DHRM HR Leadership Conference September 28–30, 2026 Greater Richmond Convention Center

Ctrl + Alt + Delete: HR Reboot & Reimagine

Speakers

Conference Speakers

We are excited to announce the following speakers for the 2026 DHRM HR Conference:

Day 1 - Monday, September 28, 2026
Karen Michael - Opening Keynote Speaker

Karen Michael is the President of Karen Michael, PLC, a Richmond-based work law & human resources consulting firm founded in 2008 and specializing in management and leadership training, workplace investigations, HR Consulting & Special Projects, and employment law advice. Karen has been an employment lawyer for 32 years and began her career working in Big Law. She served as an executive in human resources for SunTrust Bank and taught at University of Richmond’s School of Continuing Studies prior to forming her firm. Karen writes a weekly labor law column for the Richmond Times Dispatch. Karen is a nationally recognized workplace expert and sought-after speaker and has presented around the country, including at the national SHRM conference and the national EEOC conference - EXCEL. She is also the author of “Stay Hired,” an essential guide for those entering the workforce on how to successfully go to work.

Scott Wayne

Scott Wayne is lead negotiator with The Envoy Portfolio where he advises and represents government and corporate leaders in building partnerships, aligning leadership teams, and navigating through conflict. Through the lens of current international affairs, he applies behavioral economics and negotiation tradecraft to understand executive decision-making and influence outcomes.

Scott holds degrees in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He’s the lead negotiation instructor for the US Department of Defense SES Vanguard Program, and the author of the UK Ministry of Defense Field Guide to Negotiation. And while all this risks sounding impressive and official, he’s largely viewed as a dope by his three thriving teenage daughters.

Day 2 – Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Anne Bibeau, Woods Rogers

Anne advises employers on the HR issues that arise every day: FLSA, discrimination and harassment, FMLA, disability law, labor relations, employment agreements, and others. She also conducts workplace investigations and is a trained arbitrator and mediator. As an advocate, Anne is an experienced litigator who has defended employers in federal and state courts.

Mike Gardner, Woods Rogers

Mike provides experienced counsel to employers of all types on how to handle the unpredictable twists and turns of workforce management. He represents clients large and small in matters ranging from internal management issues, state and federal agency proceedings, and state and federal litigation through trial and appeal. He also provides outside counsel to local governments, agencies, and boards on a variety of matters.

Day 3 - Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. - Closing Keynote Speaker

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. He was recently named one of the Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine and one of the 300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine. Mr. Taylor’s career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer and executive, serving at IAC, Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, among other organizations. He serves on the corporate boards of XPO, Inc.; Flores HR; AACSB; and Guild Education and previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the first Trump administration. Mr. Taylor writes a weekly column, “Ask Johnny,” in USA Today and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.