2026 Human Resource Conference
Date: Thursday January 15th, 2026
Time: 8am-4:00pm (subject to change)
Location: University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Davies Student Center
The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chippewa Valley Society for Human Resource Management (CVSHRM) will present its annual Human Resource Conference geared for human resource professionals, small business owners, and managers. The conference will provide a variety of sessions to keep the HR Professional or Business Owner in the know about key issues affecting the workforce. View the conference agenda below!
Agenda
8:00am - Registration begins
8:30am - Welcome & Opening Comments
8:45am - Morning Keynote Presentation - Humanity Restored: Reigniting the Heart of HR in the Age of AI – Sarah Fecht, Best Self Leadership
10am - Break Out Session 1
- Building Belonging for Leaders – AJ Kruse, humanworks8
- Burnout is Not a Badge of Honor: Practical Tools for Protecting your Mental Health – Renee Sommer, At The Roots LLC
- Under the Gun: HR’s Legal and Practical Strategies Related to Workplace Violence – Aaron McCann & Katie Mills Ybarra, Godfrey & Kahn
- Generational Differences are Real – Courtney Lamers & Jim Morgan, MRA
11am - Networking Break
11:15am - Break Out Session 2
- From Department of Corrections No. 558672 to Wisconsin State Bar No. 1138342 – David Carlson, Eau Claire Legal, LLC
- 2025 Employment Law Year in Review (and a Peek Ahead at 2026) – Jerilyn Jacobs, Crivello, Nichols & Hall
- Safe Spaces - Supporting LGBTQ+ Colleagues – Amy Lueck, Chippewa Valley Technical College
- Value Driven Health Plans – How to Break the Status Quo – David Zieg, Alliant Insurance Services
12:15pm - Lunch & Networking
1:30pm - Breakout Session 3
- From Barriers to Breakthroughs: How Immigrant and Refugee Talent Fuels American Entrepreneurship – Kateryna Bikir, Bikir LLC
- The Evolution of Employer–Sponsored Medical Plans: From fully insured to Future-Ready – Alicia Schwartz, Jill Gorres, Angela Eckman, & Shelly Pryse, Alera Group
- I Believe in YOU – How to foster a culture of leaders that believe – Phil Swiler, Coachable Concepts
- What’s Keeping HR and Business Leaders Up at Night (and how they are solving it) – Courtney Lamers, Hilary Hauser, and Jim Morgan, MRA
2:30pm - Networking Break
2:45pm - Afternoon Keynote Presentation - We Don't, and Won't, Have Enough People: Strengthening Our Workforce Through Family Friendliness - Neil Kline, Family Friendly Workplaces, Inc.
3:45pm - Closing Remarks
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Get a taste for the event from last year's highlights!
