May 10, 2023 Virtual Summit Agenda
Ready for sixteen different sessions focused on the skills and concepts public servants like you need to advance in their careers? We’ve curated a jam-packed agenda built around the topics that matter most to government employees like you. Now the difficult part: which sessions will you join on May 10?
Review the agenda below to explore the keynotes and sessions planned for the upcoming virtual summit! Please note that session times are listed in EST and the agenda is subject to change. Check back often as we update the agenda with speakers. Have a speaker suggestion? Submit it here.
NextGen Government Training Virtual Summit:
Powering Your Public Service Career Forward
Wednesday, May 10 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET/7 a.m.-1 p.m. PT
Attendees Can Earn Up to 5 CPE Credits
Live Captioning Will Be Available
10-11 AM ET/7-8 AM PT – Opening Keynote Session (1 CPE Credit):
Eliminating Stress and Burnout: A Symphony for Success
Julian Reeve, Burnout Specialist and Former Musical Director for Hamilton
We know that stress can do serious damage to your body. And it’s something the former musical director of Hamilton and Bring it On discovered the hard way after suffering a heartattack at just 43. The heartattack was a direct result of stress, workaholism, and perfectionism. Now fully recovered and retired from performing, he will share his experience coupled with extensive research to help us high achievers to adopt a healthier approach to work.
Overworked and Burned Out: Do’s and Don’ts for a Better Work-Life Balance
Frieda K. Edgette, MSc, CPCC, PCC, SES Leading EDGE Faculty Chair, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
It may sound trite, but you can’t do it all. Still, we bust our butts trying to. So, how do you find a better balance? How do you do enough to get your priorities done but not so much that you end every day more burned out than the day before? In this keynote, you will hear do’s and don’ts for achieving better work-life balance.
11-11:15 AM ET/8-8:15 AM PT – Break
11:15 AM-12:15 PM ET/8:15-9:15 AM PT – Breakout Session Round 1 (1 CPE Credit):
How to Deal With an Underperforming Team
Carolyn Mooney, Owner and Coach, Enough LLC, and Former Background Investigations Lead
Let’s get real: Not all teams are winners. It’s true at work as much as it is in sports. But unlike the Washington Commanders at the end of another losing football season, you can’t just trade your colleagues for better players. In this breakout session, our expert will provide practical steps and strategies for dealing with an underperforming team.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you’ll learn what can lead to an unmotivated team, how to address poor performers and what strategies will get buy-in around top priorities from everyone.
Relevant Competencies: Leading People
Discover and Communicate Your Strengths
Falland Hamilton, Federal Government Manager
From the cradle to the cubicle, we often devote more time to dwelling on our shortcomings than developing our strengths. To grow in your career, you need to flip the narrative and start leading with your strengths, but figuring out how to do that isn’t always easy. And worse, once you know your strengths, communicating them to a manager can be even harder. In this breakout session, you will learn how to identify your strengths and put them to use in your work.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you will walk away with a strategy for discovering your strengths and tips for talking with your manager about how to grow in your role based on your skill set.
Relevant Competencies: Fundamental Competencies
From Numbers to Narrative: Using Data as an Asset
Dr. Craig P. Orgeron, Ph.D., Professor of Management Information Systems, Millsaps College
Dr. Bill Rials, Associate Director and Professor of Practice, Tulane University School of Professional Advancement Information Technology Program
When advocating for a new project, pitching an innovative idea or asking for funds for modernization, it’s imperative you use data to back up your argument. But it isn’t easy to turn data into a compelling argument. In this breakout session, you will learn the art of data storytelling.
Key Takeaway: In this session, you’ll learn the basic principles of using data to craft a narrative that will draw others in and create a meaningful opportunity for dialogue.
Relevant Competencies: Business Acumen
DEIA in 2023: What You Need to Know
Mika Cross, Workforce Management Expert
Dr. Theresa Horne, Director, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
Dr. Jay Snipes, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Treasury
Nathaniel H. Benjamin, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, AmeriCorps
Michele Perez, Assistant Deputy Secretary at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Much of the advice for under-represented groups in the workplace focuses on the need to lean in. But what about the barriers to doing so or the unequal rewards (and even penalties) when they do? Achieving diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, or DEIA, requires people to work together to tackle systemic and cultural challenges. In this session, you’ll learn about the major challenges that under-represented groups face in career advancement. We’ll also look at what individuals across genders and generations need to collaborate with one another and create more equitable workplaces. This session is designed for both under-represented groups and allies.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to create a more inclusive government.
Relevant Competencies: Building Coalitions
How to Pick Your Battles: Which Causes Help or Hurt Your Career Progression
Wendie Veloz, Social Impact Strategist, Coach and Consultant
If you’re a parent, you know how critical it is to pick your battles. Kids can take umbrage with just about anything. But there are some infractions that you must deal with. The same is true at work. If you fought every single battle to the end, you wouldn’t have time to get any real work done. The key is figuring out which are essential and which to let go. In this breakout session, you will learn how to do just that.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you’ll walk away with a matrix to help you decide which battles must be fought and which can impede your career development.
Relevant Competencies: Leading Change
12:15-12:30 PM ET/9:15-9:30 AM PT – Break
12:30-1:30 PM ET/9:30-10:30 AM PT – Lunch Keynote Session (1 CPE Credit):
Own Your Journey: No One Is Going to Plan Your Career for You
Jessica Palatka, Director of Human Resource Management and Chief Human Capital Officer, Department of Commerce
The only people who might care more about your career than you do are your loved ones. That might sound harsh, but it’s true. Your manager, as good as they might be, is more likely to focus on your performance than on your professional development. You must do it yourself. In this keynote, you will hear how to own your career journey and learn what steps you can take to map it out.
