SPEAKER
PRESENTATION SUMMARY
In today’s rapidly evolving business and economic environment, it’s essential for organizations to design strategies that directly support the organization’s growth and long-term success. Compensation is no different. By integrating key economic factors into total rewards and talent-based decisions, CompEnomics offers a strategic, evidence-based approach to discerning and developing total compensation and talent strategies designed to enable organizations to attract, foster, pay, and grow their talent base. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
SPEAKER BIO
Kevin Cartwright is the Vice President of Intelligent Compensation, LLC, an experienced compensation and business advisory consulting firm out of Austin, Texas. Since joining the consulting firm back in 2016, Kevin has developed nearly a decade of experience delivering strategic consulting solutions to clients across the United States and internationally. Kevin’s expertise spans a wide range of compensation and organizational consulting services including base and total cash market studies, the development of pay structures and incentive compensation plans, executive and total compensation analyses, and comprehensive organizational reviews.
Outside of Intelligent Compensation, LLC, Kevin volunteers on the Board of WilcoHR, where he previously served as President, and now serves as 2026 Treasurer. He also previously served on the Board of Austin SHRM as VP of Emerging Professionals where he assisted Central Texas Universities and local businesses with improving the professional development of their students and young professionals.
Kevin earned his B.A. from Sam Houston State University. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two young children, coaching sports and working with high school students at his church.
CANCELLATION POLICY
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
USE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
JOHNNY C. TAYLOR, JR. (opening keynote)
Fireside chat to discuss Civility in the Workplace
DR. VIJAY PENDAKUR
Disruption-Proof Teams: Everyday Behaviors That Drive Resilience, Agility, and Performance
In today’s workplaces, disruption isn’t a temporary storm — it’s the new normal. HR leaders know the costs: rising burnout, eroding engagement, and teams that stall under pressure. But resilience isn’t built through slogans or one-off campaigns; it grows from the everyday behaviors leaders and teams practice together.
In this keynote, Dr. Vijay Pendakur — former C-level leader at Zynga, VMware, and Dropbox and author of The Alchemy of Talent — unpacks the formula for teams that win consistently, even in endless uncertainty. You’ll see how small, science-backed behavior shifts flatten the disruption “dip,” protect performance, and sustain energy across your workforce.
Attendees will leave with practical tools to bring back to their organizations — not grand gestures, but repeatable behaviors that HR can champion and scale to help teams thrive in uncertainty, adapt faster, and deliver extraordinary results.
Learning Outcomes:
CHERRON CASTILLO
Psychological Safety at Work
Every organization says they want people to “speak up,” but few create the conditions that make it safe to do so. In this interactive session, participants explore how psychological safety fuels innovation, trust, and performance. Through insights, reflection, and real-time exercises, they will uncover the subtle behaviors that either invite or silence voices at work. This session goes beyond theory, offering professionals practical tools and micro-scripts to model curiosity, reduce fear, and build workplaces where candor and respect can coexist. Whether an emerging leader, L&D professional, or seasoned manager, this session will help create a culture where people thrive, starting with self.
CRAIG FISHER
The Future is Bright: Staying Human in an AI-Driven World of Work
Between AI headlines, economic uncertainty, and nonstop change, it’s easy for HR and talent leaders to feel like the future of work is something to fear—or simply survive. But the reality is more hopeful—and more human—than the headlines suggest. In this session, Craig Fisher reframes today’s disruption through a practical, optimistic lens. Drawing on real-world examples, research, and lessons from his books Hiring Humans and Paint Your Store, Craig explores how organizations can embrace technology without losing empathy, purpose, or trust. Rather than treating AI as a replacement for people, this talk focuses on how human judgment, curiosity, and connection are becoming more valuable—not less. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of where automation helps, where humans still matter most, and how HR leaders can confidently guide their teams forward. This is not a hype session or a doom-and-gloom warning—it’s a grounded, future-forward conversation about building resilient, human-centered workplaces in a rapidly evolving world. Key takeaways include:
DR. TONY BRIDWELL (closing keynote)
Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: Looking Beyond the Leader
To deliver a dynamic keynote titled Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: Looking Beyond the Leader, which challenges traditional leadership paradigms by embracing a balanced approach grounded in followership, culture, and learning. This transformative session provides actionable frameworks and insights to inspire immediate action while fostering long-term growth. Participants will gain practical tools to deepen client relationships, enhance performance, and build a courageous culture of learning through meaningful storytelling and value-driven principles.
This session opens with a high-energy, movement-based icebreaker designed to foster instant connection and psychological safety. Participants will see a slide with a range of music genres (e.g., hip hop, country, jazz, R&B, classical). They’ll move around the room to find others who share a similar taste in music and form small “music crews.” Each group will create a fun name for themselves—and they can choose to either share the name or perform a quick intro (totally optional and pressure-free).
We’ll then repeat the activity with food preferences, allowing for new connections and deeper engagement. The goal is simple but powerful: to show how connection can be built through shared interests—and how psychological safety often begins with low-stakes, human moments. This sets the tone for the rest of the session on human-centered leadership.
This session will help HR professionals and business leaders reframe upskilling as a preventive maintenance strategy, one that improves engagement, reduces turnover and builds internal capability in an increasingly volatile and uncertain environment. The discussion will be practical, applicable across industries and grounded in real operating experience.
