2025 Community of Human and Organizational Learning 31st Annual Conference: Full Schedule

IMPACT! Fostering Community. Elevating Learning. Embracing Purpose.
The Community of Human and Organizational Learning’s 30th Annual Learning Conference!

From June 10th to 14th, our gathering at the stunning Hilton Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, NV, promises three immersive days packed with insights, innovation, and collaboration. Dive into an array of complimentary workshops on Monday, kickstarting an enriching week, and explore paid workshops on Friday for a deeper dive into specialized topics.

Join us in this milestone – 30 years – as we delve into the realms of human and organizational learning, fostering connections and paving the way for transformative ideas.

This year, our conference theme is IMPACT! Fostering Community. Elevating Learning. Embracing Purpose. But, what exactly does this mean?
Community: Forge connections that transcend the conference, building a network of support and inspiration that lasts a lifetime. This is a safe space where you can openly discuss successes and failures, surrounded by a community of educated and engaged individuals.
Learning: Prepare to expand your horizons and revolutionize your approach to learning. We’ll explore cutting-edge organizational, resilience, and safety models. Discover different ways organizations are harnessing learning to drive meaningful change and gain insights that will revolutionize your approach to knowledge transfer.
Purpose: Our purpose is clear: facilitating opportunities for people to take their organizational and personal impact to new heights.

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6:00am PDT

Pre-Conference Workshop Registration/Conference Check In

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:00am - 5:00pm PDT

Conference Registration/Check-In Desk- Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Requires pre-conference workshop registration and attendance. Breakfast counts are submitted based on workshop registrations.

Conference Presenters

Mary Webb

CHOLearning Secretary | Treasurer, Community of Human and Organizational Learning

Mary is retired after 36 years of service with DTE Energy and currently serving as the Secretary / Treasurer for the Community of Human and Organizational Learning.Led DTE Energy corporate initiative to implement Human Performance Improvement initiatives across the Company.Certified... Read More →

Conference Support Team

Jada Major

CHOLearning Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning

Katrina Major

CHOL Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning

Sahara Major

CHOLearning Registration Team, Community of Human and Organizational Learning

Ute Ingersoll

Administrative Support, CHOLearning Registration Lead, MI Computers

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:00am - 5:00pm PDT
Conference Registration/Check-In Desk- Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Registration, Pre Conference

7:00am PDT

Pre-Conference Workshop Breakfast

Tuesday June 17, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am PDT

Grand Ballroom - Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Tuesday June 17, 2025 7:00am - 8:00am PDT
Grand Ballroom - Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Conference Meals, Pre Conference

8:00am PDT

Causal Analysis for HOP-Heads: A New View of Retrospective Learning

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Deserto (Breakout #6)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

When adverse events occur (or nearly occur), a formal investigation and report is desired – and often required. HOP principles offer a terrific framework for how we effectively work and learn together, but they do not provide a defined, structured process or output. Modern retrospective learning (RCA 2.0?) includes a combination of HOP principles along with just the right amount of structure and support. Attendees for this course will learn how to facilitate an “organized learning event” incorporating HOP principles along with a step-by-step process for structured retrospective learning. Attendees receive one-year free subscription to Causelink software.

Conference Presenters

Brian Hughes

President, Co-founder, Sologic

President & Co-founder of Sologic, a global provider of root cause analysis training, consulting, and software. Since 2000, Brian has worked with clients to develop and implement enterprise-wide RCA programs. He leads significant incident investigations, including explosions... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Deserto (Breakout #6)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

8:00am PDT

Firing up the brain chemistry of connection: Co-creating work where everyone feels good and performs beyond your imagination.

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Vineyard (Breakout #2)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

We will simplify the soft skills that are hard, demystify abstract concepts such as emotional intelligence, social intelligence and psychological safety to provide easy to use practical concepts.
In this workshop you will gain:
1. An understanding of how to use the brain chemistry of connection.
2. How to create positive emotions to stimulate the intrinsic motivation necessary for collaboration beyond engagement.
3. How to create more of the things that you need to deliver the performance you desire.

