Events

February 18, 2026 | Member Luncheon

Join us on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 for our Member Luncheon!

About The Event: This is part of our Member Meeting Networking and Learning Series. The purpose of the meeting is to welcome new and returning members, provide updates on SHRM Portage County activities, and listen to a speaker present on an HR topic of interest to our membership.

Agenda:

• 11:15am - Registration Opens
• 11:30am - Networking & Lunch
• 11:50am - Announcements
• 12:00pm - Presentation Begins

Session Title: Does Complacency Cultivate Risk?

Session Description: In today's fast-paced work environments, complacency is a silent yet deadly risk. It can creep in unnoticed, undermining safety cultures and placing employees and organizations in jeopardy. In this eye-opening presentation, safety expert Nicholas Coia will tackle one of the most dangerous attitudes in the workplace: complacency.

Drawing from years of firsthand experience as a safety consultant, Nic will share real-world stories of incidents and close calls caused by complacency. With engaging anecdotes from his consulting career, attendees will be taken on a journey through the stark realities of how routine, overconfidence, and a lack of vigilance can lead to accidents, injuries, and sometimes even fatalities.

Why Attend?
Statistics reveal the shocking impact of complacency on workplace safety. Studies show that up to 80% of workplace accidents are caused by human error, with complacency being a leading factor. In high-risk industries, complacency-related incidents can increase costs, disrupt operations, and harm employee morale. This presentation will help you understand the scale of the problem and give you the tools to address it head-on.

Don't let complacency jeopardize your team’s safety. This session will arm you with the knowledge and strategies you need to create a safer, more aware workplace. Join us for an engaging and insightful presentation that could be the key to preventing future accidents and promoting a stronger safety culture across your organization.

What You'll Take Away:

• What Complacency Looks Like: Learn to recognize the subtle signs of complacent behavior in the workplace before they lead to critical incidents.
• Indicators of Complacency: Identify the common red flags that signal when individuals or teams have become too comfortable with safety protocols and procedures.
• Solutions for Prevention: Gain actionable insights and strategies to combat complacency within your organization, fostering a proactive safety culture that reduces risk and ensures long-term success.

Speaker Bio: Nicholas Coia is the Chief Operating Officer of Coia Safety & Consultative Services LLC, where he leads innovative safety solutions that help businesses create safer, more compliant workplaces. With over 20 years of experience in the safety and health field, including more than a decade as a consultant, he has worked extensively across both general industry and construction, guiding organizations through compliance, risk reduction, and culture change.

As a recognized safety expert, Nic has presented at industry-leading conferences, including the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo, sharing insights on effective safety strategies, OSHA compliance, and building sustainable safety programs. Coia Safety & Consultative Services is committed to helping businesses proactively manage workplace safety through fractional consulting, program development, OSHA violation response, and customized training.

The company’s mission is to go beyond compliance by fostering a culture where safety becomes second nature. Outside of work, Nic enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, coaching soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and staying actively engaged in community development efforts aimed at preparing the next generation for success.

Six Degrees of Insight - Session 2/6 - March 5, 2026

Join us for Six Degrees of Insight - a webinar series brought to you by six local SHRM chapters.

Join us on Thursday, March 5, 2026 with How to Make Difficult People Disappear...Without Going to Jail presented by Summer Jelinek.

Session Description: Have you ever wondered why people won’t listen to you? Or found yourself surrounded by those jaw-clenching, nerve-fraying, challenging personalities? As an HR Professional, you’re expected to walk a tightrope; strong, but not aggressive; polite, but not a pushover. It’s exhausting!

This high-energy session based on the True Colors Personality Assessment will help you decode behaviors, adapt your communication, and transform difficult relationships, all while keeping the experience fun, engaging, and full of laughs.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover the Trick of Self-Management...because the first step to handling difficult people is managing yourself.
• Uncover the 4 Types of Difficult People—and how to work with them instead of against them.
• Walk away with actionable strategies to improve relationships with clients, teams, and even family.

Speaker Bio: Do you find yourself wondering if people are intentionally being difficult or if they just have a special skill?

Do you wish that there was something you could do to make the difficult people in your life disappear that wouldn’t get you arrested?

Does it sometimes feel like your job would be so much easier if it weren’t for the people?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are in the right place!!!

Our next speaker has over 25 years’ experience leading with companies such as Walt Disney World, The Disney Institute, the Center for Creative Leadership, and even a dude ranch.

When she is not transforming leaders, she is chasing her 9 year old daughter, determining which Disney villain has the greatest redemption arc, and studying neurodivergence in the organization for her PhD.

