The Nevada State SHRM Council is proud to announce our State Conference, "Taming the Wildest Economy in the West", to be held on September 14, 2010 at Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

We have a selection of exceptional speakers such as Patrick Hicks, Attorney and Managing Partner with Littler, Clara Andriola, President/CEO of the Nevada Associated Builders & Contractors and Tamar Jacoby, President and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA. Speakers are addressing topics important to all businesses, including healthcare reform, labor relations and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), immigration reform, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADAAA), along with timely legislative and legal updates specific to Nevada and important to business owners, managers and human resource professionals.

A special keynote speaker, Deb Solt, will be featured during our lunch program, which will also include the soothing sounds of international jazz musician Carl Ferris.

Our speakers include:

Patrick Hicks, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Pamela Green, SHRM’s Chief U.S. Membership Officer

Clara Andriola, President/CEO of the Nevada Associated Builders and Contractors

Tamar Jacoby, President and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA

Click here to read more about our sessions and presenters.

Join us for best state conference ever!  Click here to register.

EARLY BIRDS SAVE $20...Register by July 29th!!!

About the Sessions and Speakers

8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.        Presenter: Patrick Hicks

Sponsored By:

Patrick Hicks –
Managing Shareholder, Littler

Mr. Hicks is the Founding Shareholder of the Reno
and Las Vegas offices and the former Office Managing Shareholder of both offices. Mr. Hicks is one of Nevada's most experienced employment law litigator and trial attorneys and he regularly appears in all state and federal courts in Nevada and elsewhere. He represents clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission and various other states' administrative agencies. He has successfully defended scores of jury trials and has handled over 150 arbitrations and mediations.

Mr. Hicks received his B.A. from the University of California, Davis in 1984. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1987.

For more information about Patrick Hicks, click here

9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.        Presenter: Pamela J. Green

Pamela J. Green

Pamela J. Green is a champion for HR practitioners. She holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Human Resources and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio

With over 16 years experience as a human resource practitioner, Pam lead HR Departments in the Healthcare and Childcare fields and, prior to joining SHRM, was the Director of Human Resources for the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus. Pamela joined the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 2006 as the Director for the North Central Region. She was promoted to Chief Membership Officer in January 2008. As Chief Membership Officer, she is responsible for developing and managing relationships with SHRM’s more than 250,000 members, 7000 volunteer leaders, 590 chapters and our member’s businesses and organizations. Additionally Pam is responsible for designing and leading activities that support SHRM’s volunteers and Membership Advisory Council, and assist state councils and local chapters with their strategic planning and operations.

As a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Pamela has served the profession in many capacities including volunteering for the United Way of Central Ohio, InRoads Columbus, New Directions Career Center, and many other civic and church organizations. In addition, she is a lifetime member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) and the Founding President of the NAAAHR of Greater Columbus Chapter. A highly sought after public speaker, Pam has been both facilitator and public speaker at events including the Congressional Black Caucus, American Society for Healthcare Human Resource Professionals, The Ohio State University Fisher School of Business and Biz Summits, to name a few. In November 2006, she was honored when the Greater Columbus Chapter announced their new annual HR Leadership Award was being named the Pamela J. Green HR Leadership Award!

SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to serving the human resource professional and advancing the human resource profession. SHRM’s mission is to be the global HR professional association that will provide thought leadership, education, and research to human resource professionals, media, government, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic institutions to share expertise and create innovate solutions on people management issues.

Session:

The worst recession since the Great Depression is now technically over following two consecutive quarters of economic growth in the second half of 2009. However, all signs point to a slow “jobless recovery,” with unemployment expected to remain close to 10 percent throughout 2010 and around nine percent in 2011. In this presentation, you will explore four major challenges HR professionals will face in this difficult post-recession economy and a two-part strategy for turning the challenges into opportunities for your organization. In addition, you will look at two case studies – SAS and Southwest Airlines – where the strategies have brought impressive bottom-line results, as well as employee retention, engagement, and productivity.

For more information about Pam Green, click here

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.        Presenter: Debra Solt

Debra Solt –
Director of Workforce Development for Vegas PBS

Debra Solt currently serves as the Director of Workforce Development for Vegas PBS and owner and manager of Over the Top Training & Development LLC, a training and development company serving local, state and national clients.

Ms. Solt is known nationally and internationally as a specialist in partnering with business and industry for the development and implementation of customized workforce programs that produce measurable results for clients and the community-at-large. Programs have ranged from adult literacy to administrative management and ethics, have been designed and delivered in traditional and non-traditional learning platforms, and have crossed all industry sectors and management levels.

She has been recognized and commended for her vision, dedication, passion, and commitment to building better communities through workforce education, training, and community service.

Prior to joining Vegas PBS, Ms. Solt spent over fourteen years in higher education in Nevada and Washington State. In Nevada, Debra served as Grant Writer, Director, Interim Dean and Program Developer for the College of Southern Nevada’s Workforce and Economic Development Division. Among her many roles at the CSN, she also served as a Campus Site Administrator/Program Developer and ACT Center Director, trainer, facilitator for strategic planning, team builder, and business consultant

Session

The session will present a candid look at the past, present, and future of Nevada’s workforce and the effects of economic dependency on primary industries, current unemployment rates, and the education and skill shortages of the present workforce.

