Keynote Address:

Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety: Unlocking Potential Through Trust and Inclusivity

Speaker:

Carlee, Osburn, MLIS
Education and Awareness Specialist, Washington State Employee Assistance Program

New this year! Cross Track Sessions

A.I. in the Cougar Workplace: A Panel Discussion for WSU Employees

While AI in higher education has an undeniable impact on academics, have you ever wondered how AI plays a roll in university business operations?

This panel discussion brings together WSU experts and leaders to discuss AI in the university workplace and answer questions about how WSU staff can effectively and ethically leverage AI in their jobs.

Topic: Workday Success Stories/Leading as a Coug/Developing as a Coug
Moderator: Emily Akin
Session Length: 45 Minutes

Employee Performance in Workday

Information on how to conduct employee evaluations as well as a walk through and tips on the performance process in Workday.

This session is recommended for Managers and Talent Partners.

Topic: Workday Success Stories/Leading as a Coug
Speakers: Sabrina McPherson and Sharon Games
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Onboarding New Employees: Finding Essential Resources

Starting a new job can be overwhelming for both new hires and managers. In this 30 minutes cross track session, learn where to find essential resources and how to effectively guide new employee through their first day, first week, and first 30 days.

Topic: Workday Success Stories/Leading as a Coug
Speakers: Ann Monroe, Ariana McDonnell, Emily Akin and Teddi Phares
Session Length: 30 Minutes

WSU Org Structure

Overview of sup org structure, how sup orgs and security roles work for routing processes.

Topic: Workday Success Stories/Leading as a Coug/Developing as a Coug
Speakers: Heather Burchell Kohdy Pierce, and Wendy Weber
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug

Advancing Your Career at WSU: A Panel of Seasoned WSU Professionals Discuss Their Journeys at WSU

Hear from five WSU leaders on how they found success, advanced their careers, and developed professionally. Learn about opportunities and strategies to continuously improve, learn, and develop.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speakers: Matt Skinner, Jennifer Klein, Gerik Kimble, Don Holbrook, and Kim Holapa
Session Length: 60 minutes

Career Boost: Prioritizing Development During the Workday

In this 30-minute session, discover effective strategies to integrate professional development into your daily routine. Learn how to carve out time for skill enhancement and career growth without compromising your work responsibilities. This session will cover:
Identifying opportunities for learning: Spot moments throughout your day that can be dedicated to professional development.
Setting realistic goals: Establish achievable objectives that align with your career aspirations.
Utilizing available resources: Make the most of company-provided tools, online courses, and other learning platforms.
Balancing work and growth: Develop techniques to manage your workload while prioritizing your development.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Ariana McDonnell
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Check Up From the Neck Up

This is an interactive session that will teach participants to evaluate their mental health, notice when they are experiencing poor mental health, and educate them on healthy coping skills when experiencing poor mental health. This workshop will also go over where stigma comes from, how to overcome the stigma surrounding mental health, and to increase help seeking from peers and/or professionals. 

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Andrew Song
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Cultivating a Personal Culture of Curiosity

Were you a curious child? If so, do you have the same level of curiosity today? Children are naturally curious, however childlike curiosity can be lost as we age. Being curious is one of the driving forces behind survival of the human species, technological innovations, and much more. Come learn about why it is important to remain curious as adults, where curiosity may serve you as a professional, and how to cultivate a personal culture of curiosity.

By the end of this presentation, learners will be able to:
Review the different types of curiosity and describe situations where they might be useful, discuss various societal factors that influence our desire to be curious, and create an action plan to cultivate your own curiosity.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Dana Bowers
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Cultivating Your “No Network”

Your “No Network” is equally important to your career growth and trajectory to any other professional development you pursue as a Coug. Comprised of the trusted individuals within the WSU system, your “No Network” is a group of people who can assist you to evaluate opportunities and changes to determine if it is the right opportunity for you. These are the honest opinions of people who know you and your goals that want you to succeed without burning out. That being said – how do you find a “No Network” and cultivate those friendships? We have experience doing just that, and we want to share how to create and develop this essential tool with other Cougs.

