You are invited to this year's Willamette Valley conference on Friday, October 6th, at the Salem Convention Center. This year's theme is Influencing Engagement. We have an amazing list of speakers lined up this year where you might learn a new skill, expand your knowledge on a topic you already know, laugh, and even dance??!!  So, please come and join other chapter members to network and most importantly, have fun!

• Member pricing $200
• Non-Member price:$225
• Student rate is $80.
• Group rate is $155/each for 8 or more (contact vpmembership@pmiwv.org for group registration)
• Can earn up to 7.25 PDUs

A yogurt parfait bar will be provided before lunch.  The lunch buffet will be italian themed. And we'll finish off the day with a sweet fix. 

A room rate of $179 per night (includes breakfast and internet) is available at the Grand Hotel in Salem, which is the Conference Center. Mention that you are attending the conference.

8:30 AM - 10:15 AM

Keynote Speaker

Jesse Ross

Welcome 2 The Jungle: Professional Development Training

There are 4 animals that run wild at any workplace: a lion, a flamingo, a chameleon, and a turtle! And each of them does things differently! What if you knew how each one operates, communicates, and works? This workshop training allows you to take some time to think through both the general strengths and weaknesses of your team. Is your team missing a vital personality type or do they just need help understanding each other? No matter what the scenario, the Welcome 2 The Jungle Training can provide decision makers and team leaders with tools to create the best teams and supercharge their performance.

1:35  - 2:20 PM / 3:20 - 4:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 5 & 10 Speaker

Jerry Fletcher

The WHY of Personal Brand

There is a unique brand you. Accessing it will make you a better leader, a better team mate and a better friend. This stimulating presentation walks you through the key elements of standard brand development and then reveals how understanding your WHY can change your life. It is less about benchmarks of what popular culture says a leader should look like, sound like, dress like, and come from. It is more about the personal preferences, traits, characteristics, talents and preferences of the specific leader you naturally are. Join us. Roll our sleeves up and pitch in to learn how to get you to a unique trust-based strategy to build your business, your brand and a life of joy.

10:30 - 11:15 AM / 2:25 - 3:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 1 & 9 Speaker

Katie McCarthy

Leveraging Organizational Change Management to Influence Engagement: Insights for Project Managers

In the dynamic world of project management, successfully delivering projects often requires navigating organizational change. Together, we will explore the potential of leveraging Organizational Change Management (OCM) strategies to influence and enhance engagement.

We will delve into the critical role of project managers in driving engagement during times of change. By effectively applying change management principles, project managers can create an environment that fosters employee commitment, collaboration, and enthusiasm.

1:35  - 2:20 PM / 3:20 - 4:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 6 & 12 Speaker

Anthony Poponi

Influence Engagement Through High-Trust Cultures

Humans are wired to crave trust and our brains have ancestral wiring putting a high value on trust. Trust makes us feel good, is critical to our well-being, our happiness and happier employees are more engaged and productive than their less happy peers. The absence of trust undermines everything. Improving engagementy by building a high-trust culture can be achieved using 6 best practices and strategies that are low-cost or no-cost and high-impact! During this session you'll assess your team's culture and then can explore which strategies can be implemented to build up the foundation of trust required for any high-performing team.

1. Trust is built slowly over time and our actions and behaviors are catalogued in group
2. Your personal contribution to trust is multi-dimensional and small actions matter
3. Trust is foundational to solving the complex workplace challenges

Anthony Poponi is a human happiness expert, energetic professional speaker, workplace consultant, humorist and founder of Focus on the 40 programs and resources. He specializes in showing his audiences a path to more joy and fulfillment in our lives and in our communities through workshops and presentations that leave his audiences buzzing and ready to take focused action.

11:20 - 12:05 PM / 2:25 - 3:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 4 & 7 Speaker

Kristian Bainey

Artificial Intelligence and it's affect on project management

Kristian is the CEO of K-PIC Systems driving business and directing digital transformation, project management, AI, data management, operations, continuous improvement, and change management structures, processes, and systems for medium to large-sized organizations in the public and private sectors. Additionally, he has spent years part-time lecturing at the university and college levels, teaching PMP and SCRUM Master part-time and coaching students to attain their PMP. In addition,

• Speaker at 20+ global conferences and webinars on AI and Project Management within 2023
• Contributor to the PMI Global AI Team, demonstrating his global influence in AI within project management.
• Speaker at Projectified® Podcast for PMI Global on AI and Project Management
• PMI Global’s International speakers hub list
• Authoring "AI-Driven Project Management: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT to Peak Productivity and Success", published by world-renowned Wiley Publishing (Dec 2023).

10:30 - 11:15 AM / 2:25 - 3:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 2 & 8 Speaker

Hannah Austin

How to Burn Brightly Without Burning Out

Ignite the spark in your team and empower them with the tools they need to burn brightly without burning out.

Are you feeling the burn or reaching the end of your fuse? Are you ready to let your inner light shine through? Professionals all over the world are struggling with fatigue and exhaustion - but it doesn’t have to be this way. Organizational Wellness Coach and Facilitator Hannah Austin is here to help you create a life that restores your most precious resources - your energy, time, and passion for the things that truly light you up. This powerful session will provide actionable key takeaways to help you find your way back to you and to move forward with more focus, enthusiasm, and vivacity.

11:20 AM - 12:05 PM / 3:20 - 4:05 PM

Breakout Sessions 3 & 11 Speaker

Scott Wright

Building a Culture of Trust in Project Management

The subject of Project Management is commonly examined through the lens of methodologies, tools, and techniques employed to effectively oversee and coordinate projects. However, the effectiveness of these tools and techniques alone is insufficient if we lack the essential skills to implement them successfully. It is critical to recognize that the human factor and the quality of relationships within a project team are vital in achieving outcomes that surpass the mere sum of individual efforts. Therefore, fostering a project culture that prioritizes trust becomes the cornerstone for attaining maximum synergy and enhancing the experience of all individuals involved.

4:10 PM - 5:10 PM

Keynote Speaker

Tami Evans

Lighten Up and Lead: Leverage levity to boost client confidence and employee engagement.

A happy workplace is imperative to success, but how do you remain positive AND professional? Laugh and learn key characteristics to create levity in the worker, workforce and workplace, with tools that help you reach your personal and professional potential through the power of fun. Connection creates culture and culture creates employee engagement— and the fastest way to connect is through levity. Engagement empowers employees to collaborate through challenges, create innovative solutions and communicate confidently. Not to mention the bump to your bottom line!