2026 Chicago CHRO Community Executive Summit

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Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Chicago's top CHROs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CHROs today:

Mobilizing Change Ready Leadership in an Uncertain World

Leading Through Change – Building Workforce Resilience and Adaptive Organizations

Guiding an Adaptive Workforce During an Evolution of Workplace Culture

Governing Body Co-Chairs

AJ Brow

White Lodging
CHRO

Kane Calamari

Ace Hardware
SVP & CHRO

Amber Kennelly

William Blair & Company
CHRO

Melanie Tinto

Grainger
CHRO

Randy Yu

Misumi Group
Chief People Officer & SVP HR, Communications, Administration

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CHRO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Chicago CHRO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda

October 20, 2026

morning afternoon

8:00am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast

9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session

The Framework Every CHRO Needs

Paul Rubenstein

Chief Evangelist Officer

Visier

CHROs are navigating two transformations: leading enterprise AI workforce transformation with the CEO while reinventing the HR function itself. Drawing on lessons from prior technology shifts and early AI adopters, learn how to meet rising productivity expectations while ensuring people remain the engine of performance, growth, and resilience.

Attendees will gain:

Clear AI leadership framework for CHROs
Vision for workforce planning and organization design
An HR delivery model built to be AI-native

9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom

Rewiring the Organization for Human–AI Collaboration

Christian Gomez

Vice President, Strategy

ADP

Win Buren

CHRO

Cook County Health & Hospitals System

Kane Calamari

SVP & CHRO

Ace Hardware

AI investments are outpacing workforce readiness. Skills gaps stall adoption and stifle collaboration between humans and agents. CHROs must collaborate across the organization to align workforce, technology and business strategy to maximize impact.

Join this session to discuss:

Strategies for reskilling and upskilling the workforce to thrive alongside AI
Best practices for aligning business units around a unified AI and workforce strategy
Approaches to redesigning operating models, roles and structures for human-AI collaboration

10:25am - 11:10am Networking Break

10:35am - 11:00am Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:10am - 11:55am Executive Boardroom

Building a Disruption-Prepared Leadership Bench

Aram Lulla

Managing Partner, Executive Search

LHH

Janet Catlett

CHRO

Gibraltar Industries, Inc.

Kim Oren

VP, HR

NCAA

When the unexpected hits, is your leadership bench ready to step up? The core challenge is this: it's hard to prepare for a future no one can predict. How, then, do organizations build a leadership bench that can flex with change they can't anticipate?

Join this boardroom to:

Identify leadership gaps and succession risks
Determine what leadership capabilities matter most
Decide when to build, buy, or borrow leadership talent

11:55am - 12:30pm Lunch Service

1:05pm - 1:30pm Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm Executive Boardroom

Grounding AI and Workforce Decisions in Data

Chris Johnson

SVP/GM Employer Services

Equifax

Randy Yu

Chief People Officer & SVP HR, Communications, Administration

Misumi Group

In a constrained labor market, CHROs must balance cost, capability, and business growth. Explore how forward-thinking leaders leverage verified data structures and strategic workforce planning to align hiring, skills, and workforce investments with changing business priorities.

Join this boardroom to:

Optimize talent investments with real-time workforce and market data
Accelerate business growth using strategic workforce insights
Ground AI investments in clear talent analytics

2:15pm - 3:00pm Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

3:00pm - 3:45pm Executive Boardroom

The 15% Ticking Clock

AJ Brow

CHRO

White Lodging

For many organizations, healthcare costs have become one of the largest expenses outside of compensation, with rising premiums creating new pressure on profitability and workforce investments. As medical innovations reshape cost structures, CHROs have an opportunity to move beyond annual renewals and help the business proactively manage risk.

Join this boardroom to:

Evaluate the forces driving medical cost escalation
Identify hidden risks within traditional broker and vendor models
Position healthcare strategy as a board-level business issue

3:00pm - 3:45pm Gartner Boardroom

Leading Through Continuous Change

George Powers

EP

Gartner

M. Katie Lawler

SVP & CHRO

ITW

Jud Snyder

CHRO, US

BMO

Traditional leadership models were built for periods of stability. Today, leaders must sustain performance amid constant disruption, workforce shifts, and evolving business priorities. CHROs must build leadership accountability, strengthen organizational resilience, and make adaptability a repeatable capability rather than a one-time initiative.

Join this boardroom to:

Assess leadership readiness for continuous change
Strengthen accountability for transformation outcomes
Adapt talent strategies to support workforce resilience

3:45pm - 4:00pm Networking Break

4:35pm - 4:45pm Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

October 20, 2026

morning afternoon

Apply to Participate

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Each application is carefully vetted to ensure members meet established criteria, preserving the quality of the network and enabling meaningful, peer‑level discussions among leaders from the world’s leading organizations.

Once you submit your application, a Community Program Manager will schedule a conversation to understand your priorities and interests and complete onboarding, including access to year‑round community events.

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Community Member Criteria

To maintain the highest standard of peer‑level connections and discussions, members must meet the following criteria:

• Enterprise-wide C-Level or

• Business unit or regional C-Level responsible for:

- Private sector: $500M+ in revenue

- Public sector: 1,000+ employees

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Location

Venue & Accommodation

Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-877-303-0104. Please mention Gartner CHRO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $409 USD (plus tax) is September 28, 2026.

Reserve Room

Your Community Sponsors

CHRO Thought Leader

Key Sponsors

Program Sponsors

Community Program Manager

For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Jamie Turner

Community Program Manager

jamie.turner@gartner.com