Begin the day by connecting with leaders from business, government, education, healthcare, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. Whether you're continuing conversations from this year's Tharseo Dialogues, Salons, and Roundtables or joining the community for the first time, breakfast offers an opportunity to build new relationships before the day's discussions begin.

As the SHRM Foundation celebrates its 60th anniversary and the nation approaches America's 250th birthday, the opening session sets the stage for a timely conversation about the future of work. Explore why the organizations best positioned to succeed are those that recognize thriving workplaces, healthy communities, and economic competitiveness are increasingly interconnected—and why employers have an unprecedented opportunity to help shape what's next.
 

A brief introduction to the ideas that will shape the day, followed by a screening of Butterflies, a short film by the storytelling studio Friends at Work. The first two sessions explore human thriving in an AI-enabled future—examining how mental health, flourishing, and human-centered technology can work together to create workplaces that are both more innovative and more deeply human.
 

Employee well-being has become a business imperative not simply because it matters to workers, but because it shapes innovation, resilience, retention, and performance. Hear from leaders across business, healthcare, and research as they examine what organizations are learning about the connection between mental health, purpose, belonging, and organizational success, and what it takes to build workplaces where both people and performance can thrive.
 

Artificial intelligence is transforming work faster than any technology in recent memory. The organizations that succeed won't simply automate tasks—they'll redesign work to elevate uniquely human capabilities. This conversation explores how employers can harness AI to strengthen creativity, judgment, learning, and collaboration while building trust and ensuring technology serves people, not the other way around.

 

What will define the organizations that attract talent, adapt to disruption, and create lasting value over the next decade? This keynote brings together insights from across business, technology, research, and public policy to paint a bold vision for the future of work—and the leadership choices that will shape it.
 

We’ll turn our attention to the next two conversations, which shift our focus from today's workplace to tomorrow's career. As people live longer and technology transforms work more rapidly than ever before, organizations must rethink how they prepare individuals for careers defined by continual learning, adaptation, and growth. Together, these sessions explore how employers can build longer, more adaptive working lives through durable skills, lifelong development, and new models of career success.
 

As AI accelerates the pace of technical change, the capabilities that endure are increasingly human. Communication, judgment, empathy, adaptability, and constructive engagement are becoming essential not only for workplace success, but for effective human-AI collaboration and stronger organizational cultures. Join leaders from business, education, and workforce development as they discuss how employers can identify, develop, and reward the durable skills that will define the next generation of talent.
 

Longer lives are changing far more than retirement—they're reshaping careers, learning, health, and the very rhythm of work. As careers increasingly span five decades or more, employers have an opportunity to rethink how people continue growing, contributing, and finding purpose throughout their working lives. This conversation explores what it will take to build organizations that support lifelong learning, cognitive well-being, and sustained engagement across every stage of a career.
 

A dedicated opportunity for cross-sector networking and continued conversation. Participants are encouraged to engage with leaders from sectors different from their own to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

The final section of the day begins with a brief video featuring members of the SHRM community who are balancing work with caregiving responsibilities—the reality faced by three in four working Americans every day. Their stories offer a powerful reminder that the challenges people bring to work do not remain outside the workplace. Building on those perspectives, the Summit's final two sessions explore how cultures of care, trust, and belonging strengthen workers, organizations, and communities alike.
 

Today's workforce brings more than professional responsibilities to work. Caregiving, financial stress, mental health, and other life challenges increasingly influence employees' ability to contribute and succeed. Leading employers are responding by creating cultures of care that support the whole person while strengthening business outcomes. Learn how innovative organizations are partnering across sectors to improve well-being, retention, engagement, and workforce resilience.
 

As many traditional sources of community decline, the workplace has become one of the few places where people from different backgrounds, generations, and perspectives regularly come together. That creates both opportunity and responsibility. This discussion examines how organizations can foster trust, civility, dialogue, and belonging—not only to strengthen culture and collaboration, but also to contribute to healthier communities and a more connected society.
 

The future of work won't be shaped by any one organization or sector alone. This interactive closing session brings participants together to identify the ideas, partnerships, and actions with the greatest potential to help workers, workplaces, and communities thrive together. Audience insights gathered throughout the discussion will help inform the 2026 Tharseo Report.
 

The Summit concludes by reflecting on the day's key themes, celebrating the relationships and ideas that emerged, and looking ahead to the next chapter of the Tharseo Thought Leadership Series. Participants will leave with fresh perspectives, new connections, and a shared commitment to advancing workplaces that strengthen people, organizations, and communities.
 

Celebrate SHRM's 60th anniversary.