13th Annual Native American Human Resources Conference
January 23-24, 2023
The Palms Casino Resort – Las Vegas, NV
Event Details
The 13th Annual Native American Human Resources Conference will be held January 23-24, 2023, at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV.
There is no better Tribal HR professional development and networking opportunity than with Native Nation Events, and the 13th annual conference will not disappoint. Whether you’re new to HR or a seasoned professional, you’ll gain new skills and connect with peers and pros who will help you achieve your goals and solve your workplace challenges.
At Native Nation Events, we believe networking is at the heart of every conference and ensure that all attendees have ample time to connect and engage. We provide riveting sessions that inspire conversation, breaks built for mingling, to gathering the best sponsors that provide actionable solutions to help you reach your goals faster!
HRCI Approved Program
We are thrilled to announce Native Nation Events is an approved HRCI program provider, with attendees receiving 9.75 credit hours upon conference completion towards aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ designations.
“The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.”
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
- Tribal Government HR Department Professionals
- Compensation and Benefits Professionals
- Tribal-Owned Enterprise HR Managers
- Leadership
- Talent Acquisition and Retention Professionals
- Organizational Development and Training Personnel
- Benefits and Recognition Personnel
- Legal and Compliance
At Native Nation Events, we pride ourselves on offering best-in-class networking events in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. No need for suits and ties; business casual is the preferred dress code for our conferences.
Thank you to our Co-Chairs and Platinum sponsors for their continued support, dedication to knowledge, and drive to enhance the Native American community.
Register Now To Attend
For Tribal or Tribal Enterprise Representatives
Super Early Bird
$795
Early Bird
$895
Standard Rate
$995
Group Rate (Must have four or more registered)
Super Early Bird
$695
Early Bird
$795
Standard Rate
$895
Industry Professionals
Super Early Bird
$895
Early Bird
$995
Standard Rate
$1095
HOTEL INFORMATION
THE PALMS CASINO HOTEL4321 West Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Room Rate: $139
Cut-Off Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
To reserve your room: 702- 942-7777
You must mention Native Nation Events or the Native American Human Resources Conference to receive the discounted rate.
13th Annual Native American Human Resources Conference
January 23-24, 2023
Agenda at a Glance
Monday, January 23, 2023
7:30-8:30 AM
Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:30-8:45 AM
Welcoming Remarks & Conference Co-Chair Remarks
Dan O'Connor
Sponsorship Sales Manager | Native Nation Events
Scott D. Nost
Vice President & Senior Consultant | Segal
Jaylon Jackson
Head of Client Success | Corporate Traditions
8:45-9:30 am
Keynote "Retention is Dead. What now?"
Jerrod Murr
CEO & Founder | Paradigm Shift
- Learn the 3 attributes of QPR
- Discuss succession planning in the 21st Century
- Identify best engagement practices right now
9:30-10:30 am
The Importance of a Comprehensive Recruiting Plan with Todays Workforce
Brad Porter
Senior Sales Executive | Healthcare Management Administrators
Elise Campbell
Executive Director of Human Resources | Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise
Le Trozzo
Member | Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Charles Walters
Senior Director of Human Resources | Isleta Casino & Resort
Christine Winn
Chief Executive Officer | Quinault Indian Nation
- Staff shortages are plaguing America, what effect is it having on business operations?
- What mediums have proven successful when advertising job openings? Especially given the very adverse employee makeup many tribal enterprises have.
- What job platforms seem to work vs others?
- When do you recognize it’s time to hire an outside recruiter and what is your enterprise’s policy on that?
- Do job fairs work?
- Selection Process- How do you determine the best person for the job?
- The Pros vs. Cons of Tribal First policies
- How do you attract top talent? What tools, strategies, and metrics should be used in the competitive market?
11:00-12:00 PM
Round Table Discussion: Retaining Your Current Employees as Well as Your New Hires
Jerrod Murr
CEO & Founder | Paradigm Shift
Gary Murrey
Chief Operating Officer | La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians
Paula Allen
Director of Leadership Development & Guest Services | 7 Cedars Resort Properties
Alicia Finley
Human Resources Service Director | Blue Stone Strategy Group
- Creating a compensation strategy that keeps employees and how to know if it;s competitive and sustainable.
- How creating an employee incentive and career development program can increase overall morale.
- How important is it to have employees who are both engaged and motivated? How do you achieve this?
- Why a successful onboarding experience helps to retain new employees.
