Menu
Log in


Programs

    • Wednesday, July 30, 2025
    • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    • FREE Virtual (Zoom)
    Register

    FREE WEBINAR

    Everyone says HR should be strategic, but what does that look like in the real world?

    In this interactive session designed for mid- to senior-level HR professionals, we’ll move beyond theory and dive into what it truly means to lead with strategy. You’ll assess your current strategic impact, explore how to align people practices with business goals, and learn how to bring data, insight, and influence to the executive table. Through real-world examples and peer discussion, you’ll walk away with practical tools to elevate your role and amplify your impact.

    Whether you're already on the path from tactical to transformational—or want to sharpen your edge—this session is your launchpad.

    By the end of this session we will:

    1. Define what it means to be a strategic HR professional in today’s complex environment.
    2. Evaluate their current level of strategic influence using a simple assessment tool.
    3. Identify the key behaviors and mindsets that differentiate tactical HR from strategic HR.
    4. Engage executive leaders in meaningful, forward-looking conversations about people strategy.
    5. Apply data-informed insights to shape HR practices that align with organizational priorities.
    6. Explore real-world examples and peer strategies to elevate their impact in the year ahead.

    Rachel Platt, CEO of PLATTinum HR Consulting

    Rachel Platt brings 20+ years of experience helping organizations and individuals achieve enduring success through strategic human resources leadership. Through her roles as a Chief Human Resources Officer, Vice President, and Regional Director in diverse organizational structures and industries, she built her reputation on her track record of developing pragmatic solutions to meet complex organizational and people challenges.

    Rachel founded PLATTinum Consulting in 2018 to guide leaders in creating People Strategy initiatives in the areas of employee engagement, leadership development, culture assessment and improvement, performance management, staff training, communications, talent acquisition, HR process improvement, diversity, equity and inclusion and employee coaching.  As a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE), PLATTinum serves small and medium sized non-profits and commercial businesses across the US.

    PLATTinum partners with clients to maintain a transparent, ongoing, open dialogue. We provide a data-driven, responsive, organized approach.  But most importantly, we are proactive, optimistic, approachable and occasionally funny. We place outcomes before egos and work with clients who share similar values.

    IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR 1.5 HRCI + SHRM CREDITS

    PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED

             

    • Friday, September 12, 2025
    • 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
    • 8000 Towers Crescent Dr Suite 1700, Vienna, VA 22182
    Register

    Session Description & Learning Objectives:
    WTW will share insights on key market trends and outline how HR leaders can navigate today’s rapidly evolving landscape. The session will focus on strategies to elevate the Employee Experience, including:

    • Employing multi-faceted listening strategies
    • Understanding and responding to total rewards preferences
    • Applying structured change management approaches

    Speakers:

    • Elise Freedman – Senior Director, Employee Experience

    Elise is senior leader in the Employee Experience and Talent Practice. For over 30 years, Elise has been advising Senior Business and HR Leaders on how to better link business strategy to their talent strategy to develop a culture, structure and practices that attracts, aspires and retains talent while also driving business performance. Her areas of expertise include talent management, change management, culture transformation, mergers and acquisitions, employee experience, leadership development, career development, performance management and succession management.  

    Additional experience outside of WTW includes senior roles at Korn Ferry, Accenture, and BearingPoint where she developed a broad base of talent management, change management, human resources and project management skills and expertise.

    • Lara Paukovits – Senior Director, Employee Experience

    Lara Paukovits is the Employee Experience (EX) Market Leader for the Metro Washington, D.C. market. In this role, she focuses on helping our clients to achieve their business goals and desired EX, our colleagues to attain their ambitions, and our company to deliver on our key strategic priorities.

    Lara’s recent experiences include:

    ●Organizational change, including M&A and restructuring

    ●HR transformation, strategy and effectiveness

    ●Career framework and related program implementations

    ●Total rewards strategy

    ●Performance management

    ●Wellbeing program engagement

    ●Employee insights

    Lara has more than 20 years of experience with WTW and has worked with clients across many industries. For more than 15 years she has contributed to the firm’s intellectual capital on change management and the career aspects of the employee experience. In 2007 she was one of six employees to receive the Chairman’s Award for personifying the mission, vision and values of the firm.

    • Shekar NV – Senior Director, Work & Rewards

    Shekar NV is a recognized global leader in Workforce Transformation, specializing in Strategic Workforce Planning and Talent Analytics. With a proven track record of leveraging big data, AI, and advanced analytics, Shekar helps organizations move from reactive talent decision-making to proactive and predictive workforce strategies.

