December Insights Series | Next Generation of the Workforce

Description

CU Denver Student Commons | 1201 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80204

As the very nature of work rapidly evolves, leaders are facing a critical inflection point: how do we reset our approach to people, skills, and culture without losing what makes organizations human? In this keynote and panel discussion, we will explore what it means to lead in a time when job roles are shifting faster than job descriptions.

This isn’t just about adopting new tools - it’s about cultivating the soft skills that enable adaptability, collaboration, and effective communication alongside technical fluency. We’ll discuss how organizations can reskill at scale and build cultures that embrace experimentation while staying anchored to purpose.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• How do we rethink the workforce itself?
• What are the skillsets we need to navigate emerging technology?
• How do we bridge the growing gap between education and workforce needs?
• What does a job of the future look like—and how do we prepare people for it?

Keynote Speaker:

Brett Addis, Director, Moss Adams x Baker Tilly

Over the course of his career, Brett has worked across multiple industries leveraging his human capital experience to partner with global HR organizations through their process, technology, and people transformations. Brett guides clients through their business and HR digital transformations, improving customer experiences, operational efficiency, and team performance. He has successfully devised and implemented transformational strategies while reducing operational expenses, improving enterprise processes, and building top-tier teams across a wide variety of professional disciplines.

Panelists:

Michelle Carr, Principal, Moss Adams x Baker Tilly

Michelle oversees assurance engagements and consulting projects, including early-stage start-ups and private equity-backed entities, as well as public companies. Michelle serves technology and software firms, manufacturing and distribution companies, and mining clients. She provides technical support on complex accounting issues and advises on revenue recognition, inventory, stock-based compensation, impairment matters, and intangibles and goodwill, as well as business combinations.

Ken Christensen, Chancellor, University of Colorado Denver

Kenneth T. Christensen, PhD, was appointed to serve as chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver in February 2025. As chancellor, Christensen is focused on advancing the public service mission of the institution, one grounded in academic excellence, workforce development, community engagement, and economic impact. Christensen’s career-long focus on supporting the success of students, regardless of background or experiences, parallels that of CU Denver. 

Committed to serving all learners and the critical public service mission that state universities must fulfill, Christensen takes pride in CU Denver’s calling to provide access to education for all. He recognizes the transformational value of a degree from CU Denver, where graduates average more than $2 million in lifetime earnings, and is committed to solidifying CU Denver’s standing as the anchor higher education partner to the city, metro area, and Front Range. Christensen also holds a faculty appointment as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Merlin Namuth, Chief Information Security Officer, City and County of Denver

Merlin Namuth is the Chief Information Security Officer at the City and County of Denver supporting over 50 agencies and departments.  He has worked in cybersecurity for over 26 years. His comprehensive experience spanning several industries includes leading several different security programs, creating strategy and building security programs from the ground up, advancing existing security programs, mergers and acquisitions, managing incident response teams, compliance, architecture, and engineering complex security solutions. Namuth has served as an advisor to security startup companies. He has presented at numerous conferences, including RSA Conference both domestically and internationally, been interviewed on renowned security podcasts, and frequently writes blogs and articles. 

Lyndsey Valin, Chief Customer Officer, SugarCRM

As Chief Customer Officer at SugarCRM, Lyndsey brings over 20 years of experience in enterprise technology implementation, helping businesses optimize operations and maximize the value of their technology investments. She has led large-scale initiatives across manufacturing and distribution industries, including automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, and chemicals. Before joining SugarCRM, she was Senior Vice President of Global Professional Services at PROS, where she drove business transformation through predictive analytics, pricing optimization, and CPQ solutions. Previously, Lyndsey served as Vice President of Professional Services at Vertafore, overseeing onboarding, implementation, and training for over 20,000 customers.

Lyndsey is people-focused, data-driven, and passionate about customer success. She genuinely loves the human element of business - relationship building, growing teams, and cultivating engaging employee / customer experiences the help customers achieve lasting business value.

Thank you to our Sponsor: