Sunday, August 23^rd, 2026

3:00 PM - 5:30 PM REGISTRATION & BADGE PICKUP

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM SPONSOR & EXHIBITOR SETUP

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Opening Reception hosted by the TTRC Board of Directors

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Riverboat Cruse / Evening Networking Event

Monday, August 24^th, 2026

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 - Bringing Great Work to Life!

The workplace is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in modern history. The forces reshaping how we work, lead, and engage are moving faster than traditional systems were ever designed to handle. The question is not whether work has changed. The question is whether leadership has changed with it. The cost of poor leadership has never been greater, and the expectations of today’s workforce have never been higher. Join Dr. Scott Cawood, CEO of WorldatWork, for an engaging exploration of the forces reshaping the world of work and the leadership decisions that will define the next generation of organizational success. Combining research, business insight, and real-world experience, Dr. Scott examines how technology, workforce expectations, business velocity, and economic uncertainty are fundamentally altering the employee experience. Traditional approaches to pay, benefits, flexibility, performance, and rewards are being challenged as organizations race to keep pace with a rapidly evolving environment. Yet the greatest disruption may not be technological at all. As employees seek greater transparency, authenticity, and purpose, leadership trust has emerged as one of the defining issues of our time. Organizations can no longer afford to view poor leadership as an isolated personnel issue. It is a strategic risk with direct implications for culture, retention, innovation, and business performance. Known for his ability to blend academic rigor with practical business relevance, Dr. Scott delivers a perspective that is equal parts insightful, challenging, and actionable. Leaders will leave with a deeper understanding of what today’s workforce expects and what tomorrow’s workplace demands. Great work does not happen by accident. It is built through intentional leadership, courageous decisions, transparent pathways, and a commitment to creating workplaces where people and organizations thrive together.

SPEAKER: Dr. Scott Cawood, CEO, World at Work

9:15 AM - 9:25 AM BREAK WITH OUR SPONSORS

9:25 AM - 10:15 AM GENERAL SESSION 1 – Navigating Human Culture in an AI-Driven World: Why the Future of Work Is Still Human 

Artificial intelligence is transforming how organizations recruit, compensate, develop talent, and make decisions. Yet despite unprecedented technological advancement, the greatest competitive advantage remains profoundly human. This keynote explores how HR and Total Rewards leaders can become architects of cultures where technology accelerates performance, but people create meaning, trust, innovation, and commitment. Rather than asking what AI can replace, leaders will leave knowing what only humans can create. Drawing on leadership science, organizational psychology, and proven frameworks, including the Culture Framework Model™, Transformational Agility Model™, and the Follower Effect, this session challenges attendees to rethink how they design employee experiences, develop adaptive leaders, and build cultures that thrive amid continuous change.

SPEAKER: Dr. Tony Bridwell, Chief Talent Officer, The Encompass Group

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM GENERAL SESSION 2 – Total Rewards Leadership Panel

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

MODERATOR: Rebecca Krauland, Obsidian Strategic Consulting 

PANELISTS: Adrian Solomonides, Chief Human Resources Officer, Ace Relocation Systems
Howie Mintzer, Director, Human Resources, Health Advocate 

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM BREAK WITH OUR SPONSORS

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM GENERAL SESSION 3 - How Total Rewards Teams Achieve More with Less

Comp teams aren't getting bigger. The work is. More cycles, more pay transparency obligations, more exec questions, same three people and the same spreadsheets. This session is about how leading total rewards teams are closing that gap. We'll walk through the comp processes where the hours go, merit planning, bonus modeling, pay equity monitoring, and the endless reporting in between, and look at how new technologies like agentic AI are changing what a small team can realistically own. Troy Malone, a specialist in agentic AI, joins Jake Suchocki of Compport to keep us honest on what the technology can genuinely do today versus what's marketing gloss. But the center of gravity stays in your world: which comp processes to upgrade first, what "more with less" looks like in a real merit cycle, and how to prepare your team, so the technology rides shotgun with you, not past you. You'll leave with a practical picture of the modern comp team, and a shortlist of processes worth transforming this year.

SPEAKER: Jake Suchocki, VP Revenue and Growth US, CompPort

Troy Malone, Co-Founder at Relevant AI Lab

12:05 PM - 12:45 PM LUNCH, NETWORKING & ROUNDTABLES

ROUNDTABLE 1:  Compliantly Guiding Older Employees and Retirees in Health Insurance Decisions

There are many rules surrounding older employees and their health insurance options. Once they turn 65 or are retiring, there are very specific issues and employer responsibilities that need to be addressed. Learn how to compliantly & smoothly transition employees and retirees.

HOST: Paula White, Founder/CEO, Four Oaks Medicare Planning

ROUNDTABLE 2: Challenges and opportunities in AI implementation for compensation

AI is everywhere. Increasingly, compensation and Total Rewards teams are being charged with deploying AI for their functions. But what does that look like in reality? This session will give attendees the opportunity to have a strategic discussion around the potential of AI to transform compensation work. We’ll cover strengths and weaknesses, how to identify and avoid potential pitfalls, and where AI is headed as the technology continues to evolve.

HOST: Kevin Coogan, Senior Product Manager, BetterComp

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 1 (TRACK 1) – 7 Sales Job Factors That Affect Sales Compensation

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.

SPEAKER: David Cichelli, Revenue Growth Advisor, adivsors2sales LLC

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 1 (TRACK 2) – From Personalization to Anticipation – Rethinking Total Rewards Strategy

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.