Inclusion in Action
Treva D. Smith, Deputy Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence College
Inclusion isn’t numbers on a page, inclusion is about the way in which you make your team, colleagues and managers feel part of the organization. Inclusion means all voices are heard, considered and valued. Inclusion isn’t easy. But in this keynote, you will learn how inclusion is more than just necessary, it’s imperative.
Nothing Stays the Same: How to Embrace, Not Fight, Change
John Verrico, Chief of Media and Community Relations, Science & Technology Directorate. Department of Homeland Security
Change. Blurg. Gulp. Ew. Listen, we all like to pay lip service to change around the New Year or when we feel stuck. But change is hard. Like really hard. And it’s even harder when you aren’t in control of the change itself. New manager? New priorities? Another round of COVID? In this keynote, you will hear strategies for dealing with change when it happens, preparing to better embrace change and finding ways to thrive through transitions.
1:30-1:45 PM ET/10:30-10:45 AM PT – Break
1:45-2:45 PM ET/10:45-11:45 AM PT – Breakout Session Round 2 (1 CPE Credit):
The Power of Influence: How to Lead Without the Title
Kiersten Patton, Advisor for the Transformative Leadership in Disruptive Times Program, George Washington University
There is only one President of the United States, only one Secretary of your agency, only one direct supervisor for you. But these people don’t hold a monopoly on good ideas; everyone is capable of constructive input. The challenge is getting the ideas out there. One strategy is to increase your influence within the organization, so your colleagues and bosses listen to you. In this breakout session, you will hear from a government leader about how to lead without the title.
Key Takeaway: In this session, you’ll learn strategies to own the room and cultivate your talents in a way that allows you to have more influence in your organization.
Relevant Competencies: Leading People
Embrace Emotional Intelligence for Career Advancement (and to Be a Better Human)
Ty Smith, Director Of Strategic Partnerships, Common Mission Project
In today’s workplace, mastering traditional hard skills is necessary but it’s not sufficient. To be successful in your job and advance your career, you also need to develop emotional intelligence (EI). EI is the ability to manage your emotions and those of the people around you. In this breakout session, you will hear from a government expert about how to improve your EI skills and use them to move up the career ladder.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of the five elements of EI and how you can use those to better your career and yourself.
Relevant Competencies: Fundamental Competencies
Imposter Syndrome No More: Upping Your Confidence
Brian Wilson, Organizational Change Management Lead, Cloud Center of Excellence, a Federal Regulatory Agency
Have you ever stepped into a new role or taken the lead on a project only to feel horribly underqualified? This feeling of self-doubt, inadequacy or insecurity around professional responsibilities is not only stressful but can significantly impede your confidence and growth at work. If it’s any comfort, you’re not alone. Nearly 70% of the U.S. population has experienced imposter syndrome. In this interactive session, you will learn the science behind imposter syndrome, strategies for combating it and insights to overcome the “fake it ’til you make it” mindset.
Key Takeaway: In this session, you’ll learn to identify when you are falling into an imposter syndrome trap and strategies to become more confident in yourself.
Relevant Competencies: Leading Change
How to Stop Playing It Safe and Pitch Your Ideas
Virginia (Ginny) Hill, Senior Executive Coach and Facilitator
Putting yourself out there can feel risky. What if people don’t get your idea or, worse, don’t think it’s any good? The fear of being vulnerable often holds back employees from pitching their ideas, but you won’t get ahead if you play it safe. In this breakout session, you will learn how to pitch your idea…even if you are nervous to do so.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you’ll learn how to pitch your ideas to your managers and colleagues with confidence.
Relevant Competencies: Business Acumen
How to Have a Critical Conversation in the Workplace
Mel Kepler, Senior Consultant, Management Advisory Services, LMI
Are you bracing for an important conversation at work and feel nervous that you might not be clear or might get talked over? Or maybe you have to share difficult information on behalf of your agency. Figuring out how to have challenging conversations in a safe, equitable and constructive way is essential. In this interactive session, you’ll explore the communications skills needed to have difficult conversations, rather than avoid them.
Key Takeaway: From this session, you will walk away with a communication skill toolbox so that you can feel confident in any conversation.
Relevant Competencies: Building Coalitions
2:45-3 PM ET/11:45 AM-12 PM PT – Break
3-4 PM ET/12-1 PM PT – Closing Keynote Session (1 CPE Credit):
Unconventional Paths: Gov Leaders Share Their Journeys
Allison Wise, Deputy Director, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Nathan Sanfilippo, Executive Director, Multi-Channel Technology, Veterans Experience Office
Lisa Jammer, PHR, SHRM-CP, CDP, Chief People and Culture Officer, State of Texas
Harrison Smith, Director, Enterprise Digitalization, Internal Revenue Service
Amy Edwards Holmes, Executive Director, Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, Johns Hopkins University
If you ask high school graduates what they want to be when they grow up and then follow up with them at age 50, it’s likely that very few will have followed that exact career path. But that doesn’t mean they are disappointed in how their careers turned out. Often, the unexpected path is the most rewarding. In this keynote, you will hear from three government leaders about their career journeys and the winding paths they took to get to their current roles.
Find the Passion for What You Want to Do
Bo Picklesimer, Certified Club Manager and Past President of Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), Greater Michigan Chapter
When you ride the elevator to your floor at work or when you open your laptop at home to start your day, what’s your first reaction? Do you sigh and sign on for another long day? Or do you feel motivated to get to work? Finding your passion and matching that to your job description is essential for making your career a fulfilling one. In this closing keynote, you will hear how to find and nurture the passion in your career.
