8:30 Transforming Human Capital Management at the Department of Defense
The Department of Defense is continuing to vigorously transform its personnel system to better manage its 700,000 civilian employees. With the 2004 Defense Authorization Bill, Congress gave the Pentagon the authority to reshape its human resources system for greater flexibility and efficiency. The new system is changing the way civilians are hired, assigned, compensated, promoted and disciplined within the framework of Merit principles and it will also give mangers the flexibility to place civilian workers where they are most needed without needless delay. Listen as the Honorable David Chu discusses how the Department of Defense is leading the way in personnel reform and becoming a model federal agency.
Dr. David Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense

9:15 NAPA Presents the 21st Century Federal Manager: A Study of Changing Roles & Competencies
How well federal agencies fulfill their missions directly determines their impact on the American people. The size and scope of those missions may vary greatly, but they share a common trait—their success depends on individual civil servants doing their jobs well. For that to happen, good leadership is essential. First-line supervisors are at the center of the federal government’s leadership issues. They are responsible for day-to-day leadership, coaching, and mentoring of non-supervisory employees. They also serve as an advocate for agency policies and programs and represent employees’ interests to senior management. In an era of rapid change, their success requires a deft touch. Listen as an expert from the National Academy of Public Administration discuss the changing roles of federal managers in the 21st century and the strategies and actions needed to enhance managerial effectiveness.
Allan Heuerman, National Academy of Public Administration

10:00 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Improving the Hiring Process in the Federal Government
• Identify internal hiring practices that are based on nothing more than tradition and eliminate them
• Assign a representative to monitor and modify your vacancy announcements to ensure that they use plain language and represent your agency
• Look at critical vacancies and commit the time and resources to get them filled quickly
Rebecca Contreras, Chief Human Capital Officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Treasury

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Establishing Effective SES Performance Management Systems
• Assess agency positions to determine whether they meet SES placement criteria
• Create SES development plans that are in alignment with your agency’s workforce assessment
• Ensure that senior managers are evaluated in accordance to OPM guidelines and agency strategic plan
Joe Migyanka, Human Resources Consultant, Farm Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Providing Effective ADR/Mediation Services
• Identify workforce and regulatory trends resulting in formal employee complaints
• Increase your awareness of current issues that pose organizational and human resource challenges in your agency
• Integrate best practices and performance-based measures from private- and public-sector models
Deborah Laufer, Director, Federal ADR Network

10:45 Break & Refreshments

11:00 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Tailored Strategies to Recruit Specific Skills
• Integrate the identification of mission-critical occupations with competency-based analysis of “profiles for positive hires”
• Devise segmented and profile-specific marketing strategies to target the skills needed by your agency
• Maximize partnerships with professional associations and key academic institutions
James F. McDermott, Deputy Director, Office of Human Resources, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Leadership Planning and Implementation
• Establish a process that recruits employees, develops their skills
and prepares them for advancement while ensuring a return on
investment
• Identify and track high-potential employees for leadership positions
• Design strategies to aggressively recruit, evaluate and retain quality senior managers
Jason Barke, HR Specialist, Department of Health and Human Services
Dianne Thomas, Senior HR Specialist, Department of Health and Human Services

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Defining the Role of Human Resources in Competitive Sourcing
• Meet new requirements for competitive sourcing called for by the revised OMB Circular A-76
• Identify the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing HR functions and decide whether it is appropriate for your agency
• Communicate effectively with employees and unions about the potential repercussions for human resources management
Tom Kaplan, Director of Competitive Sourcing, Department of Labor
Ann Benson, Business Consultant, BAE Systems

12:00 Luncheon Keynote: Personnel Reform at the Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security has said that by fiscal year 2005 they want to transfer as many as 8,000 employees to a performance-based pay system. The change to the department's personnel system is set to be the first small step in a dramatic overhaul, which will eventually affect 110,000 DHS employees if it is approved in its present form. The agency wants an HR system that rewards high performers with better pay and that provides the flexibility needed to meet the needs of an organization responsible for maintaining our security. In this keynote session, hear from Steven Cohen, Senior Advisor for Homeland Security at OPM as he discusses what is next for the personnel plan at the Department of Homeland Security and how DHS is leading the HR reform debate.
Steven Cohen, Senior Advisor for Homeland Security, Office of Personnel Management

1:15 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce
• Determine long-term and short-term diversity recruitment goals
• Use OPM criteria to target under-represented groups and to build and maintain a diverse workforce
• Cultivate partnerships with organizations yielding qualified and diverse candidates
Napoleon Avery, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury

Track B: Managing a Performance-Based Workforce
Creating a Performance Culture: Linking Individual Performance and Organizational Success
• Improve the contribution which individuals, teams and managers can make to the agency’s overall performance and the job satisfaction of employees
• Transition toward a performance-based culture to recognize and reward leadership and outstanding performance
• Create a culture of merit that ensures your agency’s performance management system links to your strategic plan
Chris Mihm, Director, Strategic Issues, General Accounting Office

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
Managing Employee Response to Change
• Understand organizational culture and employee acceptance for change
• Establish a strategy for overall investment in change initiatives and determine the speed for change
• Examine how to best communicate change management programs to your workforce, stakeholders and to taxpayers
Marcia Marsh, Vice President, Strategic Human Capital Planning, Partnership for Public Service

2:15 Track A: Human Capital Planning and Recruitment
Update from Year One of the CHCO Council
• Hear how the CHCO council is driving implementation of federal personnel flexibilities within the agencies
• Understand the power of the flexibilities that you already have to transform the federal government
• Questions and answers on what the council has done and where they are going in the future
Mike Dovilla, Executive Director, CHCO Council, Office of Personnel Management

Track B: Managing a Performance Based Workforce
Identifying and Tracking Employees for Leadership Positions
• Establish leadership planning boards to provide oversight to the planning process
• Identify key positions that exert critical influence on organizational activities, operationally and strategically
• Develop a leadership development program that promotes and develops succession candidates
Sara Redding Wilson, Director, Human Resources Management Division, State of Virginia

Track C: Improving the Management of Government HR Business Processes
CASE STUDY: Department of Energy Standards for Success
• Lessons learned in implementing OPM’s standards for human capital success
• Obtain proven workforce development strategies to transform federal agencies by establishing management competency systems
• Develop succession planning tools to prepare the workforce for future leadership opportunities and requirements

3:15 Break & Refreshments

3:30 Roundtable Discussion: The Federal Hiring Process
While the government offers more job opportunities than most employers, its hiring practices are much stricter. In order to comply with laws stating that hiring must be strictly merit-based, the government's hiring process is a very formal one. The need to improve the federal hiring process is obvious; the current course is too cumbersome and hampers agencies ability to hire the people that they need in order to achieve agency goals and missions. New flexibilities, coupled with those that have existed for some time, have the potential for dramatically improving our ability to get the right people in the right jobs at the right time. This session is your opportunity to voice concerns, raise questions, suggest solutions, and exchange ideas with your colleagues from across the federal government on how to streamline the hiring process.

4:30 Adjourn