Land Acknowledgement
We the Community of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside acknowledge with gratitude and humility the First Nations People of Wisconsin, whose original homelands lie within the state. We especially wish to recognize the Ho-Chunk, Miami, and Potawatomi Nations for their significant historical and spiritual connections with the Parkside area. Our footsteps do not replace theirs, but rest alongside them. Today, Wisconsin is home to 12 First Nations communities: the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the Menominee Nation, the Forest County Potawatomi Community, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans, the Brothertown Indian Nation, and six Lake Superior Bands of the Ojibwe Nation: the Bad River, Lac Courte Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau, Mole Lake Sokaogan, Red Cliff, and Saint Croix bands. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside acknowledges and honors this history and these nations.

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP Conference

Creating a Culture of Belonging

Friday, November 17, 2023 | 8 am-3 pm | Student Center Ballroom

Creating a culture of belonging in a workplace can be challenging.

In today’s environment, leaders must understand the importance of creating a positive workplace culture that encourages individuals to express their true selves, while finding ways to retain employees and boost morale. The Nonprofit Leadership Conference explores how leaders can enhance their journeys of fostering inclusivity, empowerment, and employee well-being; while nurturing the core of their organization and promoting an environment where everyone can thrive.

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AGENDA

7:45-8:30 am

Registration, Coffee, and Networking

8:30-9:45 am

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

3 Behaviors to Build a Workplace Culture of Belonging
Beth Ridley, MBA

Ballroom

Beth Ridley of Ridley Consulting Group will share her expertise in creating a positive workplace culture where people can show up as their “authentic selves”. It’s more important than ever for leaders to understand how to retain their employees and keep morale high. Beth’s actionable strategies for creating belonging in the workplace provide valuable insights for leaders who are committed to nurturing their employees, the true heart of their organization, by creating an inclusive and empowering environment. Employees who are engaged and thriving drive innovation and promote long-term organizational success.

About the Speaker

Beth Ridley, MBA

Beth Ridley is a corporate executive turned organizational transformation consultant, speaker, author, and CEO of Ridley Consulting Group. Beth combines 25 years of global leadership and management consulting experience with expertise in diversity and inclusion and positive psychology to help organizations transform their workplace culture. Beth’s work is featured in national publications and she frequently delivers keynotes and workshops at events around the world.

Beth holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Virginia, an MA in International Relations from Tufts University and an MBA from Columbia University. Beth has lived in London, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Bangkok and now resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband and three children.

9:45-10:15 am

Break, Expo

10:15-11:45 am

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Leadership Strategies to Achieve Sustainable Results from Belonging at Work
Beth Ridley | Ridley Consulting Group

A supportive and inclusive work environment has an immense impact on employee engagement and organizational success. In this breakout session, Beth Ridley will delve more deeply into leadership strategies that foster sustainable results through cultivating a sense of belonging in the workplace. Attendees will leave with specific, actionable steps they can use to nurture belonging in their workplaces.

About the speaker

Beth Ridley

Beth Ridley is a corporate executive turned organizational transformation consultant, speaker, author and CEO of Ridley Consulting Group. Beth combines 25 years of global leadership and management consulting experience with expertise in diversity and inclusion and positive psychology to help organizations transform their workplace culture. Beth’s work is featured in national publications and she frequently delivers keynotes and workshops at events around the world.

Storytelling with Intention for Nonprofits
Rashidah Butler-Jackson | RBJ Community Consulting

During this interactive session, participants will explore different strategies and best practices nonprofits can use to effectively tell the story of their impact and outcomes of their work. Effective storytelling is essential to engaging donors, volunteers, staff and other supporters. Participants will walk away with a vision for the stories of their nonprofits and plans for how and why they want to tell them.

About the Speaker

Rashidah Butler-Jackson

Rashidah Butler-Jackson has worked in nonprofit management and direct service for almost 15 years. She is also the founder of RBJ Community Consulting where she works to support nonprofits, community organizations, and social entrepreneurs with sustainability, evaluation, facilitation, and project management. Her primary services include non-profit startup, strategic planning, and nonprofit Board support and restructuring. She has worked with clients in 5 different states.

Rashidah is a Milwaukee native and a proud Milwaukee Public Schools Alumna graduating from Rufus King High School. She attended the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for both her undergraduate and graduate education. She is a proud wife and a mommy who loves people and loves to serve her community.

To learn more about Rashidah and her work, visit www.RBJcommunity.com.

Funding Ethics: From Human Dignity to AI
Jordan Debbink-Lesniak | JDL Consulting

Transparency inspires confidence. Beyond what the law requires, nonprofits can demonstrate their commitment to ethical practices by being entirely transparent with financial information and fundraising practices. But what happens when human dignity meets AI? What should and shouldn't the nonprofit sector do in order to still preserve our relational nature of work?

About the Speaker

Jordan Debbink-Lesniak

Jordan Debbink-Lesniak is an inclusive and experienced nonprofit capacity builder with over 15 years experience in the nonprofit sector. He has a track record of mindful relationship building, strong organizational ethics and nonprofit board governance.

