2026 Texas Total Rewards Conference Agenda *Subject to Change

Sunday, 8/23/26

3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Registration & Badge Pickup

3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Sponsor & Exhibitor Setup

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Opening Reception hosted by the TTRC Board of Directors

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Riverboat Cruse / Evening Networking Event

Monday, 8/24/26

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM Registration & Badge Pickup

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM Breakfast & Networking with our Sponsors

8:00 AM - 8:15 AM Opening Comments

8:15 AM - 9:15 AM Opening Keynote Session - Doing More with Less: Maximizing Reward and Payroll Impact Within Constrained Budgets

Speaker: Sean Luitjens, Vice President of Product Strategy, Salary.com

Many organizations face limited reward budgets while needing to deliver pay-for-performance, manage pay compression, and advance pay equity. This session explores practical strategies to prioritize funding, giving you actionable insights to maximize payroll and reward impact, maintain fairness, and preserve employee trust even under budget constraints.

9:15 AM - 9:25 AM Break with our Sponsors

9:25 AM - 10:15 AM General Session 1 – Topic TBA

Speaker: Dr. Tony Bridwell, The Encompass Group

Leadership-focused general session.

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM General Session 2 – Total Rewards Leadership Panel

Speakers: TBA (panel)

Facilitated leadership discussion around compensation, organizational strategy, communication, market uncertainty, and the future of Total Rewards.

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM Break with our Sponsors

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM General Session 3 - Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, CompPort

12:05 PM - 12:45 PM Lunch, Networking & Roundtables

Host: TBA, Four Oaks Medicare Planning

Description: TBA

Host: TBA, BetterComp

Description: TBA

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM Breakout Session 1 (Track 1) – 7 Sales Job Factors That Affect Sales Compensation

Speaker: David Cichelli, Revenue Growth Advisor, adivsors2sales LLC

Understand 7 sales job factors that may require you to update your sales compensation plans.  See how growth rate, revenue segment planning, sales process, role objective, sales methods, sales channels and AI affect the effectiveness of your pay plans. Before looking at market data and formula design, learn how to ask the right questions of sales leadership when assessing the alignment of the sales compensation plans. These 7 job factors will help you start the right conversation.

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM Breakout Session 1 (Track 2) – From Personalization to Anticipation – Rethinking Total Rewards Strategy

Speaker: TBA, Businessolver

Rising benefits costs, financial stress, and growing scrutiny around HR technology investments are forcing Total Rewards leaders to rethink how success is measured. This session explores the shift from reactive personalization to anticipatory strategy, examining how early signals of employee confusion, financial strain, and health risk emerge long before they appear in traditional metrics. Attendees will leave with practical insights to reduce downstream friction, improve employee decision-making, and redefining success through stronger workforce outcomes.

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM Breakout Session 1 (Track 3) - Sponsored Case Study Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, Candor

Sponsored breakout/case-study/demo session tied to product and platform applications.

1:35 PM - 1:45 PM Break with our Sponsors

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM Breakout Session 2 (Track 1) – Compensation Leadership Panel

Speakers: Bob Cartwright, President / CEO, Intelligent Compensation, LLC

DW Mann, Aon

Chris Bordovsky, USAA

Facilitated panel discussion focused on compensation strategy, market uncertainty, communication, incentives, and organizational alignment.

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM Breakout Session 2 (Track 2) - Turning Claims Data into Action: A Roadmap for Cost Transparency & Population Health Strategy

Speakers: Traci McGinnis, Practice Leader for Health Insights, Benefitfocus

Deltra Hayes, Vice President - Benefits, Voya Financial Services

Discover how self-insured employers are turning complex health claims data into meaningful insights that improve population health and lower costs. Leaders from Benefitfocus and Voya Financial Services will share practical strategies for unlocking transparency and insights to guide population health initiatives.

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM Breakout Session 2 (Track 3) - Sponsored Case Study Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, CompPort

Sponsored breakout/case-study/demo session tied to product and platform applications.

2:35 PM - 3:00 PM Break with our Sponsors

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Breakout Session 3 (Track 1) – Topic TBA (HRCI Ethics Session)

Speaker: TBA

Proposed HRCI Ethics credit session. Topic and speaker still pending confirmation.

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Breakout Session 3 (Track 2) – Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Breakout Session 3 (Track 3) - Sponsored Case Study Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, Nutrium

Sponsored breakout/case-study/demo session tied to product and platform applications.

3:50 PM - 4:10 PM Break with our Sponsors

4:10 PM - 5:00 PM General Session 4 – From Spreadsheets to Strategy: The Evolution of AI in Total Rewards

Speaker: Chuck Leu, Obsidian

5:00 PM - 5:10 PM Day One Closing

5:10 PM - 6:00 PM Monday Reception with our Sponsors

Tuesday, 8/25/26

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM Breakfast & Networking with our Sponsors

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM General Session 5 – Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, Candor

8:50 AM - 9:10 AM Break with our Sponsors

9:10 AM - 10:00 AM General Session 6 - Stop Fixing Total Rewards After the Fact. Designing the Organization Right First Time

Speakers: Stephanie Beach, ASA, MAAA, SVP, Benefits Consultant, Alliant

Mike Chalmers, SVP, Alliant Human Capital Practice Leader, Alliant

Total Rewards teams are often asked to solve problems they did not create. Rising benefit costs, pay and eligibility inequities, and post-merger complexity are often the result of upstream organizational design decisions. This session explores how job structure, spans, and leveling shape cost, eligibility, and equity outcomes, giving you a data-driven approach to identify issues earlier and reduce reactive redesign.

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM General Session 7 – Solving the human-machine equation

Speaker: Bob Simpson, Partner, Career, Mercer

Description: As automation, AI, and analytics reshape work, total rewards leaders must balance technology’s power with human needs. This session explores how organizations can design programs that amplify human potential while leveraging machines for scale, speed, and insight. We’ll ground the conversation in Mercer's Global Talent Trends and Inside Employees’ Minds findings — translating data-driven insights into practical total rewards strategies for attraction, retention, performance, and wellbeing.

10:50 AM - 11:10 AM Break with our Sponsors

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM General Session 8 – Topic TBA

Speaker: TBA, Lockton

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Box Lunches and Closing Keynote Session – Bringing Great Work to Life!

Speaker: Dr. Scott Cawood, WorldatWork

1:30 PM Adjournment