Tuesday, July 14 | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Workshops
Please note that workshops, their dates and times are subject to be changed.
A Seat at the Table: Why Boards That Reflect Our Communities Matter • Henry Johnson Jr. | Leadership Akron
Boards make decisions that shape our communities, but too often, the voices at the table don't fully reflect the people being served. This interactive and thought-provoking session invites participants to rethink what it really means to show up in board service and why building boards that reflect our communities is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Grounded in more than 15 years of board service and four years facilitating Diversity on Board, this workshop blends real stories, practical insight, reflection, and moments of humor to create an engaging and accessible learning experience.
Participants will explore how diverse voices on boards lead to stronger decision-making, deeper trust, and more authentic community impact. The session will examine how lived experience, perspective, and representation influence everything from strategy and culture to how organizations show up in the community. Attendees will be challenged to reflect on who is at their table, whose voices may be missing, and how inclusive board practices move organizations from intention to impact. Participants will leave energized, with practical takeaways and a renewed understanding that when boards intentionally reflect the communities they serve, everyone benefits: organizations, communities, and the people doing the work together.
About the Speaker: Henry Johnson Jr. is a lifelong Summit County resident with more than two decades of experience developing people, teams, and organizations through values-based leadership. He began his professional journey with Acme Fresh Market, where he spent over 20 years serving in progressive leadership roles. During that time, Henry cultivated a deep passion for mentoring others, building strong teams, and investing in the next generation of leaders-work that continues to define his career today.
Henry currently serves as Vice President of Programs & Operations at Leadership Akron, where he shapes and stewards the immersive experiences that anchor the organization's mission. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for Leadership Akron's full portfolio of community-rooted programs. He directly leads the Signature Program, Diversity on Board, and Junior Leadership Akron, while offering strategic guidance and support to NEXT, Insight Akron, and the Corporate and Community Leadership Institutes. In addition to program leadership, Henry plays an integral role in organizational operations, contributing across development, communications, human resources, DEI efforts, and overall organizational strategy.
A lifelong learner, Henry is a graduate of the 2021 Green Community Leadership Institute, an experience that helped solidify his desire to pursue leadership roles centered on community impact and service. He is also a 2022 graduate of Leadership Akron's Diversity on Board program. Throughout his career, Henry has remained deeply engaged in civic life, volunteering his time and talents in ways that strengthen organizations and foster inclusive community leadership.
Henry has served on numerous community boards and committees and is currently active as Co-Chair of the Green YMCA Advisory Board, a member of the Access Shelter Board of Directors and Development Committee, and a member of the Summit Artspace Community Engagement Committee, County of Summit ADM Board. He is also a Founding Member of the City of Green's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Across each role, Henry is known as a connector and bridge-builder who values relationships, collaboration, and thoughtful dialogue.
Henry resides in Summit County with his wife and children. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling-particularly experiences that allow him to explore architecture, history, and culture. He is also an avid reader, writer, and podcast enthusiast. Grounded in gratitude and humility, Henry's commitment to service and growth is genuine, and his leadership continues to be shaped by a belief in planting seeds today that will benefit the community for generations to come.
Class Projects: Moving from Doing to Learning • Amy Jennings | Lead DSM
The end result of most traditional Community Leadership Program class projects is a feeling of accomplishment from doing. What if the end result was graduates who think more creatively, engage lived experts in equitable decision-making, and lead using a framework that can be applied in any setting after they complete the program? Learn how Lead DSM's Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute uses human-centered design in their capstone projects to develop better leaders for their community.
A
bout the Speaker: Amy Jennings
As executive director of Lead DSM, Amy works with participants and alumni to help them see themselves as partners for community change. Under her leadership, Lead DSM has grown from one program to a suite of programs and services that equip people to lead better.
Lead DSM alumni have been leading better since 1982, with more than 3,000 alumni serving in leadership roles in more than 280 community organizations.
