2024 Agenda
Daily Details
WED. SEPT. 18
REGISTRATION
Live Music with M’Gilvry Allen
9:00–10:00
James Moore Theater
WELCOME
Opening Remarks
Welcome to Responsive Conference 2024!
Robin Zander, Executive Director & author Responsive
Marie Szuts, Co-director, coaching, former CPO Figma
Nicole Piechowski, Co-director
10:00–10:10
James Moore Theater
MAINSTAGE
The Power of Human Connection
Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky
Author, Friendship in the Age of Loneliness
A keynote about workplace belonging and human connection.
10:10–10:35
James Moore Theater
BREAKOUTS
10:50–11:40
Questioning “Truths”
Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta
Marie Szuts, Co-director Responsive
Roy Bahat will challenge old ideas about workplace culture, encourage us to think about what needs to change about how we work, and share new ways to build a better workplace culture.
James Moore Theater
Coherence As A Strategic Capability
Gayle Karen Young Whyte
Consultant, Cultivating Leadership and Former CPO Wikimedia
A conversation about how coherence within an organization serves as a strategic and competitive advantage — and how to do it.
Women's Board Lecture Hall
How to Design an Offsite that Actually Matters
Jenny Sauer-Klein, Founder of The Culture Conference
Revolutionize the way you design offsites. Become the go-to person on your team for creating offsites that shape the future of your organization.
California Room
Centralizing to Decentralize
Joe Bengfort, Chief Information Officer at UCSF
Tim Mooney, The Maonach Group
What do you do when faced with a large, complex, decentralized organization that can no longer provide the scale economically required, the adaptability to innovate, or the resiliency to remain secure? Join for a conversation with Joe Bengfort, UCSF CIO, about their journey to centralize around explicit organizational structures so they can decentralize decision-making and execution.
Learning Center
10 Minute Transition
11:40–11:50
MAINSTAGE
What Does It Mean to Be a Global Citizen?
Y-Vonne Hutchinson, ReadySet
Carine Kanimba, Human rights activist
Join Carine Kanimba and Y-Vonne Hutchinson for an intimate and deeply personal conversation about human rights and hope.
11:50–12:25
James Moore Theater
Lunch in the Garden
Live music by M’Gilvry Allen
12:30–1:30
MAINSTAGE
How to Build Exceptional Relationships
Carole Robin, PhD, co-founder of Leaders in Tech & Stanford GSB “touchy feely”
Carole Robin will lead a 90-minute session on building exceptional relationships through small group activities, teaching important skills for creating deep connections.
1:30–3:00
James Moore Theater
10 Minute Transition
3:00–3:10
BREAKOUTS
3:10–4:00
Iconic Cultures to Iconic Brands: A Masterclass
Marcus Sawyerr, CEO and Founder of EQ.app
Kris Wright, VP Jordan Footwear, Product & Merchandising at Nike
Amani Martin, Peaceful Warrior Productions & FC Barcelona
James Moore Theater
The Future of Teams
Sally Thornton, CEO Forshay
Learn the delicate balance between individual well-being and team dynamics in the workplace.
Women's Board Lecture Hall
Cults and Good Companies
Ellen Huet, journalist at Bloomberg
in conversation with Robin Zander
Join Bloomberg journalist Ellen Huet for an exclusive session about how to build a great culture, and what cults do differently.
Garden Patio
Redefining Rest & Rebuilding Your Career
Alex Pang, author of Rest and Shorter
Abby Davisson, author of Money & Love
What is the intersection between rest, creativity, and decision-making?
Learning Center
10 Minute Break
4:00–4:10
MAINSTAGE
Making Creative Collaboration Work
Liz Fosslien, author of Big Feelings and Head of Storytelling, Team Anywhere, Atlassian
Mollie West Duffy, author of Big Feelings and Head of L&D, Lattice
Hear how bestselling co-authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy use their research on emotional fluency to successfully navigate the ups and downs of working in partnership.