    With 25+ years of experience, Shekar has designed and led workforce analytics strategies, transformation initiatives, and predictive modeling projects for some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including Capital One, HP, Marriott, and Accenture. His ability to bridge HR, business strategy, and data science has helped executive teams drive workforce agility, operational efficiency, and talent innovation.

    Before his role at Willis Towers Watson, Shekar founded and scaled Accenture’s Talent Innovation Lab and Talent Analytics team, growing it from a one-person function to a 100+ member global practice while filing three patents in workforce intelligence. His expertise spans workforce planning, AI-driven talent insights, organizational design, and HR technology transformation. A trusted advisor to C-suite leaders, Shekar is committed to reshaping the future of work by integrating data, digital transformation, and strategic workforce design to help businesses stay ahead in an era of rapid change.

    Areas of focus

    Workforce Planning & Labor optimization

    Predictive Talent Analytics

    HR Data Strategy, Reporting & Dashboards

    Talent Strategy and Talent Management

    Education and Credentials 

    Shekar has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance & Strategy from Vanderbilt University, USA. He was a member of the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He is a frequent keynote speaker at HR conferences and has been interviewed by CEB and other magazines and publications.


    Timeline

    8:00am - 8:45am - Registration + Breakfast + Networking

    8:45am - 9:00am - Interactive Team Building Activity

    9:00am - 10:30am - Program

    10:30am - 11:00am - Networking

    IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR 1.5 HRCI + SHRM CREDITS

    PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED

             

    • Friday, October 03, 2025
    • 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • TBD
    Register


    Timeline

    8:00am - 8:45am - Registration + Breakfast + Networking

    8:45am - 9:00am - Interactive Team Building Activity

    9:00am - 10:30am - Program

    10:30am - 11:00am - Networking

    IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR 1.5 HRCI + SHRM CREDITS

    PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED

             

