3rd Annual HR Summit - September 25th 2026

Description

Central Maine Human Resources Association 

No Tricks, Just Tools: Practical HR Strategies for Less Scary Workplaces 3rd Annual HR Summit - September 25th 2026 >>> Eligible for 6 SHRM Recertification Credits <<< HR does not need to be scary. 

Join the Central Maine Human Resources Association for a full-day HR Summit designed to bring practical tools, timely insights, and real-world guidance to the challenges HR professionals face every day. With a seasonal twist and sessions connected to the theme No Tricks, Just Tools, this event will help attendees build confidence, strengthen their HR practices, and take the fear out of complex workplace issues.  Click here to register

Keynote Speakers: 

Dt. Kylie Bragdon

Katie Jean Hadiaris 

Agenda Overview: 

• 7:45 - Registration with light breakfast and networking 
• 8:15 - Welcome and Opening Remarks 
• 8:30 - Opening Keynote 
• 9:45 - Breakout Session 1 
• 11:00 - Breakout Session 2 
• 12:00 - Lunch Break and Sponsor Presentations 
• 12:45 - Closing Keynote 
• 1:45 - Closing Remarks and Giveaways

Session Details: 8:30 - Opening Keynote: 

When Chaos Creeps In: Finding HOPE in High-Impact Workplace Moments 

In the world of leadership, things rarely go as planned—but great leaders know how to rise above the chaos. In this powerful talk, Dr. Kylie Bragdon draws on firsthand experiences from high-stakes situations to introduce the H.O.P.E. Method, a practical framework for facing challenges with clarity and composure. Participants will learn how to minimize stress, guide decision-making under pressure, and maintain focus even in the most uncertain circumstances. Packed with actionable steps and inspiring real-world lessons, this session equips leaders with the confidence and tools to turn disruption into opportunity and lead their teams forward with resilience. More than a keynote, this is a roadmap for leaders who are committed to turning chaos into opportunity and helping their teams thrive in times of change. 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Respond to challenges with clarity rather than reactivity. 
• Make confident decisions in high-pressure situations. 
• Guide teams through change with resilience and purpose.

Presented by: Dr. Kylie Bragdon 

Dr. Bragdon is a transformational leadership expert, keynote speaker, and published author who is driven by one of today’s most pressing challenges: the workforce shortage. As the majority of businesses struggle to find skilled employees, she helps leaders bridge the gap by teaching them how to effectively build and grow the skills of their teams. Drawing on her experience as an educator, community advocate, and former school administrator, she brings a deep understanding of how to inspire growth in diverse settings. Through dynamic talks and targeted trainings, Dr. Bragdon partners with organizations across industries to stabilize practices, improve efficiency, and fuel sustainable growth. 

9:45 - Breakout Session 1: 

Option 1: Haunted by the Moment: Navigating Civil Discourse and Implicit Bias 

Difficult workplace conversations can become scary when assumptions, misunderstandings, or unspoken biases get in the way. In this breakout session, Dr. Tobby Bragdon will explore the connection between civil discourse and implicit bias, helping participants better understand how bias can shape communication, decision-making, and workplace relationships. This session will offer practical insight into how HR professionals and workplace leaders can support more respectful dialogue, create space for different perspectives, and address challenging conversations with greater awareness and intention. 

Presented by: Dr. Tobby Bragdon, CMCC Social Sciences Faculty 

Option 2: No Tricks, Just Training: Unlocking Workforce Development Opportunities 

Professional development does not need to be a mystery. In this breakout session, Diane Crockett from Central Maine Community College’s workforce development team will share information about development opportunities available through The Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce. Participants will learn more about resources that can support employee growth, skill-building, and workforce readiness. This session will help HR professionals and workplace leaders better understand how to connect employees and organizations with training opportunities that support both individual development and business needs. 

Presented by: Diane Crockett, CMCC Workforce Development Coordinator 

11:00 – Breakout Session 2: 

Option 1: Out of the Fog: Understanding Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave 

Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave program has left many employers and HR professionals trying to sort through questions, confusion, and uncertainty. By the time of the summit, the program will have been live for nearly four months, making this an important opportunity to step back, review what has been learned, and gain practical clarity. In this breakout session, Tawny Alvarez, Esq. will share a view of the first few months of the operational Maine PFML program from a legal perspective focusing on areas that create legal risk for organizations and best practices to minimize those risks while maintaining employee rights to the benefit. 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify difficult PFML issues that have arisen 
2. Respond with best practices to those difficult PFML issues. 
3. Identify the previously unforeseen gaps in the program and the risks they create. 
4. Respond with best practices to those previously unforeseen gaps to reduce risk. 
5. Presented by: Tawny Alvarez, Esq.

