Welcome & Keynote

Dr. Rachel Teague, Sr. KM & Training Specialist, Southern NH University & Chief Chaos Officer, Disruption Learning & Technology Consultants
Gretchen Stallings, Executive Director, Volunteer NH

Keynote: “The Greatest Lessons I’ve Learned Come From Volunteering”

Keynote Description: In her professional and personal life, Dr. Rachel Teague has been known to wear a lot of “hats.” She’s a system convener, writer, Knowledge Transfer & Retention Expert, wife & mom, collaborator, volunteer, an adjunct instructor – and even an award-winning amateur cook! With such a breadth of roles, each with a variety of responsibilities and skill requirements, it can be easy to wonder where she learned the skills to do it all. For Rachel, there is one answer: volunteering.

Hear from Rachel as she relates how her past experience volunteering – in her community as a youth, as an AmeriCorps member, and even in places like the NH State Prison for Women – have been integral in shaping her foundational values and her career path. As the world emerges from COVID, Rachel will demonstrate how robust volunteerism programs can affect everyone’s lives for the better and how nonprofits can take advantage of this time of transition to learn from past experiences, to innovate, and to inspire their communities

Kathy L. DesRoches: Director, MS Leadership Program Director & Nonprofit Graduate Certificate Program, UNH College of Professional Studies

Jo Oliver-Yeager: Program Director of the BS and MS in Human Services, UNH College of Professional Studies

Session Description: Volunteering is awesome! There are many reasons we volunteer, one personal benefit may be learning new skills which could improve our lives and exploring career opportunities through volunteer activities. Did you ever want to apply for a job and realize you couldn’t do some of the required tasks?

Research shows there is a connection between volunteerism and job attainment. We can learn many skills through volunteerism, such as communication, networking, customer service, brand marketing, financial skills, and getting along with others. Attend this session to learn how volunteer activities can contribute to your résumé. This session will discuss ways to identify gaps in your skill sets. Then we will discuss volunteer activities for self-improvement while contributing to your community.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Identify your skills gaps
• Evaluate Potential volunteer activities
• Describe the benefits of volunteering

Topic(s): Personal/ Professional Development

Suggested Audience: Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Volunteers

Kathy DesRoches is the MS Leadership Program Director & Nonprofit Graduate Certificate Program at the UNH College of Professional Studies She serves as a mentor and advisor to her students. Activities outside of work include President and founding member of the nonprofit NHVegFest, and chair of the Planning Board in her town. She lives with her husband, two dogs and cat.

Jo Oliver-Yeager has been in the human services field for almost 20 years. As a published author, Jo continues making writing a large part of her work. Jo is enrolled at Plymouth State University in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program. She lives in Vermont with her husband and her youngest of three children. Jo is about sharing positivity, supporting, and advocating for all people.

NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series.

Presenter: Beth Saunders: Founder & Chief Strategist, Beth Saunders Associates

Session Description: Change the way you think and talk about the positive change your organization is making in the world. A vision map guides decision-making, informs messaging, and results in attracting and retaining supporters (people who volunteer, donate, advocate, and more) who share your goals. It is a pragmatic approach to the more academic process known as theory of change. In this interactive session you will start your own vision map, leave with a template to continue the work we started together, and understand how to operationalize it within your organization.

This session is one of a two-part series presenting Beth’s MapMoveMeasure(™) methodology designed to increase volunteer and overall supporter engagement by helping you make the right offer to the right people at the right time.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• a new approach to attracting new supporters (volunteers, donors, board members)
• a new approach to expanding and deepening relationships by focusing on more specific goals that are relevant to their supporters
• to leverage their theory of change when applying for grant funding

Topic(s): Volunteer Recruitment/Management, Fundraising, Organizational Management & Culture

Audience: Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Board Members

Beth Saunders helps nonprofits recruit and retain more volunteers, raise more dollars, and develop a highly engaged Board. Using her MapMoveMeasure(™) framework, her clients are able to engage supporters at a more strategic level. For the past 12 years in her consulting business, she has been a passionate supporter of nonprofits and making their missions happen.

Presenter: James McKim: Managing Partner, Organization Ignition, LLC

Session Description: Organizations are at different points in their journey through DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). Questions abound from how to attract diverse volunteers to how to use DEI to improve volunteer engagement to how can I do DEI when I’m am super small agency? This session will allow you to ask those questions and discuss the answers.

