Education Resources

Join Pinnacle Human Resources President Rose Miller and Senior HR Consultant John Kelly as they highlight best practices for managing staff in the age of COVID. Miller and Kelly will offer a practical approach and best practices for administering federal and state leave-of-absence laws (with or without the presence of COVID); insight around vaccine hesitancy and availability; and an overview of the importance of updating your policies and procedures.
Panelists: Rose Miller, President of Pinnacle Human Resources; John Kelly, Senior HR Consultant, Pinnacle Human Resources

Neurodiversity is a broad concept and one that covers a multitude of neurological variations. This conversation with neurodiverse individuals and advocates will provide context for Wi16 attendees who are not aware of neurodiversity and the challenges and concerns neurodiverse employees experience in the workplace and customers experience in the store. If you identify as neurodiverse, need direction around communicating with neurodiverse staff or customers, or are simply interested in learning more about neurodiversity, this session is for you.
Panelists: Emily Autenrieth, A Seat at The Table Books (Elk Grove, CA); Ed Thompson, CEO, Uptimize; Katy Alexander, Global Director of Marketing & Communications, Digital Science; Jory Fleming, author of How to Be Human: An Autistic Man's Guide to Life (Simon & Schuster)

Join bestselling author, podcaster, and research professor Dr. Brené Brown for a conversation with one of our own — Janet Geddis, owner of Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia — as they discuss what’s next for booksellers. While 2020 is behind us, we’re burnt out, vulnerable, and we have (in Dr. Brown’s words) maxed out our surge capacity. How do we move forward from a place of vulnerability, resilience, and courage? Along the way, how do we stay true to our heart songs, the things that we value and that drive us — our communities, our colleagues, antiracism, social responsibility, and, always, our love for books? This conversation will include a Q&A. Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston and visiting professor at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers, most recently Dare to Lead, and the host of the Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts. Janet Geddis is a business owner at Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia, as well as a patient advocate/content creator under the moniker “The Migraine Girl.” Janet is a public speaker, writer, and frequent podcast/radio show contributor for numerous outlets, including iHeartMedia & NPR.

Independent bookstores have seen massive online sales growth since March 2020. How are stores managing order fulfillment, customer support, shipping, returns, and all the other complexities of running a busy ecommerce website — while running a bookstore?

This session will explore how bookstores are successfully fulfilling their online sales. The panel will consist of booksellers from small and large stores who are managing high-volume online sales on a variety of ecommerce-enabled platforms. Topics will include what they learned over the past year as well as shortcuts and tips that are making their lives easier. The panel will be moderated by Senior Manager of IndieCommerce Geetha Nathan. There will also be time allotted for Q&A. If you are struggling with managing your store's online orders or looking for tips to make things easier, this session is definitely for you.
Panelists: Geetha Nathan, ABA (White Plains, NY); Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First (Chicago, IL); Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA); Lexi Beach, Astoria Bookshop (Astoria, NY); Warren Lee, 44th and 3rd Bookseller (Norcross, GA); Cheryl Lee, 44th and 3rd Bookseller (Norcross, GA)