Thank you for attending! Here are the slide decks and video recordings:

Session One - AI Acceptable Use Policy - Marshall Smith
Slide Deck
Video Recording

Session Two - John Huisman - Overcoming AI Paralysis
Slide Deck
Video Recording

Session Three - Dave Solaro - Washoe County - An updated look at AI and Leveraging Technology to Increase Productivity in the Public Sector
Slide Deck
Video Recording

Session Four - Creating Efficiencies with Microsoft Copilot
Slide Deck
Video Recording

Session Five - Introducing TESSIE our AI-powered Resource Assistant
Slide Deck
Video Recording

Start your day by checking in at the registration table to pick up your name badge and welcome bag. Enjoy a light continental breakfast and take some time to visit with our expo vendors in the general session room before the conference officially begins.

POOL/PACT HR General Manager, Stacy Norbeck, delivers a welcome message to members and outlines the agenda for the 2025 POOL/PACT HR Leadership Conference.

Presentation Slides

When big ideas crash into real-world roadblocks, most folks walk away and move on. Nick shows how to call out the friction, manage the change, rally “Team Us,” and keep the sparks flying until that crazy-smart notion becomes the new way of doing business. He’ll share plain-spoken stories of transformation and a handful of quick tricks that make innovation stick instead of fizzle. Expect plenty of “a-ha’s,” critical truths, and practical wisdom you can put to work before lunch.

Refill your coffee, visit with peers and expo vendors, and then head to your first breakout session - Roundtables by Entity-type. 

Join your peers from similar organizations (counties, cities/towns, school districts, public safety agencies, and special districts) for facilitated roundtable discussions. This is your chance to connect with others who understand the unique challenges of your work. Share your experiences, exchange resources, and collaborate on solutions to common issues. These discussions are consistently a conference favorite. Come ready to network, problem solve, and leave with fresh ideas to bring back to your organization.

Short break and then returning to the general session room for Becky Bruch's presentation.

Presentation Slides

Handout

Documentation is the backbone of effective HR. This engaging session will equip supervisors, managers, and HR professionals with the tools to document correctly, consistently, and fairly, covering types of evidence, unbiased reporting, when to follow up, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Participants will also review the difference between negligence, misconduct, and insubordination, and walk away with practical tools for stronger performance management.

Join us for a "South of the Border" buffet lunch, and be sure to return to the general session room to visit with our expo vendors. View menu details here.

Make the most of your learning management system with strategies that simplify your work in Absorb. This session will show you how to streamline your processes so you can spend less time clicking and more time focusing on strategy. Explore tips, tricks, and proven best practices for automating workflows, reducing manual tasks, and getting the most out of your Absorb system. Whether you’re new to the platform or looking to level up your current processes, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to save time and simplify training management.

Presentation Slides

Organizations value occupations based on their centrality to the mission of the organization and their impact on achieving its objectives. The relationship between supply and demand in the relevant labor markets dictates how difficult it will be to compete for specific capabilities and what the price will be. When the internal value and external cost differ significantly the task of reconciling them presents one of the most daunting challenges for HR.

Each organization must create an attractive employer brand and value proposition to compete effectively for talent. The brand must convey what it is like to work for the organization. The value proposition must define how the organization defines, measures and rewards employee contributions. The current focus on pay equity must be addressed. But also there must be equity in selection, development, when and where work is performed, the degree of autonomy allowed and other conditions of employment.

Workforce and compensation management strategies must fit the specific context of the organization. Public agencies, cities, counties, states, utilities, library districts, park districts and public safety forces function within contexts that share similarities. However, each is different in some respects and the principle “what works is what fits the current context” should guide the selection of workforce management strategies. HR must have a deep understanding of the organization and the environment it faces. There must also be forward-looking assessments of how external factors might impact the effectiveness of strategies. What has worked for a long time may no longer be viable.

Presentation Slides

From DUIs to domestic violence arrests, off-duty incidents can raise challenging questions for HR and management. When off-duty behavior impacts your organization’s reputation, safety, or team dynamics, employers must respond carefully. This session will explore when and how employers can take action, including when discipline is justified, how to avoid discrimination claims, and ways to balance organizational interests with employee rights.

Quick break for passing between breakout sessions. 

Make the most of your learning management system with strategies that simplify your work in Absorb. This session will show you how to streamline your processes so you can spend less time clicking and more time focusing on strategy. Explore tips, tricks, and proven best practices for automating workflows, reducing manual tasks, and getting the most out of your Absorb system. Whether you’re new to the platform or looking to level up your current processes, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to save time and simplify training management.

