The Cost of Conflict: What Organizations Lose When Issues Go Unaddressed
Legal Update and Educational Luncheon
Thursday, July 16, 2026: 10:45 am - 1:00 pm CT
** NEW LOCATION **
Hilton Garden Inn
3119 Colorado Blvd
Denton, TX 76210
10:45 am to 11:00 am: Check-In
11:30 am to 1:00 pm Speaker Presentation
Presented by: Andrea Johnson
This session explores how unresolved workplace conflict impacts morale, retention, communication, productivity, and organizational trust, while providing practical strategies leaders and HR professionals can use to address issues earlier and more effectively.
Legal Update
Legal Presentation by John Hagan
The End of 'Reverse' Discrimination: DEI Risk After Ames and the 2026 Enforcement Wave
This is the most dominant HR-legal story for 2026 so far. The US Supreme Court unanimously decided in the case, Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Services, that majority-group plaintiffs no longer need to show "background circumstances" and are now evaluated under the same McDonnell Douglas framework as everyone else. Stack that on the March 2025 EEOC/DOJ DEI guidance, EO 14173, the EEOC's June 4, 2026 National Enforcement Plan targeting preference-based programs, the June 9, 2026 DOJ OLC memo questioning disparate-impact liability, and live subpoena fights (Nike) — and HR now has a concrete audit problem.
Learning Objectives:
Explain the holding and reach of Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services (U.S. 2025) — including the Supreme Court's elimination of the "background circumstances" requirement — and articulate why majority-group plaintiffs now proceed under the same McDonnell Douglas framework as any other Title VII claimant.
Analyze how Ames and Muldrow v. City of St. Louis (2024) operate together to lower the threshold for discrimination claims, and distinguish Muldrow's "some harm" standard for discrimination from Burlington Northern's "materially adverse" standard for retaliation when advising managers.
Identify the 2026 federal enforcement posture and the tools driving it — Executive Order 14173, the EEOC/DOJ March 2025 guidance, the EEOC's National Enforcement Plan, administrative subpoenas, pre-suit leverage, and contractor/False Claims Act exposure — and assess what each means for an employer's day-to-day risk.
Distinguish lawful from unlawful DEI program design by applying the access-and-motivation test, recognizing higher-risk features (quotas, diverse-slate requirements, closed-access programs, group-blame training) and converting them to defensible, open-access, merit-based alternatives.
Apply a privileged DEI health check and documentation discipline — including contemporaneous, comparator-consistent records and a 90-day action plan — to position the employer to prevail at summary judgment and to account for Texas-specific overlays (TCHRA parallel claims, SB 17, at-will doctrine, E.D. Tex. venue).
John is an HR lawyer who represents employers and HR professionals. He has been practicing for 25 years. He is both a counselor to HR professionals and trial lawyer who defends them. He is past president of DallasHR, Mid Cities HR and Collin County. He is presently serving as Vice President of Programs at NTSHRM. His wife is a big-time federal prosecutor, and both of their sons are Eagle Scouts.
This program will be submitted for 1.5 SHRM PDC. North Texas SHRM is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. For more information, visit the SHRM certification website at www.shrmcertification.org.
This program will be submitted for 1.5 General recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, or SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).
North Texas SHRM is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDC) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
HR Certification Institute’s® (www.HRCI.org) official seal confirms that North Texas SHRM meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR® and PHR®.
North Texas SHRM Policies and Procedures
KEYNOTE: From AI Curiosity to Capability: Building AI-Ready Organizations
North Texas SHRM is pleased to announce this collaboration with DallasHR to make this exciting topic available to our members.
AI curiosity is everywhere—but real capability is far less common. Most organizations are running pilots, testing tools, and talking strategy, yet struggling to translate that into meaningful business outcomes.
This session explores why that gap exists—and what it takes to close it. From building foundational AI skills at the individual level to enabling organizational and workforce readiness, it outlines a practical path for HR and business leaders to move from scattered experimentation to true, scalable capability.
Babar Bhatti is Co-Founder and Executive VP of Dallas AI, one of the fastest-growing AI communities with 10,000+ professionals. He is Chief AI Officer at Prism Skills, an AI-powered microlearning platform designed to help working professionals build real, applied AI capability.
Previously, he was a Principal AI Customer Success Manager at IBM, advising enterprise organizations on strategy, deployment, and scaling of AI systems. He led Generative AI initiatives involving LLMs and agent-based architectures at enterprise scale.
Babar’s professional background is rooted in digital software products that are data-driven and powered by machine learning and AI. His broad expertise and interests have led him to both large and small organizations, where he has successfully transformed existing offerings and built new ones from the ground up. Babar has held technical leadership positions at notable companies including Zapata Computing, CoreLogic, and Verizon. Additionally, he co-founded MutualMind, a social media analytics company recognized as a pioneer in applying machine learning to unstructured data.
Panel Information
This dynamic AI panel brings together Holly Novak, Kim Kelley, and Cris Taylor to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of work. Panelists will share real-world insights on integrating AI into talent strategy, workforce planning, and employee experience across diverse industries. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on balancing innovation with ethical considerations while preparing their organizations for an AI-driven future.
