Los Angeles Agenda
Thursday May 7 2026
Gensler, 500 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90071
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 – 9:35
Introduction from our Host Venue Partner
Elizabeth Meyer Brink
Co-CEO, Gensler
09:35 – 10:00
Leadership Practices That Drive Innovation and Collaboration
Strengthening performance and resilience through innovative improvements to leadership structures. The role of leaders in providing high-performing teams with new options to turn the field of play into nothing short of a world of amazing possibilities. Why collaboration is key to executing a winning culture. How a wellbeing culture can enable long-term stability, success and sustainability.
Raquel Graham
Chief Executive Officer, Roq Innovation
10:00 – 10:45
Leadership Panel: Wellbeing as the Power Behind Performance, Culture and ROI
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.
Rose Rogers
Chief Human Resources Officer, Vortex Industries LLC
Lauren Blas
Partner, Gibson Dunn
Your Expert Panel Chair
Bridgette Wilder
Chief People & Culture Officer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
10:45 – 10:55
Matcha Talk
High-quality Japanese matcha at the touch of a button, bringing the tradition of Japanese matcha into modern workplaces with ease.
10:55 – 11:25
Morning Networking Break
11:25 – 11:50
WELLNESS IS THE NEW ROI
A Playbook for People Leaders to elevate and boost morale
Angela Minardi
Chief Experience Officer
11:50 – 12:15
The Power of Storytelling in Wellness
You can have the best wellness benefits in your industry and still have a culture where employees are afraid to use them. The missing ingredient isn't a better program; it's psychological safety. And the fastest way to build it is through the stories leaders tell about their own lives. In this research-backed session, veteran health journalists Sandy Cohen and Leo Smith reveal why vulnerable leadership narratives build trust more powerfully than any policy announcement — and give attendees a clear, four-element framework to find and tell those stories. Leave with tools you can use immediately to signal, unmistakably: it is safe to be human here.
Sandy Cohen, MPH, NBC-HWC,
Senior Writer, Marketing & Communications, UCLA Health
Leo Smith
Managing Editor, Marketing & Communications, UCLA Health
12:15 – 13:15
Leadership Workshops
Attendees choose their 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 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) The Creative Reset: How Hands-On Art Transforms Wellbeing, Connection, and Performance at Work
As workplace wellbeing evolves from a “nice-to-have” to a strategic priority, organizations are searching for meaningful, measurable ways to support their people. Yet many current approaches remain passive—webinars, content, and conversations that inform but don’t transform. This session introduces a different approach: hands-on creativity as a tool for mental health, human connection, and high performance. Participants will explore the growing role of art as a form of wellbeing and learn why creative practice can support focus, resilience, and emotional regulation in the workplace. Through a guided mindful meditation and a hands-on creative exercise, attendees will move beyond theory and into direct experience—putting these ideas into practice in real time. This is not just a session to learn about wellbeing; it is an opportunity to feel it. Participants will leave not only with new insights, but with a tangible sense of calm, presence, and restoration.
Your host: Agnes Pierscieniak
Founder, Crave Workshops
3) A Benefits Reality Check: What's Actually Working?
Healthcare costs are spiraling, the point solution fatigue is real and employees are caught in the middle. It's time for a new playbook. Join Jim O'Gorman, CPO at Included Health, for an open and candid discussion to share what's moving the needle in cost-effective benefits for employees. Gain peer-driven insights into pharmacy spend management, AI innovation, and high-risk member engagement to identify what delivers measurable value and what fails to perform.
Jim O'Gorman
Chief People Officer, Included Health
13:15 pm – 14.00 pm
Lunch, Meetings and Connections
14:00 pm - 14:30 pm
From The Garage To Mars
An awesome story of an entrepreneur’s journey from business start up to disposal, and the incredible and powerful focus on fun and humanity that underpinned the journey.
Scott Tibbitts
Space Entrepreneur & Author
14:30pm – 15:00pm
The Role of Learning in Boosting Wellbeing in an Ever-Changing Environment
How do organizations provide employees with the skills needed to meet the ever-changing needs of their companies? Developing a culture of learning and development to enable employees to manage rapidly changing working conditions. Ensuring learning and development provides resilience to employees. What can organizations do now to ensure remote workers have the same access to learning opportunities?
Andre Allen
Chief Business Officer, HRCI
15:00pm – 15:45pm
Leadership Panel: Designing Wellbeing with Inclusion in Mind
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?
Peggy Wong
Director, Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact, Link Logistics
Neal Kelley
Director of People Operations, Saylor
Brittney Fink
Diversity Initiatives Program Manager, Azusa Pacific University
Your Expert Panel Chair
Sandy Cohen
Senior Writer, Marketing & Communications, UCLA Health
15:45pm – 16:05pm
Networking Break
16:05 pm – 16:30pm
The AI Revolution is Here – Preparing the Workforce for Change
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the major developments of our time. As AI has made its way into a wide variety of industries, including business, government, healthcare, education, finance, law, entertainment and media, manufacturing, banking and transportation, its impact to the workforce will be tremendous. According to a LinkedIn report released in August 2023, 44% of executives plan to increase their use of AI in the next year and 47% believe it will increase productivity. In the field of HR, the integration of AI has emerged as a transformative force. AI technologies have the potential to revolutionize HR processes, enabling organizations to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and elevate employee experiences. While change can be daunting, AI tools offer several key benefits to HR departments, streamlining their workflows and supporting improved decision-making, resulting in benefits such as increased efficiency, reduced costs and better decision-making.
Christopher Ko Boucher
Founding Attorney, Boucher Law, PC
16:30 pm – 16:40 pm
Closing Remarks
Mark Rix
CEO, Wellbeing at Work
16:45pm - 17:30pm
Networking Drinks Reception
Kindly Hosted By Cuzen Matcha
