NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) will highlight talent attraction, development and retention as a central component of economic development on Thursday, Sept. 28, at a new symposium “Winning in the Talent Marketplace.”
The event takes place at UNO’s Homer L. Hitt Alumni and Visitors Center, 2000 Lakeshore Dr., from 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The half-day event is open to the public and includes three panel discussions surrounding talent-related issues in New Orleans, including retaining university graduates, improving employee engagement and spotlighting Louisiana’s workforce training programs, as well as a presentation by the leaders of Talent Growth Advisors, a firm from Atlanta that specializes in talent acquisition and management.
Talent Growth Advisors will also lead an exclusive roundtable for business leaders after the public portion.
“Putting a community on the track of growth and prosperity requires a focus on talent,” said Alejandra Guzman, NOLABA vice president of program development and strategy. “The clustering of talented individuals increases innovation, entrepreneurship and productivity, and promotes growth and development in a region, so NOLABA includes attracting and retaining talent as a pillar of our work.”
The program agenda includes:
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Registration and Breakfast
8:35 a.m. – Welcome – UNO president Dr. John Nicklow
8:40 a.m. – Introduction – Winning in the Talent Marketplace (Mary Matthews, 504ward)
8:45 a.m. – Panel – Creating a Talent Pipeline (Evie Poitevent, GNO, Inc.; Carla Coury, Tulane Career Center; Cheyenne Ellis, YouthForce NOLA; Matt Findley, inXile Entertainment)
9:30 a.m. – Presentation – New Orleans and the Global Competition for Top Talent (Linda Brenner and Tom McGuire, Talent Growth Advisors)
10:10 a.m. – Panel – Culture is our Competitive Advantage (Teresa Lawrence, Delta Personnel; Rick Tallant, Shell; Franck LaBiche, Laitram; Kevin Dawson, GE Digital)
10:55 a.m. – Presentation – Improving Employee Engagement by Helping Working Parents (Tim Daly and Whitney Henderson, EdNavigator)
11:25 a.m. – Panel – Workforce Training Programs at Your Fingertips (Ashleigh Gardere, City of New Orleans/The Network for Economic Opportunity; Alejandra Guzman, NOLABA; Paul Helton, LED FastStart)
11:55 a.m. – Closing Remarks – Is New Orleans Worth It? (Quentin L. Messer Jr., NOLABA)
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Roundtable – Choices that Underpin Breakthrough Strategies to Attract and Retain Talent (Linda Brenner and Tom McGuire, Talent Growth Advisors)
1:30 p.m. – Closing Remarks – Jason Rogers Williams, Councilmember-At-Large
For detailed session descriptions