Objectives:
Identify the function of a “No Network”
Detail the value of a “No Network”
How to identify your people
Developing friendships
Engendering trust and vulnerability
Utilizing combined experience and wisdom 

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speakers: Hannah Carlan and Sarah Kenney
Session Length: 30 Minutes

De-centralizing Wellness Efforts

Wellness programs are an integral part of many workplaces- but those efforts often fail to effectively impact employees. This session examines the gap between corporate wellness programs and employees’ daily realities, proven methods to improve and support personal wellbeing, and the role we each play in making impactful change a reality. 

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Maria Royall
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Fostering Professionalism and Professional Identity Formation

In this session we will discuss, professionalism, professional identity formation, and professional identity integration. What does it mean to be a professional? How does one develop professionalism in themselves in order to be a good model for their students?  

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speakers: Jennifer Miller, PharmD, and Dana Bowers
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Keeping Up and Keeping Track

This session will discuss how and why we take notes, discuss different frameworks for note-taking and note-making, discuss creating structure for note organization and discoverability, and how notes can be used for action. Various examples of note-taking tools and software will be demonstrated.
Objectives: Introduce attendees to the wild world of note-taking options, and help attendees consider their own note-taking practices in a new light.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Lorena O’English
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Leveraging Percipio for Professional Development; An Interactive Session

This interactive session is designed to help participants maximize the use of Percipio, a powerful learning platform for personal and professional development. In this session, participants will learn how to effectively navigate the platform, access tailored content, and utilize various learning tools to enhance their development journey. Ideal for learners at all levels looking to unlock the full potential of the platform.

Highlights include:

  • Access & General Navigation: Learn how to log in, explore the platform’s layout, and quickly find courses, videos, and resources.
  • Learning Tools & Tailored Content: Discover how to leverage personalized learning paths, curated content, and skill-building tools to achieve your goals.
  • Analytics: Track your progress and performance with built-in analytics to ensure continuous growth.
  • Troubleshooting: Gain tips for overcoming common technical issues and challenges within Percipio.
  • Resources & Q&A: Access additional resources keeping answers to frequently asked questions at your fingertips.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Carey Musburger
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Mastering Internal Job Applications

During this session we will explore the ins and outs of applying for new roles within WSU. From resume tips to interview strategies, we’ll cover it all, helping you navigate the recruitment process with confidence. Get ready to take your career to new heights right here within our organization!

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Bonnie Wilmoth
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Navigating Change

In this session, attendees will learn practical tips to navigating change no matter what role they have in the organization. 

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Craig Fischer
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Network Like a Pro: Unlocking the Secrets to Connect, Engage, and Thrive Fearlessly!

Join us for an engaging virtual webinar where we’ll delve into the world of networking and equip you with the tools to thrive, even if you’re nervous or feel inexperienced. Designed for professionals at all levels, this session will provide practical techniques and actionable advice to help you navigate networking events, build meaningful connections, and advance your career.

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speaker: Angela Senter
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Thriving Together: Cultivating Positive Team Practices

We know that routine self-care in the workplace is vital. What does it look like when self-care is incorporated into working relationships within your professional team? As supervisee and supervisor, we will discuss how our small team utilizes responsive strategies to care for ourselves and each other through budget cuts, staff reductions, and organizational changes. We will share specific practices we employ from each of our perspectives.

During this interactive session, participants will:

  • outline their own self-care plans
  • practice navigating common workplace struggles
  • explore alternative leadership approaches

Topic: Developing as a Coug/Caring for Yourself as a Coug
Speakers: Arielle Wilcon & Bekah MillerMacPhee
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Leading as a Coug

Beyond Simple Supervision

In this session, we will explore how supervisors can transcend traditional supervisory roles to become champions of their team members’ career development. Learn strategies to facilitate skill acquisition and professional growth, ensuring these opportunities are distributed equitably across your team. 

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Kaitlin Morehouse
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Building Belonging

This session is designed to explore the characteristics of spaces
that create inclusion and belonging; to review the behaviors that support and
deter belonging, and to consider actions steps that build inclusive spaces
where each team member can thrive. 

