8:30 Keynote Address: Making the Federal Government an Employer of Choice
The federal government is a huge employer and one that offers a wealth of challenging job opportunities. With an aging workforce and concerns about large numbers of current employers retiring, the government is taking new initiatives to recruit employees. In order to attract the best and the brightest of this next generation into public service, the government needs a pay system that reflects the realities of the modern workforce and a streamlined hiring process. Agencies must have the tools needed to win the ‘war for talent’ and to increase the salaries of their highest-performing employees. In this session, OPM Associate Director Ron Sanders will provide an update on the breakthroughs and the challenges that OPM has faced on making the federal government an employer of choice.
Ron Sanders, Associate Director, Strategic Human Resource Policy, Office of Personnel Management

9:30 Leadership Panel: A Fresh Start for Federal Pay: A System Whose Time Has Come—and Gone
The fundamental nature of the GS pay system was established at the end of the 1940s, a time when over 70 percent of federal white-collar jobs consisted of clerical work. In order to now support the achievement of Government’s strategic goals the federal government must reform the federal pay system. A separate pay system based on performance and employee results is needed to stop the exodus of government workers from the federal government. The system needs to address the human capital crisis and demonstrate that performance and results are emphasized and rewarded. If the Government is going to compete with non-profit and private organizations, it is going to have to modernize the pay system. This leadership panel will discuss the future of the GS Pay Scales and explore ways to make federal pay more performance orientated.
Carl DeMaio, President, The Performance Institute
Ventris Gibson, Assistant Administrator for Human Resources Management, Federal Aviation Administration
Steve Nelson, Director, Merit Systems Protection Board
Colleen Kelley, President, National Treasury Employees Union*

10:45 Break & Refreshments

11:00 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Human Capital Planning: Status of the Proud to be Goals
• Align and link human capital strategies to agency mission and goals to improve performance and citizen satisfaction
• Identify current and future workforce gaps to ensure that no skill deficiencies exists in mission-critical occupations
• Develop a diverse workforce that consistently measures and works to sustain agency diversity
Marta Brito Perez, Associate Director, Human Capital Leadership & Merit System Accountability, Office of Personnel Management

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Establishing Employee Performance Plans and Measures
• Identify the steps of the performance planning process and the common managerial pitfalls
• Improve employee performance by implementing an effective system of accountability
• Reward and recognize employees for their performance and acknowledge their contributions to the agency mission
Richard Whitford, Assistant Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Managing the Training Function in Government
• Develop strategies for effectively administering training and development programs
• Align training initiatives with the goals set forth in the President’s Management Agenda
• Examine best practices and lessons learned from leading federal agencies
Susan Ragland, Assistant Director, Strategic Issues, General Accounting Office

12:00 Luncheon Keynote: Legislative View on Performance-Based Recruitment Flexibilities
Those who say the “Human Capital Crisis” has already been averted are overlooking one crucial detail: half of the civilian workforce will soon be able to retire. The fact is still a reality unaffected by the nation’s economic state. The challenges facing the federal government, the nation's largest employer, are steep. Approximately 53% of the 1.8 million workers in the federal government may be eligible to retire by 2007. Now more than ever every federal agency must be able to inspire a new generation to serve and transform the way government works. In this keynote session, hear from a congressional leader on the role Congress is playing in the area of human capital management.
Representative Danny Davis, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Civil Service and Agency Organization*

1:15 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Using Competencies to Assess and Plan the Ideal Workforce
• Identify the skills currently available and the skill sets needed to meet future organizational requirements
• Determine core competencies and workforce profiles needed for optimum agency performance
• Focus the hiring process on mission-critical skills that will result in superior performance
Jim Trinka, Director, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness, Internal Revenue Service

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Evaluating Employee Performance
• Establish rules, regulations and processes for employee evaluation and feedback
• Provide frequent feedback on employee performance and what must be demonstrated as successful performance
• Communicate final performance elements and standards to each employee
Lou O’Boyle, Senior Fellow, The Performance Institute

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Human Capital Management Done Right: Achieving Best Value
• Make noteworthy progress on the OMB human capital management scorecard without significant dollar investments
• Demonstrate measurable progress toward becoming a results-oriented organization
• Promote a higher level of human capital thinking and planning through effective performance management
Linda Moody, Associate Director, Workforce Environment and Pay, Department of Transportation
Maria Johnson, Associate Director, Employment and Executive Resources, Department of Transportation

2:15 Break & Refreshments

2:30 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Workforce Assessment and Analysis
• Anticipate how the nature of your agency's work will change and identify future HR requirements
• Assess workforce needs based on your agency's strategic plan and project workforce gaps
• Identify skill gaps caused by retirement, inter-agency transfers and predictable employee turnover
Cyntoria Carter, Director, Office of Human Capital Management, General Services Administration

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Counseling and Correcting Employee Performance
• Provide an opportunity for you and your staff members to have an open dialogue regarding expectations, priorities and goals
• Develop a plan to improve and encourage communication among employees and their supervisors
• Assist employees and supervisors in identifying future performance goals and objectives
LeAndrea Alsobrook, National Program Manager, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Farm Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Performance Measurement for Human Resources Functions
• Utilize best practices and innovative methodologies to build a comprehensive, end-result-driven recruitment process
• Establish appropriate performance goals and measures that ensure successful recruitment and retention of qualified candidates
• Achieve agency goals and stay aligned to your agency’s overall mission
Jeffrey E. Bergin, Director, Center for Government Performance, The Performance Institute

3:30 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Human Capital Accountability: Aligning HR Functions with Agency Mission
• Track the progression of key agencies in their strategic management of human capital
• Anticipate how the nature of your agency’s work will change and identify future HR requirements
• Questions and answers on performance compliance and best practices in the strategic management of human capital
Jeri Bucholz, Director, Office of Personnel, US International Trade Commission

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Enhancing Quality of Life in the Government Workplace
• Design a hiring process that shortens the timeframe between application and agency offer
• Establish agency incentives to attract employees motivated by the desire to balance the demands of work and family
• Provide employees with the flexibility to better-manage their work and personal responsibilities
Cynthia Butler, Retention Program Manager, Office of Workforce Management, Department of Homeland Security

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Effective Collaboration with Employees and Unions
• Improve labor-management relations to deliver the best possible citizen services
• Ensure that labor-management relational policies and practices help your agency achieve its mission
• Develop labor-management relations to increase employee morale and bring employees and management closer together
Robert Gilson, Gene Rouleau & Associates

4:30 Adjourn

*Invited