Conference Presenters

Andrew Barker

Chief Intrapreneur, Orgtree.Me

Andy brings practical simplicity to safety.With over 25 years of experience, Andy has delivered beneficial, sustainable, organization-wide engagement that improves more than safety and wellbeing. Having worked across the US, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, Andy... Read More →

Devyn Feinman

Change Enabler, Orgtree.Me

Devyn Feinman is a communication solutions designer that has a passion for helping people move past blockages to start seeing results. She sees every challenge as an opportunity to connect diverse perspectives, identify a shared purpose, and create a story for others to follow. Her... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Vineyard (Breakout #2)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

8:00am PDT

Holistic HOP - Lessons Learned from Over 400 Deployments

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Montelago I (Breakout #3)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

FIT has deployed and integrated the HOP principles to achieve operational excellence in over 400 organizations in 20 countries and 14 languages. Over the 30 years we have been educating and integrating we have learned quite a few lessons. This 4-hour interactive session will help you understand some of the lessons without having to experience some of the tougher ones and allow for an opportunity to hear how and why successful deployments work. Specific topics will include:
·   Moving from leaders supporting improvement to them DRIVING improvement
·   Providing leaders tools to drive operational excellence
·   Understanding the balance of education, integration, and sustainability
·   Workforce tools and how to make them effective
Take this opportunity to have some detailed discussions with people who have actually made it work. Walk away with decades of knowledge on what works and what doesn't so you can start applying it in your organization, regardless of where you are on your operational excellence journey.

Conference Presenters

Rob Fisher

President, Fisher Improvement Technologies

Rob is a pioneer in Human and Organizational Performance and all aspects of organizational learning including incorporating the understanding of personality diversity into risk management. He brings an integration mentality to consulting, along with a globally recognized capability... Read More →

Ray Fisher

Director of Operations, Fisher Improvement Technologies

Ray is the DirectorofOperations. Prior to joining FIT, he was a Project Manager for a supply chain consulting firm for 13 years where he used proven Human Performance technologies to achieve multiple successes on large retrofit projects of major warehouses. The integration of this... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Montelago I (Breakout #3)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

8:00am PDT

Humble Inquiry in Practice Workshop

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Monte Vista (Breakout #5)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

As safety practitioners and operational leaders, moving from telling to inquiring may be a radical adjustment. It may be uncomfortable. We may have spent our careers telling others what to do and are now being asked to lead with key questions, listen, reflect, learn, and act.
Safety-I came with a culture of “do and tell.” It was individualistic, transactional, and task oriented. Yet we know that telling closes people down, implies the other person doesn’t already know what is being told (i.e., they ought to know), can cut off the sharing of important information, and limits relationship building.
Safety-II is about building trust and relationships.

Being curious and asking in a humble manner is a core activity of relationship building and collective sense-making. “Being humble enquirers helps us see with more clarity, abandoning the certainty that comes with believing we have all the answers.” Schein

Humble inquiry is the:
Art of drawing someone out, asking questions you don’t already know the answers to, and building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in another person.
Attitude that includes listening more deeply to how others respond to our inquiry, responding appropriately, and revealing more of ourselves in the relationship-building process.
In this interactive workshop, we will explore how to apply the concepts of humble inquiry to event learning, learning from work as done, sensemaking, and more. We will practice humble inquiry with “Yes and…” improvisation exercise. Reference Humble Inquiry, Edgar Schein, Peter Schein, 2nd Edition, 2021

Conference Presenters

elizabeth lay

Director consulting solutions, Forge works

Beth’s expertise is in applying Resilience Engineering, High Reliability Organizing, Safety II, and Human and Organizational Performance.Beth advised NASA on "engineering" to increase resilience of International Space Station operations support. She is currently co-leading a rewrite... Read More →

David Provan

CEO, Forge Works

David understands how to lead organizational-wide strategy and change – to improve safety outcomes, having advised boards in energy, oil, gas, rail and construction for 15 years. Today, an international thought leader in safety management, David started out as a graduate safety... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Monte Vista (Breakout #5)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

8:00am PDT

Leadership Experience at an Accelerated Pace (LEAP Performance Model) Part 1

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Montelago II (Breakout #4)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

Cultures are shaped by three elements: the written word, the spoken word and most importantly, modeled behavior. The behavior that influences a culture the most is the degree to which leaders focus on what they want for the people who perform the work rather than solely on what they want from the people they are supposed to support. The difference between a bureaucratic system that seeks to ensure it continues to exist and a supportive culture that helps its team members improve and sustain their capacity and capabilities has never been more evident in recent years. During this highly interactive workshop, participants will complete a Personalized Skills Inventory that helps explore their individual strengths and opportunities for improvement in four key areas: choice-making, managing issues before they escalate to conflict, improving task performance and transition management. The cognitive and hands on activities focus on specific principles and associated practices relevant to continuously improving results by adequately managing risks in a constantly changing, unpredictable work environment.

