General Session Speakers

Welcome Message
Wednesday, April 18
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Clyde Holman, Deputy Secretary, Office of Community Affairs and Development, Department of Community and Economic Development

The new Deputy Secretary for the Office of Community Affairs and Development, Clyde "Champ" Holman, will open Individually Unique Collectively Strong.

Opening Keynote Address      
Wednesday, April 18                                   
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Nonprofits and Our Role in the American Economy
Robert L.E. Egger

Nonprofits in every town provide the foundation upon which business thrives. Quality healthcare, higher education, robust arts and cultural organizations, a healthy environment, and communities of faith are essential for any community to be considered financially viable. All are the work of nonprofits. How can the sector build upon this and develop a more equitable relationship with leaders at city hall or the state house?

Robert will also present “Building the non-profit profile” during the Thought Leadership Super Sessions on Wednesday from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
 

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, the nation's first "community kitchen", where unemployed men and women learn marketable culinary skills while donated food is converted into balanced meals. Since opening in 1989, the DCCK has distributed over 20 million meals and helped 700 men and women gain full-time employment. Robert served as the Co-Convener of the first Nonprofit Congress in 2006, and was the founding Chair of the Mayor's Commission on Nutrition, and Street Sense, Washington's "homeless" newspaper. Robert has been on the Non Profit Times "50 Most Powerful and Influential Nonprofit Leaders" listing 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was the recipient of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington's 2007 "Lifetime Achievement" award and the 2004 James Beard Foundation "Humanitarian of the Year" award. He has also been named an Oprah Angel, a Washingtonian of the Year, a Point of Light and one of the Ten Most Caring People in America, by the Caring Institute. He is also a 14-gallon blood donor to the American Red Cross. Robert's book on the non-profit sector, Begging for Change, received the 2005 McAdam Prize for "Best Nonprofit Management Book" by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Robert currently leads the V3 Campaign, which educates politicians to the economic contributions of America's nonprofit sector. Robert speaks nationally and internationally on hunger and homelessness, social enterprise and nonprofit unity.

Robert Egger is sponsored by

Afternoon Plenary Session
Wednesday, April 18
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Uncrapify Your Life
Jeff Havens

Uncrapify Your Life! is a study in exactly what not to do. Promising to give his audiences permission rather than advice, Jeff will ‘encourage’ you to criticize others and outsource blame before bringing it all home with a serious discussion about proper communication, customer service and accountability practices. By highlighting and then poking fun of practices we’re all guilty of, Uncrapify Your Life! offers a unique and delightful twist on the traditional keynote, one that has found favor with General Electric, USBank, Frito-Lay, Ford Motors and hundreds of other companies representing virtually every industry in the United States and Canada.

Jeff will also present “Unleash Your Inner Tyrant” during the Thought Leadership Super Sessions on Wednesday from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vanderbilt University, Jeff began his career as a high school English teacher before following his father Rex Havens into the world of stand-up comedy, where he worked with some of the brightest lights in American comedy and honed the art of engaging audiences through laughter. But his impulse to teach never faded, and soon he began looking for an avenue to combine both of his passions into entertaining and meaningful presentations. Jeff is also a regular guest on Fox Business News and has been featured in Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, AOL, and dozens of other regional and national media outlets. His latest book, Unleash Your Inner Tyrant!: Proven Strategies to Help You Become a More Horrible Boss is available in stores now, and there will be many more to come. Trust us: Jeff is just getting started.

 

State of the Association
Thursday, April 19
8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Tay Waltenbaugh, CAAP Board President

The President of the CAAP Board of Directors will provide an overview of the challenges and accomplishments of 2011 and the vision for 2012 and beyond. He will also present the CAAP Sargent Shriver Community Service Award.

Morning General Session
Thursday, April 19
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

 When disaster hits, who will be there to help?
John Joines, Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area
 

Every year communities throughout our nation are ravaged by hurricanes, tornados, floods, forest fires and all other sorts of natural and man-made disasters. When these disasters occur we often wonder who will provide assistance to all the individuals that are affected. Our first instinct is to expect the resources of our government to be pressed into service, and generally they are.  However, there is a role for many other organizations to play, not the least of these organizations being Community Action Agencies.  

On May 22, 2011 the community of Joplin, Missouri was ravaged by an EF5 tornado tore a path 13 miles long and one to two miles wide, literally destroying everything in its path.  One hundred sixty one individuals lost their lives, thousands more were injured and 8,000 homes were destroyed.
Hear how the staff of Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area, the local Community Action Agency, responded and what assets they brought to bear in dealing with the second most deadly single tornado in American history; and, hear what Pennsylvania Community Action Agencies did to assist the residents of Joplin.  

John Joines is a native southwest Missourian. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. For 25 years he worked for Tri-State Motor Transit Co. as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 1997, John became the CEO of the Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area, a Commuity Action Agency in Missouri. John is responsible for the 325 employees of the agency and the 57 different programs. In the twelve years that John has served as CEO, he has grown the Agency from a $6.5 million annual budget to a $20 million annual budget. A former councilman and mayor pro-tem for the city of Carthage, John has either served or is currently serving on numerous boards and committees.

 

Afternoon Plenary Session
Thursday, April 19
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

View from inside the beltway
David Bradley, National Community Action Foundation

The world inside Washington D.C. is unique. Get an inside view of how our government works, how political deals are made, who are the key power players and where Community Action stands. An outlook on the 2012 Presidential race will also be part of this dynamic and intriguing presentation.

Rarely has one individual had more impact on the fortunes of one program than David Bradley has on the nation’s 1100 community action agencies. For nearly three decades David Bradley has been recognized as one of Washington’s leading advocates for low-income programs. David has worked with federal government representatives, members of Congress, congressional staff and key White House personnel to develop national policies dealing with low-income needs and related regulations and guidelines. David has served as a member on a number of advisory boards and commissions.

 David Bradley is sponsored by

Closing General Session
Friday, April 20
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

A discussion with DPW
Angie Logan, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare

Join this discussion with the Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. The facilitated discussion will cover topics such as medical assistance transportation program (MATP), work ready, human services development fund (HSDF), the county block grant proposal, supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), low-income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP), an overview of DPW’s budget request and more. Questions from conference attendees will be taken.

Angie Logan is the Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Policy Development. Her responsibilities include coordinating, planning and program activities across mental health and substance abuse, developmental disabilities, child welfare, juvenile justice, early childhood, Medicaid and education. Ms. Logan currently manages a budget of $65 million for cross-system women and children’s projects including the Rape Crisis, Domestic Violence, Family Planning and Real Alternatives Initiatives. Prior to Commonwealth employment, Angie was a Project Investigator for the evaluation of Early to Learn; she was responsible for managing grants and contracts related to school readiness and early childhood education. While working as a senior research analyst and adjunct professor at the Center for Public Policy, Angie received a master’s degree in Political Science from Temple University in Philadelphia and is currently ABD. She has published several articles in the American Political Science Review’s PS Political Science Journal.