Thank you to our sponsor, Pixel Leadership Group!

March 12, 2026 | Member Breakfast

Join us on Thursday, March 12, 2026 for our Member Breakfast!

About The Event: This is part of our Member Meeting Networking and Learning Series. The purpose of the meeting is to welcome new and returning members as well as guests, provide updates on SHRM Portage County activities, and listen to a speaker present on an HR topic of interest to our membership.

Agenda:

• 7:15am - Registration Opens
• 7:30am - Networking & Lunch
• 7:50am - Announcements
• 8:00am - Presentation Begins

Session Title: Attracting, Engaging and Retaining

Session Description: In today’s competitive manufacturing landscape, securing and retaining skilled talent isn’t just an HR priority — it’s a business imperative. Organizations that successfully build a strong, stable pipeline of trained workers position themselves for greater productivity, innovation, and long-term success.

Join us for an insightful session with Tooling U-SME Workforce Development Specialist, Denise Cowburn, as she explores practical, proven strategies to strengthen your workforce from the ground up.

What You'll Learn

• Discuss Current Trends in Attraction and Retention
• Understand the impact of the multigenerational workforce. Explore the latest trends in attracting and retaining talent within a multigenerational workforce.
• Leverage findings from recent Retention Reports: Review recent retention reports and learn how they highlight the business case for investing in learning and development initiatives.
• Examine Best Practices in Onboarding and Training: Discuss effective onboarding and on-the-job training strategies that can directly enhance retention and employee engagement.

Speaker Bio: Denise Cowburn is a Senior Workforce Development Specialist at Tooling U-SME, bringing over 25 years of experience in learning and development within the manufacturing industry. Her background combines deep expertise in workforce training with hands-on experience, including the management of her family’s small machine shop for several years.

For the past 14 years, Denise has led the successful implementation of workforce education and skills development programs for corporations around the world, empowering employees and driving business results. A recognized thought leader, she regularly speaks nationwide on emerging trends and best practices that help manufacturers attract, engage, and retain top talent. She currently resides in Ohio.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Six Degrees of Insight - Session 4/6 - May 7, 2026

Join us for Six Degrees of Insight - a webinar series brought to you by six local SHRM chapters.

Join us on Thursday, May 7, 2026 with Civility Unleashed: Turning Chaos into Collaboration presented by Dyann McDowell.

Session Description: Workplace culture is collapsing quietly, not through one big event, but through the normalization of disrespect, avoidance, and inconsistent accountability. HR professionals often become the “cleanup crew” when leaders fail to set and enforce a clear standard for how people treat each other while the work gets done.

This interactive session equips HR leaders and people managers with a practical, repeatable approach to disrupt incivility in real time and rebuild trust through systems, not slogans. Participants will learn a simple in-the-moment tool—L3: Lean-in, Listen, Learn—and how to connect it to leadership standards and follow-through using the AIMS™ Framework (Assess ? Implement ? Mobilize Leadership ? SPARK) and Civility OS™ (Ask ? Implement ? Support ? Enforce).

Attendees will leave with language they can use immediately, plus an implementation path that strengthens accountability without dehumanizing people.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify early warning signs of culture erosion and the organizational risks associated with normalized incivility.
• Apply L3 (Lean-in, Listen, Learn) as an in-the-moment disruption tool to de-escalate tension while maintaining accountability.
• Use the Civility OS™ response loop (Ask ? Implement ? Support ? Enforce) to ensure consistent follow-through after conflict or misconduct.
• Outline an HR-led action plan using the AIMS™ Framework to embed civility standards into leadership routines and workplace expectations.

Speaker Bio: Dyann McDowell is the President and HR Business Partner at Training Marbles, Inc., a workplace culture and leadership firm specializing in civility, accountability, and organizational realignment. With nearly three decades in the Drug-Free Workplace and HR training arena, Dyann is known for helping organizations confront culture breakdowns before they become costly crises. Her work equips HR leaders and managers with practical tools to disrupt disrespect, strengthen leadership follow-through, and build standards employees can trust.

Dyann is the creator of Civility Unleashed™, a framework-driven approach that combines her AIMS™ Framework (Assess ? Implement ? Mobilize Leadership ? SPARK) with Civility OS™ (Ask ? Implement ? Support ? Enforce). She partners with public-sector organizations, municipalities, and service-based companies to improve workplace climate, reduce conflict drag, and restore professionalism without sacrificing humanity. Dyann’s signature message is clear: civility isn’t “being nice”—it’s a standard, and leadership sets the tone.