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Nebraska Trailblazers

How Brain Science Creates Brain Gain

September 11, 2026 | 7:30-9:30 AM | Delray Ballroom

Haley Walts

Summer Intern Foundry Coordinator, NE Trailblazers Breakfast Event Coordinator

"I am so excited and honored to plan the third annual Nebraska Trailblazers Breakfast in Lincoln. As a former intern in the Intern Foundry Program, and now as an Intern Foundry Coordinator, I’ve seen firsthand how students blossom when they’re given the space to engage with professionals in their community. This event really centers on student voices, giving them a (literal) seat at the table for conversations about how to make Nebraska a better place to work and live. When I attended the Lincoln Trailblazers Breakfast last year, I built meaningful connections with both students and professionals at my table, and I left feeling inspired to bring what I had learned back into my work and my community. I believe that chances like this to gather and celebrate young talent are so important to the health of our community here in Lincoln. I’m really looking forward to the Trailblazers Breakfast this September!"

Nebraska Trailblazers Breakfast (Lincoln)

This interactive breakfast will create meaningful connections between students and business leaders and explore how understanding "Brain Science" can transform the workplace environment, which directly affects team performance and resiliency, all while addressing our state's pressing brain drain challenge. 

Connecting Through Brain Science

Kylie Ensrud, Co-Founder, President, and Chief HR Officer of Humanized HR, will guide participants through engaging discussions that will address the key to being a successful leader, the state of the nervous system. Unlike typical networking events, this breakfast facilitates structured small-group interactions where participants will leave knowing how to:

  • Professional Leaders

    • Name impact out loud
    • Author the "why" behind decisions
    • Invite junior voices first in meetings
    • Walk into work regulated
    • Make fairness visible

  • Emerging Student Leaders

    • Read the environment
    • Identify good leadership
    • Find a believing adult
    • Practice change-making
    • Revise one's own story

Everyone

  • Gain insights into applying Brain Science in careers
  • Discover fresh perspectives that can drive team performance and resiliency
  • Build relationships that strengthen Nebraska's professional ecosystem

**Every individual $100 registration sponsors a registration for a student, making this a free event for Nebraska's future talent. Each table at the event will pair four business leaders with four high-achieving Nebraska students, providing a unique opportunity for meaningful interactions and the exchange of valuable insights.

Why this Matters

By fostering these connections, we're not just sharing ideas. We're developing the collaborative foundation needed to keep Nebraska's talent engaged and invested in our state's future. Nebraska will not win a salary war with the coasts, but we can win on whose stories Nebraska shapes. That is a leadership choice, not a budget line. 

Meet the Keynote: Dr. Kylie Ensrud, Co-Founder, President, and Chief HR Officer of Humanized HR

  • Dr. Kylie Ensrud is a thought leader in neuroleadership, an executive coach, and the author of The Human Signal. With more than 20 years of experience in people and culture leadership, she has held C-suite and senior executive roles across both white-collar and blue-collar industries. That breadth shapes how she works on stage and in the boardroom: she has built high-performing teams in environments that most consultants only describe.

Named one of 2026's top CHROs and 2024 HR Leader of the Year by HR.com and a 2023 finalist for Learning Legacy Leader of the Year by the Corporate Learning Network, Kylie founded Humanized HR to do this work at scale. Her practice helps leaders apply brain science to build high-performing teams and helps individuals thrive at work, not just survive it. She is convinced that most of what we call performance, engagement, and culture problems are predictable outputs of the brain's response to leadership behavior, and her work gives leaders the science, language, and practices to address them.

Kylie speaks regularly at major industry events, including The Future of Work Conference in New York, the HRWest Conference in Oakland, the CLO Talent Summit, and DisruptHR. Her signature talks include Cognitive Wellness: Enhancing Total Worker Wellbeing, The Social Brain and Team Resilience, and Unlocking Human Potential: The Neuroscience of Adaptability in Teams. Her published work appears in Chief Learning Officer and HRM Outlook, and she serves on the Employee Communications and Collaboration Advisory Board for HR.com.

Kylie holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership Innovation and Continuous Improvement from Concordia University and is credentialed as an SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Board Certified Executive Coach, Certified Professional Compliance Officer, and Certified Administrator of the EQ-i 2.0. Across every engagement, her mission is the same: build leaders and teams where people can both perform and thrive.

Thank You Core Sponsors!

Thank You Table Sponsors!

Interested in sponsorship opportunities? 

View our Nebraska Trailblazers Sponsorship page. 

 

This event is coordinated by the Foundry Community, a nonprofit in Lincoln, Nebraska focused on serving purpose-driven organizations in the community and state with support, education, and development. Email julie@thefoundry.co to learn more.