Renowned speaker Lemon headlines SHRM virtual event

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook staff writer

Renowned speaker and author Robert Lemon will headline a virtual webinar that the Big Bend Society of Human Resource Management is hosting Aug. 11-13. Several other human resources professionals will also be featured during the three-day event, which opens with Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey.

The event is part of the Big Bend SHRM’s on-going Talent Revealed Initiative and its Diversity and Inclusion Committee will educate members, employers and the community-at-large on the benefits of hiring, retaining and promoting a diverse workforce.

Registration for the event can be done by logging on to https://bigbendshrm.org/events/event_list.asp for the entire event or daily sessions. The first session begins at 10 a.m. with Dailey speaking on ways that society and the local workforce can help to overcome bias and discrimination in the workplace.

According to the SHRM’s promotional brochure, the  emphasis  of the webinar will be on individuals over 50 years old, those with disabilities, veterans, and returning citizens. The organization said the Talent Revealed event will underscore its role as advocates for these “new diversity” groups by fostering the collaboration between public and private sector partners and community groups.

In addition to Dailey and Lemon, speakers will include Allison Chase, Vice President of The Able Trust;  Nancy Lewis (MS, SHRM-CP, PHR, RCC) of Progressive Techniques, Inc.; Carrie Pettus-Davis (PhD, MSW) of Florida State University Institute for Justice Research and Development, along with  Karan Ferrell-Rhodes, founder and CEO of Shockingly Different Leadership.

Following Dailey’s presentation, Denny Clark  and Kevin Kjellerup will hold a conversation on Coaching Tools to Build Trust and Creativity in a New Normal, beginning at 11 a.m. Clark is a Certified Engagement and Performance Coach  through the Human Capital Institute and holds certifications in franchise business development, business risk management, and mentoring programs, while Kjellerup is the Education and Training Administrator for the Florida Office of the Attorney General and consultant/coach with Pinnacle Performance.

The second day’s session begins 11 a.m. with Ferrell-Rhodes leading a discussion titled, Diversity and Inclusion Hack-a-Thon: How might we develop leaders who energize work cultures by leading with inclusion, not just diversity? The session will also feature Chase, Lewis and Pettus 

Lemon’s speech on the final day is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and end at 10:15 a.m. Lemon, who is known as a prolific speaker, will combine storytelling with his understanding of today’s culture for his talk.  Information in the brochure said he “will emphasize how it is more important than ever to provide strong leadership and a clear focus on diversity and inclusion within our workforces.”