Chicago Agenda
Tuesday May 5 2026
YMCA of the USA, 101 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606
8:00 – 9:00
Registration, Networking, Meeting and Connections
9:00 – 9:15
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mark Rix
CEO, Wellbeing at Work
9:15 – 9:30
Introduction from our Host Venue Partner
Karen Friedman
Director, Strategy & Quality Practices ‑ Mental Health Network Experience, YMCA OF THE USA
09:30 – 10:15
Panel: Wellbeing as the Power Behind Performance, Culture and Human Connection
What is the association between workplace wellbeing and company performance. Where does human connection fit when building positive workplace cultures for business impact? What is the value of designing wellbeing programs as integrated experiences that are embedded throughout the employee journey? How can employers implement programs that help support people thrive and grow? Wellbeing as a strategic lever to 'double down' on in times of volatility & change and quicker innovation cycles.
AJ Brow
Chief Human Resources Officer, White Lodging
Katherine Laggos
Chief People Officer, Chartbeat
Victoria Hill
VP of People & Culture, Advanced Group
Your Expoert Panel Chair
Darryl A. Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Das & Associates
10:15 – 10:45
Morning Networking Break
10:45 – 10:55
Global Workplace Experience Survey
10:55 – 11:30
The Future of Work – Key Challenges and Opportunities
In today’s high-pressure work environments, burnout is often treated as an individual problem—but what if it’s actually a system failure? Drawing from a unique journey from clinical psychology in correctional institutions to advising leading organizations, this session challenges the way we think about stress, performance, and leadership. Through the PRISM™ Framework, you’ll learn how to transform pressure from something that fractures people into a force that drives clarity, resilience, and sustainable performance. This talk introduces a systems-based approach to organizational design—one that integrates recovery, accountability, and structure to prevent burnout before it starts.
Will Ajayi
Founder & Principal, Ajayi Psychological, LLC - Former Head of Well-Being, Netflix
11:30 – 12:30
Leadership Workshop Discussions
Choose your preferred discussion to join from the following list:
1) Better mental wellbeing starts with better measurement and insight. Psyray sets the new standard
In this one-hour private workshop, participants experience a new way to understand mental wellbeing through fast, objective, non-invasive measurement. You’ll personally measure your wellbeing using the Psyray device and apps, generating a Wellbeing Index across 7 key life topics, making insight immediate, tangible, and hard to ignore. We’ll also show how organizations can apply these insights to drive smarter decisions on prevention, performance, and long-term workforce sustainability, positioning mental wellbeing as a measurable, strategic foundation for the future of work.
Your Host: Rudy van der Linden, Managing Director, Psyray.
2) Reimagining Wellness for Leaders - Strategies to Thrive at Work and in Life
Today’s workforce is stretched thin — and the cost of burnout shows up in productivity, retention, engagement, and profitability. This session explores practical, research-informed strategies to help leaders build cultures where people perform at a high level without sacrificing wellbeing. Participants will explore: The real drivers of burnout and disengagement — and how they impact performance and retention. Why boundaries, resilience, and self-leadership are business imperatives, not personal luxuries. How leadership behaviour directly influences productivity, morale, and psychological safety. Strategies to embed sustainable performance practices into high-demand environments. How investing in holistic wellbeing improves focus, decision-making, collaboration, and long-term results
Presented by: Erin Clifford
Corporate Wellness Consultant & Coach
3) The Power of Culture Audits: How a Positive Workplace Culture Helps Attract, Engage, and Retain Top Employees.
Studies consistently show that workplace culture matters more to employees than compensation – a toxic environment will cost you your best people first. A culture audit gives you real data on workplace behavior patterns and potential concerns to address before they become expensive legal battles. Learn how leading organizations use their findings from culture audits to boost productivity, reduce risk, and build a workplace people actually want to stay in.