Presentation Slides

Organizations value occupations based on their centrality to the mission of the organization and their impact on achieving its objectives. The relationship between supply and demand in the relevant labor markets dictates how difficult it will be to compete for specific capabilities and what the price will be. When the internal value and external cost differ significantly the task of reconciling them presents one of the most daunting challenges for HR.

Each organization must create an attractive employer brand and value proposition to compete effectively for talent. The brand must convey what it is like to work for the organization. The value proposition must define how the organization defines, measures and rewards employee contributions. The current focus on pay equity must be addressed. But also there must be equity in selection, development, when and where work is performed, the degree of autonomy allowed and other conditions of employment.

Workforce and compensation management strategies must fit the specific context of the organization. Public agencies, cities, counties, states, utilities, library districts, park districts and public safety forces function within contexts that share similarities. However, each is different in some respects and the principle “what works is what fits the current context” should guide the selection of workforce management strategies. HR must have a deep understanding of the organization and the environment it faces. There must also be forward-looking assessments of how external factors might impact the effectiveness of strategies. What has worked for a long time may no longer be viable.

Presentation Slides

From DUIs to domestic violence arrests, off-duty incidents can raise challenging questions for HR and management. When off-duty behavior impacts your organization’s reputation, safety, or team dynamics, employers must respond carefully. This session will explore when and how employers can take action, including when discipline is justified, how to avoid discrimination claims, and ways to balance organizational interests with employee rights.

 A bit longer of a break before we come together again for the day's closing keynote. Grab a beverage, stretch your legs, and be sure to visit with our expo vendors! 

Presentation Slides

After we shake up the workplace, it’s time to zoom in on the person running the show—you. Nick gets candid about risk, resilience, and turning curveballs into launchpads for your life. He’ll unpack why ditching either-or thinking, cutting loose dead weight from the past, and designing “micro-moments” of joy can crank your life up a notch (or three). Think campfire chat meets science-backed strategy—fuel to help you trade autopilot for a life that feels wide-open and ready for adventure.

Wrap up the day by joining us for an evening of networking, conversation, and connection from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Tahoe Blue Bar (1st floor of Tahoe Blue Event Center). Enjoy complimentary appetizers and drinks while you mingle with fellow attendees, presenters, and colleagues from across the state. Grab a few friends and capture the fun in the Epics Photo Booth!

Start your day by checking in at the registration table, and if you haven't done so yet, pick up your name badge and welcome bag. Enjoy a light continental breakfast and take some time to visit with our expo vendors in the general session room before the conference officially begins.

Welcome to Day 2 of the conference! In this introduction, we will briefly go over the agenda for the day and share any important information you should know. 

Presentation Slides

There is a growing animosity between employers and employees that we all have felt these past few years. Eighty five percent (85%) of staff are disengaged at work, and the phrase “I don’t want to work anymore” is more common than at any time in modern history. It’s manifested in quiet quitting, quiet firing, strikes, and RIFs/Layoffs. We can ignore this problem and hope it miraculously disappears, or we can proactively address it.  The organizations brave enough to take this challenge head-on will thrive for the foreseeable future, while others obsessed with the status quo will become as obsolete as Blockbuster Video.

This talk explores the bold steps we need to heal the divisions within workplaces using a play-oriented approach to work.  The only way to find unique solutions to these significant issues that organizations have been too afraid to face is through a play mindset.  We will identify immediately actionable strategies to mend the divide between executives, managers, and staff. Together, we can choose what direction we want the future of work to go. The question we must answer is: What are we willing to do to create a work culture where not only the organization can thrive but where our people finally become the priority?

Learning Objectives
• Dive into the widening employer and employee disconnect and how to mend it.
• Identify the most critical issues organizations are avoiding and how to heal this workplace division.
• Determine actionable strategies that can be applied immediately in the workplace so managers and staff can find a way to help each other do their most vibrant work.

Short break before we head into our first breakout sessions of the day. 

Presentation Slides

Our systems are shaped by history, hierarchy, and unspoken expectations, often built for control, not care. When those systems inadvertently collide with the human systems of the individuals they employee they generate harm, not just stress–for both their people and their profits. This session invites you to look beneath burnout, disengagement, and behavioral challenges to see what’s really driving them: institutional design that’s out of sync with the needs of the whole humans who keep those systems running. Through a whole-human, trauma-informed lens, Anita will bring awareness to the foundational conditions on which organizations are built—and why fixing our institutional systems, rather than trying to override the innate human responses that haven’t changed in millennia, is the most direct and sustainable path to meaningful change for our workers, workplaces, and the world.

Presentation Slides

Handout - Culture Action Plan Worksheet

In mission-driven workplaces, culture isn’t accidental, it’s built with intention. In this interactive session, HR professionals from the public and nonprofit sectors will explore how to design workplace cultures that foster real engagement, alignment, and retention.

