Meet other HR leaders within the convenience and retailing industry to ignite bright ideas and exchange insights into the top-of-mind issues in our industry. Forge lasting connections with other attendees and share innovative solutions to stay on top of your current challenges throughout the year.
Registration for the 2024 NACS HR Forum is now open! Register today to save your seat amongst other HR leaders within the convenience and fuel retailing industry.
The NACS Human Resources Forum educates and connects HR professionals specifically working in the convenience retailing industry. Attendees benefit from engaging presentations on topics vital to their job, case studies that can generate new ideas and valuable opportunities to build relationships with peers.
Here’s what you can expect when you attend:
Exceptional Content: We provide custom-made, high-level content that fosters a fruitful dialogue among participants.
Working Group Discussions: Engage in in-depth discussions on how HR can innovate within recruiting, retention, and development.
Legal and Data-driven Insights: Sessions are delivered by legal counsel and focus on new laws and regulations that impact the convenience industry; exclusive NACS data on compensation and hiring is also presented.
Lasting Relationships: Attendees build a strong peer network that can function as a personal board of advisors to help with work issues and opportunities throughout the year and in years to come.
HR Solutions: First-hand look at HR solutions and technologies via a curated list of HR partners who will help prepare you for the future of work.
CEU credits: Participants will receive CEU credits from HRCI and SHRM.
Attend the NACS HR Forum and leave with the toolkit you need to deliver next-level HR value.


Attendees earn an average of 10 professional development credits from HRCI and SHRM.
"As an HR leader in our industry, I attend the NACS HR Forum because it is a great place to network and meet new people who are facing and dealing with the same issues as I am—plus, all the legal updates keep me out of trouble and in compliance! Lastly, it is great to hear from peers I have known for a long time, sharing insights near and dear to their hearts and the companies they represent."
– Kurt Weigel - Weigel's Stores, Inc.
For any questions or to request more information, please contact:
Brandi Mauro
Education Program Manager
[email protected]
(703) 518-4223

This agenda is regularly updated. Check back often for updates.
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3:30 - 5:00 PM
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Opening Remarks and Quick Hit Discussion
Julie Jackowski, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary, Casey’s (retired), Past NACS Chairman (2020-2021)
During this introductory session of the 2024 NACS HR Forum, Moderator Julie Jackowski will lead an icebreaker activity and then facilitate quick hit discussions on today’s pressing issues in HR such as "Ban the Box" and Unionization.
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5:00 - 5:45 PM
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A Picture of Labor in 2023
Jayme Gough, PMP, Research Manager, NACS
In recent years, the labor market has seen dramatic and unprecedented events. Historic unemployment rates in 2020 led to an unforeseen shift to a market that heavily favored employees, who necessitated higher wages to keep pace with the seemingly exponential growth of inflation. The hot job market had far more openings than there were people able to fill them, and quit rates were at an all-time high. This resulted in employers raising wages, increasing benefits, and providing incentives to attract prospective employees to join their teams. So what’s changed – if anything – in 2023? In this presentation, Jayme will review labor macroeconomic trends to help you gain a complete understanding of the labor market. She will also dive into convenience-specific data from the most recent compensation survey – and provide insights to help you and your business develop the most effective strategic HR strategy and plan for long term success.
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5:45 - 6:00 PM
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Day One Wrap-up
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6:00 - 7:00 PM
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Opening Reception
Location: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville
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8:00 - 8:30 AM
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Breakfast
(Optional “New to Industry” meetup facilitated by Jill Spencer, Vice President of Human Resources, El Tigre Food Stores.)
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8:30 - 9:00 AM
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Group Photo and Welcome
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9:00 - 10:00 AM
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30 Tips and Tricks from 30 Years in HR
Steve Seymour, Director of Personnel Training and Development, United Refining Company/Country Fair Inc.