Tawny is a partner in Verrill’s Labor & Employment Group who advises employers on navigating the evolving landscape at work while maintaining strong, compliant workplace cultures. Her practice focuses on proactive, practical counseling and representation on a range of employment issues, including paid leave, wage and hour compliance, pay transparency and equal pay, discrimination and harassment claims, employment agreements, and workplace policies. Tawny regularly represents clients before courts and administrative agencies throughout the Northeast and partners with organizations—from small businesses to national companies—to develop tailored, cost‑effective solutions that minimize risk and support long-term success. She also counsels clients on emerging issues such as AI in the workplace, remote work, and DEI initiatives, and contributes thought leadership as editor of Verrill’s Employment & Labor blog and a frequent speaker on HR and compliance topics. 

Option 2: Building Belonging: Actions to Build Community 

Inclusive workplaces are not created by one person, one committee, or one training. They are built by all of us through everyday choices, shared accountability, and a willingness to notice who is included, who is heard, and who may be left out. This session will explore how HR professionals, managers, and employees each can play a role in creating communities where people can feel respected, valued, and able to contribute - like they belong. Participants will consider practical ways to move inclusion from intention to action. The conversation will focus on realistic, community-centered approaches that help make inclusion part of how work gets done. 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

Reflect on inclusion under the lens that different people need different things to feel like they belong. 

Brainstorm and learn from others tangible things we can all do to create belonging. 

Leave with some actions steps to take back to our workplaces. 

Presented by: Katy Stern 

Katy is the Director of Institutional Inclusion and Belonging Programs at Bowdoin College, where she previously created and ran the Sexuality Women and Gender Center and the Inclusion and Diversity in Student Affairs Team. Prior to working at Bowdoin she was a trainer with the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, a Portland, Maine–based organization that trained students across the country to stand up for unity and speak out against bias, prejudice, and violence. Previously she worked at a variety of non-profits and taught as an adjunct instructor at York County Community College and Southern Maine Community College. 

12:45 – Closing Keynote The Dark Side of HR: Is Absorption the Hidden Cost of Competence?

Most HR professionals are empathetic, responsible, and highly attuned to the needs of others. These strengths help them navigate conflict, support employees, coach leaders, and manage the complex human dynamics of work. But they can also make it difficult to separate what is theirs to carry from what belongs to others. 

In this thought-provoking keynote, Katie Jean Hadiaris introduces the concept of workplace absorption: the tendency to unconsciously take on the emotions, urgency, pressure, and dysfunction of the people and systems around us. Drawing from workplace psychology, nervous system science, and the human experience of work, she explores why some of the most capable HR professionals are also the most likely to carry the psychological weight of the work in their bodies and into their weekends. 

Participants will learn how absorption differs from stress and burnout, how early adaptive patterns can influence the way people experience work, and what it takes to support others without carrying what was never theirs to hold. Attendees will leave with a new framework for understanding their experience at work and practical tools for reducing absorption while continuing to excel in one of the most demanding professions in the workplace.

Presented by: Katie Jean Hadiaris 

Katie is a trauma-informed career and leadership coach with a background in HR and more than 20 years of experience inside corporate systems. She helps high-capacity professionals stop absorbing the emotions, urgency, and dysfunction of others so they can reclaim time and energy for their bodies, relationships, and lives outside of work. 

Having led teams and supported employees through complex workplace challenges, Katie brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her work. She helps people reduce absorption, rebuild self-trust, and move forward without sacrificing the careers they have worked hard to build. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When completing your registration, please make sure to select one workshop from each breakout session. Selections are listed at the bottom of the registration page. CMHRA cannot guarantee a seat in a workshop if you do not select the workshop during registration. All attendees will be registered for the Keynote Session. 

This special event is free for CMHRA Members. 

Non-member tickets are $50.00. ***EARLY BIRD PRICING - $40 - 

REGISTER BEFORE 7/24/2026*** Student tickets are $15. 

CMHRA will ask for confirmation of student status. First time guest tickets are not available for this event. If you are a first time guest, you may register as a non-member with a $50 registration fee. 

Eligible for 6 SHRM recertification credits

Click here to register