Great River SHRM

10/28/2026

Great River SHRM is pleased to introduce Allison K. Wright as a speaker at the Great River SHRM 2026 Ignite Legal Event!

Connect with fellow HR professionals and join us for a morning of learning.
📅 Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
🕗 Time: 8 a.m.–noon
📍 Location: QC Waterfront Convention Center
🔗 Register: https://www.grhra.org/events/grhra-2026-legal-event

Ms. Wright is a partner and shareholder of Wright Law Offices, P.C. – where she has worked with HR and management clients for just shy of two decades. With a love for the law and a passion for helping people – Ms. Wright’s practice is tailored to providing both short and long term solutions to the myriad of employment issues that arise in the workplace.

Her everyday practice focuses on management labor and employment law and civil litigation, handbooks, employment policies, employee discipline, workplace accommodations, leave, wage and hour issues, employment agreements, executive and corporate governance, workplace investigations, discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, and many other matters.

Ms. Wright regularly conducts workplace trainings for employees, supervisors and governing bodies or boards and dedicates a large portion of her practice to conducting workplace investigations related to claims of misconduct, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Ms. Wright also spends a lot of time in court- managing various labor and employment law claims, including defending clients at the administrative level before the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the EEOC, the Department of Labor and in state and federal courts in both Iowa and Illinois – up and through trial. She represents management clients in arbitrations, drafts and negotiates collective bargaining agreements and leads clients through union efforts and elections.

Ms. Wright advises clients daily on compliance issues, managing their workforce and addressing all of the employment-related questions necessary to strategize, respond and manage operations, finances and other corporate matters while limiting legal exposure. She is a day-to-day advisor accessible to her clients as she helps them plan for the expected and address the unexpected.

10/27/2026

Great River SHRM is pleased to introduce Alexander Koglin as a speaker at the Great River SHRM 2026 Ignite Legal Event!

Connect with fellow HR professionals and join us for a morning of learning.

📅 Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
🕗 Time: 8 a.m.–noon
📍 Location: QC Waterfront Convention Center
🔗 Register: https://www.grhra.org/events/grhra-2026-legal-event

Alexander Koglin is a Vice President, Benefits Consulting at Alera Group, Inc. Group, where he helps mid-market employers design and manage employee benefits strategies that balance cost, compliance, and employee experience. He advises HR and executive leaders on healthcare trends, benefits compliance, workforce wellbeing, and innovative approaches to managing rising healthcare costs. Alex is passionate about helping organizations use benefits as a strategic tool to support both business goals and employee success.

10/26/2026

✨ Committee Monday Spotlight ✨

This week, we’re excited to collaborate with our Sponsorship Committee — Matt Rednour, VBS, GBDS, REBC® & Tally Neofotist!

In this series, we’ll be highlighting our Platinum Sponsors by asking each of them three questions and sharing their responses right here with our Great River SHRM community.

To kick things off, we’re proud to feature our Platinum Sponsor Eastern Iowa Community College👏

𝟏) 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
EICC has been a trusted workforce partner to industry leaders and HR teams across the region for many years. We work directly with HR professionals to train their employees, upskill teams, and develop customized training programs that support both current and future workforce needs.

EICC offers a wide range of technical and leadership training in the areas of Safety, Quality, Business, IT, Logistics, and Manufacturing Technology for maintenance mechanics and electricians as well as many software application skills.

𝟐) 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭?
EICC is recognized for its deep commitment to strengthening the workforce in Eastern Iowa. With strategically located training centers in Muscatine, Bettendorf, Davenport, Clinton, DeWitt, and Maquoketa, we make it easy for partners to access high quality training while minimizing travel time.

Each of our facilities are staffed with Subject Matter Experts who bring real world industry knowledge and experience to the classroom. Those experts engage our students with state-of-the-art training equipment and modern learning environments. In addition to in-person training, we offer a wide range of online learning options to foster an environment of flexible and accessible development for our partners and the broader community.