- Identifying and creating a healthy culture within the workforce, and how empathy is the new norm.
- How an engaged employee with great morale reduces employee apprehension and what that means in terms of money.
- How an ongoing training program improves morale.
- Recognizing burnout and what tools are available to prevent it.
12:00-1:00 PM
Networking Lunch
Networking Lunch
1:00-1:45 PM
Track A Generating a Comprehensive Benefits Strategy that Catches the Eye of Today's Diverse Workforce
Christopher Goldsmith
Vice President & Senior Consultant | Segal
Lena McQuary
Director of Human Resources | Downstream Casino
Randy Karli
Case Manager | GITW Benefits
- How important is “Benefits vs Compensation” in keeping employees?
- What products are out there that cater to the diversity within the workplace?
- Is long-term care a benefit tribes usually offer? If not, why? IS this a benefit many workers even look for especially for the younger generations?
- What are some “unique” benefit features in the market designed to attract and maintain staff?
1:00-1:45
Track B Product Demonstration: Solutions to Tackle Your Complicated Payroll, HR and Tax
Jonathon Stone
HCM/Payroll Software Consultant | Greenshades Software
- Streamline recruiting , onboarding, benefits administration, certification and license tracking. Empower your employees with an employee self-service portal, learning management and more all in one system.
- How to simplify complex payroll needs, like garnishments, blended overtime, shift differentials.
- Learn compliance-based software helps save time & costly errors by maintaining pre and post payroll needs, like garnishments, blended overtime, shift differentials.
- Learn compliance-based software helps save time & costly errors by maintaining pre and post payroll tax compliance and simplifies year-end forms.
- Support complex scheduling needs and empower employees to track labor hours by punching in and out from any location and any device.
- How investing in payroll and HR technologies can streamline the complicated tedious work that goes into managing employees and benefits of moving payroll to the cloud.
1:45-2:30 PM
Track A- Are Your Tribal Members/Employees Ready for Retirement
Crystal Hill
National Director of Tribal Services | USI Consulting Group, Tennessee
Nick Trella
Senior Vice President | Segal Marco Advisors
- How do you educate your employees and tribal members on the importance of being proactive and planning for their retirement?
- Is there a need to separate Tribal vs Enterprise retirement plans?
- What are new regulatory changes you need to be aware of?
- How do you choose a provider/plan administrator?
- Understanding how competitiveness factors into the cost of your plan.
- What options are available for cannabis employees? How, if at all ,does it differ from other Tribal Enterprise Employees?
1:45 -2:30 PM
Track B - The Ever-Evolving World of Health Insurance
Jeremy Ramsland
Vice President of Sales | Provider Network of America
Luke Szymanski
Executive Vice President/Sales and Client Experience | BeneCard PBF
Sandra Johnson
Director of Employment Services & Human Resources | Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Mindi Kee
Human Resources Director | Pawnee Tribal Development Corporation
- What are the newest trends when it comes to medical insurance and what can tribal organizations do to help keep reasonable costs for members and employees?
- Becoming familiar with community health issues that may plague your employees/members and how to find health benefit plans prepared to cover high-risk members.
- What are the different generational wants and needs as it relates to health insurance? How to make sure your plan appeals to all employees.
- Updates on COVID mandates and vaccination protocol and how they are affecting the workplace and hiring pool.
- The rise of telemedicine and virtual care is an important aspect of modern medicine , does your chosen health insurance plan think so? The pros and cons of virtual healthcare.
2:30-3:00 PM
Afternoon Networking Break
3:00-4:00 PM
The Workforce of the Future
Scott D. Nostaja
Senior Vice President & National Organizational Effectiveness Practice Leader | Segal Consulting
Celeste Adame
Assistant Human Resources Director | Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Lynn Faraca-Bond
Vice President of Human Resources | San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
Sarah Harvey
Human Resources Director | Spirit Mountain Casino
- Post-Pandemic workforce has presented significant challenges and opportunities to every organization.
- What’s preventing you from having that high productive and performing workforce?
- This panel will explore recent trends impacting the downfall within the industry we are all currently in and offer tangible and practical advice for addressing your organizations most pressing workforce challenges.
4:00-5:00 PM
HR Executive Roundtable
Ron Vargas
Vice President of Human Resources | Cache Creek Casino Resort
Ruth Zaldivar
Director of Human Resources | Muscogee (Creek) Nation Casinos
Peter Hixon
Human Resources Director | Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Charles Farmer
Director of Human Resources | Eagle Mountain Casino
John Mooers
President | Blue Stone Strategy Partners
- Understanding the importance of training and coming up with the money for it.
- What plans are in place in case COVID returns or we see a new pandemic?
- Handling the shift to remote working – How do you keep employees engaged and managed? What are the pros vs. cons?
- Over the last two years there was a sudden shift to remote working. Do you still have a remote workforce and how do you keep them engaged and managed? What are the pros and cons?
- What is the definition of a successful hybrid remote workforce and how has it impacted company policies and legalities?
5:00PM
Day 1 Concludes
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
7:30-8:30 AM
Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:30-9:30 AM
Employment Law Update
Scott Wilson
Attorney | Law Offices of Scott A. Wilson
Little Fawn Boland
Partner | Ceiba Legal, PC
Andrea Hall
Associate | Dentons
- Best practices for qualified medical leave (FMLA) approved leave for employees with newborns or adoption.
- What are evolving guidelines HR representatives need to be aware of?
- Understanding obligations and responsibilities when it comes to accommodating employee requests due to mental health, alcohol, and substance abuse.
9:30-10:15 AM
Track A Mental Health Matters: Understanding the Needs of Your Workforce
Elise Campbell
Executive Director of Human Resources | Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise
Peter Freeburg
Behavioral Clinical Strategist | Cigna
Annika Roseen
Community Resource Specialist | NAMI Southern Nevada | Teen Text Operator | NAMI Western Nevada
- Understand the impact mental health has within the workplace -Learn about the employer's role in employee and mental health -Understand opportunities to empower employees to utilize their behavioral health resources
9:30-10:15 AM
Track B - Establishing Organizational Policies and Procedures as well as Work Roles and Enforcement of Them
Sheila Olson
Human Resources Director | Apache Casino Hotel
Loralee Gunter
Director of Human Resources | Santa Ynez of Chumash Indians
Sandy McCandless
Partner | Dentons
- How to conduct an independent workplace investigation legally.
- How to document, inform and reprimand workplace violations and rules.
- What are effective strategies for HR professionals when disciplining, separating, or laying off employees?
- Avoiding wrongful termination lawsuits.
- Gain an understanding of legal, practical, and ethical considerations HR professionals need to take into account when investigating workplace complaints.
10:15-10:45 AM
Morning Networking Break
10:45-11:30 AM
Safety in the Workplace
Brandon Jones
Vice President, Department of Public Safety | San Manuel Casino
Brigitte Saria
GPHR Chief of People and Infrastructure | San Manuel Casino
Crystal Hill
USI Consulting Group, Tennessee | National Director of Tribal Services
Fred Bennett
Director of Security | Palms Casino Resort
- Identifying threats within the workplace.
- Creating an effective crisis management plan
- What methods/technology exists to help keep the workplace safe?
- Combatting bullying in the workplace.
- Creating strict policies on conflict resolution and social media guidelines
- Training management and staff on company policies as well as identifying conflicts and providing a resolution before a conflict.
- How to de-escalate if a conflict occurs and understand structural awareness.
11:30-12:30 PM
Leadership Development and Preparing for New Upcoming Leaders
Elise Campbell
Executive Director of Human Resources | Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise
Shirley Blackbear
Executive Director of Human Resources | Kalispel Tribe of Indians & Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Kim Hayes
Vice President of Human Resources | Grand Casino Hinckley
Chris Province
- Do mentor programs work in helping prepare tomorrow’s leaders? What is a model to follow?
- Understanding that even high-performing employees are not always ready to manage others. Managers need to be taught to manage.
- What tools and skills are available or even required to be a successful leader?
- How leading through to change and crisis takes a different kind of leader.
- Understanding the dimensions of emotional intelligence and how it is a critical skill for leaders to build trust and create inclusive cultures.
12:30 PM
Conference Concludes
Paula Allen
Shirley Blackbear
Lynn Faraca-Bond
Sandra Johnson
Scott D. Nostaja
Annika Roseen
Conference Co-Chair
Platinum Sponsors
Product Demonstration
Gold Sponsors
Exhibitors
HR Professionals, Tribal Leaders & Enterprise Representatives
Sponsors and Industry Professionals
The 13th Annual Native American Human Resources Conference was a success! Great sessions with timely information, terrific networking, and industry partners with phenomenal solutions.