Join us for a “quick hitting” session where Steve Seymour, author of the book “100 Ideas to Improve the Workplace, An HR Nerd’s Guide to Creating Excellent Culture, will take you through a treasure trove of recruiting and retention ideas. Steve brings three decades of experience to service industry HR, with over 25 years in the convenience industry. The goal of the session will be to focus on what Steve believes “should be” HR’s number one goal – to get (and keep) the right people in the right positions at your organization.
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10:00 - 10:45 AM
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Retail Panel: Proven Strategies to Boost Employee Engagement
Jenna Collard, Director, Education Engagement, NACS
Shannon Trovinger, SPHR, Director of Human Resources, GPM Investments, LLC
This session will feature three leading retailers sharing their transformative approaches to boosting employee engagement. The conversation will highlight the impact of Employee Resource Groups/Affinity Groups, the role of internal communication tools like apps and texting platforms, and insights into resources beyond Employee Assistance Programs, such as sick banks and employee crisis funds.
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10:45 - 11:00 AM
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Networking Break
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11:00 - 11:30 AM
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Roundtable Breakout Discussion by Store Size
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11:30 - 12:30 PM
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Innovations in HR: Redefining the Workplace Experience
Abby Curlin, Corporate Recruiter and Training Developer, TXB
In this lightning session, we're inviting three forward-thinking retailers to each share their innovative ideas in 15-minute segments, followed by a Q&A. The first speaker will unveil a cutting-edge training program for modern learners, the second will share impactful cultural tools, and the final speaker will share insights on becoming a recognized “Best Place to Work”.
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12:30 - 1:30 PM
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Lunch
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1:30 - 2:30 PM
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Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council: Labor
Lori B. Stillman, VP of Education and Research, NACS
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2:30 - 3:15 PM
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Legal and Legislative Update: How to Be Prepared
Explore essential updates, and immerse yourself in an interactive role-play experience that equips you and your team with practical takeaways for courtroom scenarios. Stay informed and ready with this engaging session designed to enhance your understanding of crucial legal developments.
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3:15 - 3:30 PM
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Networking Break
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3:30 - 4:00 PM
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HR's Guide to Reducing Retail Loss & Crime
Kelly Harrington, Director of Asset Protection, RaceTrac
Retail crime, whether it’s internal employee theft or violence in the parking lot of stores, is on the rise, and is an important safety issue for HR to tackle alongside their LP and risk management colleagues. In this session, Kelly Harrington, Director of Asset Protection at RaceTrac, will talk about how partnering with HR for de-escalation and situational awareness training, internal integrity investigations, employee screening and talent development have evolved over his career with various retailers and how HR professionals can help their organization in today’s economic and social climate.
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4:00 - 5:00 PM
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Creating a Workplace that Doesn’t Suck
Hannah Ubl, Co-founder, Good Company Consulting
Everyone deserves an amazing place to work… so why do so many people dread getting out of bed in the morning? While you’ve probably heard the phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” rarely do organizations focus their time, money, and resources on improving their workplace culture. This presentation is all about helping clients building and maintaining a thriving culture. It gives leaders and managers a cultural playbook to assess if their own culture is designed to empower their employees. By unpacking the most pertinent organizational design trends, what’s worked (and also what hasn’t), and exploring basic human motivations, Hannah aims to give fresh insights and tools so you can create a workplace that makes people want to spring out of bed in the morning.
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5:00 - 5:15 PM
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Day One Wrap-up
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5:45 - 7:15 PM
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Evening Networking Activity (optional): Evening St. John’s River Taxi Boat Cruise
Please meet at the Hyatt dock to the rear of the hotel no later than 5:40pm to board!
Sponsored by Ready Training Online
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8:00 - 8:30 AM
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Breakfast
(Optional “Senior HR Leader” meetup facilitated by Julie Jackowski, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary, Casey’s (retired), Past NACS Chairman (2020-2021).)
