The seventh annual Workforce2030 Conference is returning to Kansas City! Workforce2030 will explore the many strategies and programs that Missouri’s employers, educators and organizations can implement leading up to the year 2030 to make our state the home of a thriving, vibrant workforce.
Member rate: $325
Non-member rate: $425
All credit card payments will be charged a 3% convenience fee.
Check out highlights from our 2024 Workforce Conference.
We look forward to you joining us this October in Kansas City!
The 2025 conference will be held at the Oracle Innovations Campus located in Kansas City.
We have secured a hotel room block at the Hampton Inn Kansas City Southeast which is right next door. Book by Sept. 26 using the link below or call the front desk at 816-704-4400 and request a room in the “Missouri Chamber of Commerce RL”.
$144/night before taxes
Information on available continuing education credits coming soon!
Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace is president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography.
Working across the public service, academic, and philanthropic sectors, Dr. Burns-Wallace caries a career commitment to enriching and strengthening equitable economic mobility for all. With Ewing Kauffman’s vision serving as the centerpiece for the Kauffman Foundation, Dr. Burns-Wallace guided a comprehensive community engagement process to solidify the foundation’s enduring bond with Kansas City and renew its focus on college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship.
Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Dr. Burns-Wallace was the secretary of administration and the chief information technology officer for the State of Kansas under Governor Laura Kelly. She was the first African American to hold either cabinet seat in the state’s history.
Dr. Burns-Wallace’s career in higher education included serving as vice provost for at University of Kansas, assistant vice provost at the University of Missouri, and assistant dean at Stanford University. She began her career as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, serving tours in China, South Africa, and in Washington D.C.
Service is a cornerstone of Dr. Burns-Wallace’s journey. She was elected to the Stanford University Board of Trustees in 2020, and she previously has held board roles in numerous local, regional, and national organizations including the College Board and Heart of Missouri United Way. She was recently elected as a life member to the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations.
While her career has taken Dr. Burns-Wallace around the world, she has never been far from the neighborhoods of Kansas City where she was raised and drew inspiration for leading a life of service. DeAngela’s most important title is mom to her son, Xavier.
Chad Carden has been studying and working with companies to improve their number one asset — their people — for over 20 years. His life mission is to improve the way employers and employees interact to create greater engagement and better results. By challenging them to reach outside their comfort zones, Chad’s clients achieve heights they’ve never imagined. Named a Top Coach Making a Difference by USA Today and featured as a Top Entrepreneur Changing the World by Entrepreneur Magazine, Chad has traveled the globe working with all levels of organizations of all different sizes. Fortune 100 companies have sought out Chad’s assistance to discover where they want to be, to help create a plan to get there, and to issue a challenge to achieve real results. Chad is an accomplished author of two books, Winning The Money Game and P.E.P.P. He has also consulted and sold products and services in over 40 countries, and his work has been translated in over 15 languages. He continues his vision of providing people and organizations a personalized formula for better employee engagement and positive progress.
Part educator, part problem-solver, Dr. Lance Coffman brings together academic knowledge and practical experience in his role at efactory’s Missouri SBDC at Missouri State University. Over two decades, he’s had the opportunity to work with businesses of various sizes across national markets, learning valuable lessons along the way.
Through efactory, Lance collaborates with business owners facing growth challenges, offering guidance informed by his own journey as an entrepreneur. His education—including a PhD from Oklahoma State University and degrees from Missouri State—has provided helpful frameworks that complement his hands-on experience.
In the classroom, Lance believes in learning by doing. Each semester, he works with alongside students on real-world business projects with local companies, finding as much satisfaction in their discoveries as in his own. Organizations throughout Southwest Missouri have kindly welcomed his input on marketing, strategic planning, and process improvement initiatives.
When work is done, Lance returns to what matters most—time spent on the family farm with his wife and two boys, where the complexity of business gives way to the simple joys of rural life and family connection.
John represents management in all facets of labor and employment law throughout the country. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, he defends clients against employment discrimination claims brought under federal and state law. John is a knowledgeable attorney who represents employers before the NLRB on cases involving unfair labor practice charges, challenges to elections, and post-election conduct. John serves as lead negotiator for many organizations involved in the collective bargaining process. He also advises companies on employment contracts, restrictive covenants and many other employment-related matters confronting human resources professionals on a daily basis.
John serves as the Director-Elect for the Missouri Society of Human Resources Professionals (SHRM) and is a frequent guest speaker for SHRM and other HR organizations throughout the country. In his free time, John serves on the City of Chesterfield Planning & Zoning Commission, is a member of a local school board, volunteers for several non-profit boards and coaches youth baseball, football and basketball.
John is a graduate of the University of Missouri and St. Louis University School of Law with an emphasis in Labor and Employment law. Prior to joining McMahon Berger, a national employment and labor law firm, John represented corporations in cases involving insurance defense litigation. He has also served as an associate in-house counsel.
2030 is just five years away. It’s going to take a unified effort from all of us – the business community, policymakers and educators – to position Missouri as a global economic leader.
Workforce2030 will focus on what’s happening right now in Missouri — and what needs to happen going forward — to ensure the Show-Me State is home to a thriving, vibrant workforce.
We are still finalizing the agenda full of dynamic keynotes, interactive breakout sessions and networking opportunities!
The estimated timing will be as follows (subject to change):
Tuesday, Oct. 21
8:45am Breakfast & Check-in
9:30am Conference begins
12:20pm Lunch
4:45-6pm Networking Reception (drinks and light appetizers served, dinner on own)
Wednesday, Oct. 22
8am Breakfast
8:30am Conference begins
12:15pm Lunch
1:30pm Conference concludes
Business leaders, HR professionals, policymakers and educators – this event is for you!
Yes! Connect with more than 200 conference attendees during dedicated networking breaks. Sponsors and exhibitors enjoy prime exhibit booth placement with ample time for interaction with attendees during breakfast and all breaks. We welcome your company’s participation and look forward to displaying your logo on conference promotional materials, providing your organization with added recognition and visibility.
For more information, please contact Chris Burruss at cburruss@mochamber.com.
Workforce2030 is our largest and most attended conference of the year. If you’re interested in learning more, contact Chris Burruss at cburruss@mochamber.com or call 573-634-3511.
If you have questions about Workforce2030, please contact Ashley Schwab.