Over the past five years, he has spent significant time and energy in the field of social intelligence and its relevance to the work of a professional fundraiser. He is a Certified Development Executive (CDE, Nanoe), an Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional (ACNP-NLA) and a Certified Nonprofit Board Consultant (CNBC-Board Source). He is a Ted Talk Speaker and the owner of JDL Consulting.

Bringing your Brand to Life
Jennifer Dooley-Hogan and John Hogan | Dooley & Associates

Marketing for nonprofits presents many unique challenges. How to best get your message out to a wider audience can be challenging with limited resources. In this session, Jennifer Dooley-Hogan and John Hogan of Dooley & Associates, an award-winning Kenosha-based marketing firm, will explore various tactics that nonprofit organizations can use to amplify their branding, create awareness, engage target audiences, and drive meaningful action.

About the Speakers

Jennifer Dooley-Hogan

Jennifer Dooley-Hogan founded Dooley & Associates on March 11, 2008, the day before her 30th birthday. Prior to that, she spent 6 years employed by a successful entrepreneur in the manufacturing and construction industry as a marketing manager in Kenosha County. Today, Jen provides clients with a variety of services including sales and marketing consultation, strategy, messaging, and creative communication. She takes great pride in helping long-term clients find the most creative and cost-effective ways to grow their businesses.

Jen attended UW-Whitewater and earned a BA in Arts degree in 2001. Since then she has advanced her skills in leadership and strategy through continued education to better serve clients. Her key to success includes never allowing failure to be an option and bringing a positive outlook to every situation.

When you can’t find Jen working, you’ll find her volunteering, enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends, or reading a book (the paper kind, she is quite fond of her print library).

John Hogan

John Hogan is the Director of Digital Media for Dooley & Associates. John got his foot in the marketing door in 2009 as an Advertising Account Manager for Kenosha News. Several months later, he was selected as the Digital Media Specialist for the burgeoning digital media department at Kenosha News. John worked closely with both internal staff and clientele to explain and execute digital marketing strategies, including social media, e-newsletters, websites, and search engine optimization.

Now with more than ten years at Dooley & Associates, he is just as excited for the future as he was on his first day. John can be credited with helping the company secure on-going digital programs for their clients, including social media advertising and search engine marketing. In addition, John spearheaded a video and photography department to provide clients with unlimited capabilities to create campaigns that communicate their message.

John is also an active member of his community. He has served on the Kenosha Literacy Council, St. Joseph Catholic Academy, Friends of the Kenosha Museum, and Kenosha Coalition Organizing Resolution (KCOR) boards, along with seats on several local committees. For his business and civic efforts, John was named a
Future 5 Kenosha by Young Leaders In Kenosha (YLink).

Creativity, Curiosity and Innovation

Megan Matthews, Senior Lecturer | UW-Whitewater, College of Business & Economics

Employees thrive in an innovative and inclusive workplace. Learn how to create an environment that fosters curiosity and creativity in organizations of all sizes. Encourage inventive problem-solving using parts of the Design Thinking and Design for Delight processes.

About the Speaker

Megan Matthews

Megan Matthews teaches management courses for the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UW-Whitewater, and a Masters in Community Arts Management from the University of Illinois–Springfield. She has developed courses and programs in arts management, arts entrepreneurship, and curiosity, creativity and innovation. Matthews has worked with nonprofit arts organizations in board development, visioning, planning and community assessment for over 20 years, and enjoys building partnerships that bring a diverse group of perspectives together. She is passionate about promoting creativity in the workplace, and helping organizations understand what motivates their employees, customers and volunteers.

11:45 am-12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45-2:45 pm

WORKSHOP

Building Workforce Resilience: Core Concepts and Strategies to Partner with Staff
Kelly Martin | Social Current

Ballroom

This interactive workshop is your chance to explore the cornerstone concepts for building a resilient workforce that can adapt and thrive in times of change and challenge. With employees feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, leaders are searching for strategies to support them. This session will help leaders in all stages of their careers create positive staff cultures that promote excellence and compassion resilience. Participants will explore foundational concepts and strategies for building a workforce that can stay well and healthy while working in constantly changing environments and partnering with people who are experiencing complex challenges in their lives. Social Current brings experience in trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches to leadership, and will share information and resources related to responding to stress in our workforce.

About the Speaker

Kelly Martin

Kelly Martin is the Director of Practice Excellence at Social Current, with an emphasis on applied developmental psychology. In this role, she supports stakeholders across the network by building relationships, facilitating learning, connecting to resources, and co-creating solutions to advance systems change through practice, policy, and advocacy. She leads Social Current’s internal equity team, and is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Kelly has experience developing and facilitating design sessions, trainings, and other learning opportunities with social sector leaders, from executives to frontline staff.

Before working in the social sector, Kelly was an applied researcher in the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh. Kelly was an adjunct instructor during her years at Pitt, teaching a graduate course in developmental psychology in the School of Education. She holds a Master's in Applied Developmental Psychology, and a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.