Registration Notes
Prices
Members: $189
Non-Members: $249
Clicking on the link below will take you to the DallasHR website where you will need to login to get the member pricing. If you have any difficulty with logging in, please reach out to info@dallashr.org for assistance.
Please let them know you heard about the event from NTXSHRM!
REGISTER HERE
IMPORTANT: Advance registrations are strongly recommended. Due to catering requirements, we cannot guarantee seating for onsite registrants. To receive cancellation credit, your written request must be received at DallasHR by 12:00 noon, no later than the Friday before the meeting.
Schedule of Event
8:30 – 9:00 am Breakfast/Registration 9:00 – 9:10 am Welcome/Intros 9:10 – 10:10 am Keynote- Babar Bhatti 10:10 – 10:15 am Breakout Instructions 10:15 – 10:25 am Break/Restroom 10:25 - 11:10 am Breakout Session #1 11:10 – 12:00 pm Lunch 12:00 - 12:45 pm Breakout Session #2 12:45 – 12:55 pm Break/Restroom 12:55 – 1:40 pm Panel Discussion 1:40 - 1:50 pm Wrap Up 1:50 – 2:30 pm Cybersecurity Tour
8:30 – 9:00 am Breakfast/Registration
9:00 – 9:10 am Welcome/Intros
9:10 – 10:10 am Keynote- Babar Bhatti
10:10 – 10:15 am Breakout Instructions
10:15 – 10:25 am Break/Restroom
10:25 - 11:10 am Breakout Session #1
11:10 – 12:00 pm Lunch
12:00 - 12:45 pm Breakout Session #2
12:45 – 12:55 pm Break/Restroom
12:55 – 1:40 pm Panel Discussion
1:40 - 1:50 pm Wrap Up
1:50 – 2:30 pm Cybersecurity Tour
Important Notices:
Opportunities to promote products and services are available. For information, please contact sponsorship@dallashr.org
If you require a vegetarian meal for lunch, you may request one by contacting info@dallashr.org. Please note that you must pre-order veggie meals no later than 9:00 AM on the Friday prior to the event. On-site requests cannot be honored.
CREDITS
4 HRCI HRS (General) Recertification Credit Hours
4 SHRM PDC's
NETWORKING
Not a Member Yet?
Come talk to us and discover the value of membership.
You don't want to miss it!
August 6, 2026
Thirsty Lion
5754 Grandscape Blvd, Unit 205, The Colony, TX 75056
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Networking, like everything, is better with a clear purpose and specific action steps. Join us for a great evening of making connections.
We hope to see you there!
Thank you to our Sponsor!
The Language of High-Performance Culture
Thursday, August 20, 2026: 10:45 am - 1:00 pm CT
Presented by: Justin Carroll and Stacey Hansen
Language, mindset, mental performance
An interactive 60-minute workshop where HR professionals learn to identify “soft talk”—the language pattern costing organizations $10,000+ per employee annually. Through three experiential exercises, participants experience how words like “maybe,” “just,” and “should” create workplace conflict and walk away with immediate application tools.
Justin Carroll is the co-founder of The Fortified Mindset and co-creator of The Fortified Mind Method, a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating the language patterns that create workplace conflict, miscommunication, and mental exhaustion in high-achieving professionals. With 8 years of coaching experience, Justin specializes in language pattern recognition—specifically soft talk, negations, dramatics, and projections—that undermine leadership effectiveness and team performance. His work focuses on practical, experiential tools that create immediate awareness and measurable behavior change, rather than theoretical frameworks.
Justin delivers corporate workshops on mental resilience, communication clarity, and mindset transformation for organizations seeking to reduce the time and cost associated with workplace conflict. He operates The Fortified Mind Method with his business partner Stacey Hansen, serving professional leaders and teams across the country who want tangible results, not feel-good platitudes.
__________________________________________________________________________
Stacey Hansen is co-founder of The Fortified Mindset and specializes in nervous system regulation and behavioral pattern interruption for high-achieving professionals managing stress, trauma, and emotional dysregulation. With more than a decade of experience as a trauma-informed yoga instructor and mindset coach, Stacey has developed a systematic approach to identifying the physiological and emotional drivers behind self-sabotaging behavior. Her methodology focuses on three core areas: nervous system awareness, emotional regulation techniques, and the connection between somatic responses and decision-making patterns.
Stacey's work is grounded in practical application rather than abstract concepts—clients learn to recognize their body's stress signals, interrupt reactive patterns, and implement regulation strategies that produce measurable changes in performance and wellbeing. She operates The Fortified Mind Method with her business partner Justin Carroll, serving leaders and teams across the country who need tactical tools for managing high-pressure environments.
Join Us for a Day of Legal Insight and HR Strategy
Gain critical updates and practical guidance from a top local attorney on the legal issues impacting your workplace. From compliance trends to emerging risks—you’ll walk away informed and empowered.
