Breakfast With Purpose

HR in the Middle: Decoding Leadership Intent & Employee Experience

Breakfast with Purpose - HR in the Middle: Decoding Leadership Intent & Employee Experience Graphic
Date 8/27/2026
Time 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Location Express Employment Professionals
1760 44th St SW, Suite 10, Grand Rapids, MI, United States, 49519
Contact Veronica Minard
(616) 281-0611
veronica.minard@expresspros.com

Practical Tools to Navigate the Pull Between Leadership Expectations and Employee Realities

Do you ever feel caught in the middle?

You explain leadership's decisions to a team whose daily reality looks nothing like the plan. You interpret that team's reality to leaders who are focused on results, not the frontline reality. Translating the human experience can be a lot to carry. But it's also a position of real influence when you have the right tools to use.

Join us for our next Breakfast with Purpose, featuring Jessica Swanberg, Manager of HR Services at Frontline Training Solutions. With her deep experience as an HR consultant and a former corporate HR leader, she understands the day-to-day realities HR practitioners face as well as the perspective of executive leadership.

This session will give you a practical framework for navigating the pull between leadership expectations and employee realities. Instead of feeling caught in the middle, you'll be equipped to lead from it.

What You’ll Learn
Participants will walk away with:

  • A framework to translate messages between leadership and frontline teams
  • A tool to identify gaps and remove barriers to organizational alignment 
  • Time to connect with peers facing the same challenges
  • Leave with one clear first step to take back to the office

Event Details

When:  Thursday, August 27, 2026  |  7:30 am – 9:00 am

Agenda:
7:30 am:  Breakfast and Networking
7:45 am:  Welcome
8:00 am:  Presentation and Q&A

Location:  Express Employment Professionals | 1760 44th St SW, Suite 10, Grand Rapids, MI 49519

Cost:  $35, includes admission and a full, hot breakfast

Register: https://frontlineon.regfox.com/breafast-with-purpose82726

Why You Should Attend

This session is built for HR practitioners but can benefit anyone who feels caught between what their organization’s leadership expects and what their team is actually experiencing. If this sounds familiar, this is your session.

Join us for breakfast, connection, and practical tools you can use the same week.

Meet the Speaker

Jessica Swanberg, Headshot

Jessica Swanberg, SHRM-SCP

Manager of Human Resources Services, Frontline Training Solutions

Jessica Swanberg is a dedicated Human Resources leader with nearly two decades of experience helping organizations build strong, effective workplaces. Known for her collaborative style and practical approach, Jessica partners with leaders to create environments where people can grow, contribute, and succeed. She believes that when people are supported and developed, organizations perform at their best.

Jessica provides practical HR solutions across key areas including talent acquisition and onboarding, employee relations, workplace investigations, benefits and compensation, compliance, OSHA, workers' compensation, and performance management. She is especially passionate about training and development, helping leaders strengthen their skills and build engaged, high-performing teams.

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science in behavioral science from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Arts in human resources development from Western Michigan University. She also holds certifications from the American Society for Quality as a Quality Improvement Associate and from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a Senior Certified Professional (SCP)

Outside of work, Jessica enjoys spending time with her daughters and serving in their communities. They actively volunteer with Ada Bible Church, Mel Trotter, and Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, reflecting a strong commitment to community and relationships.


Meet the Express Employment Professionals Companies


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