Introducing Gen Z! Get Ready for the Next Generation Hitting the Workforce

Session Time: 8:15 am — 9:15 am

Speaker: Keri Smith, Vice President of Human Resources, MedBridge 

Session Description: Introducing Generation Z! The leading edge is already in their early twenties. They have arrived in the workplace. They are making their presence known and we, as HR professionals, cannot afford to ignore them. We need to understand them and prepare a path for them in our workforce. We have whole new generation to get to know.  And they are not like the Millennials or the Xers, of the Boomers or the Traditionalists. For some of us this will be the last generation we will have to worry about getting to know in the workplace. And for some of us it may be the first generation we are welcoming into the workplace.  The time to get to know Generation Z is today!

• Core Competency #1: Understanding Generations

• Core Competency #2: Employee Engagement

Speaker Bio:
Keri Smith is MedBridge’s Vice President of Human Resources, having joined the company in September 2019. Keri is a strategic global leader with expertise in managing a full range of human resources and organizational development activities designed to optimize employee engagement and increase overall business results. Prior to MedBridge, Keri held senior human resources positions with Bsquare, Intermec (acquired by Honeywell), The Washington Post, Paccar, and US Airways.

Keri earned her MS in leadership from Grand Canyon University and her BA in history from University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she was magna cum laude. She holds a “Certificate in Organization Communication” for the University of Washington.  She is a national and local member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Association for Talent Development.

She maintains the GPHR designation and SHRM-SCP designation, certifications earned through the HR Certification Institute affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management. She also maintains her CPLP (Certified Professional in Learning and Performance) designation from the Association for Talent Development.

Keri is a Washington native and currently lives in Snohomish, WA.  She enjoys camping, river rafting, motorcycle, and mountain bike riding, and reading.