Community Spotlight – District 5

By Tawnya Titus, SHRM-CP, PHR, CSP, District 5 Director

SHRM Greater Orlando, SHRM Volusia Flagler and Space Coast Human Resources Association (SCHRA) make up District 5 of HR Florida. District 5 is doing BIG THINGS as always!

SHRM Greater Orlando 2025 Year in Review

SHRM Greater Orlando celebrated a vibrant and impactful second half of the year, beginning with August’s Membership Appreciation Casino Night, sponsored by BambooHR. This lively evening brought together HR professionals for networking, gaming, and camaraderie, expressing gratitude for their dedication to the chapter.

In September, the organization hosted the prestigious 2025 Beacon Awards Ceremony, honoring outstanding HR and business leaders across Central Florida in categories such as Trailblazer, HR Luminary, ThriveWell, Culture Catalyst, and Youth & Emerging Talent Inclusion, highlighting innovation and leadership in the region.

October featured the Annual Legal Summit, where a distinguished panel including representatives from Fisher Phillips, Baker Hostetler, BambooHR, GrayRobinson, and Marks Gray provided timely employment law insights, and attendees participated in an engaging “Stump the Panel” session for real-world compliance advice. That same month, the Race for Inclusion, organized by the Inclusion & Diversity Committee, rallied support for the Special Olympics and reinforced the chapter’s commitment to workplace and community inclusion.

In November, the focus shifted to supporting veterans in the workforce, with moving personal stories and transition experiences shared by veterans, equipping HR leaders with practical strategies for fostering more inclusive environments; members were also presented with SHRM Greater Orlando challenge coins. November also included an Employer Site Tour at Planet Fitness, where students and HR professionals gained valuable operational HR insights and workplace culture perspectives, thanks to the hospitality of David Rosado and the Planet Fitness team.

December culminated with the 2025 Holiday Community Initiative, as SHRM Greater Orlando served residents at the Alwyn C. Cashe State Veterans Nursing Home, spreading festive cheer and gratitude, with generous sponsorships from Rosen Hotels & Resorts, MISSION BBQ, Keke’s Breakfast Café, Lowe’s.

We are deeply grateful to the volunteers who dedicated their time and resources to serve those who have served our country.

SHRM Volusia Flagler Happenings

We are excited to announce; we were a 2025 Chapter Excellence Winner!

Student Chapter work continues as we hope to have a chapter at Daytona State College in 2026.

We added eight new board members started January 2026, and we see interest to grow the board.

We will be conducting two half-day sessions:

1. Aligning HR with Leadership – 3 leaders from various backgrounds talking about HR and Operations working together
2. Legal Updates with David Miklas, Elizabeth Yoe, and Christoper Gaston

The SHRM Volusia Flagler chapter is making a big splash in the community with its hands-on service and generous donations! Members collected hygiene items for girls, donated toys to The Children’s Home Society, and offered awesome raffle prizes for The SHRM Foundation. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves at the International Coastal Clean-up, dove into The Miracle League, and energized the Soft Skills Youth Summit at the Volusia County Schools Workforce Expo. With this incredible momentum, the chapter is ready to take 2026 by storm!

SHRM Space Coast 2025 Year in Review

Building on the success of last year’s focused theme, our 2025 theme centered on supporting Veterans. A highlight of our efforts was collecting supplies and filling 50 backpacks with essential items for homeless Veterans transitioning to permanent housing. We also partnered with the Cocoa Beach Elks Lodge 2387 to sponsor Veteran families and help make their Christmas celebrations a little brighter.

To honor those who have served, members volunteered at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery for both Memorial Day and Veterans Day. We assisted with special services and placed and removed flags at the graves of fallen heroes. As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting Veterans, we also created a dedicated resource section for them on our website.

Our community involvement extended beyond Veterans as well. Members volunteered at Viera High School to interview seniors and review portfolios for the Academy of Seniors program. We also taught a series of Life Skills classes for residents at the Agape Women’s Center. In addition, we awarded two scholarships to Eastern Florida State College HR students, totaling one thousand dollars.

This year’s programming theme was HEALS: HR, Ethics, AI, Leadership, and Self-Care. To reach more members, we added three breakfast meetings alongside our lunch offerings. The year began in January with an exploration of how AI is reshaping jobs and recruiting, presented by Roger Lear of OrlandoJobs.com. In February, Dr. Richard Addante delivered “Teamwork Lessons Learned from NASA Missions for Mars,” which blended themes of teamwork, leadership, followership, self-care, and ethics to show how people can work more effectively toward shared mission success. Our very own Alan Bernstein offered insights from his new book, Civility in the Workplace. April brought another successful joint conference with South Brevard SHRM, built around the theme “Navigating the Waves of Change.”

Our June program featured Gretchen Nery, who led an interactive session on leadership, collaboration, and the growing role of AI in HR. July focused on “Self-Care for HR: Prioritizing Wellness in the Workplace,” presented by Monique Akanbi of SHRM. In August, we introduced a new format with a panel discussion on “Backing Your Caregivers: Actionable Strategies for HR Leaders,” paired with a Caregiving Resources Fair and handout. We later expanded our website to include a permanent Caregiving Resources section.

We concluded the year with our annual Legal Update in September with Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, a Mindfulness workshop in October, and Tammy Bond’s “Turning Chaos into Clarity” for our November luncheon. December wrapped things up with our holiday social. Most of our board members attended the Florida State Leadership Conference, which provided valuable insights and sparked strategic planning for an impactful 2026.