Weekdays with Bernie 2023
Speakers & Topics
General Session Speakers
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Johnny C. Taylor Jr. | Keynote Speaker
Topic: Seize the Opportunity: Reimagining a Better Workplace in a Post-COVID-19 World
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR professional association. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, from frequent congressional testimony to his weekly USA Today column "Ask HR."
Taylor’s book RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval was a 2021 hardcover business best seller. He has served on the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. He is a Trustee of the University of Miami, Governor of the American Red Cross, and member of the corporate boards of Guild Education, iCIMS, and XPO Logistics.
Arnie Malham | General Session Speaker
Karin Hurt helps human-centered leaders resolve workplace ambiguity so that they can drive innovation, productivity and revenue without burning out employees.
After two decades as a Verizon executive, Karin, and her husband, David, founded Let’s Grow Leaders, a training firm focused on human-centered leadership development for those determined to get breakthrough results without losing their humanity. Leaders, they found, were hungry for practical tools and leadership development that sticks.
Since 2013, Karin and David have helped grow over 10,000 leaders in 14 countries with their live leadership development programs, keynotes, blogs, videos, and books. They also provide clean water to the people of Cambodia through their Winning Wells philanthropic initiative.
Karin is an award-winning author of four books, including:
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Courageous Cultures – How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers and Customer Advocates
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Winning Well – A Manager’s Guide to Getting Results—Without Losing Your Soul
She is the host of the popular LinkedIn show, Asking for a Friend. And she was recently named by Inc. Magazine as a Top 100 Great Leadership Speaker.
Colene Rogers | General Session Speaker
Topic: The Future of HR: Strategic Partnerships that Create Acquisition, Engagement and Retention Solutions
Colene Rogers is a speaker, executive coach, and talent management expert with over 20 years’ experience in HR and consulting. As a Senior Certified HR Professional specializing in talent acquisition and management, Rogers helps organizations recruit and manage top talent, increase engagement, improve communication, and limit turnover. Her book Retention: Key Mindsets that Retain Top Talent (2020) identifies turnover as “the issue” facing all organizations, since how well you retain employees influences every facet of your business.
Rogers graduated from the University of Central Florida with degrees in Organizational Communication and Public Speaking. She has worked for Walt Disney World Entertainment, for Hyatt Hotel Sales, and as an HR professional in the nonprofit, private, and state government sectors.
Alex Tolbert | General Session Speaker
Topics: Opening Remarks and What's New with BerniePortal?
Alex Tolbert is the founder and CEO of BerniePortal. He began his career as a broker at BerniePortal’s sister company, Bernard Health, where he saw firsthand the challenges small- and mid-sized businesses face when it comes to benefits and HR.
During Alex’s presentations, he’ll share the latest and greatest updates for the BerniePortal platform, which is designed specifically to help small- and mid-sized businesses better manage those many daily benefits and HR challenges. From new product features to service-level enhancements and everything in between, attendees will leave a fresh perspective on how to make the most of BerniePortal in the coming year.
Alex received his B.S. and B.A. in Finance and International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his J.D. and M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University.
Additional speakers coming soon.
Breakout Session Speakers
General Session Speakers
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. | Keynote Speaker
Topic: The Great RESET for HR Professionals
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR professional association. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, from frequent congressional testimony to his weekly USA Today column "Ask HR."
Taylor’s book RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval was a 2021 hardcover business best seller. He has served on the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. He is a Trustee of the University of Miami, Governor of the American Red Cross, and member of the corporate boards of Guild Education, iCIMS, and XPO Logistics.
Arnie Malham | General Session Speaker
Arnie Malham is the founder and CEO of BetterBookClub. Over his 20 years as CEO, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, he has founded and sold multiple businesses, including CJ Advertising, which produced more than $60M in annual revenue and ranked as one of Nashville’s Best Places to Work. Featured on CBS and in Forbes Magazine, Malham was awarded Most Admired CEO and was an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.
Today, Malham has spoken to more than 10,000 executives and entrepreneurs worldwide on topics of culture and employee engagement, teaching others how to create remarkable and sustainable cultures to help attract the best people and reward those seeking personal growth within their organization.
Colene Rogers | General Session Speaker
Topic: The Future of HR: Strategic Partnerships that Create Acquisition, Engagement and Retention Solutions
Colene Rogers is a speaker, executive coach, and talent management expert with over 20 years’ experience in HR and consulting. As a Senior Certified HR Professional specializing in talent acquisition and management, Rogers helps organizations recruit and manage top talent, increase engagement, improve communication, and limit turnover. Her book Retention: Key Mindsets that Retain Top Talent (2020) identifies turnover as “the issue” facing all organizations, since how well you retain employees influences every facet of your business.
Rogers graduated from the University of Central Florida with degrees in Organizational Communication and Public Speaking. She has worked for Walt Disney World Entertainment, for Hyatt Hotel Sales, and as an HR professional in the nonprofit, private, and state government sectors.
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Mick Rodgers | General Session Speaker
Topic: Beyond Reference Based Pricing, What's Coming to the Future of Employer Healthcare
Mick Rodgers is the founder and managing partner of Axial Benefits Group (ABG), an
employee benefits consulting firm that pioneered the formation and management of Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions in 2009. ABG provides services ranging from corporate health insurance and corporate 401(k) plans to executive benefits and wealth management.