Amy is an alumnus of Leadership Iowa, as well as Lead DSM's Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. She was the inaugural recipient of the Young Professionals Connection's Young Professional of the Year Award, she was a Des Moines Business Record Forty Under 40 honoree, and she was honored by Association of Leadership Programs with the Preceptor Award.
Amy has a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and a master's degree in Adult Learning and Organizational Performance with an emphasis in Leadership from Drake University.
Conversations for Change Navigating Difficult Conversations • Holly M. Davis, CAE | Gauge Strategy Co-Founder | Indiana Leadership Forum
Navigating conversations in today's polarized climate requires both skill and intention. This course equips emerging and established community leaders with the tools to engage effectively across ideological and cultural divides, fostering dialogue that strengthens local trust and supports shared goals. Participants will learn techniques for approaching disagreement with empathy, conducting difficult conversations with confidence, and using storytelling to bridge diverse perspectives. By building resilience and essential communication skills, leaders will be better prepared to engage their communities productively, even amid tension, and to guide meaningful, collaborative progress.
About the Speakers: Holly M. Davis is the founder and principal of Gauge Strategy, a consultancy specializing in strategic planning, leadership development, and organizational capacity for nonprofits, associations, and advocacy organizations.
Holly has spent nearly three decades designing and leading programs that develop civic, philanthropic, and political leaders. She founded the John M. Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute at the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, a flagship program for the state's philanthropic sector. She founded the Evergreen Campaign Institute, focused on developing candidates and campaign professionals, and co-founded the Indiana Leadership Forum. She served as Executive Director of both the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series, one of Indiana's premier civic leadership programs, and the Center for Women and Democracy.
As a consultant, she has worked with the Leadership Institute, and as a practitioner she has served on the faculty and programming side of leadership development throughout her career. Her own leadership formation includes alumni status with the Campaign School at Yale University, the Jim Morris Series at the International Center, Leadership Alexandria, and the Jennifer Byler Institute.
Holly has raised millions from corporations, foundations, PACs, and individuals, and has presented at national conferences for audiences ranging from political consultants to philanthropic professionals. She was named to the Indianapolis Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list, honored as a Distinguished Hoosier by Governor Mitch Daniels, and awarded a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Eric Holcomb. She holds a BA in Political Science and History from Indiana University and lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
Bridging Classrooms to Career Pathways: Building a Community-Wide Youth Leadership Model • Zoey LeTendre | Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
Across the country, leadership programs are exploring how to meaningfully engage young people; but many struggle with where to start, how to scale, and how to sustain the work.
This interactive session shares the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce's Career & Leadership Development Academy (ALP 2024 Excellence in Innovation Award Winner), a community-based initiative that embeds career exploration and leadership skill development directly into the school experience. Beginning with universal exposure for all 7th grade students and continuing through an opt-in leadership pathway in middle and high school, this model connects classrooms, employers, educators, post-secondary institutions, and families into a shared youth leadership ecosystem.
Participants will learn how the program grew from a selective enrichment program serving 40 students to a countywide initiative reaching more than 1,800 students annually through curriculum-connected industry excursions and a scaffolded mentor pathway. Presenters will share practical lessons from implementation including partnership development, operational adjustments, data collection and use, and funding realities; alongside student and community outcomes such as increased career awareness and leadership skill development.
The session will also feature a facilitated peer-to-peer exchange, giving attendees space to share what is working in their own youth programming, surface challenges, and explore barriers to launching new efforts. Participants will leave with adaptable strategies, practical insights, and renewed confidence to strengthen or begin youth engagement in their own leadership programs.
About the Speakers: Zoey LeTendre A lifelong North Carolinian and proud UNC-Chapel Hill alumna with a degree in Communication Studies, Zoey brings a rich background in leadership development, community programming, and special events. She is passionate about fostering meaningful connections, building strong communities, and helping others grow as leaders.