𝟑) 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐇𝐑𝐌 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?
EICC believes in collaboration and sharing our top tier training programs with all our partners in the region. We actively seek input from employers to ensure our offerings align with real workforce needs in our communities.

Recently, EICC conducted a Workforce Training and Development Survey to gather further insights from industry partners. This survey is just one of many ways we listen to the voice of our local partners and use that feedback to shape innovation and industry leading training programs that will support business partner growth and long-term success.

10/21/2026

The wait is over—the agenda for the Great River SHRM 2026 Ignite Legal Event is here!

We’re excited to welcome our speakers: Alexander Koglin, Joshua McIntyre, Allison K. Wright, and Shuttleworth & Ingersoll. Join us for a morning of learning and connecting with fellow HR professionals.

Haven’t registered yet? There’s still time to join us!
📅 Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
🕗 Time: 8 a.m.–noon
📍 Location: QC Waterfront Convention Center
🔗 Register: https://www.grhra.org/events/grhra-2026-legal-event

10/21/2026

🎉⚖️ GREAT NEWS, HR FRIENDS!⚖️🎉

Feeling lucky and excited for the chance to win a ticket to the Great River SHRM Legal Conference?👩🏽‍💼📚

✨ Fingers crossed! 🤞🏽

The winner will be announced October 23rd!🍀

Thanks to our friends at Empeople Credit Union!

10/19/2026

This October, we wear pink to raise awareness, celebrate survivors, and support those impacted by breast cancer. 🎗️

As HR professionals, we can help by encouraging preventive care, sharing available resources, supporting employee wellness initiatives, and creating a workplace where compassion comes first. Every conversation, resource, and act of support matters.

💗 Awareness. Support. Hope. Together, we can make a difference.

10/13/2026

We are finally caught up on the mountain of emails we put on hold last week while we were busy getting inspired at the SHRM Iowa State Conference! 🚀 Now that the dust has settled, we want to hear from YOU!

What was your absolute favorite moment, game-changing strategy, or top takeaway from the conference? 🧠💥

Drop your biggest lightbulb moments in the comments below—let’s keep the learning going! 👇

10/12/2026

We will be hosting our Annual Ignite Legal Event on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. There will be a lot of great content for both Illinois and Iowa, along with deep dives into specific legal practice areas.

Save the date and stay tuned for our speaker lineup!

🔗 Learn more and RSVP here:

{description}

10/09/2026

Great River HR Excellence Gala Award Recipient
2026 Board Member of the Year: Sydney Larson

Some people serve on a board. Others show up and make the entire organization better.

Sydney Larson has done exactly that.

Sydney has gone above and beyond the scope of her role, stepping in wherever help was needed and helping create a welcoming environment for both Great River SHRM members and her fellow board members.

Whether it was part of her official responsibilities or simply one of those inevitable "other duties as assigned," Sydney could be counted on to jump in, help and keep things moving.

She has also been a wonderful ambassador for Great River SHRM and the HR profession, helping bring greater recognition to the work we do and the community we're building together.

We were thrilled to surprise Sydney at the 2026 Great River HR Excellence Gala as our Board Member of the Year!

Congratulations, Sydney, and thank you for everything you do for Great River SHRM. We are better because you're part of it.

10/09/2026

Great River HR Excellence Gala Award Recipient
2026 HR Leader of the Year: Denise Ward

More than 40 years in the banking industry. Years of navigating change, acquisitions and complex people issues. And along the way, an incredible impact on the people and HR professionals around her.

Denise Ward was recognized as our 2026 HR Leader of the Year for the leadership, integrity, compassion and courage she has demonstrated throughout her career.

Her nomination described Denise as a cornerstone of all things people at Central Bank, a mentor to HR leaders and someone willing to lead with honesty, even when the message wasn't always easy to hear.

Her impact has extended beyond her own organization, including being recognized as the 2024 Illinois Bankers Association Woman of the Year.

Congratulations, Denise, our 2026 Great River SHRM HR Leader of the Year!

Thank you for the impact you've made on HR, the banking industry and the people you've helped develop along the way.