Thursday, July 17, 2025 NAHRLN 2025 Summer Affiliate Event: "Managing a Polarized Workforce in a Polarized World"
Wednesday, June 04, 2025 HRLF Happy Hour
Wednesday, June 04, 2025 Creating a Path to Thrive with AI
Thursday, May 15, 2025 Maximizing Your HRLF Membership: A Virtual Session for New and Current Members
Friday, May 02, 2025 Unleashing Your Unique Identity: A Masterclass in Personal Branding for HR Leaders
Thursday, May 01, 2025 HR Leadership Forum CHRO Lunch (Invite Only)
Thursday, April 17, 2025 Maximizing Your HRLF Membership: A Virtual Session for New and Current Members
Thursday, April 10, 2025 HRLF Federal Contractor Huddle: Preparing for Change Impacting Federal Contractors
Wednesday, April 09, 2025 HRLF Nonprofit Huddle: Addressing Change Impacting the Nonprofit Sector
Friday, April 04, 2025 Leading Through Change: Strategies for HR Leaders to Navigate Change in Their Organizations
Thursday, March 27, 2025 A Shifting Landscape: Navigating Workplace Issues in the New Administration
Thursday, March 20, 2025 Maximizing Your HRLF Membership: A Virtual Session for New and Current Members
Thursday, March 20, 2025 HRLF Huddle: 2025 Talent Acquisition Challenges
Friday, March 07, 2025 The Ripple Effect: Building Social Capital to Transform Organizational Culture
Thursday, February 20, 2025 Maximizing Your HRLF Membership: A Virtual Session for New and Current Members
Thursday, February 20, 2025 HRLF Huddle: Preparing Your Workforce for Return to the Office
Friday, February 07, 2025 Focus on 2025: Overview of Gartner’s Leadership Vision for Human Resources
Thursday, January 16, 2025 Maximizing Your HRLF Membership: A Virtual Session for New and Current Members
Friday, January 10, 2025 The Courage Gap: Building bravery to take intelligent risks that unlock potential amid uncertainty and rapid change
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Member Appreciation Holiday Reception
Friday, November 15, 2024 Pay Transparency in a World Without Pay Equity: Does that exist?
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 Mediating Differences and Conflicts in the Workplace
Thursday, October 17, 2024 HRLF Huddle: Employee Engagement Strategies
Wednesday, October 09, 2024 "Uncharted + Unstoppable" | Strategies for Navigating Exponential Change and Radical Disruption
Friday, September 13, 2024 Mastering the Art and Science of Executive Presence
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 Game-Changing Developments in Human Capital Management + Reporting Implications for Practitioners
Thursday, June 13, 2024 What Employers Need to Know Now About the FTC’s Rule Banning Non-Competes
Thursday, June 06, 2024 HRLF Spring Social
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 HRLF Summer Series: Engaging Your Remote Teams
Friday, May 10, 2024 Out of the Workplace Trap: A Theory and Therapy of Organizations
Tuesday, April 09, 2024 Huddle: Best Practices for Employee Retention in Government Contracting
Friday, April 05, 2024 Innovation and Accelerating to the Future of HR
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 Huddle: Recruitment Challenges and Solutions for Government Contractors
Friday, March 01, 2024 Leading in Dynamic Times: Lessons from the Pub
Friday, February 02, 2024 Navigating Compassionate Leadership and Team Optimization: Insights from Life's Journey (to be held at The Tower Club)
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 The Supreme Court Ruling and the Implication for DEI&A Programs
Thursday, December 07, 2023 Special HRLF Program and Member Appreciation Holiday Reception
Friday, November 03, 2023 Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution?
Saturday, October 14, 2023 New Date for the 15th Annual NAMIWalks 2023
Friday, October 06, 2023 Making the Most of Neurodiversity in your Workforce
Thursday, September 28, 2023 Zoom Workshop: Building Psychological Safety (Trust) in the Workplace
Saturday, September 23, 2023 15th Annual NAMIWalks 2023
Friday, September 08, 2023 The Power of the Purple Parachute: A Guide to Navigating the Winds of Career Change
Thursday, August 31, 2023 HRLF Sponsor Roundtable Breakfast
Wednesday, July 26, 2023 Leading with Laughter: Using Humor to Reduce Stress and Boost Performance
Thursday, July 20, 2023 HRLF Huddle: HR Leaders in Transition (Invite Only)
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 HR Huddles for Sr. HR Practitioners in Federal Contracting (Invite Only)
Thursday, June 01, 2023 2023 DCA Live HR Leadership Awards
Thursday, May 04, 2023 HRLF May Program + Happy Hour Social!
Thursday, April 27, 2023 Zoom HR Huddle for Senior HR Practitioners
Friday, April 14, 2023 Chase Purpose, Not Profits to Build a Thriving Culture
Friday, March 03, 2023 How HR Data & Analytics Adds Value to Culture and Performance
Friday, February 03, 2023 Decision Making: How Unconscious Bias + Increased Awareness Impact Your Decisions
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 HR Huddles for our Senior HR Practitioners (Invite only)
Friday, January 13, 2023 The End of an Economic Era: The Rise of Robots + The Future of HR
Thursday, December 01, 2022 HRLF Member Appreciation Holiday Reception
Friday, November 18, 2022 A New Talent Operating Model – Leveraging Internal Talent Mobility
Thursday, November 03, 2022 HR Huddles for our Senior HR Practitioners (Invite only)
Friday, October 21, 2022 The Secret Sauce for Leading Transformational Change
