Power Tools 2025 Program
The Power Tools 2025 program will feature morning and lunch keynote presentations, and 4 breakout sessions in each of 8 topic tracks.
Keynote Speakers
Jeff Frey Co-Founder of Vitalization Wellness and Business School Faculty at Rice University
FurtherFaster framework: a set of practical wellbeing principles across all areas of life, rooted in emotional intelligence and sustainable growth.
Career Development
Melissa Simon Chief Executive Officer at Casa de Esperanza de Los Ninos
Preparing for the CEO Seat: Ever look at the CEO of a nonprofit and wonder what it took to get there? This session is for you if you are exploring the possibility of executive level leadership. While the journey is different for everyone, there ARE some things you can start doing now, as an entry or mid-level professional, to prepare for a role in executive nonprofit leadership.
Priscilla Plumb Practice Leader at Sorrell Executive Search
In today’s fluid job market, more and more nonprofits are engaging professional executive search firms to help them find new talent. How do you get on a recruiter’s radar, and how do you put your best foot forward when working with one? What should you expect from a recruiter, and how can a recruiter provide the help you need to take your next career step? Join this session to explore these questions and more!
Ann Liberman Director, Center for Career & Professional Development at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
Ann Liberman will host a panel of Human Resources Professionals discussing the current job market.
Veronica Salaverria Career Development, Recruiting, and HR Professional
With AI tools now screening thousands of resumes before a human ever sees them, how can you ensure yours rises above the rest? In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to craft a powerful resume that speaks to both applicant tracking systems (ATS) and hiring managers. We’ll explore what AI looks for, how to structure your content for maximum impact, and the common mistakes that can hold you back. Whether you're updating an old resume or starting from scratch, this session will equip you with practical strategies to rise above in today’s competitive job market.
Community Engagement
Stephanie Jacksis Corporate Communications Director at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center
Learn how to craft compelling story angles and build genuine media relationships that elevate your nonprofit's visibility, no PR agency needed!
Digital Distinction
Edwin Harvey Director, AI Solutions & Training
AI isn’t replacing traditional automation tools, but it is expanding, massively, the range of things that can be automated. This session explains what sets AI apart from other kinds of automation, intending to build your confidence for assessing potential use cases. We will also make sense of recent AI buzzwords, “reasoning models” and “agentic AI”, and explain where and why these technologies can be helpful. Lastly, we will carry these concepts into a discussion of how to use AI responsibly and in alignment with nonprofits’ missions and values, addressing topics such as data privacy, social and environmental impact, and copyrights.
Fundraising
Taylor Brione Ballard President of Beaumont Pearls of Service
Taylor and Christen will speak about fundraising events. A great fundraising event doesn’t just raise money on the night of; it opens the door for major gifts. Events bring the right people into the room, set the stage for relationship-building, and create touchpoints that move donors from interested to invested. This session will explore how to turn events into a major gift pipeline by identifying prospects, creating intentional cultivation moments, and implementing strong stewardship strategies.
Rhonda Horn President and Managing Partner of Sterling Nonprofits
How to set your organization up for success: Capital campaigns are a powerful tool for elevating the impact of your nonprofit. However, they can bring on more work and stress to a team already performing under pressure without careful planning and preparation. In this session, we will cover the necessary infrastructure an organization should have in place before launching a capital campaign to ensure success. From annual giving structure and development staffing to messaging and financial resources, we will walk through what it takes to be ready for launch!
Christen Blackledge Special Events Manager at Kid’s Meals Inc.
Taylor and Christen will speak about fundraising events. A great fundraising event doesn’t just raise money on the night of; it opens the door for major gifts. Events bring the right people into the room, set the stage for relationship-building, and create touchpoints that move donors from interested to invested. This session will explore how to turn events into a major gift pipeline by identifying prospects, creating intentional cultivation moments, and implementing strong stewardship strategies.
Ronnie Hagerty Assistant Vice President, Community Relations at United Way of Greater Houston
Ronnie will host a panel of Institutional Funders.
