8:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m.
Chairperson's Welcome & Opening Remarks

Christopher N. Sonnesyn, Senior Consultant
WATSON WYATT WORLDWIDE

8:45 a.m.

From Exhausted To Effective: The Value Of Thinking Differently To Drive Engagement And Productivity

In this session, you will hear about some innovative research into many employee surveys that reveals what really drives engagement and productivity. See how a focus on the "vital few accelerators" has significant impact on enhancing employee morale and encouraging more discretionary effort. Now, our time-oppressed workforce can edit their "To-Do" lists to retain only those activities that create positive energy by recognizing and appreciating what is working (success), which produces greater engagement and momentum for change; ultimately achieving "breakthrough" increases in organizational results.

• The value of using an appreciative inquiry-based approach to new and ongoing work
• The "vital few accelerators" that drive outcomes of employee engagement and leadership effectiveness
• How to apply the "vital few accelerators" on-the-job

Jim Trinka, Director, Air Traffic Organizational Training and Development
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

9:35 a.m.

Speed Networking

Become acquainted with your fellow conference attendees in this fun and fast-paced forum! You'll have a chance to meet and greet your colleagues.

10:15 a.m.

How To Institute A Strategic Human Capital Management System That Aligns Your Talent With Your Agency's Mission

To meet the complex challenges facing the American people, government agencies must have effective systems for acquiring and managing top talent. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has led the government-wide effort to institute strategic human capital management – a full alignment of talent with mission. As Chair of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, the OPM Director has partnered with agencies to build systems that directly address agencies' talent needs while preserving federal core values including the merit system and veterans' preference.

In this enlightening session, you will learn about the results of OPM's 2009 State of Human Capital Report which demonstrates that while agencies have made significant progress in planning, recruiting, developing and managing talent to achieve organizational outcomes, significant challenges still remain as federal governance becomes more complex with a rapid change of pace demanding innovative talent management solutions. You will leave this session with added insight and tools to help assist you with your own human capital management efforts.

Kevin Mahoney, Associate Director, Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability Division
U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

11:05 a.m.

Transforming HR Into A Strategic Partner By Aligning Your HR Strategy With Your Agency's Overall Business Strategy

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluates Federal human capital programs and has been a leading proponent and advocate for a more strategic approach to human capital management, issuing best practices guidance on human capital principles and practices. The GAO added Human Capital Management to its high risk list in 2001, and their work was a catalyst for establishing the role of Chief Human Capital Officer and modernizing human capital planning and practices. Internally, GAO strives to be a model for other agencies and "practice what it preaches." This mantra to "lead by example" presents an interesting and challenging dynamic for GAO's Human Capital Office.

In this session, you will learn about GAO's efforts to promote a performance-based organization that maximizes performance and ensures accountability while managing its workforce strategically--and what steps GAO's internal human capital office has underway to ensure that it leads by example, and completes the journey transforming from a transaction oriented operation to a strategic business partner.

• Get the commitment of all staff--from the top down--and implement a proactive change management approach. Communications and staff involvement are critical success factors; it is a team effort.
• Align HR operations with the business. Customer relationship management is a key component. In addition, processes need to be streamlined and reengineered and technology leveraged wherever possible.
• Move from a transactions-based approach to a data-driven, analytical approach – which requires a skills-based workforce. To succeed, clear career paths and development tracks need to be in place for existing staff and each new accession needs to be viewed from a strategic perspective.
• Measure progress and ensure accountability -- metrics are absolutely essential!

Cynthia C. Heckmann, Chief Human Capital Officer
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

11:55 a.m.

Making The Business Case For Diversity And Inclusion In Your Organization

In the globalized economy of the 21st century, diversity and inclusion are no longer luxuries relegated to HR and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) professionals, but are essential mission-critical responsibilities of every manager and supervisor in order to have a high performing organization. The private sector has long understood the competitive advantages of workforce diversity, however the public sector has been slow to follow suit. Most agencies continue to view diversity as the legally driven EEO requirements from decades past. As a result of this narrow perspective, Government has failed to actualize the potential of a diverse and inclusive workforce, often with tragic results. It is time to accelerate the paradigm shift.

