Panhandle Human Resources Association upcoming events

May Meeting - Dee Maddox (05/13/2026)

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Dee Maddox is the Founder and Chief Excellence Officer of DMX Consulting LLC, bringing 25 years of HR expertise across federal, state, and private sectors. She is best known for her role as the Human Capital Team Lead for NASA's Space Shuttle Retirement program, where she navigated one of the most significant transitions in aerospace history.

Dee equips organizations to bridge the gap between "good" and "excellent" through high-energy coaching and training. A sought-after speaker and author, she translates complex change management into practical tools that leaders can use immediately. Dee holds a bachelor’s in Business from UAB and an MBA from George Washington University. She doesn't just teach leadership; she equips people to live it.

June Meeting - Neil Katz (06/10/2026)

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT

In today’s evolving business landscape, HR leaders are expected to move beyond administrative support and become true strategic partners. This session is designed for HR professionals ready to elevate their impact by adopting a consulting mindset that drives measurable business results.

Attendees will learn how to transition from transactional HR work to strategic leadership by leveraging data-driven decision-making, proactive problem-solving, and strong business acumen. Through practical frameworks and real-world examples, this session will explore how to align HR initiatives with organizational goals, influence key stakeholders, and navigate complex challenges with confidence.

Participants will walk away with actionable tools to build their own HR scorecard, strengthen their consulting skillset, and position themselves as trusted advisors who contribute directly to growth, performance, and long-term success.

Neil Katz is the Founder and CEO of Exceptional HR Solutions, a national HR services firm that becomes the HR department for growing companies. Exceptional HR Solutions partners with organizations ranging from 5 to 500 employees, providing hands-on, end-to-end HR support so leaders can stay focused on running and growing their businesses.

With more than 25+ years of experience, Neil has built a firm designed for companies that need real execution and advice. Exceptional HR Solutions delivers day-to-day HR operations, employee relations, talent acquisition, compliance, benefits support, leadership development, and organizational infrastructure. For larger organizations, the firm also provides targeted HR project support, including investigations, exit interviews, policy redesign, compliance clean-ups, and organizational initiatives.

Under Neil’s leadership, Exceptional HR Solutions has assembled a national team of experienced HR professionals who operate as an extension of their clients’ leadership teams. The firm is frequently brought in when companies have outgrown informal HR, lost internal HR capacity, or want to remove the administrative and compliance burden from their leadership team entirely.

Neil is known for helping leaders reclaim their time by taking HR off their plate—without sacrificing quality, accountability, or employee experience. His philosophy is simple: HR should reduce friction, not create it. By owning the work, the systems, and the follow-through, Exceptional HR Solutions allows executives to get back to leading their companies instead of managing HR issues.

Neil is a frequent speaker, webinar host, and podcast guest, where he shares practical insights on scaling organizations, leading teams, reducing people-related risk, and building sustainable HR foundations. He also has a strong focus on using technology, automation, and AI to streamline HR operations and improve responsiveness.

Neil holds an MBA from Amberton University, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Lutheran University, advanced executive coaching training from the University of Texas at Dallas, and senior HR certifications (SPHR and SHRM-SCP).

Outside of work, Neil serves on the board of Hope International, a Dallas-based adoption agency, and remains actively involved in community and nonprofit initiatives.

July - No Lunch Meeting (07/08/2026)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:00:00 GMT

August Meeting - Heidi Hartman - Extended Lunch (08/12/2026)

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:30:00 GMT

September Meeting - Alexis Knapp (09/09/2026)

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Alexis C. Knapp worked in various capacities of human resources and higher education before transitioning to Littler, where she has spent more than 17 years practicing labor and employment law. Over the course of her career, Alexis’s practice has evolved into a deep focus on leave and accommodation issues (The Family Medical Leave Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act, workers’ compensation, return to work situations, fitness for duty, and more), from assisting employers with basic compliance questions, to navigating complex challenges in this arena. As part of that work, she regularly counsels and assists employers with policy and process issues, and drafting policies, forms, letters, and other documents in support of employers’ leave and accommodation efforts. She also develops and delivers customized in-person and virtual training for HR and legal teams, and supervisory/management employees, on FMLA, ADA, PWFA, and related topics.

Alexis also enjoys providing robust employment counseling and advice to clients on all other types of labor and employment issues as well, such as employee performance management, discipline, terminations, discrimination and harassment concerns, and more. She is also a regular speaker on a variety of labor and employment law topics for employer and industry groups.

Alexis is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®). She has appeared in court and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Texas Workforce Commission and the Department of Labor, and has handled administrative and litigation matters against individual plaintiffs and federal government agencies.

Before beginning her legal career, Alexis served as an associate dean of the College of Business and Economics and assistant professor of management at Houston Christian University where she taught courses in human resources and employment law at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Prior to that, Alexis was a human resources professional in the public sector, where her focus was employee benefits, organizational policies and procedures and training.