What HR Learned About Talking to Executives (And What Project Managers Can Steal From It)

HR professionals spent decades being written off as a support function before they figured out how to translate their work into language that made executives pay attention. Project managers are fighting the same battle. This session borrows directly from the HR playbook and applies it to the people and workforce data that already lives inside every project: resource capacity, skills gaps, time to productivity, and the human cost of turnover and delays. You do not need a new dashboard. You need a different way of telling the story the data is already trying to tell.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain why HR and project management share the same core communication challenge: doing work that drives business outcomes while being perceived as a cost center rather than a strategic function.
2. Apply a translation framework borrowed from HR practice to reframe people and workforce metrics that already exist in their projects into executive-level business impact language.
3. Identify the workforce data points most relevant to project success (resource utilization, capacity gaps, time to productivity, attrition risk) and connect each to a corresponding organizational outcome.
4. Construct a concise executive narrative around at least one metric they are currently tracking, using a structure proven to shift how leadership engages with People data.
5. Walk away with a repeatable approach for positioning themselves and their teams as strategic contributors rather than status reporters.

Presenter Bio

Marcia Torres is the Founder of Imagen Talent Solutions and a trusted advisor to startups, nonprofits, and small to medium size businesses navigating hiring, growth, and people challenges. She brings deep, hands-on experience in talent system implementations, hiring and interview design, and building practical people processes and systems that actually work in real-world organizations.

Known for her clear, engaging facilitation style, Marcia blends data, real-life examples, and straight talk to help leaders make better people decisions with confidence. Her work is grounded in equity, accessibility, and sustainability to support organizations that want to grow without losing sight of their values or burning out their teams.

Marcia is fluent in English and Spanish and frequently speaks on topics including hiring and interviewing, early-stage HR foundations, inclusive people practices, and scaling talent systems for small teams. Audiences appreciate her ability to make complex topics feel approachable, actionable, and immediately useful.

Imagen Talent Solutions - https://imagentalentsolutions.com/

* * *LIMITED TO 25 People* * *

PDU: 1.0 Business Accumen

Agenda: 

5:00 PM: Sound Check

5:15 PM: Registration & Networking

5:45 PM: Workshop

6:45 PM: Closing Remarks & Departure

Location:  5665 Meadows Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Please note: Attendance requires a signed NDA (sent via email 24 hours prior) and a security badge, which will be printed for you at registration upon arrival.

Non-members ...  $25.00
Chapter Members ... $15.00