Wednesday, July 15 | 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM Workshop
Please note that workshops, their dates and times are subject to be changed.
Good Boards, Bad Impact: When Governance Practices Fuel Burnout and Stall the Mission • Liz Mayfield, MPA | Briga Collective | Leadership Tomorrow (NE) Alumni
Mission-driven organizations depend on strong governance to protect their purpose but many leaders are burning out under systems designed for control, not collaboration.
This interactive workshop invites participants to examine how traditional governance norms while well-intentioned can unintentionally strain leadership capacity, slow decision-making, and erode trust. Rather than locating burnout in individual resilience or performance, the session reframes it as a structural outcome of governance models that have not evolved alongside today's complex, relational work.
Through facilitated dialogue, systems mapping, and real-world scenarios, participants will explore how power, role confusion, and unexamined assumptions about accountability show up in boards and how small shifts toward stewardship can dramatically improve sustainability and impact. The session offers practical tools to help boards function as bridges rather than bottlenecks, without sacrificing fiduciary responsibility.
Designed for leaders who care deeply about their mission and the people carrying it forward, this workshop creates space for honest reflection and actionable change.
About the Speakers: Liz Mayfield is the founder of Briga Collective, a consulting practice built on one core belief: the nonprofit sector cannot sustain its mission if it keeps burning through the people doing the work.
With more than a decade of executive leadership in direct service nonprofits, including doubling an operational budget and securing more than $7M in public and capital funding, Liz brings hard-won perspective to the places organizations get stuck. Her work centers on a simple through-line: when leaders and boards have clarity, strong communication, and genuine connection to their purpose and each other, organizations move forward.
Through Govern Well: Nonprofit Board Essentials and Briga Collective's broader offerings including executive coaching, leadership intensives, team workshops, and fractional strategy support, Liz helps nonprofit leaders unlearn burnout patterns, reclaim their capacity, and build organizations that don't require running on empty to function.
The Secret Sauce Exchange: Sharing Design Ideas from Flagship Programs • Aaron Miller | Leadership Louisville Center
Every community leadership program has its own "secret sauce" the design choices, signature moments, and facilitation techniques that make the experience come alive. These elements are often refined over years of trial and error, but they don't always get shared beyond individual programs or communities.
This highly interactive, hands-on workshop creates a space for open, generous exchange of the best design ideas from flagship community leadership programs. Instead of presentations or case studies, participants will actively contribute real examples from their own programs and learn directly from peers across the country.
Using markers, post-it notes, and facilitated activities, attendees will share the elements that make their flagship programs distinctive. Things like:
Topic arcs and learning journeys
Signature sessions and enhancements
Field trips and site visit design
Reflection and debrief questions that spark insight
Rituals, traditions, and moments that build culture and connection
The session is designed to be fully participatory and practical. Attendees will be encouraged to take photos of ideas, prompts, and designs they want to adapt - leaving with dozens of concrete examples they can remix for their own programs.
This workshop balances playful creativity with serious practitioner value. It assumes every flagship program has something worth sharing, and that the collective wisdom of the field is one of its greatest assets.
A
bout the Speaker: Aaron Miller is Vice President of the Leadership Louisville Center & LeadingBetter, leading the team that manages community leadership programs, signature events, and the interactive workshops under the LeadingBetter brand.
Miller has been with the organization since 2011 and in his years with the center, he has facilitated thousands of hours of programming for thousands of community leaders. The Encore Louisville program, where seasoned professionals volunteer with nonprofit organizations pro-bono to help meet organizational challenges, was co-created by Miller and a team of Leadership Louisville Center graduates in 2014. Since its creation, it has provided over $1.5 Million in value to the nonprofit community in Louisville.
Prior to joining the Center, Miller spent 17 years in broadcasting, working as a radio morning show host and promotions/marketing director. Miller was elected to two terms as a city council member for the city of Lyndon in 2002 and 2004, and he currently sits on the boards of the Catholic Foundation of Louisville and the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation.
Miller resides in Louisville with his wife Susan and two children, Maggie and Charlie.
BRAVE (Uncomfortable AF) Conversations • Varsey Laurelle | Varsey Laurelle Enterprises | Leadership Columbus Alumni
Is there a hard conversations + truths that you need to have + you're making all the excuses for not having it? Or maybe you do have these conversations + you forget your points or things go awry?
This hands-on workshop teaches my proven BRAVE Framework for navigating brave (difficult) discussions with confidence + compassion (for yourself and others). Through interactive exercises covering workplace conflicts, relationship tensions, + family dynamics, you'll develop core competencies in emotional regulation, clear communication, active listening, + conflict navigation.
Perfect for:
Professionals addressing performance issues
Managers giving difficult feedback
Partners discussing sensitive topics
Parents communicating with adult children
Anyone who finds themselves either avoiding important conversations or having them go poorly.
You'll leave with practical tools including preparation worksheets, specific language that reduces defensiveness, strategies for managing heated emotions, + follow-up templates. You'll practice real scenarios in a supportive environment + discover that the conversations you've been avoiding might be the key to deeper relationships + better outcomes!
About the Speaker: Varsey Laurelle is the Founder of Varsey Laurelle Enterprises + creator of Present Continuous Leadership™, a leadership philosophy centered on how leaders intentionally allocate time, attention, energy, + consistency in the ongoing present during seasons of change.
With a BA in Mass Communications + Marketing from Wright State University + an MBA from Ashland University, she combines business psychology with human-centered strategies.
Varsey is known for her authenticity, energy, + deep listening skills, helping leaders + teams unlock their full potential. Whether curating transformational workshops or coaching executives, she's committed to fostering environments where people feel seen, valued, + empowered.