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Elisha Hardekopf
Session Length: 60 Minues

Comprehensive Overview of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Timelines, processes, and resources for WSU partners to assist them and create awareness as they interface with our students.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Joy Scourey
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Employee Encouragement & Engagement

Coming Soon!

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Melissa Pond
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Improving Your Adaptive Skills: The Positive Career Move You Didn’t Expect

Each of us brings a wide range of skills to our work and improving these is a significant part of our professional growth. “Adaptive skills” are just one component of our overall skill set and yet are unlike the ones that likely got you hired at WSU. Rather, adaptive skills are foundational to everything else and are the skills that make or break almost everything we do, professionally and personally. What are adaptive skills and how do we improve them?  That will be the topic of this workshop.

A Q&A follow-up micro session is scheduled from 11-11:30 to further discuss these topics.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Lee Riley
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Leader as Coach

This session offers a few key skills leaders can add to their leadership toolkit – including listening like a coach and asking powerful questions in order to support and grow your direct reports and teams. 

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Craig Fischer
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Leading the Way: How Professional Associations Foster Leadership

This session will discuss how membership in professional associations can help develop your leadership skills and grow your professional network.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Teddi Phares
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Leverage Your Values: Unlock Clarity, Purpose, and Leadership

In this interactive one-hour session, we will begin by delving into the core values that drive both personal and professional growth, then explore how leveraging these values can lead to greater clarity, purpose, and motivation in your work. By aligning your values with daily actions, you can make more meaningful decisions, improve job performance, and cultivate stronger relationships with colleagues. Through self-reflection and group discussion, participants will gain insights on how to inspire themselves to lead with authenticity while also influencing others through value-driven leadership. Whether you’re seeking to elevate your career or enhance your impact, this session will provide practical tools to make a difference.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Chris Hoyt
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Managing Conflict

When handled effectively, conflicts can lead to improved communication, stronger relationships, and innovative solutions. By addressing disagreements constructively, teams can uncover underlying issues, foster a culture of openness, and encourage diverse perspectives. 

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Heather Burchell
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Mindful Leadership: Managing with Mental Health Awareness

This session invites leaders to explore how cultivating mindfulness, relationships and understanding mental health can transform the way they lead, support, and empower their teams. This presentation will provide participants with practical strategies to recognize and respond to early signs of mental health concerns, foster a psychologically safe workplace, and enhance resilience and productivity. Attendees will leave equipped with tools to promote their own mental well-being, build meaningful connections, and lead with empathy—ensuring their leadership not only drives performance but also promotes holistic team health and well-being.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Mikki Nutt
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Q&A Follow-Up: Improving Your Adaptive Skills

This is the Q&A follow-up session from the main session Improving Your Adaptive Skills, where we we will further discuss these topics, and I will share some additional insights on how you can cultivate a growth mindset as a professional.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Lee Riley
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Student Financial Services: How Employees Can Support Students

This presentation will highlight programs and resources SFS oversees to assist and support WSU students (Emergency Funding Assistance, Cougar Completion Grant, Forget the Fees, Beyond Bills, Student Connections, Financial Aid Estimator Tool, etc.)

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Joy Scourey
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Successful Project & Task Management for Busy People

Is your desk a jumble of post-it notes full of tasks and due dates? Does your workload feel off-balance, and your projects struggle even though you’re working hard?

Maybe you have a good system already, and are looking for tips and tricks to take your project management to the next level as you take on more responsibility?

Whether you’re starting on your project journey or looking to fine tune your own processes, this interactive session shares ways to organize and guide, do and deliver your projects and wrangle your to-do list to help busy people like yourself be successful.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Paul Fleming-McCullagh
Session Length: 30 Minutes

The Emotionally Intelligent Leader

Emotional intelligence (EI) is more than just being aware of your feelings. It’s also about understanding and influencing others’ emotions. Learn how to develop these skills through your leadership.