Growth Before Readiness Breaks Organizations: A Diagnostic Framework for Sustainable Capacity Building • Leslie Ellis | Meaningful Change Consulting LLC
Stop Adding Programs. Start Building Readiness.
Boards want new program tracks. Funders expect organizations to serve more participants. Communities need programs to address emerging issues. Here's what nobody's asking: Is the organization actually ready to grow?
Most capacity-building advice tells program managers HOW to expand. This workshop shows them how to know IF they should expand and what to strengthen first, so growth doesn't break what's already working.
In this interactive session, participants will learn the diagnostic framework Leslie Ellis uses with clients to distinguish between organizations ready for growth and those that need to build foundations first. They'll discover why "readiness before capacity" prevents the costly false starts that plague resource-constrained organizations, and they'll recognize the warning signs that the infrastructure can't handle what's about to be added.
Participants will leave with a one-page Organizational Readiness Assessment Tool they can use immediately with their boards and staff. No more guessing whether they're ready. No more breaking existing programs because they added too much too fast. A clear framework for making smart growth decisions when they can't afford to get it wrong.
This session gives participants something rare in the nonprofit world: permission to say not yet; and a roadmap for when is sustainable.
If program managers are tired of being told to do more with less, and ready for a framework that helps them grow smarter, not just faster, this session is for them.
About the Speaker: Leslie Ellis is an executive change advisor and keynote speaker who helps leaders raise the probability of success in complex, high-stakes change.
As CEO of Meaningful Change Consulting, Leslie works with senior leadership teams navigating enterprise transformation, culture change, reinvention, and moments where the cost of getting change wrong is significant. Her work focuses on what most organizations underestimate: leadership alignment, decision-making, and the conditions required before execution begins.
With over 20 years of experience, Leslie has supported more than 55 organizations across 42 countries, impacting over 900,000 stakeholders globally. She is frequently brought in when change is stalled, fragmented, or at risk — or when leaders want to avoid those outcomes altogether by setting change up for success from the start.
Leslie brings a rare blend of strategic advisory, executive coaching, and practical change leadership experience to the stage. Her speaking challenges common assumptions about resistance, speed, and execution, and equips leaders with clearer ways of thinking, deciding, and leading through complexity.
She is a member of the Forbes Business Council, a Certified Change Management Professional, and a Certified Reinvention Practitioner.
Building Bridges Across Systems: A Blueprint for Cross-Sector Leadership Collaboration • Daniela Rojas Florez | Greater Omaha Chamber Khenda Mustafa | Center for Immigrant & Refugee
Learn how MyCity GO and the Greater Omaha Chamber partnered with an immigrant-serving organization to build bridges across systems and sectors. This interactive session shares a practical, step-by-step blueprint for cross-sector collaboration that removes barriers, fosters belonging, and strengthens leadership development so participants can replicate these strategies in their own communities.
About the Speaker: Daniela Rojas Florez is the Director of Community Leadership Programs at the Greater Omaha Chamber. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, she brings a systems-informed and inclusive approach to leadership development. Daniela holds a master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Nebraska?Lincoln and has held multiple leadership roles in higher education. She is a graduate of Leadership Omaha (Class 44) and is passionate about building cross-sector collaborations that foster belonging and community progress.
About the Speaker: Khenda Mustafa is a community leader and advocate dedicated to advancing belonging, equity, and civic participation for immigrant and refugee communities in Nebraska. Born in Kurdistan, Iraq, Khenda arrived in the United States as a refugee at the age of 3. Her family’s journey informs her dedication to immigrant inclusion, a commitment she further developed while earning her bachelor’s degree in Global Studies from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. As Director of Community Engagement at CIRA (Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement), she works at the intersection of community organizing, leadership development, and systems change. Khenda leads initiatives that elevate immigrant voices, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, and expand access to resources, education, and economic opportunity. Grounded in collaboration and a deep commitment to community wellbeing, her work focuses on creating pathways for immigrants and refugees to lead, contribute, and co-create a more inclusive and prosperous community for all.