Wednesday, October 05, 2022 HR Huddles for our Senior HR Practitioners (Invite only)
Friday, September 09, 2022 Diversity + Equity + Inclusion + Belonging Panel (DEIB)
Monday, August 22, 2022 HR Leadership Forum Survey
Thursday, July 14, 2022 Inclusive Leadership: Improv Skills for Employee Engagement
Friday, June 17, 2022 HRLF Senior Leaders Huddle
Thursday, June 02, 2022 DCA Live: 2022 HR Leadership Awards
Thursday, May 05, 2022 In Honor of Mental Health Awareness Month: Prioritizing Mental Wellness in the Workplace
Friday, April 01, 2022 Quantifying Human Capital Performance
Friday, March 11, 2022 Flex Your Leadership Muscle!
Friday, February 04, 2022 Engendering Trust in a Hybrid World!
Friday, January 07, 2022 The Great Resignation!
Monday, December 13, 2021 HRLF Annual Holiday Reception
Friday, November 05, 2021 Fundamentals of Resilience: A Proven Method To Help You Navigate Uncertainty - At Work and In Life
Friday, October 08, 2021 Culture Renovation®: 18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company
Friday, September 10, 2021 Generating Trust: Creating Authentic Communication and Transparency
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 The Music Paradigm 2.0
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 The Music Paradigm
Friday, June 04, 2021 How to Make Performance Management Finally Work
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 May HRLF Huddle
Friday, May 07, 2021 The Annual HRLF Talent Acquisition Panel 2021
Friday, April 09, 2021 Building Great Leadership Teams
Thursday, March 11, 2021 HRLF Huddle
Friday, March 05, 2021 Building Internal Organization Design Competencies and Center of Expertise: The Considerations, Pitfalls and Payoffs
Friday, February 05, 2021 Ask the Experts: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Thursday, January 21, 2021 HRLF Huddle
Friday, January 08, 2021 The Inside Gig: How Sharing Untapped Talent Across Boundaries Unleashes Organizational Capacity with Edie Goldberg
Friday, December 11, 2020 HRLF Huddle
Friday, December 04, 2020 NASA Future of Work Study with Dan Ward and Elizabeth Kolmstetter
Friday, November 06, 2020 The Art of Innovation with Noah Scalin
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 HRLF Huddle
Friday, October 02, 2020 From Measuring Engagement to Designing A Great Employee Experience with Dana Wasson
Thursday, September 24, 2020 HR Huddle: Ask the Experts: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Friday, September 11, 2020 The Next Iteration of Office Space with Bob Fox
Friday, August 07, 2020 HR Huddle
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 HR Huddles
Friday, June 05, 2020 Webinar: Measuring the New Corporate Currency: Purpose, Culture, and Employer Brand
Friday, May 01, 2020 Webinar: Recover, Re-invent, Re-humanize-A Post-COVID-19 Playbook for HR Leaders
Friday, April 03, 2020 Coping with COVID-19 - Finding Our Way Forward Webinar
Friday, March 06, 2020 CHRO Insight
Friday, February 07, 2020 HR Analytics: Navigating the Pathway to the Future
Friday, January 10, 2020 Staying Agile in a Changing World: The Role of Futures and Standards in HR
Friday, November 01, 2019 DI&E: Lessons from industry experts
Friday, October 11, 2019 Peter Bregman: Leading with Emotional Courage
Friday, September 13, 2019 Mindful Leadership: Walking the Talk and Developing Self Awareness
Friday, June 07, 2019 Marc Effron, 8 Steps to High Performance & Summer Social
Friday, May 03, 2019 Competing in an Era of Choice
Friday, April 05, 2019 Wellness 2.0 – Increasing Employee Wellbeing and Engagement
Friday, March 01, 2019 Carlos Valdes-Dapena, High Performance Collaboration and Lessons from Mars
Friday, February 01, 2019 Jeff Akin, Ernst & Young, "Business Disruptors & Evolving Organizations"
Friday, January 11, 2019 Cancelled: Marc Effron, The Talent Strategy Group, 8 Steps to High Performance
Friday, December 07, 2018 December 2018 HRLF Social
Friday, November 02, 2018 Panel, "Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DI&E)
Thursday, October 04, 2018 Conscious - The Power of Awareness in Business and Life
Friday, September 14, 2018 The Three A’s of Organizational Agility
Tuesday, June 05, 2018 2018 HRLF Annual Social
Friday, May 04, 2018 The Future of Work and HR
Friday, April 06, 2018 The Digitization of HR: A Panel Discussion
Friday, March 02, 2018 Optimizing Your Employer Brand with Glassdoor
Friday, February 02, 2018 The Difference Between Culture and Climate and Why It Matters
Thursday, January 11, 2018 People Trends: What Should HR Be Thinking About in 2018?
Friday, December 08, 2017 December Breakfast Social
Friday, November 03, 2017 Navigating the Future of Work—The Changing Landscape of the World of Work and the Role of HR
Thursday, October 05, 2017 Leading with Innovation: How to Prepare Tomorrow's Leaders Today
Friday, September 15, 2017 The Role of HR in M&A
Friday, May 05, 2017 Achieving Sustainable Change with Debbie Eshelman and Panelists
Thursday, April 06, 2017 The New Path Forward: Creating Compelling Career Paths with Scott Engler, CEB
Friday, March 03, 2017 Performance Management: Why Performance Management Continues To Disappoint—Making it Matter, Making it Better
Friday, February 03, 2017 Addressing Pay Equity in an Environment of Increased Scrutiny
Thursday, January 26, 2017 Non-Profit Consortium Event: Got Toxic Work Conflict?
Thursday, January 12, 2017 Courage and Leadership in the C-Suite: Strategic HR Perspectives
