Events

August 19, 2026 | Member Luncheon

Join us on Wednesday, August 19, 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: Energy, Focus, and Cognitive Well-Being at Work

Session Description: By the age of 35, nearly 95% of who we are is driven by subconscious programs—habits and patterns that operate automatically. At the same time, the average person spends close to 70% of their time in a state of survival mode. In this state, the brain is not optimized for learning, creativity, or high performance; it is only focused on: fight, flight, or freeze.

This presentation is designed to help participants understand and optimize how the brain works for peak performance in the workplace. We explore the fundamentals of brain function and cognitive processes, examine the role of different brainwave states in focus, creativity, and decision-making, and demonstrate how neuroplasticity can be leveraged to strengthen resilience and learning.

Through science-based strategies, participants will learn how to enter and sustain high-performance mental states, develop personalized routines that enhance clarity and efficiency, and apply these insights to improve teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving in professional settings.

What You'll Learn

• Understanding the difference between true rest and digital distraction
• Recognizing personal energy drains, triggers, and patterns
• Applying practical strategies to restore, protect, and sustain mental energy

Speaker Bio: Tracy Clayman is a dynamic trainer, keynote speaker, and author dedicated to helping individuals and organizations thrive through mindset, resilience, and intentional leadership. With a background in Psychology and certifications in Positive Psychology and Happiness Studies, she specializes in translating research-based strategies into practical tools that drive performance, wellbeing, and impact.

As Corporate Training Director for SHINE in Kent, Ohio, Tracy has spent more than a decade equipping teams and leaders with skills to boost energy, reframe challenges, and cultivate optimism. Her own journey of resilience and reinvention informs her work, making her message both relatable and transformative

September 10, 2026 | Member Breakfast

Join us on Wednesday, September 10, 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, provide updates on SHRM Portage County activities, and listen to a speaker present on an HR topic of interest to our membership.

For this event, participants can learn and earn 1.5 SHRM PDC.

Agenda:

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

PRICING: $25 Members / $35 Non-Members / $20 Students & Members-in-transition

Session Title: Ohio Legislative Policy Changes Impact on Employment Law

Session Description:Several important changes to the form I-9 and e-Verify requirements were introduced in 2024 and 2025; with some taking effect during those calendar years and others going into effect in 2026. Understanding these changes and implementing them accordingly can help you protect your organization, stay compliant and avoid penalties.
Speaker Bio: While at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Victoria Ferrise was a member of the Special Litigation Group, Election Law Task Force and oversaw high-profile projects and cases for Attorney General Mike DeWine. Most notably, she oversaw and provided recommendations to the Attorney General regarding the Office’s high-stakes Bank of America litigation that ultimately settled for $2.425 billion (which was the 4th largest settlement ever paid by a single corporate defendant in a securities fraud case). She was also responsible for oversight and administration of the State’s annual outside counsel budgets totaling approximately $45 million.

Victoria has worked with nearly all of Ohio’s state agencies, universities, colleges, pension funds and the Ohio legislature. This experience uniquely qualifies her to create strategies for government issues, develop solutions, and resolve disputes for her clients. Victoria leverages her skills in energy and utility law, education law, litigation, economic development, technology transfer, administrative law, regulatory matters, legislative analysis, election law, and her work with the firm’s healthcare and public finance team to benefit her private and government clients.

Victoria has been recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers as an Ohio Rising Star (Government Relations) from 2016 to 2019. Rising Stars are selected by their peers as the top up-and-coming attorneys who are under 40 or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Only 2.5 percent of the attorneys in Ohio are named to the Rising Stars list each year.

Victoria has represented the Summit Educational Service Center as its lawyer and lobbyist for several years. In addition, Victoria has represented a school treasurer on an issue that was successfully and quickly resolved. During Victoria's tenure at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, she worked with the Ohio Department of Education and all of the state universities and community colleges. Victoria is experienced in Ohio public records and open meetings laws. At BMD, Victoria continues to serve public universities and colleges as special counsel.

October 21, 2026 | Member Luncheon

Join us on Wednesday, October 21, 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: Civility Unleashed: Turning Chaos into Collaboration

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.

What You'll Learn

• 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.

November 18th, 2026 | Member Breakfast

Join us on Wednesday, November 18th, 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, 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: Form I-9 and E-Verify: Best Practices for Employer Compliance

Session Description:Several important changes to the form I-9 and e-Verify requirements were introduced in 2024 and 2025; with some taking effect during those calendar years and others going into effect in 2026. Understanding these changes and implementing them accordingly can help you protect your organization, stay compliant and avoid penalties.

In this session, we will discuss how to maintain accurate I-9 forms and properly use the E-Verify system. Our guest speaker will walk you through best practices, legal requirements, and the most common compliance pitfalls employers face.

What You'll Learn

• What employers can and cannot do during the I-9 process
• Acceptable documents for non-citizen employees
• Reverification, correcting errors, and storage and retention
• E-Verify and E-Verify+
• Violations for non-compliance

Speaker Bio: Ashley Barbone is a Senior Assistant Attorney General/Immigration Counsel with the Education Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s office. Ms. Barbone represents Ohio’s public colleges, universities, and the Ohio Department of Education in federal and state court and in administrative hearings. She also advises Ohio’s public colleges and universities and other state clients on federal immigration matters. She provides immigration training to clients, and she has also organized conferences on International Students and Workforce and monthly webinars on immigration topics.

Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Barbone was in private practice with an employment-based immigration firm in Maryland focusing on nonimmigrant visas. Ms. Barbone is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).

Ms. Barbone earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and her law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.