2024 Workforce Innovation Conference |
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Please join us in Salina, Kansas for the annual Workforce Innovation Conference, hosted by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Board of Regents. For just $100, you will gain access to a series of presentations and workshops to enhance and improve workforce solutions in Kansas. Plus, Tuesday's schedule features Local Area discussion groups that provide an opportunity for each local area to discuss takeaways from the conference and share ideas that can be implemented in their area. |
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Sponsorship Opportunities At the Workforce Innovation Conference, sponsors have opportunities to interface with attendees at vendor booths, social events and meals, in addition to branding opportunities on conference materials of all types. |
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Amy Downs was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which a total of 168 people were killed, including 18 of her 33 co-workers. While buried alive and waiting to die, she realized she had never really lived. Once freed from the rubble, Amy launched a self-improvement campaign. Amy shares with the audience how to apply what she learned on her journey from a 355lb teller who dropped out of college to obtaining her Masters in Business Administration, becoming the CEO, and completing an Ironman Triathlon. This call to action key note will leave the audience inspired, ignited with hope, and with new ideas on how they can achieve their goals. KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Hope is a Verb Amy Downs survived a bomb exploding in the building of the credit union where she was working, which killed 168 people, including 18 of her 33 co-workers. Today, she is President and an award-winning CEO of that same organization. Allegiance Credit Union has grown by 400% and is thriving. Drawing on her recently released book Hope Is A Verb, Amy is excited to share how you can respond to a crisis in a way that will make your organization come out of this even stronger than before you went in. |
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Ty Reed is a speaker on the topic of recovery and employment. Ty’s personal experience of being an award-winning salesperson for a Fortune 50 company, losing it all to addiction, and his successful climb back to regain his life make him uniquely qualified to work with companies on how addiction, recovery, and the workplace interact. He teaches organizations how they can spot the signs of substance abuse in their employees and offer support to keep them in their jobs. Ty also runs a nonprofit that provides career coaching to individuals in recovery from addiction and homelessness, which is funded by his speaking appearances and his corporate consulting work.
FEATURED PRESENTATION: Second Change Employment- The Hidden Keys to Supporting and Building Your Workforce In today’s job market, it seems foolish to overlook one of our country’s largest talent pools - people with traditional barriers to employment. In this presentation, Ty will explain why your company should consider hiring applicants with blemishes in their history, such as rehabilitation stays, homelessness, or even prior incarceration. He will detail how to make smart choices, how to ensure success, as well as how to spot the signs of current employees who might be struggling with dangerous issues and what you can do to help them. Ty is able to tackle this sensitive issue with grace and humor as he shares his own personal journey through addiction, homelessness and addiction and ultimately a successful career, thanks to someone who gave him a second chance. |
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Ted Abernathy - Managing Partner, Economic Leadership Economic Leadership LLC, based in Shallotte North Carolina, is a small group of data, strategy and policy experts working with private and public clients to analyze competitiveness, develop strategy, identify best practices, and reimagine the future. Over the past ten years the team has worked on over 140 projects in more than twenty states and internationally. Ted is the principal author of dozens of reports on future trends, workforce, and technology and speaks on the economy almost every week. He currently serves as the economic advisor to the National Association of State Chambers. Born in Dallas, NC, Ted received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; his master’s from Johns Hopkins University, is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and is an Eisenhower Fellow for global economics. He and his wife live in a small town on the North Carolina coast and share their backyard with hundreds of sea birds and quite a few alligators.
FEATURED PRESENTATION: Workforce Challenges-What Has Changed Over the Past 5 Years Now that most of the pandemic impacts have settle, what happened that changed workforce challenges and what is still the same. This session will look at 5 challenges that are the same and 5 things are now different. |
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On November 23, 2013, Dan Meers came within inches of losing his life while practicing a bungee jump and zip line stunt at Arrowhead Stadium…home of the Kansas City Chiefs. What Dan anticipated being the thrill of a lifetime ended up being the spill of a lifetime. The stunt went terribly wrong and Dan plummeted 75 feet before crashing into the stadium seats. Miraculously Dan survived. He spent 9 days in the hospital and got some really big scars. Dan smiles when he says, “Scars are just Tattoos that come with a Cool Story”.
FEATURED PRESENTATION: Courageous Leadership - Living a Life of Influence During this powerful presentation Dan shares his incredible story and the important lessons that he learned during his long road to recovery about leadership and about life. |
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| Tuesday, October 1, Pre-conference Sessions- 9:00 - 11:15 Tuesday, October 1, Vendor Set-Up beginning at 8:00 & Registration begins at 10:30 Conference begins October 1 at 11:30 and concludes on Wednesday, October 2 at 4:00 |
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| An innovative conference for those who engage in workforce solutions. October 1-2, 2024 Hosted by the Kansas Department of Commerce and Kansas Board of Regents
Location Tony’s Pizza Event Center (map)
WORKFORCE INNOVATION CONFERENCE Dates: Oct 1-2, 2024 Conference Address: 800 The Midway, Salina, KS 67401 Phone Number: (785) 826-7200 |
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| Holiday Inn Salina Hotel 3145 S 9th Street Salina KS 67401
- Check in on Sept 30 - Check out Oct 2
To add additional days, please contact hotel directly: 785-404-6767 |
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Registration $100 includes conference and meals |
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Call for Presentations You are invited to submit presentation proposals for the 2024 Workforce Innovation Conference. Presentation Applications are due June 7. |
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- AI in the Workplace
- Motivational Interviewing
- Civility
- Time Management
- Thinking Big Picture
- Strategically Aligning Resources
- Customer Service
- Positivity- Know Your Why?
- How to partner
- Benefits of hiring and working with people with different abilities (State presenter)
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- Unconscious Bias
- Attracting and Retaining Employees
- How to create job descriptions that get organizations the right employee – Skills Based Hiring
- DEI Policies- where to start
- Building a Workforce Partnership: Working Together and Collaborating to Serve More People
- Front Door to your Organization is your website/social media- how to tell your story and engage customers
- Taking care of self- mental health
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| Questions about the conference? Contact Paula Downs, Talent Initiatives Manager Public Policy & Management Center at Wichita State University [email protected] OR (316) 978-6678 |
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