Agenda
Wednesday, September 2
9:45 AM
Registration, Networking, and Refreshments
10:30 AM
Welcome and Introduction
10:45 AM
Peer-led Vendor* Clinic
Workforce Listening & Organizational Insights
* We are a vendor-free community. These confidential, peer-led discussions bring together leaders using similar platforms to exchange candid lessons learned—no vendors, no product demos, and no sales pitches.
As organizations move beyond measuring workforce sentiment to enabling workforce performance, listening and analytics platforms are becoming strategic infrastructure for organizational change, AI adoption, and business decision-making. Join peers to discuss how they’re turning employee feedback and workforce data into actionable insights that build trust, accelerate transformation, strengthen leadership decisions, and improve organizational performance.
Discussion groups:
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11:15 AM
Break
11:20 AM
Peer-led Vendor* Clinic
Culture, Recognition & Workforce Performance
* We are a vendor-free community. These confidential, peer-led discussions bring together leaders using similar platforms to exchange candid lessons learned—no vendors, no product demos, and no sales pitches.
Culture is shaped through the everyday systems that reinforce behaviors, strengthen communication, and enable organizational change. Explore how peers are using recognition, digital workplace, and culture platforms to reinforce values, improve manager effectiveness, accelerate adoption, and build the organizational capabilities needed to thrive in an AI-enabled world.
Discussion groups:
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11:50 AM
Networking Lunch
Meet up with a buddy or make a new friend during this open networking lunch hour.
1:00 PM
Break
1:10 PM
Case Study
Values at the Top: Aligning Strategy, Values, and Leadership
Marissa Fezzey, Rocket
A change in leadership often creates a pivotal moment for organizations to reassess the values, behaviors, and principles that guide decision-making. In this session, Marissa Fezzey, Executive Culture & Engagement Strategist at Rocket, will share how her team partnered with both the company’s founder and CEO to build alignment around the values, behaviors, and principles that should continue to guide decision-making as the business enters its next chapter. We’ll explore how EX leaders can help the C-suite create shared understanding, document what matters most, and translate leadership vision into a framework that drives strategic alignment and consistent decision-making across the enterprise.
1:40 PM
Break
1:55 PM
Case Study
Using EX Data to Build Better Managers
Leslie Parpart, AVP Corporate Social Responsibility and Associate Experience, CarMax
Many organizations collect employee feedback and track key people metrics, but how do you turn those insights into better manager behaviors, stronger culture, and more consistent employee experiences—especially across a large frontline workforce? In this case study, Leslie Parpart will share how CarMax uses its Associate Experience Scorecard, People First Business Objective, and structured HR Business Partner routines to help managers understand the health of their teams and take meaningful action. By bringing together measures such as engagement, turnover, recognition, and manager effectiveness into a single accountability framework, CarMax equips leaders with insights that improve manager effectiveness, enhance associate experiences, and drive business results. Attendees will learn how CarMax uses employee experience data not simply to measure culture, but to develop managers, reinforce accountability, and ensure the associate experience is actively owned at every level of the organization.
2:25 PM
Break
2:40 PM
Case Study
Pass the Mic: Amplifying Employee Voices Across a Global Organization
Angie Grossman, The Trade Desk
As organizations scale across geographies, functions, and work styles, creating a shared sense of connection becomes increasingly complex, making authentic storytelling more important than ever. In this session, Angie Grossman from The Trade Desk will share the strategy behind launching an internal podcast designed to spotlight employee stories, strengthen connections across a global workforce, and bring company culture to life in a more authentic way. Join us to explore how Culture and Experience leaders can leverage internal media to create engagement, foster community, and help employees better understand the people behind the work.
3:10 PM
Networking Break
3:40 PM
Case Study
From Survey Results to Employee Signals: Building Ally’s Listening Scorecard
Adam Perrow & Danielle Phillips, Ally
Most listening programs generate data, but few create a clear, actionable story that leaders can use to make decisions. In this session, Adam Perrow and Danielle Phillips of Ally will share the evolution of Ally’s quarterly Employee Listening Scorecard—a cross-functional effort that brings together active listening, passive listening, behavioral indicators, and employee comments into a holistic view of the employee experience. Learn how Ally moved beyond point-in-time survey analysis to create an executive-ready framework that surfaces real-time trends across the employee lifecycle, highlights emerging risks and opportunities, and strengthens the connection between employee voice and business outcomes, accelerating a shift toward a more proactive, insight-led employee experience.
