The Northern Utah Employer Exchange 2026 Agenda

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Registration & Check-in (8-8:30 a.m.)

Breakfast, Welcome, & Event Overview (8:30-9 a.m.)

Morning Challenge Sessions (9 a.m.-Noon)

In these three-hour working sessions, join with other industry leaders, WSU faculty, and higher education administrators to delve into the common, complex challenges that affect businesses across northern Utah. Choose the session that speaks to you most, then roll up your sleeves and dive into a real conversation with other industry leaders who are facing the same roadblocks. Explore what’s working, and what’s not.

Once root challenges have been identified, determine which are most solvable and would have the biggest impact if they were solved. Set yourself up to successfully mitigate the things that keep you up at night. 

Choose from the following challenges: 

Challenge 1: Balancing Empathy & Accountability: How Do We Build Genuine Care While Maintaining High Standards? 

Featured Presenter: Hannah Pierce, HR Director for Young Automotive Group

Challenge 2: Intercultural Fluency (Challenge details TBA)

Featured Presenter: Jason Bradshaw, Director of Operations for Clearfield Recycling

Challenge 3: Critical Thinking  & Continuous Improvement (Challenge details TBA)
Featured Presenter: Jon Call

Challenge 4: Beyond Standard Practices: What Operational Frameworks Can We Use to Help Creative Problem Solving?
Featured Presenter: Jamie Pitt, Victim Coordinator Supervisor and Court Technology Specialist for the Weber County Attorney's Office 

Challenge 5: Removing Silos, Building Bridges: How Do We Leverage Partnerships to Enhance Collaboration?
Featured Presenter: Enos Cummings, Engineering Director for 309 SWEG

Challenge 6: Manager, Mentor, or Coach: How Do We Choose the Right Role in order to Develop Resilience in Our Employees?
Featured Presenter: Sterling May, Vice President of Human Resources for the Bank of Utah

Lunch (Noon-1 p.m.)

Afternoon Panels (1-3 p.m.)

First Session (1-2 p.m.)

Shift Happens: Building Learning Organizations That Can Meet Any Make-Or-Break Moment

The need to transform your workplace into a learning organization has never been greater. With AI disruption, unexpected challenges around every corner, and an ever-evolving need for new skills, your employees must constantly adapt and educate themselves. In this panel, leaders from regional industry powerhouses will share their hard-earned insights and show you what creating a learning culture looks like in the wild. Get ready to take what you've learned and spark lightbulb moments throughout your company or nonprofit. 

Panelists and Moderator TBA

Keynote Panel (2-3 p.m.)

Creating Belonging in an Age of Loneliness: How Everyday Leaders Cultivate Extraordinary Connection

Remember when technology was supposed to connect us more than ever? That’s not how it’s working out. We might see each other more often in Zoom than in person, AI could lead to us talking to technology more than people, and the downside of information everywhere is a lack of shared understanding. How do we preserve belonging in this age of loneliness? Join industry leaders for some real talk about how this challenge has affected them, and what we can all do about it. 

Moderator: Leslie Durham, WSU's Provost & Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

Lightning Roundup & Closing Remarks (3-3:15 p.m.)

Networking Social (3:15-4 p.m.)
Keep the conversation going in the Fireplace Lounge on the 2nd floor.