SPEAKER: Christopher Baldwin, Senior Consultant, Businessolver

12:45 PM - 1:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 1 (TRACK 3) - Sponsored Case Study Topic TBA

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

SPEAKER: TBA, Candor

1:35 PM - 1:45 PM BREAK WITH OUR SPONSORS

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 2 (TRACK 1) – Compensation Leadership Panel

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

MODERATOR: Denise Guerra, CCP, Sr. Manager, Compensation & Retirement, The Friedkin Group

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

DW Mann, Vice President, Total Rewards, Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.

Chris Bordovsky, Senior Learning Performance Consultant/Facilitator, USAA

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 2 (TRACK 2) - Turning Claims Data into Action: A Roadmap for Cost Transparency & Population Health Strategy

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.

SPEAKERS: Traci McGinnis, Practice Leader for Health Insights, Benefitfocus
Deltra Hayes, Vice President - Benefits, Voya Financial

1:45 PM - 2:35 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 2 (TRACK 3) - The Intelligence Engine: LIVE

Every hero needs a smart sidekick. Most "AI for comp" demos show you a chatbot. This one shows you a comp cycle, end to end. Join Jake Suchocki and Prateek Ahuja of Compport for a live walk through the full flow: Admins configuring cycles, Budgets, Guidelines without consultants or IT tickets, Managers reviewing their teams and recommending increases against a real budget, & Approvals move up the actual hierarchy for the way your organization works. 

SPEAKERS: Jake Suchocki, VP Revenue and Growth US at Compport

Prateek Ahuja, Sales Director, North America at Compport

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)

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

PANELISTS: TBA

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 3 (TRACK 2) - Why Your Job Architecture Won’t Survive the Next Three Years

Your job architecture is already obsolete; you just haven't felt it yet. AI is accelerating the velocity of work change faster than annual update cycles can keep pace, turning the frameworks organizations rely on for workforce planning, compensation equity, and mobility into a growing liability. The organizations that act now will transform job architecture from a static “set it and forget it” reference into a living system: faster, smarter, and built to move at the speed of work.

SPEAKERS: Sheila Sever, CCP, GRP, Senior Manager, Rewards, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Devon Lane, CCP, GRP, Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Melissa Murphree, Ph.D., CCP, Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM BREAKOUT SESSION 3 (TRACK 3) - Beyond Enrollment: How to Evaluate Whether a Nutrition Benefit Is Actually Working

Enrollment and utilization metrics only tell part of the story. How can benefits leaders determine whether a nutrition benefit is actually driving meaningful, lasting behavior change? This session combines a real employer case study with a guided walkthrough to explore what success should look like when evaluating a nutrition benefit. We'll begin with clinically validated dietary adherence data, following employees from their first appointment through measurable improvements in eating habits, examining not just what changed, but how those outcomes were achieved. We'll then bring the data to life through a guided walkthrough of one employee's journey, demonstrating how personalized dietitian support evolves alongside changing health needs. Rather than focusing on product features, we'll explore the care model, engagement strategies, and ongoing support that make sustained behavior change possible. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating nutrition benefits beyond enrollment and utilization metrics, along with a better understanding of what meaningful outcomes should look like when investing in employee health.

SPEAKERS: Katie Miller, Director of Consultant Relations, Nutrium

Jennifer McTigue, Senior Sales Director, Nutrium 

3:50 PM - 4:10 PM BREAK WITH OUR SPONSORS

4:10 PM - 5:00 PM GENERAL SESSION 4 - Total Rewards Maturity Model (AI + Automation + Beyond)

Total Rewards teams often have more data than clarity: critical insights live in spreadsheets, dashboards are ignored, and leaders struggle to act quickly. This session introduces a Total Rewards Maturity Model that shows how organizations progress from manual reporting to decision-grade analytics, then to AI-enabled automation—and ultimately to a “beyond” state where Total Rewards operates as a continuously improving decision engine. Attendees will learn how to level up responsibly using practical guardrails for data readiness, governance, privacy, bias, and auditability.

SPEAKER: Chuck Leu, Obsidian Strategic Consulting

5:00 PM - 5:10 PM DAY ONE CLOSING

5:10 PM - 6:00 PM MONDAY RECEPTION WITH OUR SPONSORS

Tuesday, August 25^th, 2026

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM BREAKFAST & NETWORKING WITH OUR SPONSORS

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM GENERAL SESSION 5 – Topic TBA

Description: 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

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.

SPEAKERS: Stephanie Beach, ASA, MAAA, SVP, Benefits Consultant, Alliant
Mike Chalmers, SVP, Alliant Human Capital Practice Leader, Alliant

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM GENERAL SESSION 7 – Solving the human-machine equation

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.

SPEAKER: Bob Simpson, Partner, Career, Mercer

10:50 AM - 11:10 AM BREAK WITH OUR SPONSORS

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM GENERAL SESSION 8 – The Hidden Cost of Workforce Stress: Connecting Benefits, Pay, and Productivity

Organizations often measure healthcare costs, turnover, and engagement separately. Employees experience them as one interconnected reality. This session explores emerging data linking financial wellbeing, mental health, caregiving responsibilities, and workforce productivity. Learn how leading employers are integrating compensation, benefits, leave programs, and wellbeing strategies to reduce workforce friction, improve performance, and create measurable business outcomes.

SPEAKER: Nicole Stec, Vice President, Lockton

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM BOX LUNCHES & CLOSING KEYNOTE SESSION – Doing More with Less: Maximizing Reward and Payroll Impact Within Constrained Budgets

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.

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

1:30 PM ADJOURNMENT