce gap by developing an in-house surgical technologist training program. Through case study insights, you’ll learn what drove the initiative, how it was implemented, and the measurable impact it’s had on surgical operations and staffing resilience.

    • Leveraging Hiring Managers as Critical Champions of Talent Transformation – Speakers: Bill Blackford, Vice President, Global Talent Management, Ellucian; Clayton Lord, Senior Program Director, SHRM Foundation; and Stephanie Millichap, Chief of Staff to the Chief Information Officer, United Airlines. This hands-on workshop spotlights the pivotal role hiring managers play in shaping the experience of employees, from the early days of recruitment through to onboarding, development, and internal mobility. Through exemplary models and interactive discussion, participants will explore how to enable and empower hiring managers to become champions for the internal mobility of their team members, ultimately driving stronger outcomes for employees and the business at large.

Afternoon Keynote: AI & Talent: Exploring the Art of the Possible

3:35 - 4:25 PM

Shad Ahmed, Economic Mobility Lead, Anthropic

Jordan Hirsch, Senior Counselor, Palantir Technologies

Gregory Giangrande, Chief People, Marketing, and Communications Officer, Ellucian

Fred Goff, CEO, Jobcase

  • The opportunity and impact of AI surrounds us daily—at times filling us with potential, and at other times looming large. Despite many differing perspectives about AI's impact on talent and the workforce, one thing remains indisputable: it's changing the world of work forever. Our keynote speakers will share tangible bright spots at the intersection of AI and talent—ways that AI is being utilized by employers to enhance talent processes and support employee performance and retention.

Cohort Meeting #2

4:25 - 4:50 PM

Join your cohort to distill today’s takeaways and shape how they inform your work.

Closing Remarks

4:50 - 5:00 PM

Wrap up the day’s learnings with Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University.

November 13, 2025

Morning Keynotes

8:30 - 9:30 AM

Joseph Fuller, Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School

Through the Rearview Mirror: What Past Predictions Teach Us About the Future of Work in the AI Era

  • Ten years ago, bold predictions were made about the future of talent and the workforce—from automation and robots to new skills and career pathways. Some came true faster than expected, others missed the mark, and many taught us lessons about how change unfolds. Learn from Dr. Joseph Fuller as he reflects on these forecasts, uncovers what they reveal about our ability to anticipate disruption, and explores what that means as we navigate today’s predictions about AI and the future of work.

Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah

Utah’s Blueprint for Shared Success

  • Governor Spencer Cox has a long track record of public service, focusing on solutions, respect in politics, and innovation in government. Hear from the Governor as he shares success stories from Utah’s statewide and regional workforce collaborations, including AI training with NVIDIA, the One Utah Health Collaborative, and other industry-aligned partnerships. His remarks will inspire actionable strategies in line with how these initiatives have strengthened Utah's workforce by unlocking human potential.

Cohort Meeting #3

9:30 - 10:00 AM

Having explored what the Summit means for you, now reflect on what you’ll need to accelerate broader change in your organization.

Keynote

10:15 - 11:05 AM

Happiness as Strategy: Leading with Purpose in a Rapidly Changing Workplace

  • In today’s competitive labor market, companies searching for an edge may not have to look far to find meaningful solutions. Dr. Arthur Brooks—renowned globally as a leading expert on the science of happiness and purpose—argues that by intentionally cultivating happiness practices, leaders can unlock higher levels of workplace engagement, improve recruitment outcomes, and drive stronger retention and productivity. In a keynote followed by a fireside chat with Ryan Stowers, Arthur will share why happiness and meaning are central to creating resilient, high-performing teams. You’ll gain actionable ideas for building environments where people thrive.

Dr. Arthur Brooks, Harvard Professor & Bestselling Author

Ryan Stowers, Senior Vice President, Stand Together, and Executive Director, Charles Koch Foundation.

Learning Sessions IV

11:20 AM - 12:20 PM

    • Building AI-Ready Roles: A Skills-First Future – Speaker: Erik Leiden, Managing Director of Workforce Strategies, The Burning Glass Institute, and Henry Deng, Employer Partnerships Lead, Google. This interactive session helps talent leaders transform the AI Skill Domains framework into an actionable, organization-wide upskilling strategy. Explore how AI is reshaping different roles, pinpoint the capabilities most critical to your priority positions, and design targeted learning pathways that enable responsible, high-impact AI adoption across your workforce.

    • Cracking the Retention Code: Two Models That Drastically Reduced Turnover – Speakers: Bridgett Beene, Workforce Development Manager, Advocate Health; Michele Smith, Vice President of Workforce Development and Career Innovation, Advocate Health; and Ted Castle, Founder, Rhino Foods. Discover how Advocate Health’s Teammate Success Coaching Program and Rhino Foods’ innovative workforce initiatives have redefined employee engagement and strengthened frontline retention. Through case studies, you’ll learn about efforts designed to provide holistic support for team members, the adaptations that made them sustainable, and the results they achieved. You’ll gain specific steps you can take to reduce turnover at scale and cultivate a happier workplace.

    • Creative Solutions for Complex Issues: Hyatt's Partnership Model for Driving Business ROI – Speakers: Nate Hardesty, Area Vice President and General Manager, Grand Hyatt Deer Valley; Dr. Angela Jackson, CEO, Future Forward; and Heather Kruse, Project Area Director, Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA). Hear firsthand how Hyatt Hotels and MIDA turned governmentowned land into a thriving resort destination, redefining not only the ski industry but also creating powerful opportunities to serve and employ veterans and their families. Learn how Hyatt created business ROI, worked shoulder-to-shoulder with partners to bring the initiative to life, and reimagined their hiring process to welcome more veterans.

    • Inside the Boardroom: Confronting the Realities of Scaling Work Based Learning – Speakers: Debbie Brown, President, Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT); Lori Frasier, Workforce Strategy Consultant, COBRT; and Stephanie Millichap, Chief of Staff to the Chief Information Officer, United Airlines. Join the Colorado Business Roundtable and United Airlines for a candid, facilitated dialogue on how Work Based Learning (WBL) and apprenticeships can serve as strategic levers for business growth and talent development. Through a simulated “boardroom” experience, you’ll explore WBL’s business value, confront real implementation challenges, and surface practical strategies to scale and sustain successful models that strengthen both workforce and bottom-line outcomes.

Closing Remarks — “Beyond the Summit: Sustaining the Momentum”

1:20 - 2:00 PM

Join us as we wrap the 2025 Human Potential Summit with Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University, and Ryan Stowers, Senior Vice President, Stand Together, and Executive Director, Charles Koch Foundation