10/06/2026
Blueprints drawn. Hats off. 🤠📐
On September 10th, 100+ HR professionals from across North Texas came together for our annual Strategic Mindset Conference, Beyond the Function: HR as Business Architect, and the energy in the room showed exactly why this conversation matters.
We spent the day on one big question: what does it look like when HR stops supporting the business from the sidelines and starts helping design it?
A few things we're still thinking about:
🔹 Lead yourself first. Self-leadership is the foundation for leading others. (Andrew Geesbright)
🔹 Leadership is a series of negotiations, and the best ones feel like conversations, not confrontations. (Linda Swindling)
🔹 Engagement is built through everyday people decisions, not perks and surveys. (Heath Hilliard)
🔹 AI can transform HR, but human judgment and data protection have to stay at the center. (AI in HR panel)
🔹 Vendors should be strategic partners, not just transactions. (Justin Dorsey)
🔹 Discipline is the fruit, routine is the seed. Consistency is what builds strategic influence. (CJ Cleveland)
A huge thank you to our speakers and panelists, Andrew Geesbright, Linda Swindling, Heath Hilliard, Mike Coffey, Gary Tonniges, Thomas Hall, Tim Newhard, Justin Dorsey, and CJ Cleveland, for sharing their expertise so generously, and to our emcees, Bev Parker and Colby Waldrop, for keeping the day moving and the energy high.
Thank you to our sponsors for making the day possible: our title sponsor, Imperative, corporate sponsor HUB Fort Worth, and our gold sponsors.
And to our conference committee: thank you for the months of planning, problem-solving, and behind-the-scenes work that turned a theme into a full-day experience. This doesn't happen without you.
If you joined us, drop your favorite takeaway in the comments. We'd love to hear what you're taking back to your organization.
See you next year. Same blueprint, bigger build.
Find a favorite? Share it and tag Fort Worth HR— we’d love to see your conference highlights!
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