Conference Presenters

Joe Estey, Sr.

Senior Performance Improvement Specialist, CHOLearning Director, Lucas Engineering & Management Services

Joe Estey has over 40 years’ experience training and consulting first line workers, foremen, supervisors, department managers and executives in Human Performance Improvement and effective leadership and management principles and practices. He works routinely with forest management... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Montelago II (Breakout #4)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

8:00am PDT

No More Dumb Rules

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Tuscany (Breakout #1)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

Some rules are dumb–let’s face it. Too many rules hinder – instead of help – workers to stay safe.

Work is often Dynamic, Ambiguous, Risky, and Complex (DARC). Rules don’t always “work” in the DARC. How can we ensure that the rules we implement actually work? Join us for an insightful session where we delve into the principles of crafting rules that truly serve their purpose.
We'll provide practical tools, including the Dumb Rules Audit (DRA) and Rules for Rules (RfR), designed to help you implement the principles and practices of effective rule-making. Through a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) lens, we'll empower attendees to:

Identify dumb rules, understand their origins, and critically analyze why they fail.
Craft rules that are clear, actionable, and beneficial.
Declutter your existing library of rules, addressing and refining inherited policies that are outdated or counterproductive.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights, exchange best practices, and transform your approach to rules. Join us and take the first step towards a more agile, resilient, and successful organization.

Conference Presenters

Heather Kahle

Principal Consultant/Owner, Ascent Systems Innovation Group

Heather’s passion is empowering organizations and audiences to embrace and operationalize systems thinking and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) methods.She earned a master’s degree in Human Factors and System Safety from LUND University dedicating her thesis and subsequent... Read More →

Brad Mayhew

Founder, Anchor Point Training

Brad Mayhew has led and consulted on investigations nationwide, including the Yarnell Hill Fire(2013), Pagami Creek (2010), Coal Canyon (2010), and Freezeout Ridge (2014), as well as otherinteragency, interregional, and international investigations. He has a master’s degree in Human... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Tuscany (Breakout #1)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference AM

12:00pm PDT

Pre-Conference Workshop Lunch

Tuesday June 17, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT

Grand Ballroom - Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Tuesday June 17, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Grand Ballroom - Lobby Level: 3rd Floor

Conference Meals, Pre Conference

1:00pm PDT

Building Resiliency: Anticipating Future Failures and Preventing Them Before They Happen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Deserto (Breakout #6)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

No one can predict the future with precision, but most of us agree that it makes good sense to anticipate what might happen so we can plan accordingly. Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a formal process that comes from the world of Reliability and has been with us for decades. And let’s face it – as done historically, it can be pretty mind-numbing and boring! What a shame - this does absolutely does not have to be the case! By incorporating HOP principles, streamlining the process, and prioritizing Learning over all else, we can create an optimal learning environment that results in vastly more resilient systems! Attendees will receive a puppy at the end of the course. (just kidding – but we can all head to the LV Humane Society and pick out puppies if people want after class)

Conference Presenters

Brian Hughes

President, Co-founder, Sologic

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Deserto (Breakout #6)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference PM

1:00pm PDT

HPI Reviews for Specific Administrative Controls

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Tuscany (Breakout #1)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

When you absolutely, positively HAVE to rely on the human, you need to be able to help them succeed. During this interactive workshop, you will learn how to evaluate specific administrative controls based on HPI principles, to assure positive outcomes. Come prepared to evaluate an administrative control from your own workplace, or use an example provided by the facilitators. Either way you’ll have a great time while learning how to better manage work planning!.

Conference Presenters

Meredith Long

Quality Assurance Engineer, CNS Pantex

With 8 years of experience at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, TX, Meredith has cultivated an ever-growing skill set and experience across all disciplines. She has earned many certificates for Causal Analysis Specialist and Human Performance Improvement Practitioner. She currently... Read More →

Lauri Minton

Sr. Quality Engineering Specialist, Consolidated Nuclear Security, Pantex

With 36 years’ experience at Pantex Plant near Amarillo, TX, Lauri has amassed a deep skill set & works well across all disciplines. She earned three prestigious site honors: The Heart of Pantex, the General Manager’s Achievement, & the Security Initiative awards. She currently... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Tuscany (Breakout #1)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference PM

1:00pm PDT

Integrating HOP to create engagement, sustainment and improve business results

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Montelago I (Breakout #3)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

Are you looking for a system that helps you improve your business results that is fundamentally based on HOP concepts? During this workshop we will breakdown the components of a highly successful system that integrates HOP, Lean and Open Book Management.

