Interview with Charles Duke – 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. The team interviews Charles Duke, the HR Administrator for the Kentucky Historical Society, based in Lexington. He describes himself as an "inspirational leadership type of HR professional." The KHS was coping with a unique situation: its 60 employees had operated for 7 years without an HR person, relying on the Personnel Cabinet for onboarding and discipline. Charles came to the...
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Interview with Jack Crowdis – 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin, CEO of CrowdSouth interviews Jack Crowdis, Business Development Manager for PayFWDs, based in Louisville. Jack explains that while their payroll platform is similar to the big national providers, they bring a highly consultative approach. PayFWDs builds systems customized specifically around people, aiming to get the setup right. That may be a different experience from what the...
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Interview with Jeremy Jacobs - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin, CEO of CrowdSouth interviews Jeremy Jacobs, Founder of UnDesked. They discussed critical challenges in workforce development, especially with regard to frontline employees. Jeremy explained that while traditional office workers are equipped with resources like laptops and Microsoft Teams, 80% of the global population in the workforce, or 2.7 billion people, are "undesked" and lack...
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Interview with Rusty Steele - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. At the 2025 KYSHRM Conference, Rusty Steele, HR Director for Oxmoor Auto Group, joins Jason Heflin of CrowdSouth to discuss how effective communication and employee engagement drive long-term success in a fast-paced industry. Rusty explains how Oxmoor focuses on creating a positive culture across multiple dealerships, by focusing on transparency, teamwork, and genuine care for employees. He shares...
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Interview with Brian Ingle - 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Jason interviews Brian Ingle. He’s the Executive Director of Planning and Management for the State Auditor’s Office. Brian adds that his passion lies in leadership, training new leaders, and helping supervisors transition from being button pushers to being true leaders of people. Brian discusses how the transition from a specialized role to a supervisory position is...
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Interview with Kevin Finley - 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Jamie and Jason interview Kevin Finley. He’s an HR Generalist, with Denham-Blythe Company, a design-build general contractor specializing in industrial and heavy commercial construction. Kevin talks about how Denham-Blythe is adapting to future leadership challenges by implementing a successful beta test for a flexible work model for their office staff. This...
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Interview with Nelson Caudill - 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Molley interviews Nelson Caudill. He’s an Employee Benefits Advisor, with USI Insurance Services. Nelson joins the podcast to talk about how USI Insurance Services partners with companies to simplify complex insurance challenges. He describes how their hands-on, analytical process helps clients make smarter decisions about managing risk and employee benefits. Nelson shares...
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Interview with Brad Shuck, PhD – 2025 KYSHRM
Workforce Therapy Files
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, we interview keynote speaker, Dr. Brad Shuck. He gave a talk titled, . From the website: “The future of work isn’t something we’re waiting on – it’s something we’re building Today. The choices we make. How we show up. How we connect. How we see others. In real time. Human Resources isn’t reacting to change...
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How Curious Is Your Organization? - An Interview with Deb Clary
Workforce Therapy Files
File 30: In today’s file, the team interviews Dr. Debra Clary her pursuit of the power of curiosity. Deb has had a fascinating career path. She’s worked in executive roles at Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Papa John’s, Brown-Forman and Humana. Now, she’s helping organizations to better understand how curiosity impacts its performance, all because of an intriguing question. Meet Deb Clary Deb was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and earned her doctorate in leadership and...
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Emily Sayers on KCTCS Programs for Employers
Workforce Therapy Files
File 29: In today’s file, the team discusses talent pipelines, workforce development and the real drivers behind economic growth in Kentucky. We welcome Emily Sayers, Kentucky’s Executive Director of Workforce Solutions at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Meet Emily Sayers Emily serves as the Executive Director in the Cabinet for Workforce and Economic Development, at KCTCS. She may have the longest title for anyone we’ve interviewed on the podcast. There are 16 workforce solutions divisions across Kentucky. This aligns with the 16...
info_outlineThe Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth.
The team interviews Charles Duke, the HR Administrator for the Kentucky Historical Society, based in Lexington. He describes himself as an "inspirational leadership type of HR professional." The KHS was coping with a unique situation: its 60 employees had operated for 7 years without an HR person, relying on the Personnel Cabinet for onboarding and discipline. Charles came to the interview prepared. He used the museum's website to create a portfolio of ideas for each department, ultimately turning the interview into a conversation built on competence.
Charles also shares his extensive background, which included 30 years in the Air Force. When asked what he looks for in a candidate, he immediately answered, "authenticity," explaining that he needs to see the same energy displayed during the interview applied to the rest of the job.
Charles believes the HR professional's job is to put the "human" back in HR by handling employee relations and clarifying thought processes. That essential human element and relationship-building can't be done by AI or other staff, like a curator.
Finally, Charles leaves the following question for the next guest: What do you think qualifies you to be a human resources professional?
To learn more, visit:
· Website: www.history.ky.gov
Charles Duke, thanks for stopping by to speak with us!
That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you.
Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals?
We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions:
· Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com
· Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com
· Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com
We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!