note from the editor

We are kicking off the fall SHRM Conference season with a bang at the Music City Center in Nashville for the 2021 Tennessee SHRM Conference & Expo starring Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of SHRM. He will be our inspiring opening keynote speaker on August 15. He is also delivering the opening keynote in Louisville at the 37th Annual KYSHRM Conference. Hoping to see him in Las Vegas also August 22-25 for the 2021 SHRM Talent Conference. The grand finale for August will be at Kissimmee for the 2021 HR Florida Conference and Expo. It will be an exciting whirlwind month!

September will be just as exciting, as we kick off the month at the 2021 SHRM Annual Conference in Las Vegas – again on the 9th-12th! September 22-24 we are in Stone Mountain for the SHRM Georgia 2021 State Conference. Then we are back in Atlanta September 26-29 for the SHRM-Atlanta Annual Conference. (You can save $30 with code HRPRO2021!) Travel with us to Rogers for the Annual ARSHRM Conference September 29 – October 1. Then travel with us to the Better Together Beach Retreat October 7-9, Columbus Day weekend, at beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama. Bring the family for a weekend of fun in the sun while picking up recertification credits. We close out October in beautiful Greensboro at the NCSHRM State Conference. Think of the SHRM and HRCI credits you can earn in September and October! See the full page ads in this issue for all the details!

We are so honored to have Frances Flowers, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, and Director of Tennessee SHRM, on our August cover. What an accomplished HR professional for the past 29 years! She started her HR career in 1992 in payroll and is currently a senior human resources business partner at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee in Chattanooga. Hats off to Frances! Be sure to read her career profile on Page 5. We applaud her many years of volunteer service to SHRM.

We are excited to present profiles of some of the top ERISA and employee benefits attorneys in the Southeast in this issue. We hope this section will serve as a guide when you need a qualified attorney to assist with your employee benefits issues as you plan for open enrollment season. Watch for our eBook coming soon that you may keep at your fingertips. Want to be a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP? If you are not yet a certified HR professional, you have an excellent opportunity coming up! Our next Online SHRM Certification Exam Prep Class begins October 25. You can register on our website to join our class now. The deadline to register is October 18. These classes are affordable and convenient! You can take the class from the comfort of your home on your own computer. We are proud of our 80% pass rate! Get certified!

Hope you are enjoying our Thursday sponsored webinars! Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for my monthly webinar sponsored by Data Facts. You will earn 1.00 SHRM PDC and 1.00 HRCI credit. It will be August 26 at 2 PM CT. We are discussing “Global HR and Your Role.” Watch your email for your invitation!

a note from the editor

cynthia@hrprosmagazine.com @cythomps

Building Healthier Lives and Workplaces

We couldn’t serve our home state of Tennessee and our employees with excellence without leaders like our own Frances Flowers.

Frances, thank you for making us a better, more inclusive place to work and for giving decades of your time to help organizations like the Society of Human Resource Management. You’re an example of our company’s calling to serve and care for our communities.