By the end of the session, participants will have learned:

• Answers to many questions about DEI
• A way to think about how to leverage DEI in their organization
• How to identify their next step in improving organizational performance

Topic(s): JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion), Organization Management & Culture

Audience: Nonprofit Employees, Nonprofit Leadership, Board Members, Volunteer Managers

James McKim is the Founder and Managing Partner of Organizational Ignition, He is a sought-after organizational performance speaker, coach, change manager, and author of the best-selling book The Diversity Factor: Igniting Superior Organizational Performance. Over his 35+ year career, he has helped small and large organizations, for-profit and non-profit, spark efficiency and growth through the aligning of people, process, and technology.

Internationally known for his current focus on organizational and individual performance through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Mr. McKim recognized by industry watchers such as Atd, Brandon Hall, Bersin Associates, Axelos, and PMI for his dedication to creating win-win situations for employers and staff.

Presenter: Dr. Max Klau: Chief Program Officer, New Politics Leadership Academy

Session Description: The New Politics Leadership Academy is a non-partisan non-profit working to bring more servant leaders–military vets and alumni of national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps–into politics. This session is a chance to encounter the approach to leadership development that is central to their work. Expect an engaging mix of leadership development theory, myth, pop culture, reflection, and dialogue. You’ll be invited to clarify your own personal mission and craft your own “shadow mission”, and will emerge with a deeper sense of purpose and higher consciousness of how to be with your wholeness as a human being. The session will be led by Dr. Max Klau, a Harvard-trained leadership expert who is the Chief Program Officer at NPLA.

By the end of this session:

• Participants will have developed a clear leadership mission
• Participants will have confronted their own Shadow
• Participants will gain an understand of the inner journey they must take to lead with purpose

Topic(s): Leadership Development, Professional Development, Civic Engagement

Suggested Audience: General

Dr. Max Klau is the Chief Program Officer at the New Politics Leadership Academy, a non-partisan non-profit that is dedicated to recruiting and developing military veterans and alumni of national service programs to seek political office. Previously, he was the Vice President of Leadership Development at the AmeriCorps program City Year. Max received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005; his writing has appeared in Fast Company and the Harvard Business Review, and his first book, Race & Social Change: A Quest, A Study, A Call to Action, was published in 2017.

Amber Johnston: Director of Volunteer Services and Community Education, Upper Valley Haven

Pru Pease: Trainer, Bridges out Of Poverty & Director of Work, United at Granite United Way

Session Description: This will be a joint session between Prudence “Pru” Pease and Amber Johnston. It will focus on the importance of incorporating volunteers with lived experience in your volunteer program and program evaluations. Pru will discuss how volunteering was instrumental in breaking her cycle of poverty. Amber will talk about the steps the Upper Valley Haven has taken steps to include on their volunteer team individuals that have accessed services and how doing so has strengthened the voices of volunteers in program evaluations and decisions.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• Practical techniques for recruiting and retaining volunteers with lived experience.
• The tangible benefits of increasing volunteer voices in program evaluations and decisions.
• A deepened understanding of the mutual impact of including individuals with lived experience in your volunteer programs can have.

Topic(s): Volunteer Recruitment/Management

Audience:  Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Staff, Volunteers

Bios:

Amber Johnston joined the Upper Valley Haven in June 2014. A native Vermonter, Amber received her BS from Union College and graduated from the MALS program at Dartmouth College. Amber returned to the Upper Valley after spending five years working with refugees and displaced populations in East Africa and the Middle East. She has a background in mental health and social service program development and has overseen and developed programs in the United States, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Egypt.

Pru Pease has created a career dedicated to advancing the lives of others in her community and across the country. In her role as Director of Work United at Granite United Way, she and her team bring stability to the lives of workers and their families in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. She is a highly sought-after speaker nationwide on the topic of economic instability. She lives in Tunbridge, Vermont.

Presenter: Cady G. Hickman: Social Media & Community Outreach Coordinator, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire

Session Description: Communication is a learned skill, regardless of a person’s background, if they are introverted/extroverted, or if they enjoy public speaking. Cady Hickman will review simple skills (including body language, listening, and even posture) that factor into effective communication and then, participants will gain confidence with those skills through fun, small group activities.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• some primary factors that go into communication.
• activities to help grow their confidence in communication.

Topic(s): Personal/Professional Development

Audience: General

Cady G. Hickman is a New Hampshire performer and educator, as well as nonprofit professional. She is a 2021 40 Under Forty honoree, and most enjoys using the arts to help others gain critical life skills.

