On the morning of September 11th, 2001, the world was irrevocably altered by a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that targeted iconic American landmarks. For many, the day began with a sense of normalcy, a routine interrupted by unimaginable horror. For those gathered at the HR Technology Conference in Baltimore, that interruption was particularly acute, unfolding in real-time amidst a professional gathering focused on the future of human capital. David Shadovitz, the founding editor of HR Executive, vividly recalls his experience. He had just concluded a breakfast meeting at the Hyatt hotel, situated at the cusp of the second day of the conference. As he made his way to the Baltimore Convention Center, a scene of profound shock arrested his attention. "I was on the way to the Baltimore Convention Center when I noticed a group of people around a television screen watching the horrific images of the plane flying into the North Tower," Shadovitz recounted, his voice tinged with the lingering gravity of the memory.
This moment of collective disbelief was echoed across the city and the nation. Tim Jordan, who now serves as an account executive for HR Tech but was a regional sales manager for HR Executive in 2001, was navigating the morning commute on I-95 from the Philadelphia area. The first news of the initial plane crash reached him through the radio. Pulling over at a Maryland rest stop, he too witnessed the unfolding tragedy on a television screen, a shared experience of stunned realization.
Bill Kutik, a conference co-chair and co-founder, found himself on stage, leading an analyst panel, when a note was discreetly passed to him, bearing news of the first plane strike. In an attempt to manage the palpable tension and to buy himself time to grasp the gravity of the situation, he invoked a now-famous Saturday Night Live cliché: "Talk amongst yourselves." He then swiftly departed the stage, a palpable urgency in his movement, to seek further details. Later, reflecting on that moment in a podcast with Roy Altman, Kutik described the internal struggle: "As I walked back, I was thinking, How can I tell people something so important, so scary and so tragic?" He opted for a relatable cultural reference, asking the audience, "How many of you are fans of The West Wing?" He explained that viewers of the popular political drama understood the significance of receiving a note on stage, and how its immediate discussion implied a matter of extreme importance. "You know from watching that, when someone at the podium gets a note, it’s pretty important. When someone leaves to talk about that note, it’s really damn important. So, let me do my best to tell you what’s going on," he conveyed to the assembled professionals, before proceeding to share the scant, yet devastating, information he had gathered.
The immediate aftermath saw an hour-long break following Kutik’s session, a period characterized by a frantic search for information and access to any available television. Rebecca McKenna, then publisher of HR Executive and now its senior vice president of brand & innovation, described the prevailing atmosphere as one of "fear and confusion," exacerbated by the difficulty in obtaining reliable information. "This was a very different communications era. The internet was far less reliable, cell phones were not nearly as sophisticated and phone lines quickly became overwhelmed," she explained. "We were trying to understand what was happening in New York and elsewhere while also trying desperately to reach family, colleagues and friends."
For Tom Starner, a longtime writer for HR Executive, the personal impact arrived via a call on his flip phone from his wife, who relayed the harrowing details she was witnessing on television. The increasing clarity of the attacks’ scope and the escalating sense of danger prompted a swift and decisive response from Baltimore officials. Recognizing the potential vulnerability of public spaces, they made the critical decision to close the Convention Center and nine other locations across the city deemed potential terrorist targets.
"After the magnitude of what had occurred became clear, the conference team communicated to both session attendees and exhibitors that the remainder of the event would be cancelled beginning Tuesday afternoon," Starner stated, detailing the official pronouncement that brought the professional gathering to an abrupt halt. Kutik further elaborated on the disarray, recalling a moment during a "Shootout" session on recruiting where he had to physically navigate through attendees to disseminate the urgent news. "I said, ‘We all have to leave, your boxed lunch is waiting for you at the exits,’" Kutik remembered, underscoring the chaotic yet organized nature of the evacuation. "That’s how it went."
By the time Jordan arrived in Baltimore, the expo hall was already emptying. "There was an announcer on the PA asking everyone to evacuate the hall," Jordan recalled. He noted the heightened security measures, observing, "This was when the Pentagon was hit, so they were not taking any chances." McKenna confirmed the nature of the evacuation, stating that attendees and exhibitors were instructed to leave in groups, "leaving exhibit spaces, materials and belongings behind." The urgency of the situation left no room for typical protocols: "There was no time to dismantle booths or make normal arrangements. People simply had to go."
