One of the principles that animates the Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) is a belief in human dignity: that every person has the capacity, and desire, to contribute to their own lives and the lives of others. It is why we work to ensure all people can live a life of meaning based on their unique gifts and aptitudes.
It also is why CKF is a founding sponsor of the inaugural Human Potential Summit, which will bring together employers, investors, innovators, and education providers to catalyze a movement within the work and learning ecosystem that centers on the individual and unlocks potential through skills and strengths. The summit, set for October 14-16, 2024 in Denver, is organized by Human Potential Capital. Common Group also is a founding sponsor. A growing list of organizations, including WGU Labs, Gitlab Foundation, and Samvid Ventures, have signed on as co-sponsors.
Workers want employers to recognize their unique contributions
The summit comes at a pivotal time for workers, employers, and the U.S. economy. When employees are engaged at work, their productivity increases, employers’ retention rates rise, and workplace environments improve. In the last several years, we have seen signs that worker engagement is faltering. Recent research has found seven out of 10 Americans define their sense of purpose through their work, but less than half feel valued as people by their employers.
The Human Potential Summit aims to reverse that trend by bringing together business leaders who have come to recognize that the best way to succeed in a competitive market is to co-create talent practices that harness every person’s unique potential in a way that is fulfilling to the employee and valuable to the business. The event will provide employers with the insight and tools they need to create a culture that values the potential and strengths of each individual and offers everyone a path to contribution, fulfillment, and success in the workplace.
“This summit will be a unique and exciting opportunity to foster collaboration among employers, thought leaders, solution providers, investors, and so many others shaping the future of work and learning,” said CKF Executive Director Ryan Stowers.
Innovators will offer insight into how to build work and learning ecosystems that keep individuals at the center. Featured speakers include Populace Co-Founder and CEO Todd Rose, Amazon Director of Workforce Development Amanda Willard, Harvard University lecturer and Future Forward Institute Director Dr. Angela Jackson, and more. The summit also will offer focused workshops where participants will co-create solutions to current workforce challenges.
Summit will bring together stakeholders open to innovative ideas about talent development
The summit is the brainchild of Taylor McLemore, CEO of Human Potential Capital, a firm that elevates entrepreneurs working to increase economic mobility and the availability of meaningful careers.
“Far too often, important conversations about employer practices and educational pathways — and even the skills that learners and workers want and need — happen in a vacuum,” said McLemore.
Like McLemore, CKF believes that to build a future of work that works for everyone, workers, employers, investors, innovators, and education providers must work together.
“There is a lot of momentum around new workforce practices, but without bringing key stakeholders together around shared principles, we won’t generate the long-term answers,” Stowers said. “Only together will we find the solutions needed to empower everyone to reach their full potential.”
Register for the summit here. Read the full press release announcing the summit here.