Note: this is the second of a two-part series.

Presenter: Beth Saunders: Founder & Chief Strategist, Beth Saunders Associates

Session Description: Change how you wield your engagement expertise and you’ll change your volunteer (and donor!) engagement outcomes. Join us to build an engagement pyramid that guides you in deepening relationships by aligning what is being asked of a volunteer (your need) with the mindset (the volunteer’s motivation). Someone who just became aware of your organization is not ready to commit significant time. A long-time monthly volunteer may have untapped knowledge or skill that could significantly contribute to a new program or workshop you are designing. Do you know who is who?

Gideon Rosenblatt, former Groundwire Executive Director, pioneered the engagement pyramid framework. Beth breaks it down so you can easily build your own. She explains the concepts, provides the templates and offers the opportunity to share ideas.

This session is one of a two-part series presenting Beth’s MapMoveMeasure(™) methodology designed to increase volunteer and overall supporter engagement by helping you make the right offer to the right people at the right time.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• a new perspective for evaluating programs
• a new tool for avoiding mission creep
• a new way to leverage their treasure trove of data and stories

Topic(s): Volunteer Recruitment/Management, Fundraising, Organizational Management & Culture

Audience: Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Board Members

Beth Saunders helps nonprofits recruit and retain more volunteers, raise more dollars, and develop a highly engaged Board. Using her MapMoveMeasure(™) framework, her clients are able to engage supporters at a more strategic level. For the past 12 years in her consulting business, she has been a passionate supporter of nonprofits and making their missions happen.

Dr. Rachel Teague: Sr. KM & Training Specialist, Southern NH University & Chief Chaos Officer, Disruption Learning & Technology Consultants

Session Description: Let’s face it – change is inevitable…, especially in the non-profit world. Between budget changes, reorgs, general staffing attrition, and the need to keep up with the ever-changing world around us, it can feel impossible to know where to start. So how do you save critical knowledge from vanishing? In this session, you will learn how to effectively combat knowledge loss and make knowledge sharing a new norm.

By the end of the session participants will have learned:

• Knowledge Sharing starts on day one.
• Your people are your greatest asset.
• Knowledge Transfer should be a regular practice.

Topic(s): Organization Management & Culture

Audience: Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit employees, Board Members, Volunteer Managers

Lifelong NH Native Dr. Rachel Teague wears a lot of hats; She’s a rising Knowledge Management expert, musician, consultant, Mom, speaker, writer, master trainer & facilitator, Wife collaborator, and education professional. Throughout her life she has lived through change, growth, transition, & restructure and has leveraged these experiences, both positive and negative, to inform her outlook and understanding of how communities work and thrive. This, combined with her education, training, and certifications, give her a unique worldview and allow her to effectively understand and communicate with people in a way that leaves folks inspired and ready to lend a helping hand.

Dr. Max Klau: Chief Program Officer, New Politics Leadership Academy

Session Description: If we want to meaningfully address a complex public challenge, we must possess an understanding of leadership that speaks accurately and powerfully to the true nature of the challenge. This session will provide an introduction to adaptive leadership, a framework that particularly powerful for working with public challenges. Participants will explore the difference between authority and leadership, and will engage in an experiential exercise that illuminates the power of this approach in unexpected ways.

By the end of this session participants will:

• recognize the difference between authority and leadership
• understand the difference between technical and adaptive challenges.
• gain a framework for making progress on complex public challenges.

Topic(s): Leadership Development, Professional Development, Civic Engagement

Suggested Audience: General

Dr. Max Klau is the Chief Program Officer at the New Politics Leadership Academy, a non-partisan non-profit that is dedicated to recruiting and developing military veterans and alumni of national service programs to seek political office. Previously, he was the Vice President of Leadership Development at the AmeriCorps program City Year. Max received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005; his writing has appeared in Fast Company and the Harvard Business Review, and his first book, Race & Social Change: A Quest, A Study, A Call to Action, was published in 2017.

Panelists: Liz Hodgkins (NAMI-NH), and Erica Fuller (Red Cross), Alivia Acosta (Appalachian Trail Conservancy)

Session Description: Hear from experienced Volunteer Managers representing a variety of organizations statewide. Learn about their experiences and ask them questions in order to strengthen your own agency’s volunteer program.

