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Strategy-Backed. People-First. — Statewide, Texas
The Conversation Your Team Needs to Have.

HR Keynote Speaker &
Corporate Training

Dr. Thomas W. Faulkner brings 15+ years of real-world HR experience to conference stages, leadership retreats, and training rooms across Texas. He delivers practical HR keynotes and workforce development workshops built for employers, municipalities, nonprofits, and leadership teams.

Home Speaking & Training
Dr. Thomas W. Faulkner speaking portrait
15+ Years on the
Front Lines
About the Speaker

Dr. Thomas W. Faulkner

Most HR speakers have read the same books you have. Dr. Faulkner has lived the situations those books describe — and the ones they leave out. His career spans municipal government, healthcare, nonprofits, and private enterprise, with a consistent focus on the moment when HR systems meet real-world pressure and one of them breaks.

He doesn't present theory. He presents what happened, what it cost, what was done about it, and what your organization can do before it gets there. Audiences leave with specific tools, not inspiration that fades by the drive home.

His approach is direct, his examples are specific, and his tolerance for HR theater is nonexistent. If you're looking for a speaker who will tell your leadership team what they need to hear — not what they want to hear — that's the conversation he's built for.

Doctorate — Organizational Leadership SPHR Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt 15+ Years HR Leadership Public Sector Specialist
Keynotes & Workshops

Signature Topics

Each presentation is built around a specific organizational problem — not a generic HR theme. Topics can be delivered as 45-minute keynotes, half-day workshops, or multi-session training programs.

01

Why Your People Are Leaving — And It's Not the Pay

Keynote / Workshop • 45 min – 3 hrs

The real drivers of voluntary turnover in Texas organizations — and why the exit interview data you're collecting is telling you the wrong story. Built for leadership teams who've tried raises and still can't keep people.

  • Identify the 4 non-compensation turnover drivers in your organization
  • Understand why managers — not pay — determine retention
  • Build a 90-day retention intervention that doesn't require a budget increase
02

The Compliance Cliff: What Texas Employers Don't Know Is Hurting Them

Keynote / Workshop • 45 min – 4 hrs

A direct, no-filter examination of the compliance failures that generate DOL complaints, EEOC charges, and TWC investigations in Texas organizations — and the documentation gaps that make them indefensible.

  • Identify the 6 most common Texas employer compliance failures
  • Understand what "at-will" actually protects — and what it doesn't
  • Build a documentation system that holds up under investigation
03

Supervisors Who Manage vs. Supervisors Who Lead: There's a Difference

Leadership Workshop • Half-Day – Full-Day

Most supervisors were promoted because they were good at the job — not because they were ready to manage people. This session addresses the gap between technical competence and leadership effectiveness in direct, practical terms.

  • Distinguish between task management and people leadership
  • Apply the 5 accountability conversations every supervisor avoids
  • Build a personal leadership framework that works under pressure
04

HR for the Non-HR Manager: What You're Legally Required to Know

Workshop • 2–4 hrs

Designed for department heads, directors, and supervisors who make HR decisions every day without an HR background. Covers the legal exposure points that most managers don't know exist until a complaint is filed.

  • Understand what you can and cannot ask in interviews and performance conversations
  • Know when to escalate to HR — and when waiting makes it worse
  • Apply the documentation standard that protects both the employee and the organization
05

Building HR Infrastructure That Doesn't Break When You Scale

Workshop / Retreat • Half-Day – Full-Day

For growing organizations that have outgrown their HR systems but haven't replaced them yet. A practical session on building the policies, processes, and documentation infrastructure that can carry 50, 100, or 200 employees without a compliance crisis.

  • Identify the 8 HR systems every growing organization needs before 50 employees
  • Prioritize the highest-risk gaps in your current HR infrastructure
  • Build a 6-month HR modernization roadmap your team can execute
06

The Public Sector HR Crisis: What's Breaking and How to Fix It

Keynote / Workshop • 45 min – 3 hrs

A frank examination of the workforce challenges specific to Texas municipalities, county governments, and public agencies — including the political, structural, and legal constraints that make standard HR solutions unworkable in the public sector.

  • Understand the 3 structural factors that make public sector HR uniquely difficult
  • Apply retention and performance strategies that work within civil service constraints
  • Build compliance systems that function under political pressure
In the Room

Training in Action

From conference keynotes to closed-door leadership retreats, the work happens in the room — not on a slide.

Dr. Thomas Faulkner presenting at a leadership training session Keynote — Leadership Training Session
Dr. Faulkner with conference audience Conference Keynote
HR compliance workshop breakout session HR Compliance Workshop
Group photo after workforce development workshop Workforce Development Workshop
Public sector leadership training — county government Public Sector Leadership Training

"I work at a behavioral health agency, and when Thomas came in for training, I wasn't expecting much — I've sat through plenty of required sessions that amounted to little more than box-checking. This was different. The ideas landed because they connected directly to the challenges we face with clients every day, and I walked out with practical tools I've already put to use in sessions. For once, it actually felt worth my time."

— Stephanie Heil, MH Clinician
The Wood Group • San Antonio, Texas
How We Work

Delivery Formats

Every engagement is customized to the audience, the setting, and the specific problem the organization is trying to solve. No off-the-shelf programs.

Conference Keynote

High-impact opening or closing keynote for HR conferences, municipal leadership summits, and nonprofit leadership events.

45 – 90 Minutes

Half-Day Workshop

Deep-dive training session with interactive exercises, case studies, and take-home tools. Ideal for leadership teams and supervisory staff.

3 – 4 Hours

Full-Day Training

Comprehensive training program with morning and afternoon sessions, covering multiple related topics with practical application exercises throughout.

6 – 8 Hours

Multi-Session Program

A structured training series delivered over weeks or months, designed to build skills progressively and create lasting behavioral change in leadership teams.

Custom Schedule

Virtual Training

Live virtual sessions via Zoom or Teams for distributed teams and organizations outside of Texas. Same content, same directness — adapted for the remote format.

60 – 180 Minutes

Leadership Retreat

Facilitated off-site session for senior leadership teams working through organizational challenges, culture issues, or strategic HR planning.

Half-Day to 2 Days
Past Engagements

Organizations We've Trained

From city governments to growing nonprofits — the audiences change, the problems don't.

Judson ISD
McMullen County
MHTTC
NAMI
SHRM
Texas PRIMA
TMHRA
American GI Forum
CHCS
Frio County ESD
How to Book

The Booking Process

From first contact to delivery, the process is straightforward. No lengthy RFP processes, no speaker bureaus, no middlemen.

1

Submit an Inquiry

Use the contact form below to describe your event, audience, and the problem you're trying to solve. The more specific, the better.

2

Discovery Call

A 20-minute call to understand your audience, the organizational context, and what a successful outcome looks like for your event.

3

Proposal & Customization

A tailored proposal with topic recommendations, format options, and pricing. Content is customized to your specific audience and objectives.

4

Delivery

The session is delivered as agreed — on time, on topic, and built around the outcomes your organization needs.

Book Dr. Faulkner for Your Next Event.

Whether it's a conference keynote, a leadership retreat, or a compliance training for your supervisory team — the conversation starts with a single inquiry. Availability is limited; engagements are booked on a first-confirmed basis.

Submit a Speaking Inquiry General Contact