Matt Eichmann is the founder of Catalyst Point Leadership Advisors, where he helps organizations build leadership capability that drives results.
With more than 25 years of experience across commercial, industrial, and operational environments, Matt has led global teams as a Business General Manager, Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer, and earlier as a Marine Corps Officer. Throughout his career, he saw a consistent challenge: capable people are often promoted into leadership roles without being prepared for the shift.
His work is grounded in three core beliefs: clarity beats complexity, trust is operational, and performance improves when friction is removed. Today, Matt partners with HR leaders, executives, and owner-led businesses to develop leaders who think clearly, communicate effectively, and take purposeful action—turning better leadership into measurable performance.
In today’s workplaces, stress is high, trust is fragile, and leaders are expected to sustain engagement while navigating difficult conversations and minimizing risk. Yet one of the most powerful leadership capabilities has quietly disappeared from our professional vocabulary: love.
In this interactive 60-minute session, HR professionals will explore how bringing the “L-word” back into the workplace—defined not as romance, but as intentional humanity, curiosity, and care—strengthens engagement and retention while also functioning as a proactive risk management strategy. Drawing from executive leadership experience and personal insight into what it means to feel safe at work, the speaker illustrates how authenticity, language, and presence shape psychological safety. Participants will examine how everyday leadership behaviors influence employee engagement, retention, and employee relations outcomes. Through guided reflection and practical application, attendees will learn how to help leaders shift conversations from judgment to curiosity, reducing people-related risks that contribute to disengagement, turnover, and escalated employee relations. Virtual Experience Highlights: Not a webinar—this is an interactive virtual session using breakout rooms, chat, and facilitated dialogue to keep participants actively engaged.
Objective 1
Identify leadership behaviors that increase or reduce people-related risk impacting engagement, retention, and employee relations.
Objective 2
Apply practical tools to shift workplace conversations from judgment to curiosity, strengthening psychological safety and trust.
Objective 3
Coach leaders to use intentional language and presence to proactively prevent disengagement, turnover, and escalation of employee relations issues.
Lisa Blanton, MBA, SHRM-SCP, is a senior executive leader, speaker, and business advisor with more than 30 years of experience as a COO, CFO, and CHRO across entrepreneurial and multi-site organizations. She specializes in helping HR professionals and leaders reduce people-related risk by strengthening leadership behaviors, communication, and psychological safety. As Founder and CEO of Austin Alliance Group, Lisa currently serves as Texas SHRM Co-Director of Certification. She brings both executive leadership experience and lived insight into workplace safety and authenticity, and will be accompanied by her trained service dog, Chloe, during the session. Lisa is also a Certified Virtual Master Presenter, recognized for delivering highly engaging, interactive virtual experiences that foster connection, learning, and meaningful participation.
COMING SOON
The desire for effective leadership has seemingly been growing across society for several years. In August 2025, U.S. News & World Report published troubling results from a Harris Poll conducted on public views of leadership. First, 60%+ of Americans didn’t see leaders they wanted to emulate in public service, health care, education, or business. Second, and most troubling for organizations, is that “72% of adults agree that the U.S. is experiencing a business leadership crisis.” Additionally, well-known authors such as Stephen M.R. Covey and John C. Maxwell have focused on leadership deficiencies in their most recent books. Given significant quantitative evidence and expert opinion that paint a poor picture of leadership across society, what can we do about it?
This presentation will initially focus on defining leadership and, more importantly, distinguishing it from management. Unfortunately, the two terms are often incorrectly used interchangeably. Leadership is a function of management, but not all managers are good leaders. Otherwise, this discussion wouldn’t be necessary. Then, we’ll examine what organizations can do to improve the state of leadership. Some options that may come to mind are surprisingly limited, yet others are simple and cost-effective.
Professor Loafman graduated with a BBA in Management from Abilene Christian University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University. He’s completed twenty-one years as a full-time faculty member and eighteen years at Texas A&M University-Central Texas, where he is a tenured Professor of Management. He served for almost 10 years in various administrative roles, including as Chair of the Management and Marketing Department, Associate Dean, and twice as Interim Dean of the College of Business Administration. Among many publications on law and education, he’s published two articles in the prestigious American Business Law Journal (ABLJ) and another in the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy. He is a past President of the Employment Law Section of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business and active in community service, having served on the Board of Directors of the Killeen ISD Education Foundation, Bell County Sportsman's Club, Slice of Heaven Educational Farm, and was the Merit Badge Coordinator for the Chisholm Trail District of the Boy Scouts of America. He continues to do numerous community service activities with First Baptist Church of Salado.
Employer branding isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a strategic advantage. In today’s competitive talent market, organizations of all sizes need to stand out authentically. This session will explore practical ways to create and communicate a compelling employer brand that resonates with diverse audiences, including veterans and underrepresented groups. We’ll cover how recruitment marketing and inclusive messaging can strengthen your talent pipeline and drive business success—without falling into token gestures.
Key Takeaways:
Alex is a global employer brand storyteller, currently residing in Austin, TX, and enjoys all things employer branding, recruitment marketing, and candidate experience. Outside of work, he's also a founder of CommonThread (global community for EB/Comms/Candidate Experience), does public speaking, and provides mentoring advice to fellow practitioners. When he's not working he enjoys traveling, being with family, music, karaoke, movies, podcasts, and mentoring others.
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