Proposed will be how new leveraged partnerships, alliances and other creative collaborations can create success and sustainability for dealing with emerging markets, economic diversification and workforce readiness for Nevada’s future.

1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.        Presenter: Clara Andriola

Clara Andriola –
President/CEO of the Nevada Associated Builders and Contractors

Session

Forces supporting a unionized workforce received a boost with the election of President Obama. The current administration is supporting legislation that would serve as the most significant amendment to the National Labor Relations Act since its enactment. The economy also impacts labor negotiations, especially regarding how to manage the rising costs of pension plans and health care. Whether or not the proposed Employee Free Choice Act passes, many expect some form of legislative reform that will make unionizing America's workforce easier.

These expected reforms will also impact unions internally as they form and reform themselves. In addition, substantive labor law reform is predicted in the future rulings from the newly constituted National Labor Relations Board. This session will analyze the current status of labor law reform, the latest key rulings from the NLRB and practical legal issues associated with collective bargaining and managing and responding to a unionized workforce.

1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.        Presenter: Mark Thierman

Mark R. Thierman, Esq. –
President/CEO of the Nevada Associated Builders and Contractors

Mark R. Thierman, founder of Thierman Law Firm, has over thirty years practice experience and has tried several hundred cases. Mr. Thierman received his Bachelors of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude from New York University in 1973 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1976.

Since 1977, Mr. Thierman has generally limited his practice to the area of Labor and Employment law, with an emphasis on traditional labor law subjects like apprenticeship, overtime compensation, prevailing wage, Labor Management (Taft Hartley) trust funds, and unfair labor practice litigation before agencies like the National Labor Relations Board, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the United States Department of Labor.

Mr. Thierman has authored and co-authored books and articles on the topic of labor relations law. He has collected over a half billion dollars in restitution for class members in wage and hour class actions since 1997.

Session

Know thy enemy--- Reno based Plaintiff’s labor lawyer Mark Thierman, who was featured in the October 2007 cover story of Businessweek, will  explain how the employee’s litigation team works, with emphasis on class action strategy and tactics.  Not a substantive overview, but a rational look at the thought process (whether conscious or unconscious) of a plaintiff’s class action lawyer in dealing with your company.

You can’t join them, but at least you can learn to understand what the employee’s lawyers mean when they say certain things or act in certain ways.   Frank and candid, “no names please” questions will be answered, things your own lawyer may not even know about the economics of the case from the other side."

2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.        Presenter: Tamar Jacoby

Tamar Jacoby –
President and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA

Tamar Jacoby is president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA, a national federation of employers working to advance better immigration law.

A nationally known journalist and author, she is a leading center-right advocate for immigration reform.

Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard and Foreign Affairs, among other publications. She is a regular guest on national television and radio.

She is author of Someone Else’s House: America’s Unfinished Struggle for Integration, and editor of Reinventing the Melting Pot: The New Immigrants and What It Means To Be American, a collection of essays about immigrant integration.

From 1989 to 2007, she was a senior fellow at  the Manhattan Institute. Before that, she was a senior writer and justice editor for Newsweek. From 1981 to 1987, she was the deputy editor of The New York Times op-ed page.

Session:

This session will examine immigration hot points for 2010.  What practical advice can employers glean from the federal and state leaders?  What immigration reforms will President Obama and the 111th Congress initiate in 2010?  What immigration reforms is Nevada considering?  What can employers expect with regard to H-1B cap filings for FY 11?  How has immigration enforcement evolved, and where is it heading?  Hear answers to these compelling questions from outstanding speakers from top level government officials from ICE, along with leading practitioners in the field, political leaders and policy makers.  Topics of discussion will include the new immigration reform initiatives, immigrant and nonimmigrant processing issues and new laws and policies related to enforcement.

For more information about Tamar Jacoby, click here

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.        Presenter: Tanna Prince

Tanna Prince –
CEBS, FLMI, Vice President Lockton Companies, LLC

Tanna Prince is vice president of Lockton, where she is responsible for major market account management and
new business development in Nevada. She and her team
of benefits experts work with a varied group of Nevada-based clients; from government entities to casinos to airlines. Prince’s expertise in insurance and employee benefits has helped her clients create progressive and cost-effective benefits programs.

Ms. Prince began her insurance career managing the annuity department at a life insurance company more than 20 years ago. She has held positions as diverse as human resources manager and sales manager for a start-up Las Vegas branch office, to her current role as broker/consultant.

Prince holds two significant industry designations; Certified Employee Specialist (CEBS) and Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI). She recently served a two year term as president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference

Active in the Las Vegas community, Prince supports a variety of local nonprofit and industry organizations, such as KNPR, Nevada Public Radio, and The Lions Club. She is a board member for The Rape Crisis Center, and is a member of the Faith Lutheran Jr/Sr High School Business Advisory Council and the Southern Nevada Society of Human Resource Management.

Session

This session will address impending changes from the recent health care reform legislation and how this will affect your business in 2011 and beyond. Learn about the potential effects on your costs, your health plans, and your employees.

She will discuss both short term strategies employers are deploying now to prepare for immediate changes, as well as share Lockton’s perspective on the free-rider surcharge, vouchers, exchanges, and other changes slated for 2010 though 2018