Illinois SHRM 2011 Conference - Details from the Lead Planner

The 2010 Illinois SHRM Conference at the Drury Lane, Oak Brook, IL.

It is the coldest time of the year and it is snowing out…but I am at the end of August in my mind.  Several of us at ISC-SHRM have got August 22-23 planted in our brain as that is our 12^th Annual State SHRM Conference at the Drury Lane Theater and Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace.  Plans are well underway for what we know will be our biggest and best one yet.  Last year, we topped 600 attendees (biggest to date) but with the lineup of speakers and exhibitors we have scheduled, we should surpass that number.

Leading off as our opening keynote is Ryan Estis , speaking on Passion on Purpose:  Winning with a Passion Culture.  Ryan is a regular speaker at national SHRM events and will be keynoting the SHRM Staffing Conference this year.  He is a business performance expert helping companies, managers, leaders and sellers more effectively connect to their two most important audiences: employees and customers.  Those of you who have seen Ryan can attest to his ability to deliver a powerful message while entertaining the audience.

Our next keynote (or should I say keynoters) is a couple of guys who write and speak under the label of Talent Anarchy.  They will be speaking on Strategic Relationship Management: The Breakthrough HR Competency.  The duo consists of Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt.  Jason is a trench HR guy, a VP of HR for a major bank in Nebraska.  He is walks the walk and talks the talk on a daily basis.  His background also includes sales, business owner and corn detassler .Joe is a consultant but not your average consultant.  He’s a middle-aged white guy who is a national thought-leader on issues of diversity and inclusion–need we say more?  He is also an ex-Marine who has experience in sales, education and community building.  As his bio states, he is one part professor, one part philosopher, and one part “not quite right.”

Finally, we are proud to have China Gorman as our final keynote speaker who will address the issue of “HR Wake Up Call.”  Many of you may recognize China as the former COO and Chief Global Membership Officer of SHRM.  Prior to joining SHRM in 2007 as COO, China was President of DBM North America, and President of Lee Hecht Harrison, the $250 million global consulting division of Adecco, which became the performance leader in its industry under her leadership.   China is an engaging speaker whose passion for HR knows no limit.  Once you meet China, you will know and understand what a great champion she is for our profession.

Something else new this year (among several things) is that we will be joined by the folks at Drive Thru HR.  Drive Thru HR is a daily internet radio show that addresses the profession of HR from the perspective of the practicing HR person.  The show is hosted by the team of Bryan Wempen and William Tincup.  They both are seasoned pros who have a great insight on the field.  They will be broadcasting live from the conference and will add a certain flair to the event

We will be making more announcements in the near future about the Conference, speaker line ups, sponsors and other things.  Keep your eyes open for more great news on ILSHRM 2011.

-John Jorgensen - Illinois SHRM Immediate Past State Director