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8:30 - 8:40 AM
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Day Three Kick-off
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8:40 - 10:00 AM
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Connect for Success - The Power of Listening. The Power of Words. The Power of Connecting
Kyle R. Vowinkel, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University Johnson School of Business; Principal, Apex Risk Consulting
This session will cover connecting and influencing others through persuasive and positive communication methods. Attendees will gain insights on how to genuinely listen, build rapport, and control one’s emotions. Attendees will also learn how to employ perspective variance and third-party intermediaries. The session is capped off by the incredible true story of how under intense pressure, Vowinkel connected with a terrorist – and persuaded the Boston Marathon bomber to surrender.
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10:00 - 10:15 AM
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Networking Break
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10:15 - 10:45 AM
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Roundtable Breakout Discussion by Topic
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10:45 - 11:30 AM
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Combatting Burnout and Creating Career Path's in HR
According to research reports by SHRM, 62% of HR professionals in 2023 stated that they were considering leaving the field. Coming out of the pandemic and facing increasing crime, financial instability, and increased legislation, its no wonder HR professionals are feeling the pressure and re-considering their own roles. During this closing session, Julie will walk through strategies for both you and and your team members to use in avoiding burnout in the field of HR, including expanded career path opportunities and enhanced strategic roles within your organizations.
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Meet the 2024 NACS HR Forum speakers. More speakers will be added as they are confirmed.
Read bio >>
Jenna Collard is responsible for educational programming at NACS to include NACS Show Education Sessions, Executive Education, and other educational programming such as HR Forum, Leadership Forum, and industry webinars.
Prior to joining NACS in 2017, Jenna worked as a corporate trainer for a Washington DC based real estate information company for several years. She earned a BA in Sociology & American Studies from University of Maryland and an M.Ed. in Adult Education and Training from Colorado State University.
In her spare time Jenna loves to come up with new adventures to take her daughters on, travel to take with friends, and run.
Read bio >>
Jayme Gough is the Research Manager for the NACS Research Department. She joined NACS in June of 2017 after having worked for the Alexandria City Public Schools for several years. In addition to administering the NACS State of the Industry Compensation survey and analyzing data for the annual SOI Compensation Report, she manages the NACS category definitions and assists with the State of the Industry enterprise and consumer insights portfolio. She has a passion for helping businesses achieve success using data-drive strategies. Jayme holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Bates College and is a certified project manager.
Read bio >>
Kelly Harrington joined RaceTrac, Inc. in May 2022 as the Director of Asset Protection. He brings a strong background in both Computer Science and Criminal Justice, having pursued his studies at Washington State University. With close to 15 years of experience in retail Loss Prevention, Kelly embarked on his career journey at The Home Depot, initially working at store locations before advancing to roles of increasing responsibility within Asset Protection. In his final position at The Home Depot, Kelly held leadership oversight of the Organized Retail Crime and Central Investigations team, providing support to the Southern Division of US stores.
In his current role at RaceTrac, Kelly is charged with establishing and enhancing Asset Protection and Loss Prevention programs and processes. His focus lies on shrink reduction, enhancing physical security, crime response, and fostering a culture of awareness within the organization. RaceTrac, a family-owned company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has been serving its customers since 1934. With over 10,000 team members spread across two operating divisions (RaceTrac, featuring 575 corporate stores in 8 states, and RaceWay, with 225 franchise locations in 11 states) and affiliated companies (Metroplex Energy and Energy Dispatch), Kelly's responsibilities extend to these entities as well.
In the early stages of his role at RaceTrac, Kelly familiarized himself with the business and proactively forged relationships with both internal and external partners to positively impact the organization. One notable achievement is his development of reporting tools that have significantly improved visibility into fuel theft occurrences, a widespread issue affecting fuel retailers nationwide. Kelly is deeply committed to cultivating relationships with law enforcement agencies, making it a core mission during his tenure at RaceTrac. He leverages data-driven insights to inform his decision-making process and consistently seeks innovative solutions to various business challenges. As we approach the new year, Kelly is eager to continue his work in expanding and strengthening the Asset Protection program at RaceTrac.
