Rewards NW

2026 Conference Program

Monday, November 9, 2026

5:00-6:30pm

Welcome Reception

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

	Total Rewards	Compensation	Benefits
8:00 AM	Registration Opens
8:00 AM	Breakfast
9:00 AM	Welcome Remarks & Announcements Emcee: Cheryl Cybulski | Senior Manager, Human Capital Workforce Transformation, Deloitte Consulting, LLP; President of Northwest Compensation and Rewards Forum
9:15 AM	Keynote Address - Unshakeable: Building Resilience to Thrive ▾ In today’s fast-paced world of compensation, benefits, and total rewards, resilience isn’t optional—it’s essential. This practical, energizing keynote equips you with simple, evidence-based tools to stay focused, adaptable, and steady under pressure so you can lead with clarity and sustain your impact. Key Takeaways: • Build personal and team resilience with practical, science-backed strategies • Model calm, compassionate leadership during high-pressure moments • Develop personalized tools to stay focused, adaptable, and energized long after the session ends Hannah Austin | Chief Executive Officer and Author, She Shatters LLC
10:00 AM	Break
10:30 AM	Addressing 3 Big Problems with Performance Reviews ▾ Performance management provides a critical link between total rewards programs and overall organizational success. This link is most effective when performance management approaches are intentionally aligned with business priorities and supported by total rewards strategies that are clear, equitable, and meaningful to the workforce. When alignment is strong, performance management can reinforce desired behaviors, support employee engagement, and help organizations attract, motivate, and retain talent.	Breaking Down Silos: The Bold Integration of Compensation and Talent Development ▾ To shape the future of work, we must rethink the boundaries between compensation and talent development. Though both aim to drive business success and elevate employee experience, they often operate in silos. In this session, we’ll explore what happens when leaders connect rewards and talent strategies to unlock greater impact. Do performance management and pay cycles align? Is your career framework fueling growth for high-potential talent? It’s time to challenge conventional models and design a connected approach that accelerates development, strengthens succession, and drives results. Denise Liebetrau | Founder & Principal Compensation Consultant, Prosper Consulting	Washington’s New Retirement Mandate: What Total Rewards Leaders Need to Know Before 2027 ▾ Washington Saves is a new state-facilitated retirement savings program scheduled to open in July 2027. Certain employers will be required by law to make the program available to their employees if they don’t offer a qualified retirement plan. See if the mandate applies to your business by visiting www.wasaves.com. The program offers an easy-to-use experience for both employers and employees. Simply register, update employees, and set up payroll contributions. Washington Saves takes care of the rest. What employers should know: • No employer fees • No employer contributions • No fiduciary liability for employers • A private company manages investments, with oversight from a public Governing Board. • Employees control their own accounts and can opt out anytime Why the state created Washington Saves: More than 1.2 million Washingtonians do not have a way to save for retirement through work. Washington Saves gives people access to portable Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) funded through automatic payroll contributions.
11:45 AM	Lunch
12:45 PM	Session TBA ▾	Sales Comp Gone Wrong - Deadly Sins, Failures, and What Not To Do When Designing a Sales Compensation Plan. ▾ Many sales compensation plans fail - not because of bad intent - but because of inexperience and preventable mistakes	The 90-Day Retention Trap: Make Managers Your Leave Strategy ▾ The paperwork was perfect, the leave was compliant, and the employee returned on schedule. Then, three months later, they resigned. This is the 90-Day Retention Trap, and it happens because HR cannot be in the room for the hundreds of micro-transitions that occur across the three phases of leave: Preparing, During, and Returning. But managers are already there and need to know what to do. In this session, we move beyond HR as the "24/7 leave concierge" to show how NIH-funded, evidence-based manager training turns supervisors into proactive retention partners. Through clear frameworks, just-in-time tools, and defined touchpoints across each phase, managers take ownership of the leave and return experience, reducing HR admin burden while dramatically improving engagement and company culture. Attendees will leave with a scalable, manager-centric model they can implement immediately, transforming leave from a compliance checklist into one of their most powerful talent retention strategies. Amy Beacom, EdD | Founder & CEO, Center for Parental Leave Leadership
2:00 PM	Break
2:30 PM	How AI Broke Hiring and What's Next ▾ Today’s hiring system isn’t working: candidates are ignored, recruiters are overwhelmed, and organizations face longer, costlier, and less effective hiring processes. Drawing on interviews across the workforce ecosystem, work futurist Josh Levine explores how AI has amplified existing dysfunction driven by misaligned incentives, risk aversion, and declining trust. Based on insights from his podcast The Job Market Sht Show*, this talk examines what it feels like to operate inside today’s hiring landscape and why confidence, clarity, and connection have eroded. Rather than offering quick fixes, Josh challenges leaders to rethink what hiring is truly optimizing for—and what a more intentional future could look like Josh Levine | Author, Educator, and Advocate for a Better Work Future	What’s Next for Workplace Flexibility and Geographic Pay? ▾ Many sales compensation plans fail - not because of bad intent - but because of inexperience and preventable mistakes	Neurocoherence for a Less Anxious Workspace ▾ Attendees will learn the difference between feeling calm, and having a calm nervous system. Introduces core themes along belief recoding, somatic breathing, nervous system biology and quick mediational exercises. Natalie J Bendza | Coach/Author, The Human Forcefield, LLC
3:45 PM	Break
4:15 PM	Closing Keynote ▾ Check back soon for more information on this session. Porter Knight | Owner, Porter Knight LLC Title" Regaining Mental Focus for Greater Productivity and Happiness
5:00 PM	Reception
5:00 PM	Networking Reception

Schedule subject to change.

Attend Rewards NW and Get HCRI Credits

Rewards NW Conference attendance qualifies you for re-certification credit for the Certified Compensation Professional® (CCP®), Certified Benefits Professional® (CBP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®), Work-Life Certified Professional® (WLCP®), Certified Sales Compensation Professional (CSCP)®, Certified Executive Compensation Professional (CECP)® and Advanced Certified Compensation Professional (ACCP)™ designations granted by WorldatWork. For more information on rec-certification, visit the WorldatWork recertification webpage.

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