Wichita Falls Human Resource Management Association upcoming events

WFHRMA: Employment Law Symposium (11 Sep 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

WFHRMA: Employment Law Symposium

Friday September 11th 2026, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

The Forum: 2120 Speedway Ave, Wichita Falls, TX 76308

Our Speakers

Dustin A. Paschal

Founding Member Simon | Paschal PLLC

Texas SHRM State Director

“Mastering Conflict Resolution”

Description:

If there is one thing that is more certain than death and taxes, it is that there will be conflict in the workplace. Learning how to manage that conflict is a critical skill for any HR professional. Hear from a lawyer about how to minimize and manage conflict.

Learning Objectives :

• Attendees will learn the common causes of conflict in the workplace.

• Attendees will learn steps and tips on how to avoid workplace conflict.

• Attendees will learn how to manage workplace conflict when it inevitably arises.

Catherine Clifton

Partner
Gannaway | Clifton, PLLC

"HR Gray Areas: The Manager’s Role in Managing Legal Risk"

Description:

This presentation explores common workplace situations where managers and supervisors may unintentionally create HR or legal risk. Rather than presenting employment law as a traditional legal lecture, the session uses realistic scenarios to examine issues such as unequal treatment, employee complaints, documentation, confidentiality, accommodations, termination decisions, workplace policies, and sensitive communications. Participants will consider “What would you do?” before learning the legal concern and practical HR approach. The goal is to strengthen managers’ ability to recognize gray areas, respond appropriately, and partner with HR before a situation escalates.

Learning Objectives

Recognize common manager and supervisor behaviors that can create HR or legal risk.
Identify potential concerns involving employee complaints, unequal treatment, documentation, confidentiality, accommodations, and termination.
Evaluate ambiguous workplace situations where there may not be an obvious “right” answer.
Apply practical management and HR principles when responding to employee situations.
Understand when a manager should involve HR rather than attempting to handle a sensitive matter independently.
Demonstrate better decision-making by considering the potential impact of their words, actions, and documentation.

John Hagan

Managing Attorney Hagan Law Group

“How to Manage the Trickiest Pay & Leave Compliance Issues under the FLSA, OBBBA, and the ADA/PWFA”

Description:

This 55-minute program equips HR professionals with a current, Texas-specific compliance framework for wage-and-hour and leave/accommodation obligations. The session opens with the FLSA fundamentals most likely to trigger enforcement exposure — including the unsettled status of the federal salary threshold following the 2024 rule's vacatur — then translates the pay-related provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into concrete payroll and recordkeeping action items. The program then shifts to accommodation practice, walking attendees through a defensible, step-by-step interactive process under the ADA and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), identifying how the Act’s obligations can apply simultaneously to a single employee absence. The session closes with a 90-day compliance action plan attendees can implement immediately.

Learning Objectives:

Distinguish current FLSA salary-threshold and duties-test obligations from the vacated 2024 rule, and identify the wage-hour practices — misclassification, off-the-clock work, rounding, and improper deductions — most likely to generate DOL or Texas Workforce Commission exposure.
Apply the Texas Payday Act's pay-frequency, final-pay-timing, and permissible-deduction rules as an independent compliance layer on top of federal FLSA requirements.
Run a legally defensible, documented interactive accommodation process under the ADA and the PWFA, correctly distinguishing PWFA's broader accommodation standard — including temporary suspension of essential functions — from traditional ADA practice.
Evaluate a single employee leave or accommodation scenario against FMLA, ADA, PWFA, and Texas-law obligations concurrently, and apply a 90-day action plan to close identified compliance gaps.

Recertification Credit

SHRM Certification has approved this event for 3 PDCs toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the meeting. The program also meets recertification credit standards set by the HR Certification Institute and other HR certifying bodies, but candidates must manually enter their activity into their records.

WFHRMA October:The Miracle Making Business (13 Oct 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Wichita Falls HR Management Association (WFHRMA)

Tuesday, October 13th, 2026

Meeting check-in & lunch service begins at 11:45am

"Mark McKendrick"

"The Miracle Making Business"

Program Summary:

The US healthcare system is complex and confusing - I hope to provide confidence and clarity to HR professionals and everyday employees. My presentation shares the health journey of my father as a high-cost claimant after contracting COVID in 2021. His story is nothing short of a miracle, and I am able present the importance of knowing how to navigate our healthcare system as a patient and a decision-maker for employees.