You’ll learn how to assess your current culture, identify key engagement drivers, and develop actionable strategies tailored to your organization’s mission and values. Walk away with a practical toolkit—a culture snapshot, guiding questions, and an engagement blueprint to lead culture change with clarity and confidence.

Presentation Slides

Handout

Effective leadership begins with effective conversations. In this interactive session, leadership development expert and best-selling author Morgan Massie will introduce The Five Coaching Conversations — a practical, proven framework leaders can use to strengthen employee engagement, address performance challenges, and maximize team potential.

Participants will complete a short self-assessment to gain insight into their leadership preferences and learn how to tailor conversations to better support, develop, and empower their employees. Designed for leaders at all levels, this session equips attendees with immediately usable tools to foster trust, manage change, and build strong, high-performing teams. Copies of The Five Coaching Conversations book will be available for participants who want to take a deeper dive into applying the model after the session.

Session Takeaways:

• Be introduced to The Five Coaching Conversations model and understand the purpose of each conversation type.
• Gain personal insights through a leadership self-assessment.
• Learn how to adjust leadership conversations to engage employees and drive stronger results.
• Walk away with practical strategies for maximizing the performance and potential of your employees.

Short break before heading to our next round of breakout sessions. 

Presentation Slides

Handout

Effective leadership begins with effective conversations. In this interactive session, leadership development expert and best-selling author Morgan Massie will introduce The Five Coaching Conversations — a practical, proven framework leaders can use to strengthen employee engagement, address performance challenges, and maximize team potential.

Participants will complete a short self-assessment to gain insight into their leadership preferences and learn how to tailor conversations to better support, develop, and empower their employees. Designed for leaders at all levels, this session equips attendees with immediately usable tools to foster trust, manage change, and build strong, high-performing teams. Copies of The Five Coaching Conversations book will be available for participants who want to take a deeper dive into applying the model after the session.

Session Takeaways:

• Be introduced to The Five Coaching Conversations model and understand the purpose of each conversation type.
• Gain personal insights through a leadership self-assessment.
• Learn how to adjust leadership conversations to engage employees and drive stronger results.
• Walk away with practical strategies for maximizing the performance and potential of your employees.

Presentation Slides

Our systems are shaped by history, hierarchy, and unspoken expectations, often built for control, not care. When those systems inadvertently collide with the human systems of the individuals they employee they generate harm, not just stress–for both their people and their profits. This session invites you to look beneath burnout, disengagement, and behavioral challenges to see what’s really driving them: institutional design that’s out of sync with the needs of the whole humans who keep those systems running. Through a whole-human, trauma-informed lens, Anita will bring awareness to the foundational conditions on which organizations are built—and why fixing our institutional systems, rather than trying to override the innate human responses that haven’t changed in millennia, is the most direct and sustainable path to meaningful change for our workers, workplaces, and the world.

Presentation Slides

Handout - Culture Action Plan Worksheet

In mission-driven workplaces, culture isn’t accidental, it’s built with intention. In this interactive session, HR professionals from the public and nonprofit sectors will explore how to design workplace cultures that foster real engagement, alignment, and retention.

You’ll learn how to assess your current culture, identify key engagement drivers, and develop actionable strategies tailored to your organization’s mission and values. Walk away with a practical toolkit — a culture snapshot, guiding questions, and an engagement blueprint to lead culture change with clarity and confidence.

Join us for "Wild Bill's BBQ" buffet lunch, and this will be your last opportunity to visit with our expo vendors in the general session room. View menu details here. 

In a rapidly changing world of work, HR leaders are at the forefront of reimagining what it means to create thriving, inclusive, and adaptable workplaces. In this engaging panel discussion, HR professionals and other leaders will share how they’ve introduced innovative programs and practices in their workplaces, and the real-world results they’ve achieved. You’ll hear honest reflections on what worked, what didn’t, and what they learned along the way. Leave inspired with fresh ideas, practical takeaways, and a renewed perspective on how HR can shape workplace culture for the future. 

Meet our panelists: 

Morgan Massie, CEO of Leadership and Training Concierge

Rhonda Roberts, HR Director at Ascension

Dillon Flack, Business Transformation Leader

Anita Roach, founder of Safe and Sound Workplace Alliance

Facilitated by:

Ashley Creel, POOL/PACT HR Senior HR Business Partner, Training Manager

 

Final break before we close out the conference with our traditional group trivia game and raffle prize giveaways - be sure to stay until the end for a chance to win!

Test your knowledge and have some fun in our interactive group trivia game! Join your fellow attendees for a friendly competition featuring questions on a variety of topics from employment law to Nevada history. We’ll wrap up the event with our final raffle prize drawings—must be present to win! Don’t miss this chance to laugh, compete, and maybe walk away with a prize.