Topic(s): Volunteer Management

Audience: Volunteer Managers

Liz Hodgkins, CVA, is the Director or Adult Programs at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, New Hampshire Chapter (NAMI NH). She works with staff and grassroots volunteers to provide statewide support, education, and advocacy programming for individuals and families impacted by mental illness and suicide. Although her roots formed outside of NH, after 22 years she now considers herself a Granite Stater where she appreciates the beauty of each season, trying to spend as much time as she can outdoors – The While Mountains or Squam Lake are among her favorite spots.

Erica Fuller, CVA, holds a B.A. in Psychology from Northern Vermont University and was the first in her family to earn a college degree. She found her way to the American Red Cross in 2017 while serving with the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team assisting families affected by Hurricane Harvey. She witnessed the compassion and commitment of Red Crossers in the field and had a deep desire to get involved. Erica holds a Certification in Volunteer Administration and is a Certified Nonprofit Professional who is both passionate about working with volunteers and ensuring they are properly engaged and appreciated. Erica currently serves as the Senior Disaster Workforce Engagement Manager with the American Red Cross of Northern New England where she leads and supports a team focused on the disaster volunteer experience with her organization. When Erica is not working you will find her in the great outdoors hiking, biking or camping and often with her cats in tow.

For the past five years, Alivia Acosta, CVA, has been working with a variety of partner organizations to help strengthen volunteer engagement efforts along the Appalachian Trail. With a professional background in trail building and maintenance Alivia also uses her skills as a motivator, facilitator, and project planner to support volunteer-led organizations in connecting with communities and individuals in meaningful ways. Alivia currently works remotely from her home-office in Antrim, New Hampshire.

Operating a volunteer program is no small feat. It takes a tremendous amount of time, effort, patience, perseverance, managerial skill, long-term vision, and a willingness to engage in continuous learning and improvement to keep the program operating successfully year after year.

The Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Manager of the Year Award was created by former Governor John Sununu to honor volunteer administrators and salute their excellence in the leadership and management of volunteers in New Hampshire.

The awardee will be announced during lunch!

Lisa Enright: Co-Founder, Growing Presence Consulting

Stephanie Kirylych: Co-Founder, Growing Presence Consulting

Session Description: This session will be a joint presentation between Stephanie Kirylych, Director of Advising at UNH Manchester and Dr. Lisa Enright, Assistant Dean of Students, UNH Manchester and co-founders of Growing Presence Consulting. They will discuss the tenants of compassionate leadership and how to build and maintain supportive connections between non-profit leaders and volunteers. The session will focus on strategies for implementing compassionate leadership throughout your organization.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• An overview of compassionate leadership philosophy and models.
• The value of compassionate leadership when navigating social and environmental challenges.
• Practical methods for incorporating compassion and gratitude both personally and

Topic(s): Leadership Development, Personal & Professional Development

Audience: Nonprofit Leadership, Volunteer Managers, Board Members

Lisa Enright (she/her/hers) has over 25 years of higher education teaching and leadership experience. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning from Rivier University and has a Master of Arts degree from State University of New York Albany. Lisa is a certified EQ-i 2.0®/EQ 360® coach. Her areas of expertise include positive psychology, gratitude, social justice, leadership theory and practice, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence.

Stephanie Kirylych (she/her/hers) has 18 years of higher education leadership and coaching experience. She has a Master of Education degree from Northeastern University and completed the health coach program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Stephanie is a certified EQ-i 2.0®/EQ 360® coach. Her areas of expertise include meditation, mindful leadership, holistic health, mindset, and emotional intelligence.

Maura McGowan: Program Director, NH Teen Institute

Marissa Carlson: Executive Director, NH Teen Institute

Session Description: How can we create a safe space for our staff, clients, volunteers, and other stakeholders to be themselves? While large gestures, decorations, and statements can be important, what are some of those smaller steps that can be woven through from day to day, in structured
programming and services, as well as during more informal interaction points? Through
activities and discussion, participants will explore ways to put our organizations forward as safe spaces for individuals of any and all identities in which to feel respected and comfortable being their full selves. Participants will learn activities and actions we can do both as professionals and with our stakeholders that help them connect with each other and feel that they are able to embody the unique combination of all of their identities. This workshop is appropriate for participants with various levels of experience of having put these ideals into action.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• the breadth of cultural identities that make up the groups we work with in an ever-evolving understanding of cultural identity.
• some of the activities that can be utilized to quickly and safely create culturally responsive spaces.
• language to engage participants or stakeholders in discussions involving cultures and intersecting identities without telling them how to think or feel.

