Healthcare Team & Leadership Workshops | HR Speaker Kara Kelley
Here’s the thing about HR in dental and medical practices: it’s not boring. It’s a front-row seat to some of the most human, high-stakes, occasionally baffling situations a small business can face — and Kara D. Kelley, SPHR, SHRM-SCP has been in that front row for almost 15 years. As CEO of Clinical HR and a nationally in-demand healthcare keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, Kara translates compliance, culture, and leadership strategy into language that actually makes sense to practice owners who never planned on being employers.
She has spoken at state dental association meetings, corporate practice groups, and leadership retreats across the country, earning a reputation for being equal parts sharp and relatable. Whether she’s breaking down the legal landmines of crowdsourced HR advice (Like, Share… Lawsuit?), coaching teams through drama (The Mess Under the Mission), helping practices future-proof their teams for AI (Ctrl+Alt+Reskill), or delivering her signature Compete With Culture keynote and workshop, Kara brings the same thing to every engagement: real expertise, real humor, and zero fluff.
If you’re a meeting professional who wants to see Kara speak or needs her bio, introduction, headshots, and A/V information, check out her Media Kit!
“Kara Kelley was an excellent addition to the continuing education program at the TDA Meeting. She provides critical HR information that every dental office needs to know. She received rave reviews from our attendees including comments like “so happy I booked this course” and “provided must have information”. I would highly recommend Kara for your organization or conference.”
Shannan Cook, CMP
Director of Meetings and Continuing Education | Texas Dental Association
Signature Presentations
Each presentation is tailored to your organization, event, and attendees.
Compete With Culture: Build a Practice Worth Working For
Equipping leaders with the insight and tools to build a practice culture that employees love, patients praise, and competitors can’t copy!
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, a strong practice culture and a clear employee value proposition are critical to attracting and retaining top talent. This session empowers leaders to create a workplace that supports employee engagement and loyalty, enhancing the overall appeal of their practice. Topics include defining cultural values, setting realistic expectations, and developing supportive policies that reflect the practice’s values. Your audience will…
– Explore the role of a positive practice culture in transforming recruitment, retention, and overall team satisfaction.
– Develop a compelling employee value proposition (EVP) that aligns with practice values and meets team expectations.
– Identify specific strategies to build and maintain a culture that emphasizes inclusivity, communication, and long-term employee development.
Presentation Length: Keynote (60 – 90 minute) or Workshop (half- or full-day)
Format: Best conducted as an in-person session at your conference, study club, or executive retreat
Like, Share… Lawsuit? Mistakes Practice Leaders Make When Crowdsourcing HR Advice
With ever-evolving employment regulations at the federal, state, and local levels, it’s no surprise practice leaders feel overwhelmed! Posting your HR questions to your virtual peer group is an easy solution to help you vent and get answers, right? Sure… except (like all topics) misinformation abounds! Key details like jurisdiction, headcount, and context get glossed over, and small issues can spiral into costly headaches. Learn the most common (and expensive) mistakes practices make when crowdsourcing HR decisions… so you can avoid them.
Presentation Length: Keynote (30 – 90 minutes)
Format: Virtual or in-person at your event location!
The Mess Under the Mission: Team Dynamics for Practices That Want to Perform
Every practice has a mission. Not every practice has a team that actually functions in support of it. This workshop digs into the real stuff – the trust gaps, the unspoken expectations, the conflict that never gets resolved, and the culture that forms by default instead of by design. Using the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team® model and Kara’s proprietary model for culture-focused decision making, participants will leave with a framework for building teams that don’t just coexist – they perform. This course delivers the mindset shift and real-world tools to handle conflict with confidence and lead like you mean it. To quote one of Kara’s clients who recently used these techniques, “It’s like I have this new power!”
Presentation Length: Keynote (60 – 90 minute) or Workshop (half- or full-day)
Format: Best conducted as an in-person session at your conference, study club, or team retreat
Ctrl + Alt + RESKILL: Rebooting Your Team for AI Agility
Artificial intelligence is reshaping practice administration faster than most leaders are ready for. It’s tempting to think the solution is fewer humans and more software. But beware the AI trap: cutting team members too quickly (or failing to upskill the ones you keep) can leave your practice with fractured systems, stressed-out employees, irritated patients, and a culture no algorithm can fix.
This interactive session challenges common assumptions about AI integration and shows what it really takes to future-proof your team. This isn’t a tech tutorial – it’s a leadership roadmap for reskilling, retaining, and re-aligning your people before the gap between your SOPs and your patient experience gets too wide to fix. You’ll walk away with the insights and actionable strategies needed to develop a plan for automating the tasks (not the talent) without sacrificing team trust, patient satisfaction, or practice profitability.
Presentation Length: Keynote (30 – 90 minutes)
Format: Virtual or in-person at your event location!