4:10–4:55
James Moore Theater
CLOSING
Responsive Team
4:55–5:00
James Moore Theater
Happy Hour
Sponsored by Ursa Consultants
5:00–6:00
Garden Patio
Daily Details
THUR. SEPT. 19
PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION
Accelerate Connection with Late Nite Art
Adam Rosendahl, Founder of Late Nite Art
How do we use creativity as a vehicle to communicate ideas? Join us for this pre-conference session to build meaningful connections and get outside your normal way of working!
9:00–10:00
Garden
WARMUP + REFLECTION
Opening Remarks
Responsive Team
Culture and the Oakland Museum of California
Lori Fogarty, Director at OMCA
10:00–10:30
James Moore Theater
MAINSTAGE
The Evolving Role of AI in Company Culture
Anna Binder, CPO at Asana
AJ Thomas, Founder of Good Trouble Ventures
10:30–10:55
James Moore Theater
BREAKOUTS
11:10–12:00
Embracing a culture of perpetual change within the US government
Deanna Doen, co-founder of Eleccion
If a US government can embrace change, anyone can.
James Moore Theater
The Utility of Joy at Work
Pamela Larde, PhD
Joy is a key to engagement at work. Learn how to focus on real connection instead of just simple perks.
Women's Board Lecture Hall
The Connecting Power of Food
Nazli Parvizi, President at Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD)
Gillian Shaw, Owner at Black Jet Bakery
Mirit Cohen, Global Workplace Experience Programs at Adobe
How can we use food to foster community and connection - at work and throughout our lives?
California Room
The Dark Matter of Relationships
Stephanie Tran and Norman Tran, Relating Between The Lines
In this interactive session you'll experience the difference between low and high quality words of affirmation and learn the 4 most powerful ingredients to leave people feeling moved and seen. Warning: side effects may include being seen and moved to tears.
Learning Center
Lunch
Live music by M’Gilvry Allen
12:00–1:00
MAINSTAGE
Live Podcast Recording of the HR Heretics podcast
Co-hosts Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church
with Melanie Naranjo, VP of People, Ethena
A very honest conversation about the state of HR, company culture, and how we can do it better.
1:00–1:30
James Moore Theater
SMALL GROUPS
1:45–2:35
BREAKOUTS
2:50–3:40
How to Foster Connection in a Distributed World
Donald Knight, VP of People & Culture at Warner Bros. Discovery
Rebecca Port, PhD, CHRO at 10x Genomics
Samara Jaffe, GM at Transform
Donald Knight, VP of People & Culture at Warner Bros. Discovery, Rebecca Port, PhD, CHRO at 10x Genomics, and Samara Jaffe, Co-founder and GM at Transform, will have a conversation on the mainstage on the topic of how to foster connection in a distributed world.
James Moore Theater
How to Use Community to Grow a Startup
Erin Faverty, VP Platform, SemperVirens VC
Christie Horvath, founder & CEO at Wagmo
Startups don’t happen in a vacuum. Join this session to hear how Robby has fostered a community of people leaders Christie a community of pet lovers to build their thriving ecosystems.
Women's Board Lecture Hall
Connection and Your Invisible Network
Michael Melcher, author Your Invisible Network
Learn to build your network in an authentic and connected way. Make genuine connections by sharing what's really on your mind.
California Room
From Intent to Implementation: Leading Organizational Transformation through Practical Interventions at Genentech
Sam Lozzi, Transformation Coach at Genentech
Sam Lozzi spent almost two decades at Genentech, coaching leaders and teams through an enterprise-wide agile transformation. Join her for an interactive session to learn more about the lessons she learned along the way and how you can apply these to your work.
Learning Center
MAINSTAGE
How To Scale An Incredible Company Culture
Tara Viswanathan, founder & CEO of Rupa Health
with Whitnie Narcisse, partner at First Round Capital
A nuanced session on how to scale an incredible company cultures.
3:50–4:20
James Moore Theater
FINAL SESSION
The Power of Music for Development & Connection
Orchestrated by Crowden School of Music
4:20–4:35
James Moore Theater
CLOSING REMARKS
Responsive Team
4:35–4:55
James Moore Theater