Topic(s): Organizational Management & Culture, Volunteer Recruitment/Management, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)

Audience: Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Employees, Board Members

Maura McGowan, CPS, is the Program Director of the NH Teen Institute, a non-profit agency whose mission is to empower youth through personal leadership development and community engagement. Maura has worked in the field of prevention since 2002 and became involved with the NH Teen Institute in 2008 when she began volunteering for programs and working on a curriculum updating and development board. In 2017, Maura became Program Director in charge of youth programming and volunteer engagement in addition to being a facilitator for professional development trainings offered by the NH Teen Institute. She is a graduate of the New England ATTC Leadership Development Program and has served as a mentor in the New England PTTC Prevention Mentorship Program during its first two cohorts. In 2021, Maura was appointed as an advisor to the NH Governor’s Youth Advisory Council, and is on the advisory committee for the NH Prevention Community of Practice.

Marissa Carlson, MS, CPS, is the Executive Director of the NH Teen Institute, a youth leadership development nonprofit. She develops training for TI’s youth & adult volunteer staff, and is a trainer for multiple workshops developed through SAMHSA. She is the lead advisor for the Prevention Specialist Credential at the IC&RC and president of the Prevention Certification Board of NH. She sits on the advisory council of the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center, and graduated with her BA from Pomona College and her MS from Bay Path University.

Katie Collins: Director of Development, Capitol Center for the Arts

Cassandra Mason: Grants Officer, NH State Council on the Arts

Session Description: This workshop will take the mystery out of submitting grant proposals for your organization. Participants will learn about the entire grant making process from the first phone call to the final report and everything in between. Topics will include proposal narratives, budgets, and everything you need for grant writing success!

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• How to research and identify the right funders for your organization.
• How to position your grant for success through strong, active language.
• How to effectively structure a strong grant proposal from introductory paragraph to budgets and attachments.

Topic(s): Fundraising

Audience: Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Employees, Board Members

Katie Collins has been a part of NH’s nonprofit community since 1990. She is currently in her 18th Season as the Director of Development for the Capitol Center for the Arts and has been a part of the NH nonprofit community since 1990. Among her accomplishments are the recent opening of the Bank of NH Stage following a $6.9 million capital campaign, and also helping a performing arts center stay alive during the pandemic shutdown. In her down time, she is a regular contributor to the website “Grown and Flown,” and works as an actor with community and regional theaters throughout NH. Katie tries very, very hard not to take herself too seriously.

Cassie Mason has been serving as the Grants Officer at the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts since 2008 and in that capacity has read several grant applications. Her career in public service began over 30 years ago in law enforcement at the NH Police Standard and Training Council and the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office. She has served as a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts, other state arts agencies and foundations.

Cassie also tries not to take Katie too seriously.

James McKim: Managing Partner, Organization Ignition, LLC

Session Description: Change is a strange thing. Sometimes organizations want it even when they say they do not. Sometimes organizations know they need it but don’t know how to make it stick. For many organizations, such is the case around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). How do you manage change that will stick? This session will discuss why DEI efforts fail and ways to ensure that your DEI effort is not just a social justice initiative but an organizational performance initiative.

By the end of the session, participants will have learned:

• Key tenets of organizational change
• Why DEI efforts fail
• Key components of a successful effort to provide programs that are equitable and inclusive

Topic(s): JEDI (Justice Equity Diversity, Inclusion), Organization Management & Culture

Audience: Nonprofit Leadership, Board Members

James McKim is the Founder and Managing Partner of Organizational Ignition, He is a sought-after organizational performance speaker, coach, change manager, and author of the best-selling book The Diversity Factor: Igniting Superior Organizational Performance. Over his 35+ year career, he has helped small and large organizations, for-profit and non-profit, spark efficiency and growth through the aligning of people, process, and technology.

Internationally known for his current focus on organizational and individual performance through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Mr. McKim recognized by industry watchers such as Atd, Brandon Hall, Bersin Associates, Axelos, and PMI for his dedication to creating win-win situations for employers and staff.

Session Description: Attend this session to have the opportunity to connect with your fellow volunteer managers and nonprofit staff. Together, you can share concerns, discuss strategies, and ask questions about specific topics that are important to your work.

Come prepared to collaborate, ask questions, and share resources!