Presented by: Christina Hynes Mesco, Of Counse
& Chad Ayers, Senior Associate Attorney
12:30pm – 1.15 pm
Lunch, Meetings and Connections
1.15pm – 1:30 pm
Post-Lunch Audience Energiser
Getting in shape for the afternoon session!
Alicia Archer
Master Trainer, STRETCHIT
1.30pm – 2:00pm
Prioritizing Equitable Mental Health Through Community-Informed Approaches
In this session, Stephanie will explore how community-informed, culturally responsive approaches can deepen understanding of mental health conditions and strengthen strategies that support both individual mental health and broader community wellbeing. Drawing from the work of NAMI’s CHEA Sites, select NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates dedicated to mental health equity, the presentation will highlight how partnership, storytelling, and community engagement can reduce stigma, increase awareness, and expand access to support. It will also invite participants to consider roles leaders and decision-makers can play in fostering more equitable and welcoming environments.
Stephanie Robertson
Director, Mental Health Equity Innovation, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
2:00pm – 2:45pm
Leadership Panel: Equitable Well-Being Outcomes in an Increasingly Complex Workplace
As workplaces become more complex - hybrid environments, increasingly multi-generational/multi-cultural/neurodiverse – how should cultures ensure people and performance thrive together? One size does not fit all – what is the perceived backlash against wellbeing programs in organizations? How are organizations still falling short in delivering equitable wellbeing outcomes? As AI and automation will disproportionately affect different workgroups, how should employers adjust their wellbeing strategies to mitigate the psychological risks and skill gaps for specific employee groups facing major job transformation or increased workload demands?
Loreal Flowers
Former HR Manager, Department of Health & Human Services
Keysha Taylor
Manager of Talent & Culture, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Aaron Eubanks
Head of Talent Acquisition, City of Chicago
Your Expert Panel Chair
Stephanie Robertson
Director, Mental Health Equity Innovation, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
2.45pm – 3:15pm
Networking Break
3:15 - 3:40
Leadership Panel: Frontline Feedback: Leveraging the Wisdom of High-Stress Environments to Design Strategic Wellness Plans
High-Stress environments are known for long hours and intense demands, often taking a significant toll on mental health. This panel brings together professionals who have built their wellness strategy to support the specific needs and mental health challenges that arise in high-stress environments. Through candid conversations and personal insights, panelists will explore the approaches and practices deployed to remove barriers to mental health support, share strategies for resilience, and discuss how other industries can learn and adapt these practices to their workplace.
Lindsay Fazio, PhD
AVP, Wellbeing & Clinician Experience, Endeavor Health
Jill Joseph Johnson
Senior Benefits Director of Wellness, GDIT
Clare Shaughnessy
Nurse Practitioner, Health & Employee Wellness, Argonne National Laboratory
Your Expert Panel Chair
Suzi Craig
VP of Workplace Mental Health, Mental Health America
3:40pm – 4:10pm
Fireside chat: Leadership – Empower, Evolve, Excel
This fireside chat will discuss how can leaders drive impact at every level
Chris Powell
CEO, Talmetrix and Board Chair, Project ReDirect
Darryl A. Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Das & Associates
4:10pm – 4.35pm
Talk Saves Lives for Workplace Settings
This session will discuss the information from research on what causes people to consider suicide, how certain communities are impacted by suicide differently, as well as contributors to suicide risk. Based on AFSP's flagship suicide prevention education program, Talk Saves Lives: Construction is a new program that has been adapted for the construction industry. This program will provide a 20-minute overview of suicide in the construction industry, risk factors and warning signs of suicide, and strategies to prevent it. The remaining time will be followed by Q&A and information on how construction companies across the U.S can bring this presentation to jobsites and offices.
Angela Cummings
Executive Director, Illinois Chapter American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
4.35pm – 4.45pm
Closing Remarks
Mark Rix
CEO, Wellbeing at Work
4:45pm – 5:45pm
Networking Reception
Kindly Hosted by The Prinz Law Firm