Rodgers was named Adviser of the Year 2017 by Employee Benefits Adviser Magazine and won the 2018 Leadership Award from the Association for Insurance Leadership. He co-authored Breaking Through the Status Quo: How Innovative Companies Are Changing the Benefits Game to Help Their Employees and Boost Their Bottom Line and is a nationally recognized speaker on employee benefits, healthcare purchasing coalitions, and fee-for-performance compensation models.
Alex Tolbert | General Session Speaker
Topics: Opening Remarks and What's New with BerniePortal?
Alex Tolbert is the founder and CEO of BerniePortal. He began his career as a broker at BerniePortal’s sister company, Bernard Health, where he saw firsthand the challenges small- and mid-sized businesses face when it comes to benefits and HR.
During Alex’s presentations, he’ll share the latest and greatest updates for the BerniePortal platform, which is designed specifically to help small- and mid-sized businesses better manage those many daily benefits and HR challenges. From new product features to service-level enhancements and everything in between, attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on how to make the most of BerniePortal in the coming year.
Alex received his B.S. and B.A. in Finance and International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his J.D. and M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University.
Breakout Session Topics
Speaker: BerniePortal Broker Council
Topic: How to Help Employers Get the Most out of BerniePortal
In this panel, members of BerniePortal’s Broker Council share their experience with getting employers up and running on BerniePortal’s HRIS. Help streamline tech adoption with practical tips and best practices for onboarding new employer clients.
Speaker: Fred J. Bissinger
Topic: Navigating Difficult Disability Accommodations Issues
Adopting new legislative changes in your workplace can be challenging, especially when they concern touchy—and potentially confidential—personal issues, like physical and mental/emotional disabilities, that may negatively affect an employee’s ability to work safely and productively. Listen to the legislative chair of TN SHRM discuss reasonable accommodation strategies, so you can navigate how to lawfully and effectively accommodate your employees and protect your employer from disability discrimination liability exposure.
Speaker: Stephanie Sappo
Topic: Rethinking Your Organization’s Approach to Compensation in Uncertain Financial Times
Managing HR in uncertain financial times is tough enough... Join Bernard Health's head of HR and Finance to learn how you can use financial transparency to support employees, help avoid layoffs, and empower your team to take control of their career advancement.
Speaker: Trennie Williams
Topic: How to Become a Trusted Adviser in Employer Payroll Strategy
Employers should trust their brokers’ advice on everything that touches benefits strategy—and that includes payroll. This session covers everything brokers need to know about paying their teams, including your clients’ biggest payroll pain points and how you can best advise them on solutions.
Speaker: Alex Tolbert
Topic: Meta-Planning for BerniePortal: What’s Next in Our Product Roadmap
BerniePortal’s Founder and CEO leads a meta-planning session focused on where the platform is headed next. In addition to a brainstorm open to all participants, learn how to conduct your own meta-planning session for your brokerage or employer.
Speaker: Molly Jones
Topic: Payroll Strategy Intensive for Employers
In this session, take a deep dive into the dynamics of the payroll industry. Learn how different payroll systems work, why running payroll is so hard, and strategies you can implement to save time and decrease errors for quick and accurate paydays.
Speaker: Brian Tolbert
Topic: Rethinking Healthcare Financing: From Fully-Insured to Self-Funded
Why should brokers help employers reevaluate how they finance healthcare? Moving from fully-insured to self-insured has its challenges for SMBs—including network, cash-flow, and risk management—but can ultimately help employers grow their businesses in the long term. Join Brian Tolbert as he shares how Bernard Benefits helps its employer clients evaluate some of these alternative financing solutions.
Speaker: Matt Lowney
Topic: How to Scale Talent Acquisition with Limited Resources
Recruitment competition is stiff in this white-hot labor market, but you can optimize your hiring efforts, even with limited resources. In this session, learn actionable strategies to scale your talent acquisition to your needs, making your hiring process lean and efficient so you can score the best candidates over your competitors.
Speaker: Alex Tolbert
Topic: HR's Hierarchy of Needs
Most HR pros at small employers want to prioritize higher value activities, but just don't have time. And it can be difficult to get the owner/leadership to make the necessary investments to free up that time. HR's Hierarchy of Needs is a framework you can use to illustrate how making foundational investments in HR can allow you to add more value to your organization. Your role is as strategic as you make it, and this framework will help you help your organization's leadership see the same opportunities for growth that you do.
Speaker: Stacy Bane
Topic: Let’s Talk Money: The Pharmacy Benefits Management Industry
Pharmacy benefits management is a complicated topic. What are the paths of revenue? What is the difference between a transparent model and the traditional model? What about being insured or self-funded? Join Stacey Bane, PharmD, as she untangles this complex industry so you can learn what you need to know and get the best benefits for your clients.
Speaker: Joshua Patterson
Topic: Change is Coming
Set the “Tone at The Top.” DEI initiatives are part of everyday thinking. There are challenges to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces, but they are not insurmountable. The opportunity to create a more equitable workplace exists when companies are armed and equipped with the right data to make informed decisions and leaders are ready to lead the path forward. Learn more about DEI Strategies from a Global HR Leader, who has a personal strategic, creative, innovative, and common-sense approach to excelling and leading in the workplace.