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• 🏆 Leadership Excellence Award 🌟

  • Start
    Wednesday, July 22, 2026
  • End
    Monday, November 30, 2026
  • Location
    https://forms.gle/XCYEuzqic4TMjTCP7

  Leadership Excellence Award

   

  Help Us Recognize an Exceptional Leader in Our Community!

  Great leaders make a lasting impact on their teams, organizations, and communities. Helena SHRM is proud to recognize an outstanding leader who demonstrates excellence in leadership, inspires others, and creates a positive workplace culture.

  This award is open to leaders from any industry or profession. Nominees do not need to work in Human Resources. We are recognizing exceptional leadership, regardless of job title or field.

  Nominations are open now through November 30, 2026.

  How to Nominate

  • Complete the online nomination form (500 words or less).

  • Nominees should work in the greater Helena area.

  • Leaders from any organization or industry are eligible.

  • Self-nominations are welcome.

  • Multiple nominations may be submitted.

  ️ Selection & Recognition

  • Helena SHRM members will review and vote on the nominations this fall.

  • The 2026 Helena SHRM Leader of the Year will be announced at our Holiday Social in December.

  • The recipient will also be recognized through a Helena SHRM press release and social media.

  Award

  The 2026 Helena SHRM Leader of the Year will receive:

  • A custom Helena SHRM Leader of the Year Award

  • A complimentary one-year Helena SHRM membership

  • ️ A $100 gift card to a local Helena restaurant

  ⭐ Nominee Criteria

  Nominees should demonstrate exceptional leadership by:

  • Inspiring, motivating, and supporting others to succeed.

  • Creating a positive, respectful, and inclusive workplace culture.

  • Developing and mentoring employees while encouraging growth and engagement.

  • Demonstrating integrity, accountability, and professionalism.

  • Leading through challenges with sound judgment, innovation, and problem-solving.

  • Making meaningful contributions to their team, organization, and community through their leadership.

  ❤️ Why We Recognize Great Leaders

  Outstanding leadership exists in every profession. Helena SHRM created this award to celebrate individuals who lead with integrity, empower others, and positively influence the people around them. By recognizing great leaders across all industries, we hope to inspire leadership excellence throughout the Helena community.

  Know an exceptional leader? Submit a nomination today and help us celebrate those who make our workplaces and community stronger!

  
  

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• September 2026 Training: National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

  • When
    Thursday, September 17, 2026
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Ascent Bank- (Basement Conference Room) 1721 11th Ave or via Microsoft TEAMS
  • Spaces left
    98

  Register

  National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

  Join us for our September 17 Helena SHRM Chapter Training!

  In-person at Ascent Bank on 11th Ave or Virtual (via Zoom)

  Join us for Disability Awareness Month as Lloyd Sparks takes us on a powerful journey through:

  ✅ The grim past before the ADA became law
  ✅ The accomplishments and progress we’ve made since 1990
  ✅ Who the ADA protects and why it matters
  ✅ What’s next for disability inclusion in the workplace and beyond

  Speaker: Lloyd Sparks, Senior HR Generalist with the State of Montana & lifelong ADA advocate

  Don’t miss this chance to honor the past, celebrate the progress, and look ahead to what’s still to come! ✨

  Trainer Bio:

  Lloyd Sparks, is currently serving the State of Montana as a Senior HR Generalist with the State Human Resources Division at the Department of Administration. Prior to the Senior HR Generalist role, Lloyd worked with the Department of Public Health and Human Services as their Civil Rights Coordinator and EEO Officer for just short of 8 years. He has an extensive background working with and advocating for people with disabilities. Lloyd has worked alongside individuals coping with a severe mental illness to assist them with their independence off and on for over 25 years, in both his professional and personal time. While working at a Center for Independent Living for approximately 6 years, his boss at that time requested that he live and breathe the ADA to meet the expectations as an Advocacy Specialist and serve people with disabilities in their communities.  Through working in these roles and along side people with various disabilities, Lloyd has developed a wealth of knowledge focused on all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, not just focused on the minimum standards but to also include the Spirit of the ADA. He is currently an active member of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center’s Advisory Committee and continues to expand on his skill set and knowledge to better serve all Montanan’s and beyond.

  
  

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• The Power of Belonging: A Helena SHRM Virtual Seminar

  • When
    Wednesday, October 14, 2026
  •  
    8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    Virtual Only
  • Spaces left
    100

  Register

  TBD

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• November 2026 Training: USERRA Update

  • When
    Thursday, November 19, 2026
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Ascent Bank- (Basement Conference Room) 1721 11th Ave or via Microsoft TEAMS
  • Spaces left
    100

  Register

  Topic: USERRA Update: Know Your Rights & Responsibilities
  This training will provide an overview of recent updates and key requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). We’ll review protections for employees who serve or have served in the uniformed services, employer responsibilities, reemployment rights, benefits, and practical considerations for supporting service members in the workplace.

  
  

  Speakers Bio:  Dawn Lambert has been a Certified Four Lenses Trainer with Shipley Communication for over 6 years and has trained all over the state of Montana to small business, large conferences, non-profits and government agencies.  She is from Helena, MT and has worked in various facets of HR.  She has a BA Degree in Business Administration, and recently received the Department of Defense Seven Seals Award for assisting in Military Employment Law. Dawn is currently the President for the Helena Society of Human Resource Management Chapter (SHRM), the State Ombudsman Director for the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR), and a volunteer Fire Fighter/EMT.

