AACA 2026 Annual Forum (October 13, 2026)

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

2026 ANNUAL FORUM

Total Rewards in a Globally Connected World

The Annual Forum is our biggest event of the year.

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

8:00 – 3:30 PM

The Carter Center, Cecil B. Day Chapel
453 John Lewis Freedom Pkwy NE
Atlanta 30307

Two of Four Sessions Announced

Pay Under Pressure: Governing Executive Compensation Risk
in a Globally Connected World

Global disruption is now an operating condition, and it pushes companies toward exactly the arrangements where executive compensation risk concentrates. This session traces how pay decisions fragment across compensation, legal, payroll, finance, and deal teams. A single governance discipline is applied to the three doctrines that follow nonqualified compensation through its lifecycle: ERISA top hat status at the front end, Section 409A in ongoing operation, and Section 280G at a change in control. Attendees leave with a governance calendar covering all three, and the case law and correction rules behind each.

Presented by

Jeremy Sharp
Partner
Hall Benefits Law

Jeremy J. Sharp is an accomplished benefits and compensation attorney with extensive in-house and law firm experience advising corporations, executives, and plan governance committees on ERISA, tax, and compliance matters across diverse industries. His practice focuses on pension and retirement plan governance, executive compensation strategy, health and welfare program management, fiduciary training and committee advisory, vendor selection and contract negotiations, regulatory filings and government audits, and risk mitigation strategies that align benefits design with financial objectives.

Preparing for HRIS Implementation –
Building a Job Architecture and Pay Structure Framework

Implementing a new HRIS system is as much a foundational HR exercise as it is a technical one, and organizations need clean, consistent job architecture and pay structures for the system to run on. In this session, we'll follow the journey of Zeus, a global organization, as it partnered with Culpepper to build a job architecture framework and design pay structures across the US and internationally in preparation for a major HRIS implementation — covering why this groundwork matters, key decisions along the way, and lessons learned to help attendees apply the same approach to their own initiatives.

Presented by

Natalie Croy
VP of Consulting
Culpepper & Associates

Natalie has nearly 20 years of compensation experience in which she has helped a broad range of organizations in the review and design of compensation programs, including privately owned companies, government organizations and large, publicly traded organizations. Prior to joining Culpepper and Associates as their Director of Compensation Consulting, Natalie served as Director, Global Compensation for a $4.5B publicly traded technology company. Prior to that, Natalie worked at Mercer, gaining deep expertise in job evaluation, compensation analysis, and project management.

Natalie earned a BS in Business Administration from University of Phoenix. She is a member of the Atlanta Area Compensation Association (AACA) and received her CCP designation from WorldatWork in 2007.

Tyria Taylor-Matthews
Sr. Compensation Manager
Zeus

Tyria Taylor-Matthews is an executive Total Rewards and workforce strategy leader with more than 18 years of experience across compensation, benefits, job architecture, HR technology, and organizational transformation. With experience in private equity-backed, public, pre-IPO, and high-growth organizations, Tyria is known for connecting people strategy, financial discipline, and business performance. She holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance, an LLM, and the CECP credential.

Annual Forum - Community Outreach

Each year, we dedicate a portion of our Annual Forum to a community outreach initiative. This year, AACA is proud to partner with the Banneker High School SAFE Center to host a Fill the Backpack event, procuring clear backpacks, hygiene products, and school supplies.

The Student and Family Engagement (SAFE) Center at Banneker High School is a school-based hub providing food, clothing, mental health support, and job placement services to remove barriers to learning for students and families — a model now replicated across Fulton County Schools.

Our goal is to fill at least 5 to 10 bins with school supplies, clear backpacks, and hygiene items.

There are two ways for you to participate:

Amazon Wishlist - purchase items from the curated Amazon Wishlist and ship directly to the address supplied.
Purchase items yourself and bring them directly to the Forum, using the Amazon Wishlist as a reference.

Donation bins will be located at the Banneker High School SAFE Center booth at the Forum.

With Thanks to Our Annual Sponsors:

AACA upcoming events

AACA 2026 Annual Forum (October 13, 2026)