Friday, December 09, 2016 The Employee Engagement Landscape—Championing Greatness or Capturing Mediocrity?
Friday, November 04, 2016 Living, and Learning, on the Steep Part of the Growth Curve
Thursday, October 20, 2016 Non-Profit Consortium Event: HR through the Lens of Risk Management
Thursday, October 06, 2016 Successful Influencing—Creating The Support You Need for Your HR Initiatives
Thursday, September 15, 2016 Non-Profit Consortium Event: To Payroll and Beyond: Changes in the Legal Landscape and Their Impacts on the Non-Profit Employer
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 HRLF Annual Social
Friday, May 20, 2016 HR In the C-Suite: It's a Partnership
Thursday, May 19, 2016 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Capacity Building
Tuesday, May 03, 2016 HRLA VIP Reception
Thursday, April 21, 2016 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Beyond HQ: Building your HR Team
Friday, April 01, 2016 Talent Acquisition & Innovation
Thursday, March 17, 2016 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: HR Through the Lens of Risk Management
Friday, March 11, 2016 Is Your Organization Tactical or Strategic? Developing Strategic Thinking Capabilities
Thursday, February 18, 2016 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Emergency Planning & Preparation for Global NGOs
Friday, February 05, 2016 All Voices On Deck – The Key to Inclusive and High Performance Organizations
Thursday, February 04, 2016 Award Application Boot Camp - February
Thursday, January 21, 2016 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event:International Compensation Strategies Establishing an Effective Compensation Structure for your NGO
Friday, January 08, 2016 Neuroscience and the Art of Fearless Leadership
Friday, January 08, 2016 Award Application Boot Camp - January
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 Award Application Boot Camp - December
Friday, December 04, 2015 Are People REALLY Our Most Important Asset
Thursday, November 19, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Talent Assessment
Thursday, November 19, 2015 Award Application Boot Camp - November
Friday, November 06, 2015 From Player to Coach
Thursday, October 15, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Modernize Performance Management
Friday, October 09, 2015 2015 Global Human Capital Trends
Thursday, September 17, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: ADA
Tuesday, June 09, 2015 HRLA 14th Annual Gala
Tuesday, June 02, 2015 HRLF Annual Social
Friday, May 22, 2015 HRLF Program: Leading with Grit and Creativity
Thursday, May 21, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Kill two birds with one stone: Mapping key processes and identifying Decision Rights
Thursday, April 16, 2015 EVENT CANCELLED - HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: HR Executive Brand – It is all about us!
Friday, April 10, 2015 HRLA Educational Workshop
Friday, April 03, 2015 HRLF Program: Improve Workforce Retirement Readiness with Behavioral Economic Techniques
Thursday, March 19, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: How to build a more effective team using the StrengthsFinder® Profile
Thursday, February 19, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Daring Behavior
Friday, February 06, 2015 HRLF Program: Immigration
Thursday, January 15, 2015 HRLA Networking event
Thursday, January 15, 2015 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: It’s all about Compensation or is it?
Friday, January 09, 2015 HRLF January Program: Montserrat C. Miller
Friday, December 05, 2014 HRLF Program: December - Speaker: Rita Trehan
Thursday, November 20, 2014 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Hot Topics: A potpourri of HR challenges
Friday, November 07, 2014 HRLF Program: Getting Innovation Right | Seth Kahan, CEO Visionary Leadership
Thursday, October 23, 2014 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium Event: Beneficial Relationships: You and your benefits broker – What should you expect?
Thursday, October 02, 2014 HRLF Program: Vital Signs Stable- How Medical School Taught Me to Manage and Lead in Corporate America | Speaker Marleece Barber
Thursday, September 18, 2014 HRLF NonProfit Consortium Event: Stealth Leadership: Improve Your Organization Without Getting Caught
Monday, June 16, 2014 HRLF Social
Thursday, May 15, 2014 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium event: Staff Care and Resilience – Strengthening Individual and Organizational Resilience in Challenging Environments
Friday, May 09, 2014 HRLF Education Program: Culture and Strategy:Keys to Organizational Health and Success
Thursday, May 01, 2014 Sponsor Event: Wells Fargo - 2014 Employer Benefit Survey Seminar
Thursday, April 17, 2014 HRLF Non-Profit Consortium event: Organizational Transformation & Development Round-Table Session
Friday, April 04, 2014 Human Resources in a Digital World
Thursday, March 20, 2014 The Greatest Programs and Best Practices - Nonprofit Consortium Event
Friday, March 07, 2014 Transforming Your Employee Survey into a Strategic Intelligence System
Friday, February 07, 2014 Crosslead: Beyond Optimal
Friday, January 10, 2014 Title VII at 50: EEOC's Strategic Vision for the 21st Century Workplace
 

HR Leadership Forum [HRLF]

1530 Key Blvd, Suite 904

Arlington, VA 22209

(571) 316-0227‬

admin@hrleadershipforum.org

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software