2025 IPAC Conference
July 27 - 30, 2025
Atlanta, GA
Conference Information - Pre-conference Workshops Attendee Information - Social Events and Activities
Sponsor Information - Sponsorship Information - Exhibitor Details Speaker Resources | 2025 Pre-Conference Workshops On Sunday July 27, IPAC will host hands-on workshops before the conference officially kicks-off on Monday, July 28. These workshops are outside of the 2025 Conference Program and offer attendees additional exposure to topics in which they may be interested. Pre-Conference Workshop sessions details are provided below. To register, please go to our events page here. Morning Workshop - 8:30 a.m. to Noon Presenters: Phil Walmsley, Ph.D. & Sandra Alexander, Ph.D. Title: Job Analysis Fundamentals Description: This Job Analysis Fundamentals workshop provides participants with an understanding of what job analysis is, when to conduct a job analysis, why a job analysis is conducted, and how a job analysis can be used. The workshops will focus on each step of the job analysis process including: gathering information, writing task statements, writing competency definitions, using rating scales and cut-off criteria to identify critical tasks and competencies, completing task-competency linkages, and documenting the process. Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in exercises to facilitate their understanding of the process. |
Presenter Bios:
Phil Walmsley, Ph.D. is a Lead Personnel Research Psychologist in the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Center for Assessment and Evaluation section of Human Resources Solutions. He conducts job analyses, develops assessment strategies, validates the use of a variety of pre-employment and leadership assessments, delivers assessment-related trainings, and conducts large-scale data analyses.
He serves as an advisor on the design of technology systems used governmentwide for talent management and assessment. Phil is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Selection and Assessment, received the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology’s Distinguished Early Contributions Award, and is a Past President of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington.
He received a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Sandra Alexander, Ph.D. is a Lead Personnel Research Psychologist in the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Center for Assessment and Evaluation section of Human Resources Solutions. She has worked with multiple federal agencies to conduct job analyses, assess competency gaps in the workforce, and develop assessments for both selection and promotion.
Sandra has served as one of the Directors of the IPAC Board since January 2024.
She received a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of North Texas.
Afternoon Workshop - 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Presenters: Toni S. Locklear, Ph.D. & Katey E. Foster, Ph.D.
Title: It’s a Different World: 2025 EEO & Employment Law Updates
Description:
In today's rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environment, employers are faced with a radically different approach to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and employment law. The purpose of this workshop is to provide an update on changes with significant implications for personnel assessment. Participants will learn about recent court cases, changing laws and regulations, the new strategic priorities of regulatory agencies, and conflicts between federal, state, and local laws and regulations. We will discuss the impact of the new administration’s approach on the use of personnel assessment, highlighting best practices in developing job-related, legally defensible assessment procedures. Finally, we will explore trending issues such as equity and inclusion, gender identity, religious rights, and reverse discrimination, offering practical guidance on navigating these complex topics in the context of personnel assessment.
Presenter Bios:
Toni S. Locklear, PhD. is an industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologist with over 30 years of experience in the field of human resources (HR) management, having held positions in both industry and consulting.
As chief technical officer and the litigation practice leader for HR consulting firm, APTMetrics, Toni serves as an expert witness and consultant to counsel in employment discrimination, harassment, and wage-hour cases for both defendants and plaintiffs. She also acts as a settlement expert to help carry out the provisions of consent decrees in employment-discrimination lawsuits. Additionally, Toni works with organizations in a proactive capacity to help them avoid litigation by conducting HR-process audits to identify gaps between clients’ current practices and industry best practices.
Toni provides consultation in the areas of job analysis, test validation, employee-selection procedures, performance management, compensation, measurement, and HR policies and procedures. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and a co-author of SIOP’s Considerations and Recommendations for the Validation and Use of AI–based Assessments for Employee Selection (2023).
Katey E. Foster, Ph.D. is a Vice President with APTMetrics, where she leads a team of HR consultants in the delivery of consulting services. Katey works with organizations to design and implement fair, valid, and legally defensible HR processes and procedures. She provides consultation in the areas of litigation support, assessment development and validation, job analysis, and competency modeling to Fortune® 100 clients across industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, and retail, as well as local, state, and federal-government agencies.
Katey has served as an expert witness for both plaintiffs’ and defendants’ counsel and has been retained for consulting expert purposes. She has also provided substantial support to other testifying, consulting, and settlement expert work in employment discrimination cases for both defendants and plaintiffs. Katey received her Ph.D. and master’s degrees from the University of Akron’s industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology program.
She has presented on I-O and litigation-related topics for the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) and the American Bar Association’s (ABA) conferences and at local I-O and HR group events. She recently co-authored a book chapter on the legal environment for 360-degree feedback which was published in the Handbook of Strategic 360 Feedback.