ABOUT THE SUMMIT
EVENT SOLD OUT.
Talent Forward is more than a summit—it’s a movement to shape a more connected, skilled, and inclusive workforce for Houston. It’s a call to action to reimagine how we grow talent, build inclusive workplace cultures, and position Houston as the global leader in talent development and economic mobility.
This summit marks an exciting evolution of the Partnership’s programming, building on the legacy of the ERG Summit, DiverseCity Summit, and our convenings on workforce development and workplace culture—anchored by the Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Houston and One Houston Together initiatives.
Talent Forward underscores our dedication to the entire talent continuum – from education to employment to advancement. This event brings together over 400 business, education, and community leaders to shape a more connected, skilled, and inclusive workforce that meets industry demands and provides clear pathways to advancement and prosperity for all Houstonians.
Who Should Attend?
CHROs, CDOs, Vice Presidents, Directors, Managers, and leaders of Workforce Development, Organizational Development, and Learning and Development across industries and sectors in the Houston region.
The day’s content is organized around the themes of work, workforce, and organization and culture. Through a dynamic mix of strategic conversations, peer learning, and actionable insights, the summit empowers leaders to shape change within their organizations and across the region.
Meet Your Summit Speakers
Katy Biron
Academy Execution Executive, Bank of America
Kelly Bluhm
Greater Houston Market Leader, Aon
Charnece Daniels
Senior Information Systems Specialist, Hines
Deneen DeFiore
Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, United
Arianne Dowdell
VP and Chief Culture & Engagement Officer, Houston Methodist
Jim Fish
President & CEO, WM
Christian Frank
Student, Eight Million Stories
Eric Goodie
Executive Vice President, Houston Area Urban League, Inc.
LeRonica Hill
Managing Director Compliance Lead, Hines
Damon Jones II
Broker, Aon
Lavone Jones
Vice President, Human Resources & Customer Experience, Comcast
Mike Lewis
Managing Director & Senior Partner, The Boston Consulting Group
Scott Marshall
Senior Group Director, People Team Americas, Worley
Amy Patton
Director, Early Career Talent Acquisition, LYB
Marvin Pierre
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Eight Million Stories
Holly Price
Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Victor Reyes
Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Alveda Williams
Chief Inclusion Officer, Dow
Agenda
Open All
8:30 a.m. | Registration & Networking
9:00 a.m. | Welcome & President's Remarks
- Partnership President and CEO Steve Kean will welcome attendees and frame the day’s conversation with a call to action. He will outline why now is the time for Houston’s business, education, and community leaders to come together to strengthen our workforce and expand opportunity across the region. Drawing on the Partnership’s Houston Next: Advancing Opportunity strategy, he will speak to the challenges and opportunities facing employers today and why building a skilled, resilient, and inclusive workforce is the most important investment we can make in Houston’s future.
9:10 a.m. | Morning Conversations
- Fireside Chat: Talent, Experience, and the Future of Work
- In today’s fast-changing world of work, organizations are facing a growing challenge: finding and preparing talent with the experience needed to meet evolving demands. Jim Fish, CEO of WM will offer a candid perspective on how WM is addressing this challenge and how the company is evolving its talent strategy to meet current and future demands. From choosing Houston as its headquarters to tapping into internal talent, Jim will explore how WM is building a workforce that is ready, resilient, and prepared for what’s next.
- Ignite Talk: Bold Ideas for Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce Today
- Insights. Big ideas. Real solutions to power Houston’s talent future.
- This talk will showcase a pioneering innovative workforce model and offer insight on how collaboration can unlock inclusive, scalable solutions and inspire other companies to take action. Learn how partnering with higher education to address talent shortages—especially in critical roles—is sparking new possibilities for Houston’s workforce.
- Closing the Experience Gap—Evolving Talent for Tomorrow’s Demands
- Experience is the new currency in today’s workforce. In this dynamic panel, we will explore bold strategies to close the gap between what workers bring and what employers need. From rethinking training and development to unlocking the power of motivation, panelists will share how we can collectively build future-ready teams, sparking innovation, and driving performance in a rapidly changing world. This conversation will help leaders shape the next era of workforce transformation.
- What Works: Real Stories, Real Impact
- Authentic stories. Lasting impact. The human side of workforce transformation.
- Learn how Genesys Works creates career pathways for high school students through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and supportive relationships. Discover how their program equips students to overcome obstacles and achieve economic self-sufficiency—building a more inclusive, empowered future for Houston’s workforce.
- Culture by Design: Unlocking Human Potential
- This dynamic conversation brings together talent leaders to explore how organizational design and culture can unlock human performance and help recruit, retain, and advance talent. Panelists will share insights for creating systems that balance business outcomes and human impact. Discover how to lead with clarity, build trust, and shape a culture where people—and performance—can thrive.
11:10 a.m. | Charting the Future of Career Navigation with AI
Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Luncheon Program
- What Works: Real Stories, Real Impact
- Authentic stories. Lasting impact. The human side of workforce transformation.
- Hear powerful, real-life testimonials from Eight Million Stories and learn how the organization is creating meaningful pathways for Houston’s Opportunity Youth (ages 16–24) through education, employment, and personal growth—disrupting cycles of poverty and incarceration and helping build a more just, empowered future for Houston’s workforce.
- Ignite Talk: Bold Ideas for Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce Today
- Insights. Big ideas. Real solutions to power Houston’s talent future.
- Get ready for a high-energy spotlight on how Aon is reshaping talent development in Houston and beyond. Discover how the Aon Apprenticeship Program—launched in the U.S. in 2017 with just 26 students and now supporting over 1,000 apprentices—combines education and hands-on experience to create powerful career pathways and build a future-ready workforce.
- Luncheon Keynote
- Turning Tension Into Triumphs: Helping Leaders Transform Uncertainty into Opportunity
- Join report co-author Victor Reyes as he shares key findings from Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report. This future-focused keynote explores how human capital leaders can navigate complex choices across work, workforce, and organizational culture—not as either/or decisions, but as opportunities to balance human and business outcomes. Victor will explore the evolving landscape of human capital management and the critical questions and actionable strategies to help organizations move beyond uncertainty to enhance human performance in a rapidly changing world.
- Luncheon Panel Discussion
- Unleash Human Performance: Reimagining Motivation, Experience, and Value
- In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, people leaders face a critical challenge: how to drive meaningful performance and engagement in a world reshaped by artificial intelligence, shifting expectations, and widening experience gaps. This panel brings together global leaders to explore bold ideas and practical strategies to lead organizations into the future of work—where human performance is engineered through trust, motivation, and meaningful value.
