May 15, 2026

This year, the Cal-ISBOA HR Workshop in Pasadena featured not one but two fantastic keynote presentations to assist our HR members in their pursuit of excellence at their schools. 

Our Workshop day began with an empowering keynote from award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and business owner Catherine Mattice (Civility Partners, Inc.) on the topic of Your HR Superpower: Building a Culture of Ownership and Accountability. Presenting a model of how HR work can be integrated into a school's business strategy, elevating HR professionals from "complaint deposit boxes" to be strategic partners in decision making, Catherine presented actionable insights and tips for understanding and improving your organization's employee culture. Hint: remember to check and potentially change the "OIL"! 

Following a parade of exciting breakout sessions, our HR Workshop culminated in a Closing Keynote from nationally recognized expert on leadership, culture, and the modern workforce Eric Swenson (Tanzanite Leadership Development and Symmetry HR Outsourcing) on the topic of A Blueprint for School Culture: How You Can Shape Connection, Engagement, and Belonging. In a moment when employee engagement and retention are more important than ever, Eric invites HR managers to position themselves as the proactive architects of workplace culture and employee experience rather than administrators, with the help of innovative HR leadership strategies without adding budget or headcount.

Workshop registrants can access full presentation slides on our Workshop Materials page when they are logged in. If you were able to join us, we hope these two keynotes gave you useful insights and ideas to apply at your school!

Below: (left) Catherine Mattice and (right) Eric Swenson presenting at the 2026 Cal-ISBOA HR Workshop.