A Keynote for the Wisconsin HR Community.
Chris Sund speaks to HR professionals about building a workplace people never want to leave. For the WI SHRM State Conference & Exposition, hosted by the Wisconsin State Council SHRM, he offers three programs: his culture keynote You Are Capable of a Better Culture, the signature keynote You Are Capable of More, and his own leadership workshop, You Are Capable of More: Leadership. The conference is usually held in October, in Wisconsin Dells.
Why Wisconsin HR Leaders Book Chris
HR audiences have heard every engagement statistic. They want someone who has actually built a culture under pressure and can show the behaviors that keep people.
Opening or Closing Keynote
The culture keynote for the whole conference, built on the five SPARK drivers.
HR Track Breakout
A practical session for people leaders with takeaways they use Monday.
Leadership Workshop
Chris’s own interactive 60 to 90 minute leadership workshop.
Chapter Events
Shorter sessions for Wisconsin SHRM chapter meetings. See SHRM chapter speaking.
What Do HR Conference Attendees Want From a Keynote?
Something they can take back to leaders who do not report to them. Chris speaks as an operator: he runs companies in healthcare staffing, one of the hardest retention environments there is, and the cultures he has built have been named Fortune Best Workplaces while scaling fast.
His culture keynote gives HR a shared language for the employee experience, the SPARK drivers of Support, Purpose, Appreciation, Relationships, and Knowledge & Growth, and practical moves leaders can make. People quit people, not companies.
- The five SPARK drivers of a workplace people stay in
- Why people quit people, not companies
- Recognition that feels personal instead of performative
- Moving culture out of HR and into daily leadership behavior
- A 30-day engagement plan HR can hand to leaders
- One visible culture commitment for every attendee
Proof: HR Stages
Chris has spoken at DisruptHR Omaha and DisruptHR Kansas City, and delivered the SPARK culture keynote at the Greater Omaha Chamber’s POWER Conference for HR professionals and executives.
Chris has spoken in Wisconsin at the NAHCR Annual Conference in Milwaukee and the ACHE Wisconsin Chapter Conference. Watch full sessions on YouTube before you book.
One of my biggest takeaways was that being a leader doesn’t mean removing every hard thing. It means making sure your people don’t have to face it alone. That’s the kind of leader I want to be.
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our 2025 Patient Experience Recognition Dinner. He took the time to deeply understand our organization, our culture, and our specific goals, and thoughtfully personalized his presentation.
Programs for SHRM Audiences
For SHRM and HR conferences Chris offers these three programs.
You Are Capable of a Better Culture
Build a workplace people never want to leave, with the five SPARK drivers.
You Are Capable of More
The signature keynote: people are capable of far more than they realize, and the gap closes when they stop waiting and take ownership.
You Are Capable of More: Leadership
Chris’s own leadership program: a keynote, or an interactive 60 to 90 minute workshop where tables discuss and share.
SHRM Chapter Speaking
Chapter meetings and state councils across the country.
Formats
Keynotes run 50 to 75 minutes. The leadership workshop runs 60 to 90 minutes.
Keynote
The culture or signature keynote for the opening or closing general session.
Breakout
A breakout for an HR track, with time for questions and practical takeaways.
Leadership Workshop
Chris’s own leadership workshop, 60 to 90 minutes, built on table discussion.
Who Books This Session
Related pages: SHRM Chapter & State Conference Speaker · HR Conference Speaker · Employee Experience Speaker · Psychological Safety Speaker · CE Credit Keynote Speaker · Employee Retention Speaker
What Wisconsin SHRM Planners Ask
Can the session earn SHRM PDCs or HRCI credit?
Often, when the host submits it. Chris provides the session description, learning objectives and outline for the council’s submission. See CE credit.
Which programs does Chris offer HR audiences?
Three: You Are Capable of a Better Culture, the signature You Are Capable of More, and his own You Are Capable of More: Leadership workshop.
Can Chris do a keynote and a breakout at the same conference?
Yes. Many conferences pair an opening keynote with a breakout that goes deeper for one track.
Does Chris speak virtually?
Yes. In-person sessions are his preference, and he also delivers keynotes and breakouts virtually.
How much does it cost to book Chris?
Chris quotes the speaking fee and travel together in one proposal, so the total is clear up front. Send your date, city and audience through the contact form and you will have availability and a quote within one business day.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Ten principles for closing the gap between what a team is producing and what it is actually capable of.
Many hosts give every attendee a copy of You Are Capable of More so the message keeps working after the event. Bulk pricing and signed copies are available.
He Still Runs the Companies
Chris is President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare and Nebula. He has spent the past decade in healthcare staffing, a business that runs on people, pace and morale, and he speaks two to three times a month alongside running his companies.
He took Uniti Med from startup to one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the US: 10x revenue growth on the core brand, #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award along the way.
He is the bestselling author of You Are Capable of More, winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival and built on original research with more than 200 working adults, 92% of whom said they were capable of more than they were doing. He writes for Inc. and Forbes.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Audiences Have Heard Chris
Conferences, company meetings and kickoffs where Chris has spoken.
POWER ConferenceOmaha, NENAHCR 2026 Annual ConferenceMilwaukee, WILeadingAge IllinoisPublished the LAARC MethodSIA Healthcare Staffing SummitArlington, TXNATHO Annual ConferenceNationalDefinitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MA · 800+ sellersAlso: SHRM Speaker · You Are Capable of a Better Culture · All Speaking · See all speaking engagements →
Bring Chris to the Wisconsin SHRM Conference
Send your date, city and audience. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.
Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots