“Let your light so shine so you can thrive.”

At the midpoint of the North American Division’s 2026 tHRive Human Resources Conference, Doug Bing, Washington Conference president, challenged attendees with a lesson from science. 

He shared a concept he learned while reviewing his daughter’s senior project as a biology major at Walla Walla University. The topic: bioluminescence. Reading from her introductory paragraph, he said, “Bioluminescence is the production of light by an organism.” 

While Bing admitted much of the scientific jargon went over his head, he uncovered this insight: “Nutritional status can affect bioluminescence in some species.” Without adequate fuel, the organisms focus on survival rather than producing light. 

Turning the spotlight on the 337 professionals from human resources and related departments, Bing concluded, “The way to thrive is to be filled with the fuel from Jesus and from on high. Let your light so shine so you can thrive.”

Throughout the conference, held April 27-29 in Seattle, Washington, attendees were reminded that thriving in their unique calling begins with a daily relationship with Christ. Only then can they emulate Him in every policy, hiring decision, and interaction. 

Morning worship sessions provided spiritual grounding and reminded attendees that HR in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is much more than an administrative function. It is a ministry. 

In their greetings during these sessions, NAD president G. Alexander Bryant and executive secretary Kyoshin Ahn affirmed HR professionals’ work supporting the people and gospel mission of the church; further, Ahn called them “the quiet backbone of our organizations.” 

Each worship session began with inspiring praise sets by Abishai Aiolupotea, HR director for the Washington Conference, and his daughter, Nia.

The first devotional speaker, John Freedman, president of the North Pacific Union Conference, shared his story of losing his adult son, Jonathan, during the pandemic, and the support he and his family received, as an example of the compassion required of HR professionals. “HR cannot just be about the numbers. You have to get to know the people you’re dealing with and show them Christ’s love,” he said.

Freedman ended with this charge: “You are the light of the world as HR professionals. He who follows, he who walks in the darkness, he will have the light of life.” Then he led the room in a melodious rendition of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

NAD HR director Danielle Toddy later reflected that while most sessions addressed the complex, demanding, time-sensitive nature of HR, “The spiritual tone of the conference [was] critical.” She and her team wanted tHRive to be more than a training event because “the lens through which we do our work is different depending on how we set our focus.” 

The “amens” throughout the room suggested that attendees connected deeply with the messages. Meshach Soli, the Hawaii Conference executive secretary with responsibility for HR, recognized the value of the powerful testimonies. 

“I think what that helps us do is to realize that we’re working with people with real issues and challenges. They’re not just names on a piece of paper. … Adding those devotions between our sessions helps us to create more empathy,” Soli said.

The conference also addressed the complex challenges HR professionals face through breakout sessions on April 27 and 28, covering topics such as personnel management, retirement planning, health-care assistance, risk management benefits, opportunities for short-term and long-term missionary service, legal compliance, and artificial intelligence.

A standout panel featuring Todd McFarland, general counsel for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GC); Ruben Gandia and Anna Gabriella Colon, associate general counsels for the GC; and Bob Burrow, NAD general counsel, explored the legal responsibilities of HR professionals.

Among the employment law updates, Gandia addressed the growing use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. While AI can assist with drafting communications, developing policies, screening applications, and conducting research, he cautioned that it also presents risks related to discrimination, privacy, confidentiality, and attorney-client privilege. As AI becomes more widespread, he said, HR professionals must ensure its use never replaces human judgment.

J. Keith Chant, director of information services for the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Canada, echoed that message, describing AI as an unavoidable part of today’s workplace while presenting both its risks and benefits. 

Chant closed with an Ellen G. White quotation encouraging the thoughtful, responsible use of new methods in ministry: “New methods must be introduced. God’s people must awake to the necessities of the time in which they are living” (The Review and Herald, September 30, 1902).

For first-time attendee Rabel Ortiz, who is transitioning to the role of HR assistant director for the Southeastern California Conference, the event provided several helpful training and networking opportunities. Her biggest takeaway was, “There is a network out there. I know I have people I can reach out to … to guide me the proper way.”

The two keynotes, closing out the first and second days of the conference, leaned even more into testimony to encourage HR professionals to prioritize their walk with God.

Monday’s keynote speaker, Katrina Desgroseillier, director of accounting/payroll, Town Auto Group in East Wenatchee, Washington, shared that surrendering to God helped her emerge from a dark hole when an addiction to pain medications caused her to lose her marriage, home, career, and children. By 2015, she was homeless and unexpectedly pregnant.

The kindness of the hospital staff, as well as the birth of a healthy baby boy, sparked transformation. Eventually, she completed rehab, recommitted her life to Christ, rebuilt her life, remarried, and found renewed purpose. “The only way I knew how to survive was to give up,” she said, inviting attendees to likewise let go of their burdens and entrust them to a loving God.

“The only way I knew how to survive was to give up,” she said, encouraging attendees to similarly let go of any burdens and entrust them to a loving God. 

In the final keynote, Kent Hansen, retired general counsel for Loma Linda University Health, called HR professionals to a higher standard than professional excellence. He shared a low point when he felt emotionally empty and cried out to God. God revealed to him that while he had achieved success in business law, he had become disengaged from God and his family.

Shortly after, he developed a deep hunger for studying scripture. His family life was repaired. And through his fervent prayers, 19 people at his secular law firm accepted Christ. 

“You have to give seven days to Jesus, not just the Sabbath,” Hansen urged attendees, promising that doing so would transform them and help them reflect Christ in every sphere.

While tHRive ended on April 29 with a celebratory brunch, the conference as a whole recognized the often-unseen ministry of HR professionals, whose work requires balancing organizational responsibilities with compassion for the people they serve.

Toddy hoped attendees would have fun, encourage one another, and take away insights and resources that would be a blessing to their ministry.

Organizers also took the time to recognize the work of three HR directors — Teresa Best, Allegheny East Conference; Yasmin Then, Florida Conference; and Aiolupotea. All three were acknowledged for faithfully serving as HR professionals for several years and for demonstrating their hearts for ministry in other capacities, such as music ministry, Bible work, and evangelism.

“They have followed God’s call for their lives,” Toddy concluded.