• The evolution of diversity from civil rights to diversity of thought and perspective
• Empirical data from the private sector on the economic advantages of workforce diversity
• Quantifiable data on performance advantages to diverse workforces and inclusive work environments
• The tragic consequences of "group-think" and of homogeneous organizations that are wedded to the status quo
• Strategies to operationalize workforce diversity and inclusion in the public sector

Georgia Coffey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diversity Management & EEO
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Join a group of your colleagues for lunch with an informal discussion facilitated by one of our expert speakers. Take this opportunity to join others in a small, interactive group setting to network and brainstorm solutions to your most pressing human capital management concerns.

2:15 p.m.

Succession Planning: Initiating And Sustaining A Mentoring Program To Build Leadership Capabilities

In this session, you will learn strategies and techniques in order to develop a mentoring program for mid-level managers within your organization. The establishment of a mentoring program will assist with the retention of staff, while integrating strategies into your organization's succession tool box.

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families is a child protection service agency responsible for protecting children, improving child and family well-being, while supporting and preserving families. The Departments' Training Academy, over the past five years has developed, implemented and sustained a mentoring program for social workers and supervisors to increase retention of staff while developing their skill and competency levels in preparation for leadership roles.

• Supporting the development of skills and competency amongst staff
• Creating opportunities for leadership exploration and development
• Creating an organizational cultural that promotes high performance from senior management to paraprofessionals

The success and sustainability of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families mentoring program rests with the belief in promoting and supporting leadership capacity amongst staff while providing multiple opportunities for enhancement of competency levels.

In this session, you will receive a manual which outlines how to develop and run your own mentoring program. You will also view a video clip of staff testimonies regarding the positive effect and change the program made on many of the program participants.

Tracy Davis, MSW, Assistant Director-Training Academy
CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

3:20 p.m.

Implementing A Successful Process That Brings Strategic HR Proposals From Vision To Execution

• The contemporary national security environment demands sophisticated, vetted pre-crisis planning and strategic formulation of national security policy options integrated across the full range of capabilities resting in the nation's instruments of power
• An emerging analysis of interagency and intergovernmental processes has highlighted our nation's inability to respond effectively and coherently to complex, contemporary national security demands
• There is no objective-oriented process to ensure the development of a sufficient number of credible senior leaders capable of effectively integrating and orchestrating the contributions of specialized government agencies on behalf of larger national security interests

• Identify competency gaps
• Determine how knowledge, skills and abilities should be developed
• Perform cost/benefit analysis
• Build strategies for incentivizing development
• Create program champions

Colonel Jennifer L. Graham, Mission Support Group Commander
U.S. AIR FORCE

4:10 p.m.

Reforming Your Performance Management System To Incorporate Performance-Based Approaches To Pay

In this session, you will hear about the experiences at the Federal Housing Finance Agency as they took a step-by-step approach to pay-for-performance. The Federal Housing Finance Agency covers 100% of its employees under a five level, pay-for-performance rating system. Under this rating system, employee's individual performance plans include "Results" that clearly and directly link the organization's mission and strategic performance goals with employee's performance plans. The Performance Evaluation Management System makes distinctions between various levels of performance and drive employee's pay increases. Merit pay increases are prorated for the various levels of performance with those rated in the lowest rungs not receiving increases in pay and those in the higher rungs receiving increases and performance-based awards.

• Link employee performance plans to the agency's mission and performance goals
• Communicate before, during, and after the end of the performance cycle
• Ensure pay reflects successful performance

Janet Murphy, SPHR, Chief Human Capital Officer
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY

5:00 p.m.

End of Day One

5:10 p.m.

Networking Reception: Please Join Us!

We invite you to join us for a drink as you relax with your peers. All conference attendees and speakers are welcome to join us for this special opportunity to continue networking. Don't miss this chance to benchmark new ideas over complimentary drinks!

Sign up during the day for dinner with a group. Take advantage of DC's fine dining while you continue to network with your colleagues.