When she's not strategizing with clients, you can find her hiking, traveling, sipping champagne, or championing local communities - all with an unwavering commitment to making an impact.
Leading from the Inside Out: Developing Self-Aware, Resilient, and Adaptive Leaders • Jabaria M. Dent & Charles Dent | Dent Enterprises, Inc
This breakout session works to advance leadership education by:
- Centering self-assessment and reflection as foundational leadership competencies.
- Addressing the growing need for resilience, adaptability, and self-leadership amid organizational and societal change.
- Providing practical, scalable tools that can be integrated into leadership programs across sectors.
Participants will leave with both conceptual clarity and applied techniques to strengthen leadership development initiatives within their institutions and communities.
About the Speaker: Jabaria M. Dent is a results-driven executive and community-focused leader with a track record of building organizations, developing people, and delivering measurable outcomes. She currently serves as Chief Operations Officer of Dent Enterprises, Inc., where she oversees operations, strategy execution, and stakeholder partnerships.
Jabaria frequently collaborates with public-sector leaders, nonprofits, and private organizations to design and deliver leadership training, strategic initiatives, and operational improvements. Her approach blends practical management discipline with a people-centered philosophy, ensuring teams are equipped to perform at a high level while remaining mission-focused.
About the Speaker: Dr. Charles Dent is a licensed therapist, performance coach, and veteran leader with over 30 years of experience empowering individuals, families, and organizations to reach their full potential. He is the CEO of Dent Enterprises, Inc. and founder of MaxOut Coaching, where he integrates mental health awareness, leadership development, and practical life strategies to drive personal and professional transformation.
A former U.S. Marine and pastor, Dr. Dent draws on Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, and Glasser's Acceptance Commitment Therapy principles to help audiences take ownership of their choices, improve communication, and maximize impact. He resides in Mobile, Alabama, where he and his wife, Jabaria Dent, lead community initiatives focused on family empowerment, leadership development, and social-emotional growth.
Compass in Chaos: A Practical Framework for Bridging Connections and Building Community • Chantel Schieffer | True North | Former CEO of Leadership Montana Leadership, LLC
During times of rapid change, leaders need tools that help them stay grounded and connected. This workshop uses the Compass in Chaos framework to guide moments of rapid change and uncertainty, allowing leaders to stay grounded and fully connected to themselves, their teams, and their communities. Our forthcoming book, Compass in Chaos: Finding Your True North offers a practical, values-based approach that helps leaders navigate challenging conditions with clarity, steadiness, and relational strength.
This workshop invites participants to reflect on the values that guide their leadership, explore how those values shape behavior during times of chaos, and identify ways to use those values to build stronger connections within their organizations and the communities they serve.
Through approachable reflection, small-group dialogue, and hands-on activities, participants will learn tools from the Compass in Chaos framework that make leadership more human, more intentional, and more community-centered.
This session is highly interactive, grounded in real leadership experiences, and designed to leave participants with insights and actions they can apply immediately.
Participants in clarifying their True North values, reflecting on how those values shape their leadership, and exploring ways to strengthen relationships within their teams and communities. Through reflection, dialogue, and hands-on activities, leaders will develop practical strategies for building trust, improving communication, and fostering community. Each participant leaves with a 90-day action plan to put their insights into action.
About the Speaker: Chantel Schieffer is the founder of True North Leadership and the author of Compass in Chaos: Finding Your True North. She is a nationally recognized leadership coach and facilitator with three decades of experience designing values-driven leadership programs for nonprofit organizations, government agencies, corporate teams, and community networks. Chantel's work emphasizes clarity, connection, and courage-helping leaders navigate uncertainty while strengthening relationships and community impact.
Diversity focused Leadership programming: Advancing Inclusive Leadership • Cammy Watkins | Inclusive Communities
Leadership programs across the country are seeking ways to deepen their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. LeadDIVERSITY, developed by Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, offers a proven companion model that equips leaders to drive inclusive leadership through equity-centered dialogue and action. This session will introduce the structure and purpose of LeadDIVERSITY, highlighting its successful implementation in Omaha, Cleveland, and other communities. A panel of National Federation of Just Communities (NFJC) members will share how their programs adapt DEIB leadership development to meet the needs of specific demographics and geographies, offering practical strategies for replication and partnership. The session will conclude with an overview of a session specifically offered in Omaha called Better and Stronger Together, a culminating event that convenes diverse leadership programs statewide to co-create collective impact initiatives through a Strategic Foresight lens. Participants will leave with actionable tools to integrate DEIB-focused leadership development into their own programs and/or identify partners to expand collaborations for this programming within their communities.
About the Speaker: Cammy Watkins serves in the role of Executive Director for Inclusive Communities, where she leads trauma-informed, intersectional equity and leadership programs for youth and adults across Nebraska, Iowa, and the Rosebud Reservation. With over two decades of nonprofit leadership, Cammy is known for building brave, character-centered spaces that elevate marginalized voices and foster systemic change. She specializes in culturally responsive facilitation, curriculum design, and coalition-building, partnering with grassroots, cultural, and tribal organizations to co-create sustainable models for inclusion.
Under her leadership, Inclusive Communities has expanded its reach to rural and urban communities, re-engaged alumni networks, and integrated national best practices into facilitator training and certification. Cammy's strategic storytelling weaves data, participant feedback, and community narratives into advocacy that disrupts cycles of exclusion. She models resilience and dignity through organizational transitions, and is energized by youth agency, courageous leadership and the transformative power of community-led equity work.