Madison Hawkes: Volunteer, American Cancer Society On Campus

Session Description: Youth volunteers are the leaders of tomorrow. This session will focus on volunteers who are college-aged and younger, and will haver how to find and recruit them, how to engage them, and how to create more volunteer opportunities for them.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• how to recruit younger volunteers
• how to create more volunteer opportunities aimed at youth.
• how to find and communicate with younger volunteers.

Topic(s): Volunteer Recruitment/Management

Audience: Volunteer Managers

Madison Hawkes is a recent graduate of Plymouth State University, where she served as the President of the American Cancer Society On Campus: Plymouth State Chapter, the University System Student Board Representative, an avid volunteer for on campus opportunities, and more. During the past four years, Hawkes has been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society as the youngest committee chair for the Rockingham County Relay For Life, as well as the founder of the Plymouth Relay For Life. As an avid participant in the American Cancer Society, Madison Hawkes has raised over $80,000 for the organization in honor of her mom and other family members affected by cancer. Madison Hawkes is a Volunteer NH Spirit of NH Awards recipient and the recipient of the Plymouth State University Outstanding Volunteerism Award.

Lisa Enright: Co-Founder, Growing Presence Consulting

Stephanie Kirylych: Co-Founder, Growing Presence Consulting

Session Description: This session will be a joint presentation between Stephanie Kirylych, Director of Advising at UNH Manchester and Dr. Lisa Enright, Assistant Dean of Students, UNH Manchester and co-founders of Growing Presence Consulting. They will discuss the tenants of compassionate leadership and how to build and maintain supportive connections between non-profit leaders and volunteers. The session will focus on strategies for implementing compassionate leadership throughout your organization.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• An overview of compassionate leadership philosophy and models.
• The value of compassionate leadership when navigating social and environmental challenges.
• Practical methods for incorporating compassion and gratitude both personally and

Topic(s): Leadership Development, Personal & Professional Development

Audience: Nonprofit Leadership, Volunteer Managers, Board Members

Bios:

Lisa Enright (she/her/hers) has over 25 years of higher education teaching and leadership experience. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning from Rivier University and has a Master of Arts degree from State University of New York Albany. Lisa is a certified EQ-i 2.0®/EQ 360® coach. Her areas of expertise include positive psychology, gratitude, social justice, leadership theory and practice, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence.

Stephanie Kirylych (she/her/hers) has 18 years of higher education leadership and coaching experience. She has a Master of Education degree from Northeastern University and completed the health coach program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Stephanie is a certified EQ-i 2.0®/EQ 360® coach. Her areas of expertise include meditation, mindful leadership, holistic health, mindset, and emotional intelligence.

Session Description: Attend this session to have the opportunity to connect with your fellow volunteer managers and nonprofit staff. Together, you can share concerns, discuss strategies, and ask questions about specific topics that are important to your work.

Come prepared to collaborate, ask questions, and share resources!

Amber Johnston: Director of Volunteer Services and Community Education, Upper Valley Haven

Pru Pease: Trainer, Bridges out Of Poverty & Director of Work, United at Granite United Way

Session Description: This will be a joint session between Prudence “Pru” Pease and Amber Johnston. It will focus on the importance of incorporating volunteers with lived experience in your volunteer program and program evaluations. Pru will discuss how volunteering was instrumental in breaking her cycle of poverty. Amber will talk about the steps the Upper Valley Haven has taken to include individuals, who have accessed services, on their volunteer team and strengthened the voices of volunteers in program evaluations and decisions.

By the end of this session, participants will have learned:

• Practical techniques for recruiting and retaining volunteers with lived experience.
• The tangible benefits of increasing volunteer voice in program evaluations and decisions.
• A deepened understanding of the mutual impact of including individuals with lived experience in your volunteer programs can have.

Topic(s): Volunteer Recruitment/Management

Audience:  Volunteer Managers, Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Staff, Volunteers

Amber Johnston joined the Upper Valley Haven in June 2014. A native Vermonter, Amber received her BS from Union College and graduated from the MALS program at Dartmouth College. Amber returned to the Upper Valley after spending five years working with refugees and displaced populations in East Africa and the Middle East. She has a background in mental health and social service program development and has overseen and developed programs in the United States, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Egypt.

Pru Pease has created a career dedicated to advancing the lives of others in her community and across the country. In her role as Director of Work United at Granite United Way, she and her team bring stability to the lives of workers and their families in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. She is a highly sought-after speaker nationwide on the topic of economic instability. She lives in Tunbridge, Vermont.