Read bio >>
Julie joined Casey's in 1994 as Legal Counsel as its first employment law counsel. She became Vice President of Human Resources/Legal Counsel in 2003 with oversight, in part, of the departments of Human Resources, Payroll, and the Child Development Center. In 2010, Julie was promoted to Senior Vice President, Corporate General Counsel and Human Resources. In August of 2015, her area of focus changed slightly to align with her last position of Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary where she oversaw the Company’s legal, compliance, regulatory and risk areas housed primarily in the departments under her direct supervision of Legal, Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Management (including Worker’s Compensation, Security and Food Safety), and the Project Management Office. She also served as the Company’s secretary with oversight of SEC compliance and coordination of Board matters. Julie served on the NACS Board of Directors for many years culminating with the position of Chairman from 2020-2021.
Before joining Casey's, Julie was an attorney for Shearer, Templer, Pingel &Kaplan. Julie has been active in a number of organizations including the Association of Corporate Counsel (Iowa Chapter), Iowa State Bar Association (past chair of the Corporate Counsel Section), Drake University Law School Board of Counselors and Delta Theta Phi International Law Fraternity, where she served four years as its president. She currently serves on the non-profit Boards for the Wildwood Hills Ranch of Iowa, the James Arthur Albert Foundation, and the Affiliated House Corporation of Gama Phi Beta at Iowa State University. She is also a board member of SuckerPunch Gourmet LLC.
Julie earned a J.D. from Drake University Law School and a B.A. in political science from Iowa State University. She and her husband Tom are the parents of four children and 1 granddaughter.
About Casey’s: Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, Casey’s General Stores, Inc. operates more than 2,400 convenience stores in 16 Midwestern states. Casey’s offers self-service fuel, a wide selection of grocery items and an array of freshly prepared food items. Among the most popular of Casey’s prepared food are its made-from-scratch pizzas, donuts, subs and sandwiches. Casey’s operates from three company distribution centers, enabling an approximate delivery of 90% of in-store products as well as 55% of fuel.
Read bio >>
Steve Seymour, SPHR, SHRM-CSP, is the Director of Human Resources at Country Fair, Inc., a subsidiary of United Refining Company, headquartered in Erie, PA. Steve is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Mercyhurst University in Erie, where he teaches courses in Human Resources and Finance. Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree is in Organizational Resource Management and a Master’s in Human Resources, Training & Development. Steve’s first job, at the age of 14, was a cashier at his neighborhood convenience store.
Steve considers himself an HR nerd, who believes that, if done properly, technology and “the human touch” can blend effectively to help build award winning corporate cultures. Steve is most proud of Country Fair’s “Best Places to Work” designations from Forbes Magazine in 2019 and 2021.
Steve, his wife Beth and rescue cat Elby reside in North East, PA. Steve currently sits on the Board of Community Shelter Services in Erie and spearheads an annual coat and clothing give away in North East.
Read bio >>
Lori Buss Stillman is the Vice President, Research and Education for NACS. Joining NACS in 2019, Lori leads the association’s industry-leading research portfolio, which includes the NACS State of the Industry suite of products and events, Convenience Voices shopper research) that provides moment-of-truth insights into shopping behavior, monthly data insights from the CSX database and other research and insights programs critical to the convenience and fuel retail industry. She assumed responsibility for NACS Education programs in 2022, including event content, online learning, and Executive Education programs available at Yale, Cornell, MIT, Kellogg, and Wharton.
Stillman has a deep background in data analytics, decision support, business development and consulting. Most recently, she served as executive vice president of analytics, insights and business intelligence for Advantage Solutions. Leveraging 30+ years in the FMCG industry, she also has served as senior vice president of new client acquisition for Information Resources Inc., vice president of marketing and business development for WEBCO General Partnership, and senior vice president of strategic business development for Nielsen.
