7:30 am to 8 am, Atrium North
Registration and Breakfast
8 am to 9:30 am, Ballroom B-E
Welcome and Morning Keynote
Kent Stock, "How Do You Want to be Remembered?"
Come learn about a journey and testament to determination, leadership, and following one’s dreams. From coaching Norway’s final baseball season to inspiring audiences nationwide, Kent shares a powerful message that resonates with individuals and organizations. His story, depicted in The Final Season, proves that embracing change and taking risks lead to extraordinary achievements.
10 am to 11 am, Ballroom B-E
Lee Lambert, "The Future of Project Management"
A Project Management career wasn’t always a career. It once was just a hobby that technical people did in their spare time. How did we get from hobby to career, and what's next? The focus of this year’s 45th anniversary program is to learn how the profession started and became a World Standard. Lee Lambert will examine the relationship between Initiating and Sustaining. This presentation will share the experiences of someone who has been there through it all. More than 48 years of immersion in PMI. Lee will expose the good, the bad, and the ugly. The fact that PMI has grown from one single Chapter in the United States in the 60s (Houston) to more than 300 Chapters worldwide is a testament to the potential for success and career transformation. Why/how has this happened? Will it be the same next year? He will provide the answers to your most pressing questions.
11:15 to 12:15, Ballroom B-E
Drew Bloom, "AI for Meetings and Systems in Project Management"
Discover how successful project managers can combine AI tools with interpersonal skills to drive meaningful change. Participants will explore how communication, empathy, innovative thinking, and purpose-driven leadership can unlock greater productivity in the future of work. Attendees will also receive a practical AI planning framework and a prompt toolkit they can immediately use to run more effective meetings, strengthen project outcomes, and elevate their project management capabilities.
1:15 pm to 2:15 pm, Ballroom B-E
Shawn Cornally, "Adventures in Change Management"
Through the lenses of multiple industries, Shawn will explore the commonalities vs domain-specific needs for healthy change management – What are the tell-tale signs of a resistant user base vs a hungry one? How do we manage the impact of change vertically in an organization, and how do we quantify the value, impact, and cost of a project's changes to an organization? Shawn hopes the stories from starting an innovative high school, to rebuilding a $120M company's sales funnel can help project managers look for patterns in change management, while stories about the most over-budget under-delivered project of his career can help others avoid some unintuitive pitfalls.
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, Ballroom B-E
Afternoon Keynote
Dr. Laura Williams, "Cultivating the Next Generation of Project Leaders"
The future of project management won't be defined by better tools; it will be defined by who enters the profession. Today's students have bold ideas but rarely learn how to transform them into meaningful outcomes. As AI accelerates planning, communication, and execution, the human skills of project management, including leadership, collaboration, adaptability, and delivering value, have never been more important. This session explores why schools may be the profession's greatest opportunity and how project managers can help cultivate the next generation through authentic, community-driven projects.
3:30 pm to 4:00 pm, Ballroom B-E
Past Presidents Panel Discussion
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Maikka Lobby Bar
Social Hour and Celebration of Our Chapter's Anniversary
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Speakers
Kent Stock
How Do You Want to be Remembered?
A teacher, coach, middle school principal, banker and powerful speaker, Kent Stock is also the man who coached the Norway baseball team during their now-famous final season. As depicted in the 2007 film, The Final Season, the nationally recognized Norway baseball team came together under then first-year
head baseball coach Stock to defy the odds and win Norway’s 20th state title in what would become the
team’s final season before merging with a bigger, neighboring school district. Kent released a
book titled, “Heading for Home: My Journey from Little League to Hollywood,” outlining his life’s journey
and the behind the scenes stories of filming a movie.
Lee Lambert
CEO, Lambert Consulting
The Future of Project Management
Lee R. Lambert, PMI Fellow, is one of the founders of the PMP Certification and has logged nearly 60 years in the field. He is currently a private consultant who has spoken about the value of project management in 54 countries the past three years. During a corporate career he held senior level positions for General Electric, IBM, and Roche. He has led the efforts to implement Enterprise PM Methodologies and was credited with creating the first PMO in 1977.
Lambert loves to train and has shared knowledge with over 50,000 students.
Drew Bloom
Owner, Mosaic Systems LLC
AI for Meetings and Systems in Project Management
Drew Bloom is the owner of Mosaic Solutions LLC, a local AI consulting and automation company. Drew initially went to school to study languages, then spent five years as a high school social studies teacher in Iowa City. His ability to take complex, technical insights and explain them in simple terms has made him one of the most sought-after resources for AI among law firms, schools, and other organizations. In his previous role, he led the innovation team at a 100-person consulting company and advised law firms ranging from the largest AmLaw 100 down to solo and small firms on AI. He enjoys promoting AI education locally, visiting Corridor high schools and helping professional organizations improve their use of AI.
Shawn Cornally
Director of Project Management
Adventures in Change Management
Shawn Cornally is a life-long Iowan with experience managing projects in Education, IT, Manufacturing, and Construction. He currently serves as the Director of Project Management for Rinderknecht Associates and Merit Construction in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Shawn lives in rural Johnson County with his wife, three kids, and an ever-increasing number of dogs, cats, chickens, and ducks.
21st Century Learning Specialist
Cultivating the Next Generation of Project Leaders
Dr. Laura Williams is the Middle School Principal at North Fayette Valley Community School District in Iowa and holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies. A former science teacher, statewide work-based learning leader, and Agile educator, Laura is passionate about transforming learning through authentic, student-driven projects that prepare young people for life beyond the classroom.
She is the founder of Authentic Learning Alliance, author of The Improvement Game, a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), and Certified Agile Classrooms Trainer. Her work bridges education and industry by applying project management, Agile practices, and emerging technologies to help students move from ideas to impact. Laura believes schools have a unique opportunity to develop the next generation of project leaders through meaningful, real-world experiences.