I cover how the US healthcare system was established, how companies finance healthcare, and the importance of effectively navigating our healthcare system for the wellbeing of ourselves and our employees.

Learning Objectives:

Professional Employer Organizations (PEO's
Fully-Insured
Level-Funding
Self-Funding
Captive Arrangements
Reference Based Pricing
Pharmaceutical manufacturers
Pharmacy Retailers
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM's)

Speaker Bio:

Mark McKendrick is an Employee Benefits Advisor with Marsh McLennan Agency. With a collaborative approach and the ability to simplify complex decisions, Mark helps HR teams and executives gain clarity and confidence within their benefits strategy. Through a blend of industry expertise and engaging communication, he empowers organizations to make informed choices that drive both financial performance and a stronger employee experience.

Mark serves on the Board of Trustees for Baylor University Medical Center, providing governance, fiduciary oversight, and strategic guidance for one of Texas's leading academic medical centers and healthcare institutions. He also serves on the Talent Task Force for the Dallas Regional Chamber that supports initiatives focused on solving employers’ most pressing talent challenges, including how companies attract, retain, and develop talent. Lastly, Mark is on the Board of Directors for a non-profit documentary film company called Fotolanthropy, that shares true stories of strength and hope. Mark lives in Dallas with his wife Caroline and their two young daughters who love unicorns.

Recertification Credit

SHRM Certification has approved this event for 1 PDCs toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the meeting. The program also meets recertification credit standards set by the HR Certification Institute and other HR certifying bodies, but candidates must manually enter their activity into their records.

WFHRMA November: Let's Bring the L-Word Back into the Workplace (and No, I Don't Mean Layoffs) (10 Nov 2026)

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Wichita Falls HR Management Association (WFHRMA)

Tuesday, November 10th, 2026

Meeting check-in & lunch service begins at 11:45am

Lisa Blanton, MBA, SHRM-SCP

"Let’s Bring the L-Word Back into the Workplace

(and No, I Don’t Mean Layoffs)"

Program Description: In today’s workplaces, stress is high, trust is fragile, and leaders are expected to sustain engagement while navigating difficult conversations and minimizing risk. Yet one of the most powerful leadership capabilities has quietly disappeared from our professional vocabulary: love. In this interactive 60-minute session, HR professionals will explore how bringing the “L-word” back into the workplace—defined not as romance, but as intentional humanity, curiosity, and care—strengthens engagement and retention while also functioning as a proactive risk management strategy.

Drawing from executive leadership experience and personal insight into what it means to feel safe at work, the speaker illustrates how authenticity, language, and presence shape psychological safety. Participants will examine how everyday leadership behaviors influence employee engagement, retention, and employee relations outcomes. Through guided reflection and practical application, attendees will learn how to help leaders shift conversations from judgment to curiosity, reducing people-related risks that contribute to disengagement, turnover, and escalated employee relations.

Learning Objectives

Identify leadership behaviors that increase or reduce people-related risk impacting engagement, retention, and employee relations.
Apply practical tools to shift workplace conversations from judgment to curiosity, strengthening psychological safety and trust.
Coach leaders to use intentional language and presence to proactively prevent disengagement, turnover, and escalation of employee relations issues.

Speaker Bio:

Lisa Blanton, MBA, SHRM-SCP, is a senior executive leader, speaker, and business advisor with more than 30 years of experience as a COO, CFO, and CHRO across entrepreneurial and multi-site organizations. She specializes in helping HR professionals and leaders reduce people-related risk by strengthening leadership behaviors, communication, and psychological safety. As Founder and CEO of Austin Alliance Group, Lisa currently serves as Texas SHRM Co-Director of Certification. She brings both executive leadership experience and lived insight into workplace safety and authenticity, and will be accompanied by her trained service dog, Chloe, during the session. Lisa is also a Certified Virtual Master Presenter, recognized for delivering highly engaging, interactive virtual experiences that foster connection, learning, and meaningful participation.

Recertification Credit

SHRM Certification has approved this webcast for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webcast. The program also meets recertification credit standards set by the HR Certification Institute and other HR certifying bodies, but candidates must manually enter their activity into their records.

WFHRMA December: Winter Social (08 Dec 2026)

Tue, 08 Dec 2026 17:30:00 GMT