Topic: Leading as a Coug
Speaker: Trymaine Gaither
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Workday Success Stories

Budget Amendments in Workday

Modernization, the Budget Office and the Controller’s Office show you how to move money at different times of the year.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Chris Jones, Christopher Conway
Session Length: 30 Minutes

From Yesterday to Today: Finance

Finance related improvements, collaborations, and benefits from the last 12 months.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Kelsey DeMacon, Gerik Kimble, Kameron Olsen, Ben Howard
Session Length: 60 Minutes

From Yesterday to Today: Grants

Improvements, collaborations, and benefits for post-award research administration from the last 12 months.

For example:
Grants Reporting and Dashboard Enhancements
Grant Forecasting in Adaptive
Subrecipient Monitoring in Worksheets
Sponsor email integration.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Greg Ardashev, Christine Galbreath, Kami Carter
Session Length: 60 Minutes

From Yesterday to Today: HCM

HCM related improvements, collaborations, and benefits from the last 12 months including:

Blackout dates reminders and improvements
Recruiting improvements.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Emily Goodwin, Wendy Weber, Sabrina McPherson
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Grants Forecasting Tool in Adaptive Planning

Demo of the Grants Forecasting tool in Adaptive Planning for Grant Managers, PIs, AFOs.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Joel Bifford, Lesa Neumann
Session Length: 30 Minutes

How Do I Find the Info I Need in Workday?

Do you ever log in to Workday and think, “now what?” This session shares how to find the info you need when you need it, and how to plan for recurring activities such as paylock, new employee onboarding, and PCard verifications.

The session will show you how to find:
Reports you can run
Fiscal end of year resources
Approvals delegated to you
Who’s next in the business process and who supports you and your team
Latest news and important updates
Reference guides

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speaker: Paul Fleming McCullagh
Session Length: 60 Minutes

How to Use the New Principal Investigator Dashboard for PIs and Grant Managers

We will demonstrate and explain the New PI Dashboard for PIs and Grant Managers. Included will be some practical tips such as adjusting your screen settings for optimized view, and using the View More option & how to return to the dashboard.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Elizabeth Weybright, Ty Simanson
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Payroll Masterclass

An advanced course for Department Payroll Processors on more complex payroll situations which occur frequently but require more advanced information to appropriately resolve.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Karman Rosendahl, Ben Howard
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Period Activity Pay (PAP) in Workday

Interactive discussion on setting up period activity pay (PAP) in Workday, as well as terminating employees with PAP.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Megan Fulton, Lisa Neal, Stephane Bisignani, Joe Wagner
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Time & Absence Masterclass

An advanced course for HR partners and Time Approvers on more complex time and absence situations which occur frequently but require more advanced information to appropriately resolve. Will address fundamental concepts such as exception pay, leave without pay and alternate work schedules.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Emily Goodwin, Karen Wuestney, Melissa Larson, Christina Galloway, Hally Rohla, Jodel Krumm, Lisa Neal, Sally Wickizer, TJ Page, Danita Evans
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Touchpoints: How Finance, HCM, & Payroll Are Connected in Workday

How Finance, HCM, & Payroll are connected to each other in Workday and how they connect to other systems across WSU.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Karman Rosendahl, Paul Fleming McCullagh, Jodel Krumm, Kameron Olsen, Christine Galbreath, Sabrina McPherson
Session Length: 60 Minutes

Understanding PAAs

An overview of recent work that’s been done to improve user’s experience with PAAs including new resources, analysis, and training, and tips for how to manage PAAs from a department’s perspective.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Christine Galbreath, Ben Howard, Tessi Fry
Session Length: 60 Minutes

What Does the Modernization Team Do?

This session explains who the Modernization team are, what we do, and shares our process for managing Workday’s regular updates.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Emily Goodwin, Kelsey DeMacon
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Workday Reporting Tips & Tricks

Learn how to run, save, schedule, and find reports in Workday.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speaker: Jason Stucki
Session Length: 30 Minutes

Workday’s Requisition Worklet

Demo of the new Requisition worklet in Workday.

Topic: Workday Success Stories
Speakers: Kelsey DeMacon, Jenna Allen, Bob Ames
Session Length: 30 Minutes