You will be exposed to some practical tools to build your business strategy and then execute it. Along the way we will talk about the importance of leveraging your work force of problem solvers. This all becomes possible when HOP is your foundation.

Conference Presenters

Kurt Kidwell

Continuous Improvement Manager, AEP/SWEPCO

Kurt Kidwell is a seasoned professional with an extensive and diverse career spanning over 30 years in customer service, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship. For the past two decades, Kurt has been a driving force in the electric utility sector, making a significant impact and demonstrating... Read More →

Drew Seidel

VP Distribution Region Operations, Vice President at the Community of Human & Organizational Learning, AEP SWEPCO

Drew Seidel - Vice President Distribution Region Operations for AEP SWEPCO and Vice President of CHOL LearningOver 30 year's experience in the electric power industry in both Generation and Distribution. Currently responsible for the distribution system for SWEPCO's 550,000 customers... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Montelago I (Breakout #3)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference PM

1:00pm PDT

Leadership Experience at an Accelerated Pace (LEAP Performance Model) Part 2

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Montelago II (Breakout #4)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

Conference Presenters

Joe Estey, Sr.

Senior Performance Improvement Specialist, CHOLearning Director, Lucas Engineering & Management Services

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Montelago II (Breakout #4)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference PM

1:00pm PDT

Learning from why things go nearly wrong - Treating error as a consequence and not a cause for near miss, hits and incidents

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Monte Vista (Breakout #5)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

How we treat “Human Error” from a system, and the organization’s cultural lens is vital for the mental health and safety of those who work on the front line.
For decades, we have been told of the link that incidents (near misses or near hits) are a precursor to more significant events. What we do know is that we have fewer accidents than incidents. And we have fewer incidents compared to the volume of everyday work.

This workshop will explore the relationships of “weak signals” in everyday work, incidents, and accidents. It will show how “weak signals” present in everyday work are “amplified” in incidents and become “strong” signals in accidents.

We will show you a practical way to “learn” from near misses, hits, and incident events by separating “human error” from the event and undertaking a “retrospective learning review” with the 4Ds and the launch of our latest tool, project “4X.”

Conference Presenters

Jeffery Lyth

Director, Learning Teams Inc North America

Jeff began his safety career over 30 years ago and has been recognized as an expert and innovator in workplace safety.He obtained two Canadian safety professional designations and served in a director level position for a decade before leaving safety management roles to work exclusively... Read More →

Brent Sutton

Founder, Learning Teams Inc

Brent Sutton is the founder of Learning Teams Inc and the author of "The Practice of Learning Teams", the whitepaper "Learning From Everyday Work" and the new book "4D's for HOP and Learning Teams".Brent works in partnership with organizations in the commercial, government and education... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Monte Vista (Breakout #5)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

4-Hour Workshop, Pre Conference PM

1:00pm PDT

SIF Roundtable - Private Meeting - Invitation Only

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Lago (Breakout #7)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

This is a private meeting - invite only.

Conference Presenters

Todd Hohn

Vice President Environmental Safety and Health, CHOL Board of Directors, ONE Gas

Todd Hohn is vice president, EHS&Q)at ONE Gas. In his role, Hohn is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of the EHS and Qualifications training team to support the ONE Gas safety culture and the continuous improvement of the environmental, health, safety, and operational... Read More →

Tuesday June 17, 2025 1:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Lago (Breakout #7)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

2:00pm PDT

Speaker Check-in with Tech Team

Tuesday June 17, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Piazza (Support Team)- Garden Level: 1st Floor

All Speakers, please check in with the Tech team upon arrival or at least the day before you are scheduled to present.

Conference Presentations: Please bring your actual presentation to the conference on a USB DRIVE (PowerPoint or whatever) and connect with the Tech's upon arrival so that we can assure EVERYTHING RUNS CORRECTLY on our computers and your AV needs are met.

This is a critical step to assure our conference program is executed flawlessly.

To arrange a meet-up, stop by the registration desk, Piazza, or reach out by calling or texting:
JOSH INGERSOLL at 303-919-7984
MIKE INGERSOLL at 720-810-6093

Conference Support Team

Registration, Pre Conference

5:00pm PDT

Enjoy Henderson and Las Vegas area attractions

Tuesday June 17, 2025 5:00pm - 5:00pm PDT