Stillman earned a B.A. in business communications from Maryville University. She is active in the advancement of our industry, holding board level positions with the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council, Conexxus and with the Western Michigan University Food and CPG Marketing Program Industry Advisory Board. She is also a frequent speaker on the disruption taking place across the retail landscape.
Lori makes her home in Northern Virginia, with her husband and daughter.
Read bio >>
Hannah Ubl's core mission is to create organizations that don’t suck. She’s devoted her career to flipping the traditional workplace script, throwing out the old “employees are lines on a spreadsheet” in favor of treating people at work more like… well, people.
As Co-founder of Good Company Consulting, she’s sought after for her bold take on building workplaces that prioritize the human experience while simultaneously increasing the bottom line. Hannah’s dedicated the past decade to researching people at work - not just top talent and leadership - but everyone in between. She’s discovered a strangely well-kept secret for recruiting and retaining the workforce of the future: the best recipe for organizational success is rooted in mindfulness, empathy, and kindness.
Hannah’s work is a fresh approach to the standard (and outdated) workplace narrative. Not afraid to ask the hard questions, she pushes audiences towards self-inquiry to help them become better leaders, better managers, and better colleagues.
With heart, deep conviction, and a good dose of self-deprecating humor, Hannah will sweep you along on a journey of insights that lead to deep, lasting mindset shifts about how work works. A passionate speaker and consummate professional, she’s energized by her audiences and brings her full self to each and every presentation.
Read bio >>
Kyle R. Vowinkel is a lecturer at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business. He provides riveting presentations on leadership and communication strategies, based on over three decades of government service as an FBI executive, an FBI Agent, a US Army officer, and a crisis negotiator.
Vowinkel elevates corporate leaders and teams, empowering them with the tools to connect with and influence others. He shares lessons acquired from his decorated service on two high performing US National assets; the Department of Justice's elite counterterrorism unit, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT); and the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU).
Vowinkel was integral in resolving some of the FBI's most precarious missions when he matched wits with kidnappers, pirates, and terrorists. He’s worked with tactical and negotiation professionals around the world, deploying to over twenty countries - From Germany, to Scotland Yard, to rotations with the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An impactful and memorable event speaker at West Point, Cornell, Google, Hostage Negotiation Seminars, and FBI conferences. Kyle’s interviews on the Fox News True Crime and FBI Retired Case File Review podcasts resulted in more than 100,000 downloads.
Registration for the 2024 NACS HR Forum is now open. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with other convenience retailers in a setting perfect to address the challenges facing our industry.
Register Now
Registration Pricing:
NACS Retail Member - $1,399
NACS Retail Non-Member - $2,500
There are a limited number of seats for supplier partners. For supplier registrations, please contact Brandi Mauro at [email protected].
All 2024 Human Resources Forum events and accommodations will take place at:
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville
225 E Coastline Dr
Jacksonville, FL, 32202
(800) 233-1234
NEW in 2024: All attendees are responsible for booking and guaranteeing their own hotel accommodations.
NACS Group Rate: $189+tax
Hotel Reservation Deadline: Friday, February 16th, 2024
NACS has negotiated a group rate of $189/night + tax on your behalf. All charges and hotel reservations are the responsibility of the guest. A form of payment will be required when booking your hotel accommodations. Confirmation numbers will be provided by the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville immediately following confirmation of your reservation.
Book Your Room
Attendees must book their own flight accommodations. The cost of flights and ground transportation are not included in the event registration fee.
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
For questions regarding hotel or travel accommodations, please contact:
Anna Serfass
Meetings and Expo Coordinator
[email protected]
+1 703.518.4243
The 2024 NACS HR Forum will include opportunities for attendees to visit with HR partners. We are looking for partners with HR solutions and technologies to help prepare the industry for the future of work. See the list of past HR Forum participating companies (PDF).
If you are a vendor and are interested in participating in the 2024 NACS HR Forum, please reach out to Jenna Collard at [email protected] to discuss available opportunities to engage with this audience.