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• 2026 Holiday Social

  • When
    Thursday, December 17, 2026
  •  
    5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

  TBD

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• January 2027 Training: The 5 Voices: Unlocking Team Alignment & Communication

  • When
    Thursday, January 21, 2027
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Ascent Bank- (Basement Conference Room) 1721 11th Ave or via Microsoft TEAMS
  • Spaces left
    100

  Register

  The 5 Voices: Unlocking Team Alignment & Communication
  

  Most team dysfunction isn’t about effort – it’s about misunderstanding. This session introduces a practical framework that helps teams understand how they’re wired, communicate more effectively, and stop repeating the same costly breakdowns. The result is greater trust, faster alignment, and more productive collaboration across the board.

  
  

  Trainer: Nathan R. Mitchell 

  Nathan R. Mitchell is a Leadership Coach, Executive Advisor, and member of the Forbes Coaches Council who helps small and mid-sized businesses build high-performing, burnout-free cultures through empowered leaders and aligned teams. With more than 25 years of leadership and coaching experience spanning corporate retail, higher education, and small business, Nathan has led teams, developed leaders, and helped shape award-winning workplace cultures. Certified through GiANT Worldwide, The Jon Gordon Companies, and The John Maxwell Team, he is the Founder of Lead Empowered LLC and Host of Lead Empowered TV, where he equips leaders with practical strategies to improve communication, strengthen engagement, and unlock the full potential of their people.
  

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• February 2027 Training: Navigating the Modern Leave Landscape - Federal Frameworks, Multi-State Complexity, and the ADA Gray Zone

  • When
    Thursday, February 18, 2027
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Ascent Bank- (Basement Conference Room) 1721 11th Ave or via Microsoft TEAMS
  • Spaces left
    100

  Register

  TRAINING TOPIC: Navigating the Modern Leave Landscape — Federal Frameworks, Multi-State Complexity, and the ADA Gray Zone
  
  Leave administration has become one of the most legally tangled areas HR professionals manage — and the hardest cases rarely fit neatly into a single statute. This session gives HR professionals a practical framework for thinking through leave and accommodation questions when the rules overlap, conflict, or run out.
  
  We'll start with the question that quietly trips up even experienced teams: when an employee lives in one state and works in another, whose leave laws apply? From there, we'll ground ourselves in the federal foundation — FMLA and the ADA — and then spend real time in the ADA's gray areas, where "reasonable," "interactive," and "undue hardship" leave the most room for costly missteps. Throughout, we'll work real scenarios together, untangling the situations where FMLA, the ADA, and state programs collide all at once — especially during the return-to-work transitions where most leave mistakes actually happen.
  
  Attendees will leave able to spot leave-law overlap before it becomes a problem, reason through ambiguous accommodation requests with more confidence, and approach multi-state leave questions with a clear method rather than a guess.
  
  This is an interactive virtual session with scenario discussion. 

  
  

  Trainer: Sarah Kenne

  Sarah is an HR Consultant and Leave Management Specialist at Envision Benefits Group, where she manages complex leave and accommodation cases for employers across a range of industries. With seventeen years in HR and talent acquisition, she's come to specialize in the messy middle of leave administration — the overlapping statutes, the edge cases, and the gray areas where FMLA, the ADA, and state programs don't quite line up. She's known for translating dense compliance requirements into plain language HR teams can actually use, and she writes regularly on leave and HR practice for a growing professional audience on LinkedIn. She's based in Western New York.
  

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• April 2027 Training: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth for HR Professionals

  • When
    Thursday, April 15, 2027
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Ascent Bank- (Basement Conference Room) 1721 11th Ave or via Microsoft TEAMS
  • Spaces left
    100

  Register

  Training: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth for HR Professionals

  Based on John C Maxwell’s book

  If taking your HR career to the next level is your aspiration, let the valuable lessons from John Maxwell assist you. As a certified Maxwell Leadership speaker, trainer, and coach, I have identified the key laws of growth from his teachings in The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth that are most relevant to HR professionals' path towards strategic partnership. This session covers law 1. The law of intentionality – growth doesn’t just happen, and law 6. The law of environment – growth thrives in conducive environments.

  Becoming intentional at personal and professional growth will set you up to reach your goals. As example, administrative duties can flood your time and energy, leaving little room to dedicate to setting your pathway to greater success. Growing from being an administrative agent to a strategic partner will be a game changer. It’s all about intentionality.

  Just as a plant can’t grow larger in a small pot, we can’t expect to expand to our full potential in a box that is not conducive for healthy growth. The environment we find ourselves in plays a huge role in nurturing our growth or stunting it.

  Also, as HR professionals committed to elevating others, the laws apply to support coaching opportunities for you and your leadership team to uplift your team members.

  Join the discussion that takes a deeper dive into leadership growth and how you can apply the lessons in your own world.

  
  

  Speakers Bio:

  Deborah Jenkins is a dynamic keynote speaker, impactful leadership development and workforce training facilitator, and knowledgeable HR consultant with over 25 years of relevant experience providing deliverables to diverse audiences. Whether speaking in a large venue or training in smaller settings, Deborah’s authentic and unique ability to relate well with broad audiences is inspirational and evokes a positive response. Taking her career to the next level in 2019 as an independent consultant through her business, HR Solutions, LLC, Deborah now has a wider international audience with clients including numerous government agencies, universities, businesses, and organizations. In addition to earning both a human resource management and accounting degree, she also maintains professional certifications of SHRM-CP and PHR. She also is an authorized DISC personality assessment provider with Wiley's Everything DiSC and as a certified John C. Maxwell Leadership speaker, trainer, and coach.

  When Deborah isn't busy working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring in the great outdoors, and enjoying the arts and entertainment in her home state of Montana and beyond. Deborah can be contacted at www.HRS-MT.com.

           

  
  

  
  

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