Andrea Romero Senior Consultant at Sterling Nonprofits
How to set your organization up for success: Capital campaigns are a powerful tool for elevating the impact of your nonprofit. However, they can bring on more work and stress to a team already performing under pressure without careful planning and preparation. In this session, we will cover the necessary infrastructure an organization should have in place before launching a capital campaign to ensure success. From annual giving structure and development staffing to messaging and financial resources, we will walk through what it takes to be ready for launch!
Leadership
Dustin Peterson Chief Executive Officer at Proof Leadership Group
In an ever-changing world, nonprofit staff, leaders, and board members must navigate unpredictable challenges while staying true to their organization’s core values. This session, Values-Based Leadership Through Uncertainty, will empower participants to reaffirm their organization’s values and use them as a compass for decision-making in times of crisis or change.
Leslie Chandler Associate Director for Programs and adjunct professor at the Rice University Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership
What would your organization do if a critical team member were suddenly unavailable—temporarily or permanently? This session offers a practical approach to emergency absence planning, focusing on key positions where continuity is most essential. You’ll learn how to develop a flexible, risk-informed process that evolves over time, helping your organization stay prepared, reduce stress, and maintain momentum through the unexpected.
Bill Flores Professor of Political Science and Social Sciences at the University of Houston Downtown
Nonprofit Management: Moving Your Organization From Where It Is to Where You Want to Be introduces readers to both the theory and practice of nonprofit management through an easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach. Designed for practitioners and students in public administration and nonprofit management programs, this book combines theoretical insights with hands-on tools for maximizing social impact and fostering organizational transformation.
Joni Goodman Founder and Chief Breakthrough Officer at LDGAdvisors
In the ever-demanding world of nonprofit work, burnout, compassion fatigue, and mission-drift are common challenges. Rappel: Break Through to a Better You offers a transformative experience designed specifically for purpose-driven professionals who give so much of themselves in service to others.
Management
Daniek Gandarilla Chief Human Resources Officer at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center
Industry and organizational disruption is a common theme in the workplace today. Building leadership that can handle disruption requires thoughtful planning. In this session you will learn how to do forward looking assessments and conduct activities to surface dealing with ambiguity and build in development opportunities.
Ruth Calabrese Leadership Coach and Consultant
In this engaging and humorous session, you'll discover the Four Deadly Sins of Negotiation (Spoiler: One of them isn't "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's bargaining skills"), learn to combat common negotiation tactics, master the art of keeping your cool when the conversation heats up, and walk away with actionable next steps. Don't miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills and boost your confidence. That raise won't ask for itself!
Candace Crowley Leadership Coach and Facilitator
"Conversational Intelligence, C-IQ” - the neurochemistry of conversation
You will leave with an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of conversation and how this is essential for effective and aligned teamwork.
Planning and Operations
Madison Lawrence Regional Planning & Preparedness Manager at American Red Cross – Texas Gulf Coast Region
The American Red Cross would like to present on our Ready Rating program. This program is meant to target local business, organizations, non-profits, and event educational institutions to help gauge, monitor, and improve how resilient they are when faced with emergencies or disaster. Local and small businesses often don't have the resources or tools to generate plans and identify short-comings prior to emergency situations, and if they don't have a resiliency or action plan established, they are more likely to close or go out of business.
Jessica Davison Assistant Vice President, Mission & Strategy at United Way of Greater Houston
Jessica Davison will present the latest tools and techniques for program evaluation.
Wellness & Personal Development
Jennifer Battle Vice President, Community Access and Engagement at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
When the work is heavy and the world feels uncertain, how do we keep showing up—whole, grounded, and well? This workshop is designed for nonprofit professionals navigating high-stress environments and ongoing crises. Together, we’ll explore tangible strategies to strengthen personal and organizational resiliency, build emotional stamina, and center wellness in the face of challenge.
Thecia Jackson Speaker, Consultant, and Author
Post-pandemic many continue to have trouble recruiting and retaining team members and currently some organizations are being met with loss and decrease of funding which leads to doing more work with less staff. Some employees working in the non-profit sector personally are unable to meet their basic needs while serving those who are living in poverty.
This session engages attendees to explore emotional intelligence while integrating
practical skills that can be implemented immediately to develop their self-wareness,
self-management, empathy and creating an environment of belonging (relationship
skills) to navigate overwhelm, burnout and compassion fatigue.