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

Staffing Managment Association of Greater Chicago Pledges Support to ESGR in 2011

The Staffing Management Association of Greater Chicago is kicking off their year by signing a Statement of Support for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Currently there are more than 1.3 million in the National Guard and Reserve and our pledge recognizes the essential strength they provide to our nation and the well-being of our communities. SMAGC is committed to helping these men and women return to their job or find a new job as they return for their military duty.


Our signing ceremony will be taking place on January 20th at Maggiano's in Chicago at 8:30AM, in conjunction with a panel discussion on Military Talent Programs. Moderated by Thomas L. Aiello, Sears Holdings, Division Vice President, Public Relations, we will invoke conversation on how to best implement sourcing, interviewing strategies and retention solutions to better assist those transitioning from the military duty into the civilian workforce.

Panelists include:
• Marjorie James, Volt Workforce Solutions, President of Hire America’s Heroes’ and Program Manager at Volt Military
• Anthony Kaylin, IBM, Global EO Programs Manager, Global Diversity
• Vincent W. Patton, III, Ed.D., Military Advantage/Monster Worldwide, Director of Community Outreach

Discussion topics will include:

• Sourcing from this Highly Skilled Talent Pool – How do you find the best and brightest to meet your needs.
• Recruiting —How to identify military professionals ready to transition to the civilian workforce and effectively interview to ensure a good match.
• Retaining —The unique concerns that military professionals face adapting to the civilian workplace, how to link veterans’ long-term interests to their new civilian employer, and concerns about hiring veterans.
• Translating Culture and Values—How to best bridge the differences between military and nonmilitary characteristics, concepts, terminology, technical and leadership skills.

Join us as we work together, SMAGC, ESGR and the Employers in the Chicagoland Area, make a positive impact our community and the lives of our Citizen Warriors and most importantly, their families, who support their service.

To learn more about SMAGC and register for this event, go to www.smagc.org To keep abreast of our 2011 events and initiatives , follow us on Twitter @SMAGC and like our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/smagc

Chloe Rada - Chapter President at Staffing Management Association (SMA) of Greater Chicago

Our State Council Leadership Meeting 2011

The Illinois State Council of SHRM held its fourth annual Leadership Conference on January 9 and 10th in Utica, on the fringes of Starved Rock State Park. Sunday was designed to be a planning session for the board and Monday included state council members as well as state-wide chapter officials. In total there were a little over 100 attendees.
The two day event was designed to bring volunteer leaders from all parts of Illinois together to help grow and improve their organizations.

We heard from author and speaker Clint Swindall on Monday. Clint spoke about employee engagement and working with volunteer leaders. Clint referenced several topics from his most recent book Engaged Leadership.

My Takeaways from the event were this.

• Ironically when you get a group of HR folks together to work on Mission, Vision and Values statements, they struggle just like most other groups.
• SHRM volunteers at all levels give a tremendous amount of their time and effort helping their respective organizations.
• To hold a successful conference these days, the host facility and hotel must have reliable wireless internet service through out the facility.
• A hotel bar is essential for conference networking, a hotel without a bar will stifle networking.
• It takes one heck of a commitment and a hell of a lot of time to be Director of a State Council of SHRM. Thanks to our friend John Jorgensen for all that he has done for this organization!

Pictured below are current IL SHRM State Director Donna Rogers with Immediate Past Director John Jorgensen at the conference.  To see more pictures from the event click the Picasa Tab at the top of the page.