The walk from the Convention Center back to the Hyatt felt surreal for Starner. "There were soldiers riding around in jeeps, with guns," he observed, painting a picture of a city under heightened alert. "Everyone on the streets was in a state of shock."
The Logistical Nightmare of Departure
The cancellation of the conference, while necessary for safety, immediately presented a new and daunting challenge: how would thousands of attendees, many from across the country and internationally, find their way home? With air traffic grounded nationwide, a spontaneous exodus created a significant logistical hurdle. "Some people were able to rent cars while others were able to take a train," Shadovitz recalled. "Some drove as far as the West Coast."
Shadovitz himself carpooled back to the Philadelphia region with several colleagues. "I recall the ride was eerily quiet, as everyone tried to digest what we just witnessed," he shared, reflecting the somber mood of those grappling with the day’s events. Tom Starner, who altruistically offered his hotel room to stranded individuals who had already checked out, shared a similar experience, describing his ride home with HR Executive salespeople as one of "almost dead silence."
Jordan’s departure from Baltimore was marked by an unsettling sight: "It was really odd getting out of Baltimore; there were police and military with machine guns running around. It was not something I had ever seen before."
Despite the pervasive "fear and confusion," McKenna highlighted a remarkable aspect of the crisis: the emergence of profound human connection and mutual support. "Across our conference community, people did whatever they could to help one another. We helped people find transportation and places to stay. We shared whatever information we had," she stated. "There was no playbook for what we were experiencing. There was simply an instinct to take care of one another." This spirit of collective aid saw individuals sharing rooms, rides, and offering reassurance, with McKenna herself driving attendees north and hosting West Coast attendees at her Philadelphia-area home until they could secure flights.
The Profound Impact on the HR Profession
The immediate and lasting impact of September 11th rippled through the human resources profession, fundamentally altering its priorities and scope. David Shadovitz noted that the conference, held in an era transitioning from the dot-com boom to the nascent stages of cloud computing, had been focused on integrated HR systems, employee self-service, and online recruiting. Overnight, the focus shifted dramatically. Organizations were suddenly confronted with urgent and complex new responsibilities, including emergency preparedness, workplace security protocols, and the critical need for grief counseling and trauma support for their employees.
George LaRocque, founder of WorkTech, articulated this transformation in an interview with HR Executive for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. He emphasized that the attacks had a profound and lasting effect on HR’s orientation. "Today we are more aware of mental wellness, the employee experience and putting the employee first," LaRocque stated. "When there’s a crisis, it can bring out the best in people, and I think in the workplace, that’s what I saw 20 years ago. And that’s what I’ve witnessed globally now: The conversations are about individuals, teams and their wellness and how we are supporting them."
This profound shift in perspective, from a primarily professional concept to a deeply personal imperative, was palpable within the HR community. The innate focus of HR professionals on people, a core tenet of the field, was amplified and deepened by the shared trauma and the collective response witnessed on that day.
As Rebecca McKenna reflected, "Twenty-five years later, as we remember the thousands of lives lost that day and the families whose lives were forever changed, I also remember an HR community that came together during an unimaginable moment. When everything else suddenly seemed uncertain, people took care of people." This enduring legacy of empathy and mutual support, forged in the crucible of a national tragedy, continues to shape the human resources profession, underscoring its vital role in organizational resilience and employee well-being.
The events of September 11th, 2001, were a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the interconnectedness of humanity. For the HR professionals gathered in Baltimore, the conference was not just a professional event; it became a microcosm of a nation grappling with unprecedented adversity. The shared experience, from the initial shock to the complex logistical challenges of departure and the subsequent reevaluation of professional priorities, underscored the essential human element at the heart of human resources. The day marked a turning point, not just for the profession, but for how organizations understood their responsibility to their most valuable asset: their people. The lessons learned, the bonds forged, and the enhanced focus on employee well-being continue to resonate two decades later, a testament to the enduring spirit of resilience and compassion that emerged from the ashes of that tragic day.