✔ Deep Dive Sessions with legal expert - Mike Mariachi ✔ Real-world stories from the HR frontlines ✔ Peer networking and best practices
Networking After the Symposium
4:00pm - 6:30pm for
We hope you will stay and attend Networking with a Purpose
immediately following the Legal Symposium.
This program will be submitted for SHRM PDC. North Texas SHRM is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. For more information, visit the SHRM certification website at www.shrmcertification.org.
This program will be submitted for General recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, or SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).
This symposium will be submitted for Continuing Legal Education through the State Bar of Texas.
North Texas SHRM Policies & Procedures
October 1, 2026
Union Bear
215 S Bell Ave, Denton, TX 76201
Conflict Doesn't Blow Up.
It Slowly Drains the Room
Thursday, October 15, 2026: 10:45 am - 1:00 pm CT
Presented by: Jeff Lay
Conflict rarely explodes — it slowly drains the room, the team, and the culture around it. In this session, HR professionals will discover why most workplace conflict begins not with poor communication but with no communication at all. You'll gain practical frameworks for navigating conflict yourself, and tools to coach your managers through the situations they're avoiding. Practical, data-backed, and immediately applicable.
3 Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the root causes of unresolved workplace conflict including unexpressed expectations and uncommunicated needs
2. Apply a practical framework for navigating sensitive conflict situations with clarity, empathy, and legal defensibility
3. Develop coaching strategies to equip managers with the skills to address conflict before it escalates to HR
Jeff Lay is the founder of The People Curve, a boutique HR advisory and conflict resolution consulting firm based in Tyler, Texas. With more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience — including nearly two decades at Pine Cove Christian Camps, one of the largest camp and conference organizations in the United States — Jeff has built his career at the intersection of people, leadership, and organizational health.
As Vice President of Human Resources at Pine Cove, Jeff served as the senior strategic HR partner to the executive team, overseeing all people functions for an organization with more than 2,500 employees annually across multiple sites. In that role he built and led a centralized Employee Relations function, designed and implemented HR governance frameworks, led complex investigations, coached senior leaders through difficult personnel decisions, and used data to identify systemic workforce risks before they became crises. He also led a recruiting team of 50+ professionals and oversaw the full employee lifecycle across a complex, multi-site operation.
Through The People Curve, Jeff now serves multiple organizations simultaneously as a fractional HR advisor and conflict resolution specialist — partnering with executive directors, senior leaders, and HR teams to navigate the people challenges that require both expertise and trust. His clients span the nonprofit, ministry, corporate, and faith-based sectors.
Jeff holds the SHRM-SCP certification — the Society for Human Resource Management's senior-level credential — and is a Certified Conflict Resolution Specialist through Peaceful Leaders Academy. These credentials aren't just letters after his name. They reflect a genuine conviction that HR professionals have a responsibility to do this work well — with integrity, with skill, and with the kind of courage it takes to have the conversations most people are avoiding.
Jeff's speaking and teaching centers on a core belief: conflict doesn't blow up. It slowly drains the room — the team, the relationship, the culture — until one day something is gone and no one is quite sure what happened. His sessions are built to help HR professionals understand what conflict actually is, why it starts long before it surfaces, and what to do about it — both for themselves and for the managers they support.
He is known for a teaching style that balances research-backed frameworks with the kind of honest, grounded storytelling that comes from two decades of navigating real situations with real people. His sessions are practical, immediately applicable, and — importantly for anyone who's sat through a long conference day — genuinely engaging.
Jeff has presented to SHRM chapters and leadership audiences across Texas, including Rose City SHRM and Brazos Valley SHRM, and has submitted speaking proposals to HRSouthwest Conference and the Christian Camp and Conference Association National Conference. He is building a speaking practice anchored in conflict resolution, employee relations, and leadership development — topics he has lived, not just studied.
Prior to his HR leadership roles, Jeff served for nearly 15 years as a Camp Director across multiple Pine Cove properties — an experience that gave him an irreplaceable foundation in leading diverse teams, navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, managing organizational culture under pressure, and developing leaders at every level. It is also where he developed his deep conviction that the health of an organization is inseparable from the health of its people.
Jeff is a graduate of Texas A&M University and completed graduate coursework in counseling and organizational development at Denver Seminary. He is a Christ-follower, husband, and father, and is actively involved in the East Texas business and faith community.
He founded The People Curve on a simple belief: organizations don't have HR problems. They have people problems that HR has the unique opportunity — and responsibility — to help solve. That belief drives everything about how he works with clients, teaches in rooms, and shows up for the leaders who are carrying the weight of their organizations' most difficult people situations.
Jeff is based in Tyler, Texas, and available for speaking engagements, workshops, and organizational consulting nationwide. Learn more at thepeoplecurve.com.
Thursday, December 10, 2026: 10:45 am - 1:00 pm CT
Presented by: ???
Platinum Partner Sponsor
Diamond Partner Sponsor
Gold Partner Sponsor
Ruby Partner Sponsor
Emerald Partner Sponsor
Quick Links
Join Now
My Profile
Calendar
Legislative Affairs
.png)
.png){kind=logo}
.png)