4:10 PM
Break
4:25 PM
Case Study
Mentorship That Scales: Building Leaders at Every Level
India Taylor, Caleres
Many mentorship programs focus on individual development, but few are intentionally designed to strengthen employees, managers, and senior leaders at the same time. In this session, India Taylor of Caleres will share how the company reimagined mentorship as a strategic leadership development program that builds inclusive leadership, accelerates career growth, and strengthens organizational capability. Learn how Caleres created a structured, multi-tiered mentorship model that drives measurable outcomes, including increased promotions, stronger leader engagement, and deeper cross-functional connections, while creating a scalable foundation for long-term talent development.
4:55 PM
Adjourn
5:00 PM
Drinks Reception and Members-Only Dinner
Following our afternoon of conversations and case studies, we’ll all go out for a fantastic dinner together. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with your fellow members before a big day of brainstorming, discussion, and collaboration.
Thursday, September 3
8:00 AM
Themed Breakfast Discussions
The conversations over coffee and eggs at this event are often more lively than any other conference’s happy hour. You’ll want to be here bright and early (and on time).
The tables will be divided into topic areas so leaders can pick where they want to sit and connect with others who are interested in the same initiative. There are no formal presentations or discussion prompts—just time to share perspectives and kick off the day with meaningful and inspiring conversation.
- Cultivating a Culture of Learning, Agility, and Curiosity
- Empowering People to Thrive with AI
- Designing the Next Generation of Employee Experiences
8:40 AM
Opening Remarks
8:50 AM
Break
9:00 AM
Workshop
Communicating Through Change with Transparency and Trust
Jenae O’Neil, Zurich U.S.
Whether navigating restructures, benefit changes, AI adoption, or evolving ways of working, organizations are asking leaders to communicate with greater clarity and transparency than ever before. Join this confidential discussion, facilitated by Jenae O’Neil, Employee Experience Manager at Zurich U.S., to exchange practical approaches for helping leaders communicate transparently, connect organizational decisions to the broader business context, and help employees understand the “why” behind change. Share how you’re equipping leaders, reinforcing trust, and supporting employees through uncertainty.
9:30 AM
Break
9:45 AM
Workshop
From Owner to Enabler: Evolving the Role of the Culture & Experience Team
Kay Clark, Raymond James
As Culture & Experience teams take on broader responsibilities with leaner resources, many are shifting from owning programs to enabling the business to drive culture, engagement, and employee experience. Facilitated by Kay Clark, Vice President of Culture & Experience at Raymond James, this confidential discussion will explore how organizations are redefining the role of the function through governance, playbooks, executive alignment, and manager enablement. Share how your team is evolving, where you’re creating leverage, and how you’re balancing strategic influence with execution.
10:15 AM
Break
10:30 AM
Workshop
Beyond the Annual Survey: Continuous Listening That Drives Action
Emily Bliss, Rocket Companies
Annual engagement surveys provide valuable insights, but they capture only a snapshot in time. Join this confidential discussion, facilitated by Emily Bliss, Senior Organizational Engagement Consultant at Rocket Companies, to exchange practical approaches for building more agile listening strategies that combine pulse surveys, ongoing feedback, and other employee signals to identify issues earlier and accelerate action. Share what’s working, what you’re experimenting with, and how your listening strategy is evolving beyond the annual survey.
11:00 AM
Break
11:15 AM
Workshop
Leading Through AI: Navigating Change Without the Overwhelm
Kristyn Brennan, Cox Enterprises
AI is reshaping how work gets done, but many organizations are still figuring out what that means for employees, managers, and Culture & Experience teams. Facilitated by Kristyn Brennan, Head of Employee Engagement and Experience Strategy at Cox Enterprises, this confidential discussion will explore how organizations are preparing their workforce for an AI-enabled future, encouraging responsible experimentation, and helping leaders navigate uncertainty without creating AI overwhelm. Share where you’re seeing meaningful progress, what’s still unclear, and how you’re supporting both your workforce and your own team through rapid change.
11:45 AM
Themed Lunch Discussions
During lunch, the tables will be divided into industries so leaders can pick where they want to sit and connect with others who are leading employee experience in the same space:
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12:45 PM
Break
12:55 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Human-centered AI design
- Continuous listening strategies
- Building a resilient culture
1:30 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Partnering with your new AI colleague
- Building consumer-grade employee experience
- Navigating return-to-office strategies
2:00 PM
Break
2:15 PM
Peer Advisory Roundtables
EXAMPLE TOPICS:
- Reimagining the employee journey
- Turning employee stories into leadership action
- Designing inclusive cultures for the future of work
2:45 PM
Adjourn
Please note: This agenda is subject to change based on speaker availability and scheduling.
