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2026 Quarter 1 Newsletter

    January 21, 2026

    President's Message

    Dear Apple Valley Human Resource Association (AVHRA) Members,

    Happy New Year! I am excited to serve as President of this wonderful association of human resource professionals in 2026 along with my team of amazing board members. We recently held our annual Strategic Planning Session and I was thrilled at the energy, enthusiasm and collaboration we had as a board which will fuel our commitment and passion for a wonderful year ahead.

    Speaking of the year ahead, we are currently working on our 2026 Programs schedule and will release program dates each quarter in our newsletters. For Q1, we are thrilled to offer two very exciting topics that we hope will provide knowledge and information critical to maintain compliance in your organization as well as protection for you as an HR professional.

    Chapter Programs

    Navigating Washington PFML and FMLA – Part 2
    Angela Hayes is back to provide updates on the ever changing laws of Washington Paid Family Leave and the Family and Medical Leave Act with a focus on the 2026 changes. Feedback received from attendees in our 2025 session motivated us to bring Angela back for Part 2 so don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity.

    • Date: February 18, 2026
    • Time: 12:00 p.m.– 1:30 p.m.
    • Location: Virtual – Register

    Facing Resistance From Above
    As an HR professional, you know how to protect your company and its employees, but do you know how to protect yourself? Join R. Scott Oswald, an accomplished employment lawyer, for this webinar discussing potential job actions and retaliation against HR professionals – all through the lens of a fellow SHRM member who went to trial against his former employer. Content based on a Case Study From Maryland.

    • Date: March 12, 2026
    • Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
    • Location: Virtual – Register

    State Programs

    HR Day on The Hill

    • Date: January 30, 2026
    • Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
    • Location: Virtual – Register

    WA SHRM Annual Conference

    • Date: March 26, 2026
    • Time: All-day
    • Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue – Register

    Before I close this message, many of you that attended our 2025 Employment Law Summit may be wondering about the “vote” you cast regarding a proposal to change our chapter name as we prepared to align our chapter brand more closely with the national SHRM brand. The AVHRA Board felt very strongly that we wanted to include the “voice of our chapter members” in this important decision. Many votes were cast during the Summit and the overwhelming majority of votes selected …… *drumroll please*************

    SHRM North Central Washington as the new name of our chapter. We truly feel this name better reflects the five counties we serve and our commitment to being inclusive of our entire HR community across the region. This new chapter name is just the tip of the iceberg! In our next newsletter, we will debut our new official SHRM North Central Washington brand and roll this out on our website, social media channels and marketing materials.

    Our board is dedicated to inspiring you, serving the HR profession and giving back to our community in the best way possible. I am personally excited for this next chapter and can’t wait to grow this chapter together. I look forward to sharing our journey ahead with you.

    Sincerely,
    Robin Fowler
    SHRM North Central Washington President