Intro

One day, four expert speakers, and a room full of project professionals ready to grow. PDD 2026 brings together practitioners from across Central Arkansas for a full day of leadership, storytelling, and strategy, all built around this year's theme, Beyond Delivery: Doing M.O.R.E. Together.

Your registration includes free professional headshots, lunch, and free parking, so all you need to bring is yourself.

Agenda

Friday, October 16

• 8:00 – 8:45 AM: Breakfast and free professional headshots
• 8:45 – 9:00 AM: Welcome and opening remarks
• 9:00 – 10:30 AM: Keynote, Brian Alementi
• 10:30 – 10:45 AM: Break
• 10:45 – 11:45 AM: Session, Brad Nelson
• 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch (included)
• 12:30 – 1:00 PM: Midday program
• 1:00 – 2:30 PM: Session, Kate Anderson
• 2:30 – 2:45 PM: Break
• 2:45 – 3:45 PM: Session, Shirelle Francis
• 3:45 – 4:00 PM: Closing

Speakers

Brian Alementi | Keynote Brian leads with purpose to boost team energy and foster a thriving work culture. In his keynote, he'll show attendees how to activate their mindset, vision, and purpose to break through limitations, clarify direction, and perform at their highest potential, both personally and professionally. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to inspire collaboration and lead with impact at any level, title, or role.

Brad Nelson | Human Intelligence: Reshaping the Narrative of Motivation and Performance Many traditional approaches to management and individual development run counter to human nature. Brad draws on biology, neuroscience, and psychology to explore what actually drives human performance, including the limits of executive function, the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and why happiness is a precondition for success rather than a reward for it. Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of how environment shapes performance, plus practical steps they can apply right away.

Kate Anderson | Turning Updates Into Alignment: The Power of Story in Project Communication Story is one of the most powerful tools for engagement and persuasion, yet it's often missing from project communication. Kate will teach a simple story structure that makes project updates clear, engaging, and decision-ready, helping teams connect their work to business value and turn routine updates into moments that drive alignment and action. Kate is a product and project management leader with 20 years of experience across fintech, advertising, hospitality, and small companies, and is Co-Founder and Co-Host of the Project Management Happy Hour podcast.

Shirelle Francis | Leading AI Use With Confidence The question isn't whether AI should be used, it's how project managers can lead its use responsibly and effectively. Shirelle will explore the risks of unstructured AI adoption and introduce a practical framework to help project managers establish clear guardrails and strengthen decision-making and stakeholder communication. Attendees will leave with one immediate, actionable technique to improve clarity, consistency, and confidence when using AI.

PDUs

PDU information for PDD 2026 is coming soon. Check back here for details on how many PDUs this event will provide.

Event Details

• Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
• Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Chenal Event Venue
• Parking: Free parking is available. Full parking details, including garage location and directions, will be sent after registration.

Pricing

Need help getting approval to attend? Download our ready-to-use employer request template to clearly connect PDD to your team’s goals and show the value you’ll bring back to work.

Sponsorships

PDD 2026 is made possible by our sponsors. View our sponsorship tiers below and see the full prospectus for benefits at each level.

Link to live sponsorship prospectus

Interested in sponsoring? Reach out to [email protected].

Questions

Have questions about PDD 2026? Contact Jen at [email protected].